It’s among the highest honors a UConn Health employee can receive – the Dr. Peter J. Deckers Employee Appreciation Award. Who qualifies as a Deckers Award nominee? An employee who consistently demonstrates passion and commitment, strong leadership, exemplary professional skills, and goes above and beyond to help meet the goals of UConn Health. The award was first presented in 2009 and is named after Dr. Peter Deckers, retired executive vice president for health affairs and dean emeritus of the UConn School of Medicine.

This year’s honoree is Lakeesha Brown, principal labor relations specialist in the Department of Human Resources. Christine Cieplinski, director of labor relations, nominated Lakeesha saying “she sees every work day as an opportunity to positively invest employees in the mission and vision of UConn Health.” Hear what else Christine said about Lakeesha.

The three other finalists for the Deckers Award were:

Elizabeth Cwalinski, Housekeeping Supervisor (Nominated by Cliff Ashton, AVP Facilities Management and Operations)

Ursula Knight, CMHC Nursing Supervisor (Nominated by Connie Weiskopf, Director of Nursing and Patient Care Services, CMHC)

Carol Schramm, Registered Nurse (Nominated by Dr. Thomas Yasuda, Medical Director, Operating Room)

The Deckers Awards and the annual celebration of employee years of service were held Nov. 21 in the Academic Rotunda during a high-energy ceremony emceed by Alexis Crean, organization and staff development specialist in the Department of Human Resources.

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