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From left to right, Natural Resource and Environmental Management team members Chi Ming Chan, Kirsten Oleson, Steven Nagano, Ali Fares, Debbie Wong, Catherine Chan-Halbrendt, and Creighton Litton, along with President M.R.C. Greenwood, BOR Chair Eric K. Martinson, and Employee of the Year Nominee Roxanne Adams.

The University of Hawaiʻi System has named Roxanne Adams, interim director of Buildings and Grounds Management for the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, as its Employee of the Year, and the Natural Resource and Environmental Management team of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at UH Mānoa as the Team of the Year.

Adams and the Natural Resource and Environmental Management team will serve as the UH nominees for the annual Governor’s Awards for Distinguished State Service.

Employee of the Year

As interim director of Buildings and Grounds Management, Adams is responsible for overseeing the grounds maintenance, landscaping, nursery, refuse collection and recycling operations on the Mānoa campus. She is also the 2012 recipient of the UH Mānoa Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Service.

With her dedication and strong passion to advance the grounds and maintenance of the campus, she is also a strong advocate for sustainability and native plants, and is always willing to teach and share her knowledge with students, faculty, staff and administrators.

Whether it may be getting her hands dirty with educational demonstrations in the field, speaking at local and national conferences to share her knowledge and expertise, or embracing technology and incorporating new methods of thinking in solving complex problems, she has always exceeded expectations with her integrity, compassion, problem-solving skills and “can do” attitude.

Team of the Year

UH Mānoa’s Natural Resource and Environmental Management team focuses on sustainability, including discovering and helping students and external clients learn how to better use, manage and conserve natural and renewable resources for optimum livelihood benefits and enhanced environmental quality for the state and Pacific region, as well as internationally.

Led by Catherine Chan-Halbrendt, the team has addressed community, industry and business concerns through teaching, research and extension modes of delivery in the areas of ecological, socioeconomic and human dimensions of natural resources, invasive species control and management, food security, bioenergy production, forest ecosystems, water quality, watershed hydrology, youth environmental and economic impact/policy assessment, specialty crops, ecotourism, and fisheries management.

The team consists of 15 faculty and three staff members. More than 160 students have also contributed to the success of the program.

2012 Governor’s Awards for Distinguished State Service

The Governor’s Awards for Distinguished State Service are part of the state’s employee recognition and incentive program that is administered by the Department of Human Resources Development.

There are three awards—Employee of the Year, Manager of the Year, and Team of the Year—and each are designed to honor the state’s executive branch employees and managers who exemplify the highest caliber of public service and dedication to serving the people of Hawaiʻi. Each state department may submit one nominee for each award category, and the nominees compete for the Governor’s Awards.

All departmental nominees will be recognized at an awards ceremony, which is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 28, 2012, at the State Capitol Auditorium at 2:30 p.m.

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