College of Sciences Staff Advisory Council Welcomes New Members

The College of Sciences welcomes seven new members to its Staff Advisory Council, as the group’s second cohort continues the work of offering resources and serving the needs of staff working with students and faculty members across the College’s six schools.

Five members of the inaugural Staff Advisory Council will continue to serve through the spring 2023 semester.

The College of Sciences Staff Advisory Council’s mission is to represent and advocate for the diverse community of staff within the College, interacting directly with the Dean of the College. The Council serves as a liaison between the staff and College leadership, providing an avenue for a significant contribution of staff expertise. The Council aims to use these perspectives to provide recommendations to the Dean, as well as to inform leadership members within each independent school regarding staff matters.

Please join us in welcoming the new CoS Staff Advisory Council members, and in hearing why they want to serve:

Shaun Ashley, faculty support coordinator, School of Physics:

I am dedicated to working with my colleagues to create a truly holistic work-life balance for our staff, the Institute, and beyond. Highlighting and encouraging staff engagement is key to building healthy, successful, collaborative teams within the individual schools and the College of Sciences. I believe my positive attitude, experience, and commitment to community outreach at Georgia Tech, along with my proven ability to connect with culturally diverse staff will contribute to the shared staff council’s goals.

Danny Hardawar, IT engineer, Academic and Research Computing Services (ARCS):

I would love to serve as a Staff Advisory Council member to see how the Institute supports its staff behind the scenes. If I could also advocate and help other staff have their voices heard, I would love to do that as well.

Verene Lancaster, faculty support coordinator, School of Biological Sciences:

I believe in the Institute’s mission and vision. Making meaningful connections is important to me. I also want to become an advocate for staff, and use my knowledge and professional skills to support the growth and success of projects and initiatives of the CoS Staff Advisory Council.

Alison Ackie Morain, administrative manager, Human Resources and Faculty Affairs, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences:

The College of Sciences Staff Advisory Council has done a tremendous job of being a voice for staff issues. Collectively, we can bring together ideas and successes from each school and spotlight areas of opportunities for all our staff. As a result, we can achieve tremendous success coming together. It would be an honor for me to represent the staff to advance issues important to staff and to educate and participate in the development of staff programs. I believe staff members are the Institute’s greatest asset. I appreciate this nomination and would be honored to serve on the CoS Staff Advisory Council.

Rayshma Pereira, administrative manager I, School of Mathematics:

This is a great opportunity to be a part of building the culture we want to see at Georgia Tech. Since I’m also new to Tech, it gives me a chance to grow with the community as well. 

Tikica Platt, administrative manager II, School of Psychology:

I am happy to serve as a Staff Advisory Council member in order to do what I can to propel the staff experience forward in a way that is necessary, and even revolutionary.

Anthony Yeboah, lab designer, Facilities, College of Sciences:

My goal of serving on the Staff Advisory Council emanates from the need to promote departmental collaboration. Such collaboration is critical for the individual and holistic development of our staff members. In my previous position, I had the opportunity to play different roles within committees and councils and have developed a background of logistic and procedural experience in organizing functions and providing constructive input. I am certain that I will be a strong team player and advocate for the Council and its programs and outreach.

Platt will serve as the new Staff Advisory Council Chair, with Yeboah and Ashley as co-vice chairs.

The five members of the first Council cohort who will remain through the end of the spring semester are Chung Kim, academic program coordinator, School of Biological Sciences; Gary Longstreet, academic program manager, School of Physics; Chinetta Pettaway, research administrative manager, School of Mathematics; Renay San Miguel,communications officer with the College; and Council Chair Kathy Sims, development assistant with the College of Sciences who is also on the CoS Task Force on Racial Equity and the Employee Engagement Leadership Council.

The Council schedules informational meetings every month for staff and College of Sciences Dean Susan Lozier, with some of those meetings tied to themes such as Black History Month or Men’s Health Month. The Council also arranges for events such as Staff Appreciation Day.

The Council began meeting in Fall 2020. Then, members met with staff remotely and worked with Dean Lozier on arranging virtual visits from the Institute’s Human Resources staff, health professionals, and faculty researching the pandemic to provide the latest information on Covid–19. The Council also hosted mental health and wellness talks to meet with staff during the unprecedented nature of the pandemic.