Shona Sorensen, information systems manager, Administrative and Financial Services, Information Technology Services, received a 2019 Crimson Spirit Award.

The first thing Ms. Sorensen’s nominator notes is “Shona Sorensen exemplifies Crimson Spirit!”

Ms. Sorensen recently undertook a project within Information Technology Services. The department didn’t have a comprehensive on-boarding process for new employees. Many new employees and managers struggled to complete all the steps to fully educate and integrate a new employee. Ms. Sorensen “was not told to do this project, and it is a little out of her wheelhouse, but she saw a need and she volunteered.”

Ms. Sorensen built an on-boarding workflow standard for both new employees and their managers. She encouraged other ITS technical experts to help her build and refine this system, demonstrated it to managers and ITS leadership, and successfully rolled it out using JIRA and the ITS website. The final workflow system is now a comprehensive and robust resource for new employees, managers, and the administrative staff.

Throughout the project, Ms. Sorensen anticipated workflow issues and took action to gather the right resources. She also followed up with, and trained, all affected groups. Her efforts provided quality service and showed initiative and creativity in her solution. Ms. Sorensen did all this while continuing to do her main job and supporting University customers, management, and strategic goals.

Ms. Sorensen is recognized for anticipating needs and taking appropriate action; exceeding expectations; and creative problem-solving skills.