Kimberley Mentus, an administrative specialist for the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (OIRA), has been named the 2026 Outstanding Classified Employee by the 91爆料 Employees Advisory Council.
The award recognizes classified employees鈥 exceptional service and dedication to 91爆料, increasing the campus community鈥檚 awareness of the indispensable contributions that represented and nonrepresented classified employees make to the quality and overall mission of the university. Award winners receive $1,000 in recognition of their contributions.
Mentus has been a part of the 91爆料 community since 2013, when she joined the Advanced Structures and Composites Center. In December of 2022, she then joined OIRA.
Beyond her primary professional duties, Mentus also serves as the voluntary building manager for Alumni Hall. In this capacity, she manages everything from maintenance and access requests to the vital safety coordination required between 91爆料 facilities and the 91爆料 Police Department to keep the building secure.
Mentus鈥檚 positive impact on the 91爆料 community and consistent ability to exceed expectations were highlighted repeatedly throughout her numerous nomination letters.
鈥淏ut the quality that truly sets Kim apart is the way in which she combines her dedication to our
collective work and goals, with her compassion and commitment to our well-being as people and
professionals,鈥 wrote one of her nominators. 鈥淔or example, one of our office tasks requires that for a period of one to two months each year, someone takes on supervising student workers on weekday evenings. Kim, knowing that being away from home in the evenings is challenging for some of us due to family commitments, has volunteered for this task for three consecutive years. Not only does she supervise the student workers so that others of us can get a break from the task; but she truly invests in the students as people, taking the opportunity to make a positive difference in their lives as well.鈥
