Gilbert Collins
Service Recognition ceremony celebrates Princeton staff for outstanding achievements
On March 26, the new Racquet and Recreation Fieldhouse in the Meadows Neighborhood was the site of the Service Recognition Luncheon, a cherished annual tradition that honors the service and accomplishments of Princeton staff. The event recognized 420 honorees who reached service milestones in 2024, along with six staff members who were named as President's Achievement Award recipients and two employees who received the Donald Griffin ’23 Management Award.
The Office of Human Resources annually honors employees who have attained service milestones beginning at 10 years of employment and continuing in succeeding five-year increments.
This year's event location, the Racquet and Recreation Fieldhouse, opened in fall 2024. The facility serves as the new athletic hub for Princeton’s rugby, softball, squash and tennis teams.
“Gathering here today to celebrate our incredible honorees and award winners is a heartwarming reminder of what makes working in higher education and at Princeton so truly special.” said Romy Riddick, vice president for human resources, who was the host of the program.
Riddick continued, “As Princeton staff members, you represent a dedicated, talented, and diverse group of employees who rightfully deserve recognition today for your years of service and for your unique contributions to make this institution a truly great one. You make more impact than you can imagine!”
All employees will receive a certificate of recognition embossed with a special copper-engraved rendering of Nassau Hall by the late Michael Graves, the Robert Schirmer Professor of Architecture Emeritus and a renowned architect and designer, along with a commemorative pin for their specific years of service. Those with 55, 50, 45, 40, 35, 30 and 25 years of service also selected gifts from the special Princeton Service Recognition Program collection at Hamilton Jewelers.
President Christopher L. Eisgruber joined Riddick on stage to share his sentiments on the day. “Together, the 420 employees we celebrate today have devoted a staggering 8,040 years to our University community," Eisgruber said. "This remarkable dedication is inspiring, not only because of the many lifetimes it represents but also because of the myriad ways in which you have contributed to Princeton.”
By the numbers
- 1 employee with 55 years of service
- 2 employees with 50 years of service
- 9 employees with 45 years of service
- 17 employees with 40 years of service
- 17 employees with 35 years of service
- 24 employees with 30 years of service
- 45 employees with 25 years of service
- 93 employees with 20 years of service
- 76 employees with 15 years of service
- 136 employees with 10 years of service
Totaling 8,040 years of combined service to Princeton University.
For the full list of honorees and group photos, visit the Service Recognition Program page.
2024 Celebrating Service at Princeton
Staff members who celebrated service milestones in 2024 share their experiences working at Princeton.
President’s Achievement Awards
Six Princeton staff members were honored as recipients of the President’s Achievement Award (PAA) for their commitment to excellence and exceptional performance. The award was established in 1997 to recognize members of the support and administrative staffs with five or more years of service whose dedication, excellent work and special efforts have contributed significantly to the success of their departments and the University as a whole.
Recipients receive a framed certificate and a $2,500 award, and their names are inscribed on a plaque displayed in the Office of Human Resources. President Christopher L. Eisgruber gave the following remarks at the luncheon about each of the PAA winners.
Gilbert Collins
"Gilbert Collins' impact on the Center for Health and Wellbeing, part of the School of Public and International Affairs, has been far-reaching — organizationally, intellectually and geographically. As its executive director, Gilbert comes as close as any human can to being everywhere at once, ever alert to ways in which the experience of students, faculty, and staff, as well as a worldwide network of partners, can be enriched.
Nowhere is this thoughtful and innovative spirit more apparent than in his contributions as the center’s director of global health programs. In the words of a global health student, 'Anyone who has had the chance to see Gilbert advise, mentor or teach… knows that his warmth, enthusiasm, and passion for what he does are unrelenting.'
Whether he is spearheading transformative mini-courses in Kenya and Brazil over winter break, dramatically increasing the number of internship and research opportunities available to students, or mentoring the anxious, eager or unsure, Gilbert has made it his mission to empower others, mindful that nothing less than the health of our world is at stake."
