Staff Council
The UMSON Staff Council provides a forum where staff can address and discuss issues that are important to them.
The UMSON Staff Council:
- acts as an advisory council to the dean and the administration to share concerns
- promotes professional development through seminars and programs to enhance the personal well-being of staff
- fosters a spirit of cooperation, professionalism, and integrity with a dedication to honest and open communication.
The Staff Council serves as a channel of communication to the dean in the areas of policy and procedures that affect the quality of the staff's work life and their level of contribution to the strategic goals of the campus. The Staff Senate was begun in 1994 and since has researched many areas of concern for staff members.
Topics of investigation and action include, but are not limited to:
- policies and procedures affecting eligible employees
- work environment and staff morale
- issues impacting wages, benefits, and working conditions
- community/outreach activities.
Meetings are held the third Thursday of every month from 10 - 11 a.m. via WebEx until we are all back on campus and can meet in person. All staff members are encouraged and welcome to attend.
Staff Council Nomination
It is time to nominate yourself or one of your colleagues to serve on the Executive Board of the UMSON Staff Council. Nominations will be open from May 3 - 10, 2024.
Staff Council Executive Board Functions:
- Meets with the Dean monthly
- Presents Staff Council updates during the biannual All-School meetings
- Provides updates from Governance Council and Academic Student Affairs Council and votes on agenda items with the best interest of staff in mind
- Meets on a monthly basis to create agenda for the Staff Council meeting
- Reviews and revises bylaws and presents them to the Staff Council for review and approval; provides any additional revisions of bylaws to the council
- Establishes a Nominations/Elections Subcommittee to accept nominations, conduct elections, and announce results
Criteria for Executive Board Members:
The staff member must:
- be a full-time employee
- have been employed at UMSON for at least six months
- be an active member of the Staff Council
- get approval from their supervisor before confirming the nomination.
Chair (one-year term)
- Presides over all Staff Council meetings
- Co-Chairs the All-School meeting with the Faculty Council Chair
- Meets with the Faculty Council Chair on a regular basis to discuss pertinent information that affects both faculty and staff
- Creates meeting agendas for meetings with the Dean
- Serves as the primary contact for the Staff Council
- Sets goals and objectives for the Staff Council
- Serves as the liaison between the Dean and Staff Council
- Casts a vote in meetings only in the case of a tie
- Serves as a voting member of the UMSON Governance Council
- Serves as a voting member of the UMSON Academic Student Affairs Council
- Participates in New Employee Orientation, giving the presentation for Staff Council
- Recruits new members for the Staff Council
If the Chair position becomes vacant, the Chair-Elect will fulfill the position.
Chair-Elect (one-year term followed by one year as Chair)
- Functions as the “Chair-in-training” and prepares to assume the responsibilities of Chair in the following fiscal year
- Fulfills Chair duties when the Chair is absent or if that position becomes vacant
- Assists the Chair in the execution of his/her duties
- Serves as a voting member of the UMSON Governance Council
- Serves as a liaison to the committee chairs (Community Services, Professional Development, and Staff Enhancement)
- Participates in New Employee Orientation, leading the tour of UMSON
- Recruits new members for the Staff Council
If the Chair-Elect position becomes vacant, the Immediate Past Chair will fulfill the position until the next election.
Secretary (one-year term)
- Assures that an agenda has been prepared by the Chair
- Distributes the agenda and relevant documents at least one week prior to the next planned meeting
- Prepares and provides the previous meeting’s written minutes to Council members at least one week prior to the next meeting and records any changes or corrections
- Assures that documents are filed and accessible
- Schedules and notifies Staff Council members of upcoming meetings, reserves room, creates calendar appointment, and creates Webex link
- Keeps register of active members and holds members accountable for attending meetings
- Develops and edits all website content
- Promotes Staff Council events
- Participates in New Employee Orientation, leading the tour of UMSON
- Recruits new members for the Staff Council
If the Secretary position becomes vacant, the Treasurer will fulfill the position until the next election.
