The UMBrella affinity group brings together executive assistants so they have the opportunity to get to know one another.
Photo: Front row (left to right): Latoya Ludd, Trish Rider, Saifa Poole, Stephanie White; second row (left to right): Eugenia Ferguson, Shereece Singleton, Dorothy Truehart-Griffith, Bonnie Martino, Leilani Uttenreither, Camille Tyler, Clara Woodly; back row (left to right): Erika Thompson, Carvella Hudson, Eris Smith, Lisa Crawley, Yulvonnda Brown, Jeremy Doggett, and Melanie Moore
University of Maryland, Baltimore Professional Administratives Committed to Excellence (UMBPACE) hosted a meet-and-greet for UMB executive assistants to the deans and vice presidents on Sept. 30.
UMBPACE is an affinity group under UMB Roundtable on Empowerment in Leadership and Leveraging Aspirations (UMBrella) that empowers women across UMB. UMBPACE provides direction, offers skill enhancement workshops and seminars, helps improve communications among administrative staff, and offer tips for career enhancements.
UMBPACE holds an annual luncheon at the SMC Campus Center during Administrative Professionals Week in April. Next year’s luncheon will be held on Monday, April 21, 2025; please mark your calendar and look for registration information to come. UMBPACE also has a mentoring program and supports a local charity every year. During the pandemic, UMBPACE kept the support staff uplifted with self-care seminars and workshops, just to name a few things.
UMBPACE Members:
- Latoya Ludd, manager, Business Operations, Administration & Finance
- Saifa Poole, assistant to the senior vice president, External Relations
- Anna-Marie Epps, senior program specialist, Health Sciences and Human Services Library administration
- Jeanie Adkins, office manager, Office of Resource Management, School of Medicine
- Shereece Singleton, office manager, Microbial Pathogenesis, School of Dentistry
- Stephanie White, executive assistant, School of Graduate Studies dean
- Lisa Crawley, office manager, Office of the Senior Vice President for Business and Finance
During one of UMBPACE’s monthly meetings, it was mentioned that there were many new deans and vice presidents hired at UMB in 2023 and 2024 and with them come new assistants. Although these assistants communicate with each other daily through email, phone, and conference calls, many of them have never met face to face and therefore would not be able to recognize each other if they met in person. UMBPACE came up with the idea of bringing them together by inviting them to a luncheon and creating an activity, giving them the opportunity to get to know one another.
The event was a great success. As each administrative entered the room, the camaraderie started immediately. Everyone introduced themselves, hugged, and said how excited they were to finally meet the voice over the phone and pictures seen in virtual meetings. After everyone settled to eat lunch, an unexpected guest, President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, stopped by to say a few words about how he appreciates the group. Clara Woodly, his executive assistant, told him the event was happening and he felt compelled to take advantage of the opportunity to address what he referred to as “this important group.” It was a great pleasure having him address the group.
After Jarrell spoke, Woodly opened the program with a warm welcome address highlighting the important role executive assistants play in “setting the tone” for their teams and interactions. “As the first point of contact for many — whether over the phone or in person — we carry the responsibility of establishing a positive tone,” she said. “It's crucial that we evaluate ourselves to ensure that the tone we set aligns with UMB’s core values: Respect and Integrity, Well-Being and Sustainability, Equity and Justice, and Innovation and Discovery.”
After the address, the group participated in an icebreaker activity called “Who Am I?” Each participant wrote three to five interesting things about themselves without revealing any identifying clues like age, name, who they work for, etc. All the clues were collected and redistributed for each participant to read the one they received, and the group tried to guess who it was. The group found that many of the assistants had much in common: several like jazz, concerts, and music; many love to cruise and travel. Several assistants have been at UMB for many years; one had over 32 years of service; and another remained in the same job for many years and supported five deans over the years. Other interesting information was discovered such as culture and number of children and grandchildren. It was a very invigorating and informative event.
Here are some of the comments after the event:
“UMBPACE!! It was a delightful meet-and-greet, and I enjoyed getting to know everyone and putting faces to names.” — Eris Smith
“UMPACE, thank you so much for putting this wonderful luncheon together. It was a pleasure to put faces to names and learn something about everyone.” — Trish Rider
“I enjoyed meeting everyone! Don’t be surprised if I pop up in your doorway saying hello.” — Camille Tyler
“It was great getting to meet everyone today! I hope we’re able to see each other more often.” — Eugena Ferguson