Sandra Drake

University Support Staff

Started at KU: 2000.

Current title: Administrative specialist, Department of Communications Studies.

What that means: If the department has a priority project, she works to make sure deadlines are met, works to ensure that graduate students feel welcome in the department, and works with faculty to meet their needs.

Notable: Over the past five years, she has created an office record-keeping system that encompasses grades, financials and payroll that her colleagues say is amazing. In the last 12 months, Drake created a record-keeping system for the KU debate program to ensure that records and resources are always on hand and the needs of the program are met.

Drake makes sure all paperwork is completed for GTA appointments and attends workshops and seminars to keep abreast of changing policies and procedures.

Drake's supervisor says that she is a warm person and a dedicated employee who has worked "extremely hard over the past five years to learn a difficult job and has excelled in that job."

Jennifer Wamelink

Unclassified employee

Started at KU: 1997.

Current title: Assistant director for residence life.

What that means: Wamelink oversees staffing, programming, student discipline, crisis response, and general administration in Oliver, GSP and Corbin residence halls as well as the scholarship halls.

Notable: Jennifer serves as adviser of the All Scholarship Hall Council and represents the Department of Student Housing at various events involving students. She makes a point of attending all of the council's events, even though they usually are held on evenings and weekends.

In addition to her job responsibilities, Wamelink regularly volunteers to assist other departments and other staff members with events such as sorority bid night, Greek awards judging, and student leadership workshops. Her commitment to the betterment of her profession and her active leadership role in the Upper Midwest Region of Housing Officers group led to her election as treasurer, a position that places her in line to become president of the organization.