USM AOP Chapter Presents Awards, Installs Officers for 2021-22

Wed, 06/30/2021 - 02:01pm

Three awards were presented at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) chapter of the Association of Office Professionals (USM AOP) Member Appreciation event, held June 17 at the Baptist Student Union on the Hattiesburg campus. In addition, the organization installed new officers for 2021-2022.

Office Administrator of the Year - Dr. Wynde Jones. Dr. Jones has more than 20 years of service in working with students and staff at USM. During that time, she has positively impacted students as a mentor and created programs focused on their potential for success. She currently serves as assistant vice president for student connections within the Division of Student Affairs.

Office Employee of the Year - Jennifer Lewis. Lewis has been with USM since 2014, initially as a project manager with Itech and then transitioned into the Compliance Office as compliance coordinator. She currently serves as USM’s Associate Director of Compliance and Ethics, and also serves as USM AOP’s Secretary, Co-Historian/Publicity Chair and Community Service Chair. In addition to her service to USM AOP, Lewis is the incoming Staff Council Parliamentarian, Sigma Alpha Lambda’s Honor Society President for USM, and one of the student representatives for Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society’s National Executive Council (NEC). In addition to being active in campus related organizations, Lewis advocates and rescues animals through her volunteer efforts with a variety of groups, including, but not limited to, the Feral Cat Group, the Mylo Foundation and Hub City Humane, which won her the President’s Volunteer Service award last year. She is a graduate student in USM’s Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration program, with a focus on student affairs.  

Honorary Membership Awarded Posthumously to Rex Bomhold. The late Rex Bomhold served USM for 18 years and was an integral part of the campus community. USM AOP honored him for his services to the institution and to faculty and staff, including his specific efforts to help USM AOP further knowledge on campus regarding the many uses of Excel for data analysis by providing free online webinars to educate the campus community.

USM AOP officers for 2021-2022 include the following:

*Immediate Past President: Valerie Craig

*President: Katie Kitchens

*President-Elect: Mary Maner

*Vice President: Joyce Powell

*Secretary: Jennifer Lewis

*Treasurer: Cindy Walker

For information about USM AOP, visit https://www.usm.edu/association-office-professionals/index.php.