The inside scoop on the people and projects that support UNLV

In this issue:

• First-Generation Week Celebration
• Notes of Gratitude
• Business Affairs Food Drive
• Honoring Business Affairs Military Veterans
• Diabetes Awareness Month
• Managing Holiday Stress Webinar
• Business Affairs Halloween Fun
• Juanita Saucedo’s New Role
• New Hires
• Promotions
• Anniversaries
• Dates to Remember

First-Generation Week Celebration

November 7 through 11 is national First-Generation Celebration Week where universities around the country acknowledge graduates who are the first in their families to earn a four-year college degree. Business Affairs is proud to continue the tradition of honoring our employees who are first-generation college graduates.

First-generation individuals have traditionally made up 50% of the enrolled student population at universities nationwide. Here is what a few of Business Affairs' first-generation graduates shared about their experience:

Corey Kline

Senior Purchasing Analyst - Purchasing and Contracts

Bachelor of Science, Business Administration with an Option in Corporate Management - California State University, East Bay

Master of Business Administration - California State University, Monterey Bay

“My advice to first-gen students is networking is key. Build strong relationships and interact with others to exchange information and develop professional and social contacts. You never know which one of these contacts may be able to help you in the future.”

Rasheda Abdullah Hairston

Communication Specialist - Business Affairs Communication

Bachelor of Science, Public Relations, English Minor, Technical Writing

Master of Arts, Corporate Communication

Austin Peay State University

“Going to college and earning my degrees were accomplishments that made my parents extremely proud. Their pride and excitement meant and means more to me than the degrees, especially since they are deceased. My advice is remember the big picture. Take everything a step at a time.” 

Regina (Reggie) Bailey 

Project Manager, Business Affairs - Administration Technology Services

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology

Master of Science, Psychology

Southern New Hampshire University 

“My advice is to seek out mentors, ask a ton of questions, and don't be afraid to say you need help. We don't always have the best mentors being first-gens and thus need extra support. This will give you access to information. Mentorship is critical for success. If anyone needs a mentor, feel free to message me for a conversation.”

Paul Garcia

Interim Executive Director - Risk Management & Safety

Bachelor of Science, Occupational Safety

Waldorf University 

“Stick with it and finish your degree is my advice to first-gen students. I had to learn on my own. I had no one coaching me so buckling down and completing one assignment at a time is how you get it done. No matter what anyone says - go hard and checkmark your dreams.”

Heather Ortiz 

Director of Communication - Business Affairs Communication

Bachelor of Arts, Dance with a Communications Minor

Master of Arts, Journalism & Media Studies

University of Nevada, Las Vegas



“UNLV gave me the chance to have an incredibly diverse network of support. While there were times when my parents and family couldn’t understand what I was going through and how to help me, the friends I made were always there for me because we all were growing together and supporting each other through our different challenges.”

Dino Toutoulis

Administrative Assistant - Parking & Transportation Services

Bachelor of Arts, Criminal Justice

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

"My advice is stay committed to and focused on finishing your degree. It may seem like it won’t pay off right away the moment you graduate, but later down the road, degrees can make a difference in getting a job that you want or are meant to have."



Tad McDowell

Director - Parking & Transportation Services

Bachelor of Science, Political Science & Conflict Resolution 

Master of Arts, Community & Regional Planning

University of Nebraska

"I was 32-years-old when I was able to break free of a non-degree related job and attend classes full time. Like many students, I worked at the same time. It was one of the most rewarding periods of my life and helped to satisfy my quest to learn and experience new things."

Michael Lawrence

Associate Vice President - Administration

Bachelor of Business Administration - National University

Master in Public Administration - University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Doctorate in Public Policy - University of Nevada, Las Vegas

“I knew that my parents did not have the means to help me pay for tuition so I joined the Marine Corps and received my degree at the same time. I took advantage of my GI Bill education benefits to go to graduate school at UNLV with no student loan debt. Since my first graduation, I’ve watched many of my family members graduate and I believe my experience inspired them as they saw it was possible despite the obstacles.”

Musa Pam

Associate Vice President - Facilities Management

Bachelor of Science, Marine Engineering

Bachelor of Science, Facilities and Plant Engineering

"My advice is to open yourselves up to the possibilities your education offers. Please remember to pay it forward. I was conscious of how lucky I was that I had been given the opportunity my parents did not have, so whenever I was faced with challenges, it helped to motivate me."

Mani Caballero

Senior Budget Analyst - Financial Planning, Budget & Analysis

Bachelor of Science, Finance

Executive Masters of Business Administration

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

"My advice is to find someone who you'd like to emulate and ask them to be your mentor. Pick their brain; this can save you some heartache down the road. Also, don't be afraid to push the boundaries!" 

John Tomola

Occupational Safety Program Manager - Risk Management & Safety

Associate Degree, Safety Technology - Community College of the Air Force

Bachelor of Science Degree, General Studies - University of Maryland

Master of Arts, Organizational Management - University of Phoenix



"My advice is remember that education unlocks the door for future opportunities. Positively embrace it and never lose sight of your goals. One of the great benefits of a college education is knowing what you do not know and then continually trying to learn more."