Laura Darrell
Laura Darrell
"Laura Darrell has been described as the 'gold standard' for what she does and 'exactly the type of Princeton employee that should be recognized and celebrated.' As assistant to the associate vice president for facilities operations and as assistant manager for administrative services, she serves as an administrative hub for our facilities operations team, which is tasked with maintaining our campus’s buildings, grounds and infrastructure.
Laura both eases and enhances the executive functions of her unit through her commitment to excellence, resourcefulness, resilience, and acuity. Projects entrusted to her care take flight, symbolized by a profoundly meaningful initiative called OneRespect, which was launched to address the invisibility of service workers and promote a culture of esteem and inclusivity. People in Laura’s orbit flourish, too, including a succession of leaders within Facilities who have come to rely on her day-to-day support and, in some cases, onboarding talents.
Not only does Laura make things happen but she also makes things better. As her nomination puts it, 'She is always assessing our processes and performance, identifying ways to improve and helps to lead and facilitate change. She is a consummate professional.'"
Bob Macfarlan
Bob Macfarlan
"There is more to Princeton than meets the eye, and no one knows this better than Bob Macfarlan, who heads our plumbing and HVAC shops. For over three decades, he has cared for the network of pipes and ducts that makes our buildings livable and functional.
His knowledge, dedication, and collegiality are unsurpassed. His commitment and talents are amplified through his mentorship of plumbers and mechanics throughout the Facilities organization. In the words of his nomination, 'From the moment he arrives in the shop in the morning until the moment he leaves, Bob strives to be the best he can be to ensure that the entire campus community receives the level of service it deserves.'
There are, of course, times when even Bob’s expertise and ingenuity are tested, but he rises to every occasion, as when a condensate leak threatened a special collections vault in Firestone Library or when the lint traps in a residential college laundry room emitted a noxious odor. In each case, he embraced the problem and designed an elegant solution that has never had to be revisited."
David Radcliff
David Radcliff
"David Radcliff — better known as Radd — is the human fulcrum on which the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering’s undergraduate laboratory rests. The way in which he manages this hub of hands-on learning is a testament to his technical, organizational and teaching skills, as well as his generosity of spirit.
For the hundreds of students who gather under his watchful eye each week, Radd is, in the words of his nomination, a veritable 'tech wizard' who makes 'the lab such a wonderful place… to learn, imagine, build, and collaborate.' The journey from concept to completion can be arduous, but students quickly learn that they can find in him the moral and practical support they need to be successful.
Radd ensures that no one falls through the cracks. Indeed, he instills in his students an ethos of teamwork, exemplified by his stewardship of the department’s famously challenging and rewarding robotic and autonomous systems lab.
As Professor Claire Gmachl puts it, 'Radd makes our students’ experiences of engineering and research exceptionally better, while asking nothing in return… Radd is awesome!!!'"
Ken Strother, Jr.
Ken Strother, Jr.
"As assistant vice president for public safety, Ken Strother is tasked with safeguarding thousands of students, faculty, staff and visitors, as well as Princeton’s irreplaceable cultural treasures.
Ken approaches this complex task in a human-centric way, building relationships that foster transparency, trust, and understanding, and are shaped by his personal integrity and strategic vision. The importance he attaches to these relationships can be seen in his creation of a community relations division; in his close engagement with local law enforcement agencies; in his highly regarded work with campus partners; and, yes, in his department’s lovable Labrador Retriever, Coach, a source of cheer and comfort for his staff and all who cross her path.
Ken has been described as a 'true community caretaker,' a role that comes into its own in moments of contention. As Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students Jarrett Fisher puts it, 'I often see Ken interact with the most impassioned groups and individuals, when emotions run high… Yet, even in these most challenging situations, I’ve observed Ken demonstrate the most incredible degree of patience, grace and diplomacy.'"
