Ontiveroz Named UW Employee of First Quarter

A longtime University of Wyoming communications specialist who goes above and beyond to promote diversity, equity and inclusion is the recipient of UW’s Staff Employee of the First Quarter Award.

Milton Ontiveroz, who was just honored for 25 years of service to UW, writes and edits media releases on a daily basis and works closely with state, regional and national media to promote the university in his role with Institutional Communications and Marketing.

A reception to honor Ontiveroz is scheduled Tuesday, April 30, at 8 a.m. in Room 207 of the Bureau of Mines Building.

Additionally, he is the only original member still serving on UW’s Martin Luther King Jr. Days of Dialogue committee and recently was on the committee that developed programs to honor Matthew Shepard on the 20-year observance of his murder. Ontiveroz also is on the Wyoming Latina Youth Conference steering committee, which invites Wyoming Latinas in grades 5-12 for a weekend of workshops and discussions. He also is on the UW Latino(a) Studies statewide advisory board. He also manages the Institutional Communications student intern program.

Recently, he has taken on more responsibilities on campus, as he is part of the communications team for the university’s Higher Learning Commission reaccreditation project and is the communications specialist for the Strategic Improvement Working Group that is tasked with discussing and finding possible solutions in response to the Great Colleges to Work For survey. He also is the statewide Wyoming Press Association (WPA) Associates public relations chair to the WPA’s board of directors.

“Milton has been on campus for years, and we are so lucky he is here,” one nominator wrote. “He has contributed to this institution in so many unique and profound ways. He has a tremendous work ethic and takes incredible pride in his work and this institution.”

“What makes Milton stand out is that he goes above and beyond what his job description says and promotes inclusion, diversity and equity at work and in the community,” another nominator wrote. “He has a tremendous impact on the university and in the community and is very deserving of this award.”

Ontiveroz says he is honored to receive the award.

“This job has afforded me countless friendships both on campus and around the state. As a public relations person, it’s my job to spread the good word about what UW does for educating students and the world-class education they receive from the university’s outstanding faculty,” Ontiveroz says. “But, being a staff member, I hold dear what each and every staff member on campus and throughout the state does day in and day out. They are the ones always working behind the scenes and truly are the backbone of this university. I have nothing but respect for each staff member.”

In his 25 years at UW, all as a public relations specialist, Ontiveroz says he has had three good mentors help him grow on the job: former UW News Service (now Institutional Communications) Director Bill Young, who hired Ontiveroz in 1993; former Institutional Communications Specialist Jim Kearns; and his current supervisor, Chad Baldwin, UW associate vice president for communications and marketing.

“I have had some great co-workers the last 25 years, but the team now assembled on both the communications and marketing sides are truly outstanding, talented individuals,” Ontiveroz says. “They bring enthusiastic energy that makes you want to come to work each day and produce good work for the university.”

An Employee of the Quarter nominee can be any UW staff employee, and each must receive three nomination forms from three separate individuals. Nominations must be submitted to the Staff Senate office. The forms are on the web and can be found here.

For more information, call the Staff Senate office at 766-5300.