The Human Resources Department is pleased to announce the Employees of Distinction for the months of July and August.
Mark Piatkowski is the Canisius College Employee of Distinction. Mark was nominated for this award by Al Pilato.
At Canisius for more than 16 years, Mark currently works as the associate director of Student Life. Mark was selected for this award for his patience, positivity, great communication skills, and flexibility in all that he does, and most recently, his exceptional contributions to safety protocols created for students throughout the pandemic. Mark served as the “man behind the curtain” who created the processes for handling new cases as they came by ensuring the appropriate students were isolating or quarantining, meals were delivered, and rooms were cleaned as needed. This process became a well-oiled machine by the time the spring semester rolled around, and because of this, new cases were handled as efficiently and seamlessly as any other daily routine.
Additionally, Mark effectively communicated with several offices to ensure Student Life, Student Health, Athletics, Housekeeping, Chartwells, Public Safety, the affected students, and their concerned parents were on the same page for keeping the campus safe. Mark’s hard work did not go unnoticed, and he continues to exemplify these qualities every day, serving as a great example to the Canisius community.
Maggie Burkard is the Canisius College Employee of Distinction for August. Maggie was nominated for this award by Mick Cochrane, Mary Ann Langlois, Jenn Lodi-Smith, Sara Morris, Fatima Rodriguez-Johnson and Tim Wadkins.
At Canisius for more than 13 years, Maggie currently works as the support and grant budget manager for the Office of Academic Affairs.
Maggie was selected for this award because of her extensive knowledge of and devotion to Canisius College and her embodiment of cura personalis in every interaction she has. Maggie is an excellent problem solver, an attentive listener, and makes everyone she comes in contact with feel comfortable and welcome.
Most recently, her strong technical skills and willingness to learn allowed for several Academic Affairs events to be a success throughout the pandemic when everything had to switch over to hybrid formats. Maggie was specifically commended for her contributions to the Contemporary Writers Series, the MLK Book Series, the HEOP 50th Anniversary Celebration, the Academic Affairs Q&A Sessions, the Fitzpatrick Lecture Series, and Borders and Migration events. Overall, Maggie’s positive energy, empathy, willingness to make time for anyone who needs help, and genuine desire to see Canisius succeed have made her invaluable to the College.
Please join the Human Resources Department in congratulating Mark and Maggie on their well-deserved achievements!
Submitted by: Bethany Voorhees, executive associate, President’s Office
