School of Dentistry staff members honored at annual awards reception for their service to the school3 min read

Ann Arbor, Mich., Dec. 12, 2024 – Staff at the School of Dentistry were recently highlighted during an annual event to acknowledge and honor their contributions for service milestones as well as the fourth annual Great Impressions Awards in eight categories.

The awards were presented on Nov. 14 during a reception hosted by Senior Associate Dean Mark Fitzgerald, Dean Jacques Nör and members of the school’s leadership team.

During his remarks, Dean Nör shared his thoughts on the importance of staff and everything they do to help the school achieve its mission everyday. “Without your daily contributions, our school could not provide patient care, support for students or conduct research.  There is no question that the school we are today is thanks to your contributions. Thank you for all you do to support our school.”

In the service anniversary categories, staff members were acknowledged for 10, 20, 25 and 30 years of service to the university.  Recipients included:

10 years: Ray Aldrich, Brook Andrews, Kimberly Fuller, Monique Guana, Holly Kholdani, Becky Levi, Taryn Minton, and Katherine Shin.

20 years:  Catherine Maynard, Nancy Lako, Tammy Leffler, Julie Phillips, and Carrie Towns.

25 years: Rebecca Flynn, Nicole Haskett, Charlotte Lewis, Sarah Marsh, Angela Osenkowski, Mary Roosen, April Stanly and Joshua Weil.

30 years: Amy Koh and Deanna Nellis.

For the fourth year, the school awarded its Great Impression Awards to staff nominated and voted on by their peers and faculty for outstanding work. Categories include patient care, administrative support, student support, research support, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) support, faculty support, supervisor, and the Tooth Fairy Award for overall outstanding support to the school. 

Recipients of the Great Impression Awards are:

Patient Care: Steven Colts, Patient Services Associate.

Administrative support: Rachand Braham, Credentialing Specialist, Patient Services.

Research support: Jennifer Linzmeier, Research Administrator Lead in Research, Contracts & Grants.

Student support: Shelby Simons, Administrative Specialist Intermediate, Patient Services.

Faculty support: Ellen Horton, Educational Support Services Team Lead, Academic Affairs.

Supervisor: Keisha Reid, AR Reimbursement Specialist, Dental Business Office.

DEIB support: Cherokee Taylor, Administrative Assistant Senior, Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences & Prosthodontics.

Tooth Fairy Award: Rachand Braham, Credentialing Specialist, Patient Services.

Award recipients received a trophy and a cash award.

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The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is one of the nation’s leading dental schools engaged in oral healthcare education, research, patient care and community service.  General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the school to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan.  Classroom and clinic instruction prepare future dentists, dental specialists and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia and public agencies.  Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide.  For more information about the School of Dentistry, visit us on the Web at: www.dent.umich.edu.  Contact: Lynn Monson, associate director of communications, at [email protected], or (734) 615-1971.