Moore Receives U.Va.'s Outstanding Contribution Award

Darlene Moore, the office manager for the Office of the Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor at The University of Virginia's College at Wise, is the recipient of this year's Outstanding Contribution Award presented by the University of Virginia.

Moore, a resident of Wise, received her award along with 10 other U.Va. employees during a dinner hosted by U.Va. President John T. Casteen on June 5 in Charlottesville. She was accompanied by her husband, Tommy Moore, and her grandson, Tre Lucas.

Each year one staff member from UVa-Wise is selected to receive the Outstanding Contribution Award along with colleagues from U.Va. Letters of nomination are accepted from faculty and staff, with an awards committee making the final decision on the winner.

Moore is the person new faculty at UVa- Wise turn to for help in navigating unfamiliar waters. And Moore is a constant source of advice and information for more veteran faculty. "We tell new candidates that Darlene is one of the most important people at the College," Amelia Harris, dean of the faculty and associate provost, wrote in a letter supporting Moore's nomination for the award.

"Darlene is the one person on campus whom faculty members see at the beginning and end of their careers here," Harris wrote. "She is the person who facilitates their hiring, their retiring, and all the business in between concerning their employ at the College and she does everything with a smile."

An employee of the College since 1982, Moore was nominated for the Outstanding Contribution Award by her supervisor, Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor J. David Smith. "Darlene Moore is quiet in her kindness and in her outstanding service," Smith wrote in his nomination letter. "She does not seek recognition; she simply cares."

"She extends this welcoming and supportive attitude toward numbers of people on an everyday basis," Smith wrote. "Her actions toward them speak volumes about the respect that she thinks all people deserve."

Moore's former supervisor, George E. Culbertson, who retired from the provost and senior vice chancellor's post last spring, offered his own letter of support. "A great deal of my success was due to the excellent work of Darlene Moore," Culbertson wrote. Moore served as Culbertson's executive assistant for 15 years.

"Darlene has been an excellent employee from the time she first joined the College family and her performance has never been limited by her position description," Culberston added. "She assumes new challenges and responsibilities and contributes significantly to the success of her office and her College."

Moore said she was "very honored and very touched" to be recognized with the Outstanding Contribution Award. As for her job philosophy, it's simple: "We are a people environment and I treat people as I would want to be treated," Moore said.

Moore and her husband are the parents of two children, Shawna Moore and Shane Moore. They have one grandson and a brand new granddaughter. In fact, the couple came home early from Charlottesville to welcome Gracelyn Lee Moore, who was born June 6 to son Shane and his wife, Cindy.