Secretary Receives Excellence Award

12/02/2011 

Rhonda Moulton, the personable and knowledgeable secretary who keeps the dean’s office of SUNY Cortland’s School of Arts and Sciences running smoothly, was named the recipient of the prestigious 2011 President’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service.

SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum presented the award to Moulton, a secretary I in the office since 2003, on Dec. 2 at the 41st annual Service Recognition Ceremony. Sponsored by the College’s Human Resources Office, the ceremony was held in the Corey Union Function Room.

“She is always professional, personable, well-informed, helpful, sympathetic, honorable and proactive, with a good sense of humor,” said Associate Professor Lori Ellis, chair of the Art and Art History Department and one of the people who nominated Moulton.

“She exemplifies the best balance I have ever encountered ¾ anywhere ¾ between personal and professional,” Ellis added. “She really cares about all of us as individuals and understands how to promote harmony while helping us do our jobs efficiently and with a high level of quality.”

The award was created in 2002 to annually recognize one individual “for extraordinary achievement and to encourage the continuation of excellence.” Nominees must be current SUNY Cortland full-time classified service employees with at least three years of continuous service. Supervisors, co-workers or other College community members nominate the workers considered for this honor.

“Rhonda is unquestionably the most valuable resource on campus for department chairs in need of information and advice,” said Professor Peter Ducey, chair of the Biological Sciences Department. “She has a very complete knowledge of College policies and procedures. No department within the School of Arts and Sciences could operate without constant assistance from Rhonda.”

In nominating Moulton, supervisors and co-workers noted her encyclopedic knowledge, exceptional organizational skills, promptness, competence and willingness to go above and beyond what many people would do to find solutions to a wide variety of problems.

“Rhonda sees the big picture and does not allow the bureaucracy to cloud that,” said Assistant Professor William Skipper, chair of the Sociology/Anthropology Department. “She can find a way, within the rules, to accomplish the goal. She has a wide-ranging intelligence. The result is that she understands the human part of organizations and its importance.”

A graduate of Newark Valley High School, Moulton was active in band and field hockey. She worked as a secretary in the Binghamton area for several years and was a teller at National Bank and Trust Company.

Moulton started her career as a New York state employee when she worked for seven years at MacCormack Secure Center, a school for juvenile criminal offenders in Brooktondale, N.Y. From there, she was promoted to the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.

She joined SUNY Cortland in 1997 as a secretary I in the Sponsored Programs Office. In 2003, Moulton was promoted to secretary II in the dean’s office of the School of Arts and Sciences.

She lives in Berkshire, N.Y., with Mike, her husband of 31 years. Moulton has served as organist and choir director at Berkshire Congregational Church for more than 34 years and as treasurer of the Berkshire Rod and Gun Club.