Marion Young
Marion Young
"Marion Young is executive director of the Lewis Center for the Arts, where she serves as the 'central hub' of five programs, each with a different creative focus and each with its own administrative and academic goals.
Fortunately, Marion is, in the words of her nomination, 'an exceptionally gifted strategic thinker, with the ability to hold multiple competing interests in her mind and plan the most complicated of operations with grace, clarity, and calm.' She is attuned to both the whole and its parts, deftly forging ties among her diverse constituencies, resolving differences, prioritizing needs and managing resources.
Marion has faced a wide range of challenges — from rapid enrollment growth to budgetary constraints; from leadership transitions to major programmatic changes. Her stalwart presence has helped the Lewis Center to perform as vibrantly as the students who fill its stages, studios, and writer’s nooks. To quote Judith Hamera, professor and chair of the Lewis Center for the Arts, 'she is a creative and meticulous manager of our resources and her understanding of our enrollment and budget… makes her a highly persuasive and well-respected advocate.'"
Griffin Management Award
Two staff members have been honored as recipients of the Donald Griffin ’23 Management Award.
The Griffin Management Award was established by the family of alumnus and administrator Donald Griffin, Class of 1923. This year marks the 100th anniversary of his graduation from Princeton. The award is given by the Office of Human Resources to recognize administrative employees with a $2,500 grant to participate in an educational or professional conference that can result in new insights and perspectives, renewed motivations, or enhanced skills that can be applied to their current responsibilities. The Griffin Award winners are as follows. The following remarks were given at the luncheon by Mo Connolly, director of learning and development at Human Resources.
Brendan Byrne
Brendan Byrne
"Brendan Byrne works for the Council on Science and Technology as their StudioLab artistic and technical manager. He can be counted on for brainstorming sessions, design direction, fabrication expertise, prototyping advice, respectful critique and event and workshop facilitation.
Executive Director of the Council on Science and Technology Sami Kahn explains, 'Brendan aims to empower and inspire everyone who enters the StudioLab. His goal has been to reduce barriers to creative technology to form a thriving and supportive community, a concept that he refers to as ‘radical welcomeness.’
Along with his team of over 25 student employees, he has overhauled trainings and systems leading to a significant increase in the StudioLab’s usage, which now includes 30 events, 200-plus training reservations, 700-plus machine reservations and six courses. He also created the “Skills Matrix,” which tracks the professional growth of his student employees and spearheaded the development of “MakeNet,” a consortium of Princeton’s makerspaces which now meets regularly to co-plan events and support each other’s efforts.
To continue his growth, Brendan will attend Cornell University's Online Certificate Program for Operations Management. He will learn and implement quantitative approaches to planning, visioning, managing, mentoring and evaluating in support of the Council’s programmatic efforts.'"
Aarifa Mohammed
Aarifa Mohammed
"Aarifa Mohammed is the senior global tax analyst for Global Financial Services in the Office of Finance and Treasury. She is responsible for international tax reporting, serving international students and scholars from 128 countries. Her role not only requires a deep knowledge of U.S. and foreign tax laws, many of which are changing on a regular basis, but also an appreciation of cultural differences and a sensitivity to them.
Most recently, Aarifa demonstrated her dedication, resilience and leadership as part of large software program changes, where she helped design, build, test and implement. This work impacts every department that hosts, employs or interacts with the over 4,000 international students, scholars, and guests on this campus.
'I have witnessed on many occasions the deep respect she has earned … Aarifa has all the ingredients to be a stellar leader and manager in the future,' said Kristy Holmes, senior associate director, Global Financial Services.
Thanks to the Griffin Award, Aarifa will be able to attend Essential Management Skills for Emerging Leaders, hosted by the Harvard Division of Continuing Education, where she will strengthen her leadership skills, improve negotiation and communications skills, and learn to manage organizational change and address implicit biases."
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David Hopkins, associate director of audio and video services, stands in recognition of his 30 years of service at the University. He was one of the many staff members recognized during the luncheon.
