by Brooke Carbo and Nicole Strickland
Nominations for first-quarter 2025 are open through Jan. 22; submit a nomination online.Lakonja Billups, user access associate in Lister Hill Library; Bernice Dunklin, program manager II in the Office of Nursing Research & Scholarships; and Timothy Sherrer, registered nurse in the Center for Patient Flow, are the fourth-quarter 2024 honorees for the UAB Values in Action Program.
The UAB VIP Award honors employees whose work exemplifies and embodies one or more of the We CARE Shared Values outlined in the Forging Ahead strategic plan: Collaborate, Act with Integrity, Respect All and Excel. All three honorees have made a lasting impact on the fabric and culture of UAB by exemplifying the university’s shared values.
Honorees are nominated by their colleagues and selected by a committee of individuals from across the campus and UAB Hospital. One of the 2024 VIP honorees will be selected for the annual President’s Award for Excellence in Shared Values. Nominations for first-quarter 2025 are open through Jan. 22, 2025; submit a nomination online.
Meet this quarter’s UAB VIP Award honorees:
Lakonja M. Billups
In her 25 years in Lister Hill Library’s User Access Department, Lakonja Billups has been dedicated to serving the UAB community, from helping visitors navigate the library space and access materials, to comforting stressed-out students. Dean of University Libraries Kasia Gonnerman estimates the UAB students who have encountered Billups’ welcoming face numbers in the hundreds of thousands.
“She’s always there, with an encouraging word and a warm greeting no matter who’s at the library door,” said Gonnerman.
As centers for learning, libraries are charged with collecting information and making sure it is accessible. Part of that accessibility, said Associate Professor Luke Menzies, is a result of people like Billups who make libraries a safe and welcoming space for patrons and visitors.
“She treats you like you matter, regardless of who you are or what your status is at UAB,” said Menzies. “Lakonja’s work supports our efforts to build and maintain library spaces as safe spaces for learning where everyone can have a voice and feel like they belong.”
Public Service Assistant Dean Patricia West has witnessed many of these moments and said she “cannot emphasize enough how much [Billups’] presence makes a difference” — from kindly walking first-time visitors through new tasks to counseling students worried about their coursework or just missing home.
“She does all this and much more each and every day … her attitude makes the Lister Hill Library a great place to work, study or just be,” said West.
Many of Billups’ colleagues praise her leadership and collaborative efforts, noting her proactive work with the university's Facilities department to keep the library in top shape and her willingness to step in when needed to ensure service to the UAB community is not interrupted.
“She is an excellent example of the kind of UAB employee who makes working at UAB distinct from other universities,” said Menzies.
Bernice Dunklin
Bernice Dunklin, program manager II in the School of Nursing’s Office of Nursing Research and Scholarship, is known by colleagues as a driven and hardworking individual who demonstrates UAB’s Shared Values time and time again.
Marie Bakitas, DNSc, University Professor in the School of Nursing, credits Dunklin’s “highly sophisticated collaboration skills and organizational abilities” in large part for the success of both the Office of Nursing Research and Scholarship and Bakitas’ own research program.
“Her partnership, leadership, supervision and high degree of attention to all of the details of complex grant and personnel management … have kept our program successful and moving forward,” said Bakitas. That includes calming anxious doctoral students, hiring and supervising work-study students, negotiating with international professional organizations and more.
Bakitas also praised Dunklin’s respectful work ethic and the effect she has on her workplace. Dunklin “has demonstrated the highest level of ability to address issues and bring these situations to a successful resolution, all the while role-modeling the same level of respect and civility regardless of the individual’s title or station,” Bakitas said.
Dunklin’s colleagues also find her to be incredibly supportive.
“When you are having a problem, she is the first person you can talk to and seek advice,” said Niesha Nicholson, a nurse practitioner grad student recalling an assignment from her days as a student research assistant under Dunklin. “I was tasked with calling patients and caregivers for recruitment and [Dunklin] suggested that I put her name on my list for the day and use her as a practice subject. I thought it was the funniest thing, but the experience helped me and made me better at recruiting.”
In 2019, former colleague Janice Buffett was approached by Dunklin about SON’s plans to celebrate Black History Month. When Buffet told her that staff and students were encouraged to attend events around campus, “she immediately said we can and should do more,” said Buffet. “Within a week, she had rallied a volunteer committee, which eventually grew to about 15 people.”
Dunklin’s committee developed a program that included weekly speakers, daily inspiration, cultural cuisine from African-American culinary businesses, and community building games and gatherings that highlighted African-American traditions and foods.
Efforts such as these are why Dunklin is widely known for demonstrating the highest standards of accountability, said Bakitas. “She has received staff awards such as the ‘Knocking it out of the Park’ award and is recognized across the SON as an outstanding staff advocate and citizen.”
Timothy Sherrer
In his roles with the Center for Patient Flow’s STAT team and as a nursing resource coordinator, Registered Nurse Timothy Sherrer is known for keeping a calm and level-headed demeanor, even in a crisis.
Ashlea Herrero, senior director of the Center for Patient Flow, recounted a recent incident in which Sherrer was called to the scene of a code in a public restroom where a visitor had a medical emergency.
“The staff that originally encountered the visitor was distraught,” said Herrero. “Upon arrival, Tim cared for the visitor with the utmost respect and integrity.”
It was a complex situation requiring collaboration with multiple departments, which Herrero said Tim readily coordinated and handled with professionalism. “Following the incident,” she added, “Tim took time to ensure our staff also felt cared for and supported.”
Sherrer frequently collaborates with the UAB Police Department. When an agency contacts them for a status update on a patient who is a person of interest in an investigation, Corporal John Bryan said the Center for Patient Flow is commonly called upon to assist.
Recalling one such incident in which he asked for assistance after exhausting his resources, Bryan said Sherrer was able to “navigate the technological labyrinth” and quickly get him the patient’s location.
“He did so with a willing and cheerful attitude,” said Bryan. “Though it is part of the normal procedure for CFP and the SOC to collaborate and share information so as to enhance safety of UAB Hospital, Tim went above and beyond in assisting me that day.”
Sherrer spends the majority of his time in the ER responding to critical patients, which frequently places him in high-stress situations. Regardless of the situation, he remains calm and maintains a level head, according to Assistant Nurse Manager Meredith Alexander.
“I truly don’t think I’ve ever witnessed him become overwhelmed or lose his cool,” Alexander said. “This not only provides an exceptional example of a nurse to the ER staff, but also allows him to advocate for the patients’ needs and care. His attention to detail and leadership guarantee that the patient will receive the highest level of care, which is what being a nurse is all about.”
