Tomas Larralde, assistant to the president, surprises
Rising Star Award winner Linda Martinez with a letter
informing her of the prize.
UTSA Rising Star Award goes to Linda Martinez
(October 17, 2001)--Linda Martinez, UTSA administrative secretary for U.S. Air Force ROTC Detachment 842, will be honored with the Rising Star Award, one of five awards that will be presented next week at the UTSA Staff Excellence Awards ceremony. The presentation will be made at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 23 in the University Center Laurel Room on the 1604 Campus.
The ceremony will include other staff recognition, 5-30 year service pin awards, festive food and door prizes (T-shirts and tickets to SeaWorld). All UTSA staff are invited to attend the event. At the ceremony, President Ricardo Romo will present to each of the five Staff Excellence winners an award of $1,000 and a commemorative plaque.
"The caliber of the 88 nominees was tremendous and these individuals are truly deserving of this exciting honor," said Tomas Larralde, selection committee member and assistant to the president.
Honored for significant contributions throughout the year, a Rising Star Award recipient is recognized as an emerging leader within the university community. The 2001 UTSA Staff Excellence Awards recognize staff members for their service and outstanding accomplishments. The winners were chosen from 88 nominations submitted by UTSA faculty, staff and students.
The following profile is first in a series of five spotlighting the winners of the UTSA Staff Excellence Awards.
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Profile:
LINDA MARTINEZ
Self-motivated, energetic, enthusiastic. These descriptors appear prominently in Col. Vance Zider's nomination of Linda Martinez for the Rising Star Staff Excellence Award. Since joining UTSA's U.S. Air Force ROTC Detachment nearly two years ago, Martinez has harnessed these strengths to help propel the cadre to a record 186 cadets.
Despite the added workload that every new student brings, she seeks out and helps students to qualify for admission into the university, often hand-carrying their applications to the requisite offices.
Following the university's restructuring, she proactively arranged for a new mailbox for the detachment, so that no mail was lost, and delivery flowed seamlessly. She also arranged for new office phones and voicemail service for six separate offices within the unit.
Martinez is known to be a mentor not only to students, but to fellow employees, as well. Since she began her tenure, the program has had a 67 percent turnover in staff, including the department head. She provided stability and continuity during this transition and was essential in training new staff.
Her reputation for outstanding service goes beyond the university; the detachment received an "excellent" operational readiness rating following a recent government inspection.
Known as a consumate "team player," Martinez says winning the Rising Star Award "makes all the missed lunches worthwhile."
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