May 7, 2024
Congratulations Mary Hellmer!
Congratulations to Extension Operations' Human Resource Assistant Mary Hellmer who was one of five K-Sate employees selected for the 2024 President's Award of Excellence for Unclassified Professionals.
The award fosters excellence in the workplace by rewarding and recognizing unclassified professional staff members who achieve excellence and/or make exemplary contributions to the mission and values of K-State. All award winners receive $1,000 for their contributions to the K-State community.
Mary was recognized in the Productivity, Creativity and Innovation award category.
Hellmer is key to the K-State Research and Extension's success in providing education to citizens across the state of Kansas. She manages the processes for hiring and onboarding of new extension agents and nutrition education program staff across the state with care, integrity and a genuine interest in finding the best person to fit the needs of our diverse communities. She consistently devises innovative strategies to simplify hiring procedures and has developed screening tools which have been invaluable to ensure local units can identify and secure top talent.
Hellmer consistently demonstrates patience and expertise in addressing inquiries related to hiring and onboarding and provides guidance and support for all stakeholders. She has been instrumental in helping to develop and improve processes, seeking out creative new ways to advertise and walking countless new employees through the onboarding process. Hellmer has been instrumental in the design and development of KSRE's new employee resources website, a large project involving more than 100 subpages of information. The website is key to providing extension employees and board members with critical information. She regularly presents to new extension agents about using universal design concepts to improve access and ensure that KSRE's new employee resources website met accessibility standards and has been instrumental in developing and refining the process by which extension program participants can request disability accommodations.
Hellmer's outstanding contributions have significantly elevated the Extension Operations and the Nutrition Program and her tireless efforts embody the spirit of excellence and innovation.
Way to go Mary!