Six New Members Elected to Staff Forum

promo_origAfter weeks of campaigning and meeting with colleagues, the results are finally in for the 2017 Staff Forum Election. Three representatives and three alternates were chosen to represent the staff of the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) on the Executive Committee for an eight-month term. Your three representatives are Ms. Lisa Collins, Program Administrator in the Office of Global & Population Health; Ms. Leslie Gascon, Administrative Coordinator in the Department of General Dentistry; and Ms. Larissa Weiner, Periodontal Clinic and Administrative Manager in the Department of Periodontology. The three alternates for Staff Forum are Ms. Stephanie Grignet, Assistant Director of the Office of Continuing Education; Ms. Erica Manczuk, Associate Director of Student Affairs; and Ms. Katie O’Shea, Development Program Officer in the Office of Development.

It is important to note that this was the largest participation year in the voting booths, as 142 staff members cast votes in the Staff Forum Election. That is a 50% participation rate, up 1% from last year’s election.

“The entire GSDM community would like to thank Ms. Leslie Caiola, Ms. Roberta Flynn, Ms. Janine Lipsky, Ms. Alexa Myers, and Ms. Pamela Simmons for their contributions during their tenure on Staff Forum for the 2016-2017 academic year,” said Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter.

The outgoing members of the staff forum made many strides and have numerous accomplishments to be proud of. They started the very popular Staff Forum Nutrition Group; lobbied for the installation of water fountains on each floor of the GSDM building; started the Staff Forum Walk to Wellness Group; held presentations with speakers pertaining to work-life balance; and held many social events for staff, such as the Halloween Costume contest.

The Staff Forum which was created at GSDM in 2012, selects a representative and alternate for each the clinical, administrative, and research areas. The duties for each member of the Staff Forum are: to act as Chair and represent staff at any Executive Committee meetings for a period of 8 months; be available to meet with Staff Forum Representatives and Alternatives at least quarterly or as necessary; be willing to provide feedback and updates to the other Representatives and Alternates and GSDM constituents; and be willing to meet with constituents as needed.

“Thank you to Grace Elson for her outstanding efforts in facilitating the Staff Forum election this year,” said Dean Hutter. “The Staff Forum is an integral part of our school community and does a spectacular job representing the interests of our staff. Congratulations to our newest Staff Forum Representatives and Alternates.”