Talent & Inclusion is honored to announce the winners of this year’s Board of Trustees Outstanding Staff Awards:
Kimberly LeChasseur and Joel Harris
Kimberly and Joel were among 34 WPI staff members from Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Enrollment Management, University Advancement, Talent & Inclusion, and Finance and Operations to be nominated this year by faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduates. The nominees were invited to a breakfast with the Board of Trustees on May 9th, where Trustees, Board Chair Bill Fitzgerald, President Grace Wang, and SVP Talent & Inclusion and CDO Lauren Turner celebrated their contributions and announced the names of the winners.
Bringing expertise in data, data analysis, and program design to all facets of her work, Kimberly LeChasseur, senior research and evaluation associate in the Morgan Teaching and Learning Center with a joint appointment in the Center for Project Based Learning, supports student and community well-being, faculty academic and research efforts, and WPI’s reputation as a leader in project-based learning. Her contributions during the pandemic and WPI’s mental health crisis were instrumental in advancing organizational learning and helping to identify solutions. She is also recognized as a tireless advocate for advancing equity and inclusion in STEM institutions.
Known for his welcoming and cheerful attitude, Joel Harris, a senior instructional lab engineer in the Mechanical and Materials Engineering Department, is always willing to help students and colleagues. His confident leadership of lab personnel and lab operations and his skills as a listener and an innovator have expanded and improved Washburn Shops. He is passionate about project-based learning and an active supporter of teaching students to help themselves and each other, to their great satisfaction. Enthusiastic in his role and eager to celebrate wins, Joel regularly displays WPI's values to uphold a safe and inclusive environment.
We wish to thank this year’s selection committee for their work in support of these awards: Lisa Wall, Biomedical Engineering; Nicole Caligiuri, Office of Sponsored Programs; Matthew Barry, Student Development and Counseling; Margaret Brodmerkle, Humanities & Arts; Kat Keyes and Sarah Sweet, Talent & Inclusion.
We congratulate Kimberly and Joel on their achievements, and we thank all the nominees for their dedication and service to WPI.
