2025 Administrative and Professional Faculty Award winners named

Four employees received this year’s Administrative and Professional (A/P) Faculty Award, which recognizes A/P faculty for their extraordinary contributions, accomplishments, and consistent performance for Virginia Tech.

The recognition program highlights the integral roles that A/P faculty hold as they lead and manage a variety of positions on campus.

"Virginia Tech's more than 15,000 full- and part-time employees work hard every day for our community,” said Bryan Garey, vice president for human resources. “It's an honor to recognize members for our administrative and professional faculty, which represents about 2,500 people in our workforce. This year's award winners have distinguished themselves through their extraordinary contributions, unwavering excellence, and impactful achievements to our university."

The 2025 A/P Faculty Award recipients are the following:

Claudia Brodkin, undergraduate lab coordinator for the Department of Chemistry, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2001.

Paul Deck, associate professor and undergraduate program director for chemistry, wrote in a letter of nomination: “Claudia is not only an efficient and faithful lab manager, but she is a tireless booster for Hispanic students, women, and diversity in general. Claudia takes the time to work individually with students in her tiny office, coaching them on self‐confidence, career planning, and even advising them on challenging personal problems.”

Cozette Comer, assistant director for Evidence Synthesis Services (ESS) for the University Libraries, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2018.

Kyrille DeBose, director of health sciences libraries for the University Libraries, wrote in a letter of nomination: “Cozette worked collaboratively to develop a five-year strategic plan for ESS that provided a vision and series of goals that would continue to augment and elevate library services. She created a service model that integrated the expertise of subject specialists and librarians while also providing them with training and opportunities to further hone their own research skills. This enabled her to provide high-quality and rigorous support services to researchers across the university interested in applying evidence-based review methodologies to further their own scholarship and contributions in their disciplines.”

Andria "Annie" Laib Jenkins, associate director of Health Professions Advising (HPA), part of Career and Professional Development, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2017.

Emily Vedder, assistant director of academic advising for the School of Neuroscience, wrote in a letter of nomination: “Annie understands the balance between positively supporting students, but also being realistic about their candidacy and suggesting improvements to make them more competitive for admission. Annie delivers all this advice eloquently and helps summarize the big picture. I wholeheartedly see why students trust her and keep coming back to HPA for future advising.”

Rachel Smucker, director of university scholarships for the Office of University Scholarships and Financial Aid, has worked for Virginia Tech since 2021.

Beth Armstrong, associate vice provost for enrollment management and director of University Scholarships and Financial Aid, wrote in a letter of nomination: “While Rachel has achieved so much — exceeding all expectations — in her role during her short tenure, she has accomplished this while always keeping students at the forefront of her decision-making. They are Rachel’s ‘why,’ and she consistently demonstrates this in both words and actions.”

In addition to this year’s winners, congratulations to the following 2025 A/P Faculty Award nominees:

• Artem Bank, music production manager for the School of Performing Arts
• Lisa Blackwell, senior director of human resources technology and analytics for the Division of Human Resources
• Michelle Dalton, general chemistry lab supervisor for the Department of Chemistry
• Brandon Epperley, human resources generalist for the Division of Human Resources
• Eric Glenn, director of organizational development for the University Libraries
• Carol Hurley, associate director for faculty and staff technology resources, user experience, and engagement in the Division of Information Technology
• Michele McDonald, director of communications and marketing for the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative
• James Newcomer, academic and career advisor for the Department of Engineering Education
• Michael Parrish, assistant director of business systems and divisional data engineer for the vice president for facilities chief of staff

Find more information about this year’s winners and nominees.