Jun. 4, 2020
CWU Recognizes 2020 Employees of the Year
Central Washington University acknowledged its best-of-the-best workers during a Zoom recognition ceremony on June 2 to honor the 2020 Employees of the Year. Lisa Stowe, a fiscal specialist in the Chemistry Department, was named Classified Employee of the Year, while Exempt Employee of the Year went to Lieutenant Marc McPherson, from University Police and Public Safety.
One of Stowe’s nominators wrote, “what really sets her apart is the attention she pays to ‘my students,’ as she refers to them. As a CWU alumna herself and long-time employee, Lisa truly wants every CWU student to navigate through the educational process smoothly.”
During her acceptance remarks, Stowe talked of her commitment, saying, “I miss our students, they’re why I do my job every day. I’m proud to be a CWU alum and I’m really grateful to be working here.”
A breast cancer survivor, Stowe, the October 2019 Employee of the Month, also works on numerous community events to build cancer awareness and raise the money needed for a cure.
McPherson, who was also the Exempt Employee of the Month for July 2019, was nominated for his leadership and professionalism in connection with a particular incident. Last year, while teaching a university self-defense course—with his two children nearby—he was alerted to reports of an alleged active shooter on campus. McPherson immediately responded, leaving his children with another officer, and led the response that ultimately determined the reports were false. He later directed the investigation into the incident.
“There isn’t a member of the University Police and Public Safety team that would not have made the same potential sacrifices to protect our community,” he noted. “That type of love for the path we chose is what makes up the core of our department and its employees.”
Stowe and McPherson will each receive a $2,500 award, funded by the CWU Foundation. The annual winners were selected from among the 12 Employee of the Month recipients honored by the university’s Classified Employee Council, and the 12 recognized by the Exempt Employee Association between July 2019 and June 2020.
The awards honor employees who go above and beyond their normal job responsibilities, offer unique contributions to their work unit and the university, have a positive impact on those they work with, and who consistently perform for the betterment of CWU.
Media contact: Robert Lowery, Department of Public Affairs, 509-899-0235, Robert.Lowery@cwu.edu.
Photo: (Top row, l. to r.) Lidia Anderson, chair, Classified Employee Council; CWU President James L. Gaudino, who announced the award recipients during the ceremony; Carolyn Thurston, chair, Exempt Employee Association; (bottom row, l. to r.) Lisa Stowe, Classified Employee of the Year, and Marc McPherson, Exempt Employee of the Year.