Calvin Milling

Officer 2 - Facilities Management

Associate Degree, Munitions Systems Technology - Community College of the Air Force

Bachelor of Science, Risk Management & Safety

Columbia Southern University

More Business Affairs First Generation College Graduates

Mari Soto-Valdez

Business Analyst

Financial Planning, Budget & Analysis

Ricky Rideout

Environmental Management & Lab Safety Manager

Risk Management & Safety

Abel Escobedo

Electrician 1

Facilities Management

Harry J Schiffman

Electrician Supervisor 1 Electrician 3

Facilities Management

Don Johnson

Assistant Director

Facilities Management

Notes of Gratitude

Know someone who exemplifies the C.A.R.E standards? Want to acknowledge a co-worker or team for amazing work?

November is National Gratitude Month. Show your colleagues just how much you appreciate them via this Qualtrics form by November 9 at 5 p.m.

The notes will be featured in the November 18 edition of the Business Affairs Bulletin. You can submit as many notes as you’d like by retaking the survey.

Business Affairs Food Drive

Business Affairs will host a food drive November 7-18. You can contribute by donating non-perishable food items via collection boxes at the Campus Services Building reception desk and OM4. All donations will support the UNLV Food Pantry. 

Contact Darlene Jones at darlene.jones@unlv.edu or 702-895-0001 with any questions.

NOTE: If this email looks cut off, click view entire message below to see more

Honoring Business Affairs Military Veterans

John Cupo 

HVACR Specialist 2

Facilities Management

United States Navy

Ronald Rieger

Equipment Mechanic 3 Facilities Management 

United States Air Force

Timothy McTigue

Parking Enforcement Officer II

Parking & Transportation Services

United States Marine Corps

Don Johnson

Assistant Director

Facilities Management

United States Air Forcet

Timothy Johnson

Administrative Assistant 2 Work Order Control Unit

Christopher Barlow

Custodial Worker 1

Facilities Management

Diabetes Awareness Month

Diabetes Awareness Month is observed in November. UNLV’s Employee Assistance Program partner ComPsych offers a diabetes awareness toolkit with information on the different types of diabetes, symptoms and causes, managing blood glucose levels, and developing healthy eating and physical activity habits. 

Individuals can show their support throughout the month and on World Diabetes Day (November 14) by wearing blue or participating in fundraisers and local community events.

For additional resources, visit ComPsych’s website and register using the organization's Web ID: UNLVEAP. EAP resources are available to all UNLV employees and eligible dependents.

Managing Holiday Stress Webinar 

This month's Employee Assistance Program webinar will provide techniques for maintaining balance and keeping stress from overwhelming you this holiday season. The webinar will take place on Wednesday, November 9 at 12 p.m. Register via GoToWebinar.

Business Affairs Halloween Fun

The division had a ghostly Halloween this year with costumes, candy, and good times. Take a look at some of the spooky moments from this week’s Halloween fun.

Juanita Saucedo’s New Role

Juanita Saucedo has transitioned from her most recent position as associate controller to the Boyd School of Law as the new assistant dean for business and finance. Over the last 14 years, Juanita was a member of and led the Cashiering and Student Accounts teams as a student account manager. She credits her love for numbers with watching sports and making sense of player statistics - how the numbers tell a story for each person.  

Competitive searches for the assistant controller and student accounts manager positions are currently underway. In the meantime, contact Lori Church at lori.church@unlv.edu or Chris Viton at chris.viton@unlv.edu for assistance with Cashiering and Student Accounts questions.

New Hires

• Aaron Guerrero, Facilities Management
• Adam Howard, Parking & Transportation Services
• Cristina Barron, Facilities Management
• Iris Connolly, Facilities Management
• Jason Kokoszka, SVP Office
• Travis Helmick, Facilities Management

Promotions

• Christine Luu, Planning and Construction
• Eduardo Roblero, Facilities Management
• Elizabeth Deveraux, Financial Services
• James Martone, Delivery Services
• Logan Cohen, Parking & Transportation Services
• Ricky Rideout, Risk Management & Safety
• Matt Ivie, Planning and Construction
• Sergio Gamez, Facilities Management
• Steven Fernandes, Facilities Management
• Tanya Webb, Planning and Construction

Anniversaries

Congratulations to the Business Affairs employees celebrating work anniversaries in November! Years of service have been determined using the UNLV hire date - first employment date without any breaks in service here at UNLV regardless of job type or full-time status.

If you notice an error in your listing, contact Heather Ortiz at heather.ortiz@unlv.edu.

• Moises Henriquez, 30 years
• Bill Knox, 22 years
• Tad McDowell, 18 years
• Cherie Garrity, 17 years
• Amy Kluesner, 16 years
• Betty Baugh, 16 years
• Blanca Burch, 16 years
• Jennifer Cozzolino, 16 years
• Tiawanda Baity, 16 years
• Kevin Ramirez, 15 years
• Reginald Stewart, 12 years
• Jeremy Malone, 11 years
• Jose Lopez, 11 years
• Andrew Connors, 10 years
• Jose Jimenez, 8 years
• Michael Wolfe, 8 years
• Sinn Yahsin Armstrong, 8 years
• Carolyn Arita, 7 years
• Meliscia Gilbert, 7 years
• Colin Switalski, 6 years
• Edward Dechirico, 5 years
• Delano Varner, 4 years
• Ricardo Castro, 3 years
• Toni Woods, 3 years
• Corey Kline, 2 years
• Blacque Clement, 1 year
• Harley Vargas, 1 year

Dates to Remember

• November 8: Election Day
• November 11: Veterans Day (enjoy your day off!)
• November 24: Thanksgiving (enjoy your day off!)
• November 25: Family Day (enjoy your day off!)