The Dean is pleased to recognize Shirl Richardson as a recipient of this month's COS Excellence in Mastering Challenges Continuously (E=mc²) Award! This award was established by Dean Quintanilla to recognize outstanding efforts among full-time staff members within the College of Science and its departments. Shirl has been at UNT since 2016 and is currently a Senior Administrative Specialist, working as the Assistant to the Chair in the Biological Sciences department.

"I was pleasantly surprised to receive this award!" she said. "It is really refreshing to realize someone is acknowledging your work."

"Shirl serves as the first person in the Chair's office that our clients (students, parents, staff and faculty) contact for assistance over the phone or in person," said Dr. Jyoti Shah, chair of Biological Sciences. "Her position requires excellent interpersonal and communication skills, the ability to properly assess the situation and reach out for help when needed. At times it requires decisions to be made on the spot. I have personally seen her diffuse difficult situations just by listening and talking to people. She makes the Biology Chair's office a pleasant place for everyone and often goes beyond her duties to help others."

Shirl said that her favorite thing about her job is the people she gets to work with. Like many staff members at UNT, her day-to-day tasks often vary.

"Some days it's quiet and all administrative," she said. "Then, there are days that are more challenging with a student, parent, or both. It may even be a flight issue with a guest speaker, or something more intense. I just deal with whatever the day brings."

Before coming to work at UNT, Shirl worked in radio broadcasting for twelve years, and she also has eight years of experience working with blood banking at Carter Bloodcare. As a self-proclaimed "biker chick," Shirl said her favorite thing to do is ride motorcycles on trips with her husband. They also enjoy hosting gatherings for family and friends at their home.

"Offer your best to your job and the people that you work with," is Shirl's philosophy. "Rise to the occasion of learning and be willing to be a leader and teach."

Shirl is driven by her passion to see positive change in the world and her commitment extends far beyond her work at UNT. While serving on the College of Science's Diversity and Inclusion Council, Shirl was featured for her community advocacy work, helping her hometown secure new infrastructure for clean water.

Nancy Terry of Teach North Texas was also a recipient of June's E=mc² Award. Dean Quintanilla plans to continue giving this award to two outstanding COS staff members every month. If you'd like a deserving staff member to receive the E=mc² award and a free meal at Avesta courtesy of the college, please complete this nomination form.