There was a surprise in store for Gennie VanBeek, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, during Monday’s faculty meeting — Greg Malkasian, who works for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, presented her with the Patriotic Employer Award for her outstanding support of Carrie Kondor, director of the Department of Education, during her husband Andrew’s seven-month Qatar deployment in 2021.
“One thing the Department of Defense really tries to emphasize is the importance of support by employers not only of service members, but also the spouse or significant other of a service member,” Malkasian said. “You have gone above and beyond … in minimizing the considerable stress she was under to be able to achieve her work here — and make sure her husband wasn’t feeling the stress of things going wrong at home.”
For her part, Kondor said that VanBeek made a world of difference during an extremely difficult period.
“Being a military spouse and a parent is a challenge, especially when they’re deployed, and keeping up with a full-time high stress job can seem almost impossible,” Kondor said, adding that, on top of being a single parent, she was also helping her then-7-year-old daughter cope with anxiety and fear. “Gennie supported me in ways that made it possible for me to keep up my professional responsibilities and stay sane. She’s just a really caring coworker and helped me balance a lot of demands and still feel like I was contributing to my work.”
VanBeek said the award was a complete surprise, but a very happy one.
“I’m very appreciative that Carrie, with all of her responsibilities, took the time to nominate me. It an honor — people are the most important part of my job and I do my best to serve them,” VanBeek said. “I’m so glad I was able to support her and her family.”
Kondor said VanBeek was also key to helping her remain focused on the things that really matter.
“I think sometimes us workaholics will say, ‘Oh, no, I can handle it,’ but Gennie helped me realize, no. Those things can wait. Your family is the most important.”
