Donna Steigleder named VCUHS Employee of the Year

By Michael Ford
University News Services

Donna Steigleder, director of employee relations, has been named 2003 Employee of the Year for the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System. Previously designated as the VCU Health System's Employee of the Month for July 2003, Steigleder was chosen from among a group of 11 monthly honorees.

Steigleder is also human resource's liaison for JCAHO, the Joint Commission on Accreditation for Healthcare Organizations. She chairs the VCU Health System's Human Resources JCAHO Committee, providing valuable information and support in advance of a JCAHO survey.

"Dedicated and hardworking, Donna is a wonderful example of the VCU Health System's overall mission and our very important goals for quality customer service," said Maria Curran, vice president, VCUHS Human Resources. "She is a strong employee advocate and has been instrumental in the development of new employee evaluation tools used by health system managers."

The Employee of the Year recognition earned Steigleder a crystal trophy and a $500 cash award.

"I am so excited and honored by this special recognition," Steigleder said. "I love working for the Health System! Loving what I do and having such great people to work with makes it easy for me to do a good job and go the extra mile. VCUHS is a wonderful place, full of exciting new opportunities for personal growth. We provide a great service to our community and have so many dedicated and amazing employees. I'm proud to be a small part of it!"

Although no longer involved in direct patient care, Steigleder is a licensed registered nurse who has worked for the health system for nearly 12 years. People who work with her say her nurse's training is often evident in her professional demeanor and the calm she brings to stressful situations and the compassion she shows whether interacting with employees or managers.

Only successful Employee of the Month honorees may be a candidate for Employee of the Year. Nominations for Employee of the Month remain active for a year and should be sent to the VCU Health System Reward and Recognition Committee, P.O. Box 980510.

VCU Health System 2003 Employees of the Month

January
Sherry Lockhart, R.N., CSICU

February
Cindy Parker, R.N., STICU

March
Maureen Johnson, Surgical Services

April
Moniker Fenner, R.N., NSICU

May *

June
Charlotte Rousseau, Gumenick Suites

July
Donna Steigleder, Human Resources

August
Joe Walsh, R.N., Cardiology

September
Amy Chodorov, RN, STICU

October
Carol Roberts, RN, NSICU

November
Barbara Fowlkes, Environmental Services

December
Mary Golixer, Pathology

*Employee no longer works for VCUHS