University of Hawaiʻi nominates employees for 2010 Governor's Awards

University of Hawaiʻi
Contact:
Kristen Bonilla, (808) 956-5039
Public Information Officer, External Affairs and University Relations
Kymber-Lee Char, (808) 956-9437
Public Information Officer, External Affairs & University Relations
Posted: Sep 30, 2010

Gary Rodwell
Gary Rodwell
Susan Murata
Susan Murata
Quarantine First Responders Team
Quarantine First Responders Team
HONOLULU, Hawai‘i – The University of Hawaiʻi has nominated Gary Rodwell from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Susan Murata from Kapi‘olani Community College and the team members of the university’s Quarantine First Responders for 2010 Governor’s Awards.
 
Rodwell was nominated for the Employee of the Year award. For the past 13 years, he has served as an information technology specialist for UH Mānoa’s Office of Undergraduate Education. Rodwell took the campus Banner student information system and put a face on it, which is known today as STAR, a system that makes student transfers between campuses seamless. With his foresight, expertise and can-do attitude, Rodwell developed the Giving Tree, which keeps students current on scholarship information and provides them an online application process. He also created data matrix screens that allow faculty and administrators to view course availability, enrollment information, and student demands during registration. His perseverance and dedication in programming have benefited many in the university community.
 
With over 20 years of state service, Murata has been nominated for the State Manager of the Year award. As head librarian at Kapi‘olani Community College Library, she has taken the Library and Learning Resources unit from a modest operation to a model organization, exemplifying 21st-century leadership skills. Despite reduced hours of operation and mandatory closures due to budgetary restraints, she managed to enhance public services and increase library use through innovation, collaboration and sheer determination. According to her staff, the motivation to nominate her was not only due to her accomplishments, but also due to the positive work environment that she has created. Murata leads by example and continues to demonstrate dynamic leadership and commitment to the community she serves.
 
The Quarantine First Responders Team comprised of representatives from UH Mānoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources and UH Hilo’s College of Agriculture is the nominee for Team of the Year. Dr. Arnold Hara and his team members – Kris Aoki, Susan Cabral, Jon Katada, Charles Nelson, Ruth Niino-DuPonte and Dr. Marcel Tsang – have been successful in developing effective and innovative post-harvest treatments for flowers and foliage which local producers and exporters have adopted. As a result of their efforts, Hawai‘i growers may continue to ship their nursery products inter-island and export plants to California, Guam and Japan. The team has been described as willing to undertake new challenges with zeal, and consistently displaying the highest level of professionalism in carrying out their duties and responsibilities. They have worked tirelessly to strengthen the state’s image of public service and increase their productivity and relevance to Hawai‘i’s people.
 
The three awards – Employee of the Year, Manager of the Year and Team of the Year – are designed to honor the state’s executive branch employees and managers who exemplify the highest caliber of public service and dedication to serving the people of Hawai‘i. The nominees will be recognized at the Governor’s Awards Ceremony on Thursday, October 7, at 2:30 p.m. at the Hawai‘i State Capitol Auditorium.