Business Coordinator (one-year term)
- Works with Administrative Services to facilitate purchases and/or reimbursements on behalf of the Staff Council
- Attends meetings and coordinates Ice Breaker activity
- Actively participates in Staff Council committees (voluntary)
- Plans, promotes, and coordinates Executive Board nominations and elections for the following fiscal year
- Plans and coordinates Door Decorating Contest and creates the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place award with the help of the Office of Communications team.
- Participates in New Employee Orientation, leading the tour of UMSON
- Recruits new members for the Staff Council
If the Treasurer position becomes vacant, the Immediate Past Chair will fulfill the position until the next election.
Immediate Past Chair
- Provides assistance and continuity to the incoming Chair
- Performs the annual review of the Bylaws
- All duties above as assigned
Fill out the online form.
Members
Executive Board
- Forjet Williams, Chair
- Kourtney Johnson, Chair-Elect
- Kirsten Hammerstrom, Secretary
- Briana Clark, Business Coordinator
- Megan Meadow, Immediate Past-Chair
Staff Action Committee
- Terria McClain, Chair - Professional Development
- Stella Moshonisiotis, Chair - Staff Engagement
- Jordan Lyles, Chair - Community Engagement
Active Members
- Ayamba Ayuk Brown
- Arthur Caesar
- Briana Clark
- Eugena Ferguson
- Olga Grant
- Jamie Haines
- Casey Jackson
- Tamara Jackson
- Kesha Johnson
- Kourtney Johnson
- Phyllis Lovito
- Jordan Lyles
- Terria McClain
- Coretta Mckenzie
- Megan Meadow
- Stella Moshonisiotis
- Janette North-Kabore
- Cynthia Pumphrey
- Sonia Smith
- Enjoli Sonnier
- Angela Staten
- Natalie Summerville
- Gretchen Swimmer
- Miriam Weiss
- Forjet Williams
To be an active member, you must:
- attend at least three-quarters of Staff Council meetings per fiscal year
- commit to one year of service
- vote on all recommendations brought forth by Staff Council
Resources
Resources
Bylaws
Minutes, Forms, and Newsletters
UMSON staff can access these materials on the SharePoint site.
Community Engagement Opportunities
Join UMSON Staff and Faculty Members in one or more community engagement opportunities.
A Message from the UMSON Staff Council Community Engagement Workgroup:
Volunteer and service activities are challenging at the moment – but now is the perfect time to continue to learn about community service and engagement in and around our UMB community.
Check back here for upcoming events.
Note: Through the UMB Employee Volunteer Initiative, the University of Maryland, Baltimore will allow full-time faculty and staff to use four hours of paid leave if they wish to volunteer at a qualifying nonprofit organization of their choice.
Past Service Projects
Merry Holiday Recipes, Winter 2020
While teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic, UMSON faculty and staff shared holiday cheer by submitting their favorite recipes and putting together a book of Merry Holiday Recipes.
Share the Love, Winter 2019
The UMSON community came together to donate items and assemble 100 street survival kits for individuals experiencing homelessness. Completed kits were provided to the UMB Police Department for distribution as they work in the community.
Hooked on Helping, Fall 2019
The UMSON community created 350 knitted and crocheted infant hats to Mercy Medical Center’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), and Pediatric Units.
- News Coverage: UMSON donates 350 knit hats to infants at Mercy Medical Center
- Photo Gallery: Hooked on Helping 2019
Dean Jane M. Kirschling Excellence in Leadership Award
This annual award is presented in the spirit of Dean Kirschling's legacy, "to leave UMSON a better place to work and learn, a place that values inclusiveness, civility and respect."
Outstanding Staff Team Award
This award acknowledges and recognizes teams who demonstrate UMB's Core Values.
Staff Excellence Award
The semiannual Staff Excellence Award recognizes excellence among staff of the University of Maryland School of Nursing.