Koehler Named Classified Employee of the Year

Joan Koehler, Accountant I, has been unanimously selected by our executive committee (deans, directors and department heads) as the 2008 Classified Employee of the Year from the College of Architecture, Planning and Design.

Joan worked at K-State from 1976 through 1979, and has been employed in several capacities by the College of Architecture, Planning and Design since August of 1986. Most recently, Joan has been our college accountant and personnel specialist, working out of the Information and Administrative Services portion of the Dean’s Office. In that capacity she is responsible for all facets of our college’s state and grant funding and paperwork for all of our college’s employees.

During the last two years, our college has seen many changes in personnel and academic offerings, as well as in university systems, all of which have increased both the volume and complexity of Joan’s tasks. She has adapted extremely well to these changes. She is extremely thorough, accurate and knowledgeable; and is diligent in researching problems, asking questions, and meticulously organizing her work and records.  In my 20+ years of responsibility for our college’s accounting and personnel transactions, I have never, ever, had as much confidence in their accuracy and timeliness as I have these past two years with Joan.

Both Joan’s oral and written communication skills are excellent. She is unfailingly polite and never appears to be rattled. She interacts with everyone, whether or not a vendor, someone in K-State’s Controller’s Office or Human Resources, or a CAPD faculty, staff or student, with courtesy, integrity and dignity. She is well respected by everyone here and serves as a true role model of honesty and proper office decorum. She also has a sense of humor as well as a healthy perspective and balance between her work and personal lives, is caring and conscientious, and is a valued friend and confidante.

We are exceedingly fortunate to have Joan as a long-term employee and pleased to have this opportunity to honor her for contributions to our college and to K-State.