Jill Johnson Selected UW Staff Employee of Fourth Quarter

Those who know and work with Jill Johnson say the University of Wyoming’s director of International Students and Scholars (ISS) is a caring, hard-working person. Yet, the humble Johnson is quick to thank those she serves.

“Working at UW with our international community is a daily award,” Johnson says. “I am so very lucky to work in this beautiful campus with wonderful people, serving a great community of hard-working international students and scholars.”

For that caring attitude, she recently was selected as the UW Staff Employee of the Fourth Quarter. A free public reception -- hosted by Staff Senate and the President’s Office -- for Johnson will be from 10-11:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 24, in the Cheney International Resource Center. Refreshments will be available.

The award recognizes a UW staff member for efforts toward excellence in the workplace. Established in March 1985 to recognize outstanding staff members as the Employee of the Month Award, the award was revised into the current program in January 1990. The award is given to one current UW staff member every calendar quarter. The staff employee of the year will be named at Staff Senate’s Recognition Day celebration later this spring.

A colleague says Johnson flawlessly manages ISS -- “one of the most challenging offices in the university.” In nominating her, a colleague says Johnson makes the ISS office one of the best, saying there is no ordinary day, no regular problem.

“Students come from all over the world to make UW the rich, global community that a university must be. But, they bring with them numerous cultural differences that complicate their personal concerns,” the nominator says. “Jill is the orchestra conductor for a talented staff who build community, manage immigration and Social Security complexities, navigate university bureaucracy, and deal with sometimes dire difficulties that the rest of us cannot imagine.”

Johnson has been the ISS director for almost a decade and has been at UW for 25 years, starting as a UW Office of Admissions recruiter.

“Jill is a well-loved employee on campus. She is well respected by many of her colleagues,” a student nominator says. “My interactions with Jill have always felt welcoming and safe. She puts in a lot of effort that does not go unappreciated by her colleagues.”

Johnson manages ISS office’s daily operations, which include supervising recruitment of international students; supporting students and scholars while on the UW campus; providing opportunities for campus and community engagement; and overseeing all of the immigration requirements for UW’s international students and scholars.

“Jill always does everything within her power to perfect what she is doing. She is incredibly professional and motivated and genuinely cares about what she does and about all of the students and staff she interacts with at ISS and the UW Global Office,” a colleague says. “If there is anything that could make the job easier -- without compromising on any aspect of quality -- Jill will either suggest it or accept a suggestion for it. Working with Jill is incredibly rewarding, as it is benefiting the international community at UW. Jill’s leadership of the ISS office is exemplary as anyone who works with her -- students or staff -- can attest.”

The Employee of the Quarter Award humbles Johnson.

“Honestly, it made me teary. I feel so humbled by the award and that amazing people I work with took time to nominate me. It’s a true honor,” she says. “I adore the people I work with on a daily basis, and I absolutely love supporting our international community. This is a dream job.”

On a personal note, a colleague says Johnson is a “wonderful leader and mentor.”

“She cares deeply about the work she does and always expects her team to do the same. She goes above and beyond to make UW a place where each student feels welcome by working with others across the university to reduce barriers,” the nominator says. “She is always advocating for the work she oversees and does. And, because of that, she has wonderful relationships with departments across the institution, state and region.”

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. Forms can be found here.

For more information, call the Staff Senate office at (307) 766-5300.