The king of rock n’ roll and a mariachi band may have closed the show, but the biggest stars were staff members from the University of Houston’s Division of Administration and Finance.

The division honored its shining stars on Wednesday, Sept. 29, with an awards ceremony and a get-together that featured a performance from UH’s own Elvis Presley impersonator, Randy Hinson, a UH Police Department officer followed by the group Mariachi Victoria.

The other featured guest was UH President Jay Gogue, who presented the division’s first President’s Award to Emily Messa, manager of business services. Messa was instrumental in coordinating the new Administration and Finance Customer Service Center. She was particularly pleased to be rewarded for her efforts.

“It’s so rewarding to be recognized for what you enjoy doing,” she said. “It’s especially satisfying when it’s making people’s lives easier by streamlining processes and eliminating paperwork.”

This was the fifth time the division hosted the kickoff, and although only 11 awards were handed out, some felt that witnessing the unity among administration and finance staff members was the event’s ultimate prize.

“We have a lot of fun putting it together,” said Gerry Mathisen, executive administrative assistant and one of the event’s coordinators. “It makes all the planning and hard work doing it worthwhile, especially when you see everyone having so much fun.”

Mike Emery
memery@central.uh.edu