Congratulations to Loretta Alton, Administrative Assistant III in the English Department for being selected Employee of the Month for October 2008. Loretta will be introduced at the October Board of Trustees meeting by the former and current Department Chairs, English Instructors Naneene Van Gelder and Craig Foster. Loretta will be presented with an EOM plaque, Culinary Café gift vouchers, season tickets to SRT, and other gifts from her coworkers.

“Loretta is a first-rate Administrative Assistant, collaborator, and problem solver, and she is always prepared to go beyond what is expected. She is the English Department’s employee of every month,” says Naneene. “As Chair, I can say unequivocally that Loretta Alton makes this job possible. I rely on her experience, knowledge, memory, and good judgment every day. I count on her good cheer to wash over me when the task gets too hard or frustrating. In all ways, Loretta’s presence in the English Department, at the College, and in my life is a blessing,” Craig emphasizes. 

Hired as a Short-Term, Non-Continuing employee in May 2001, Loretta assumed her current position in the English Department in January 2005. Her key responsibilities include: monitoring budgets, handling confidential personnel issues, working on the fall and spring schedules, providing clerical support to the department chair and department, working on curriculum, trouble shooting inquiries and concerns of students and staff, recordkeeping and class posting, and multiple office tasks. “I nominated Loretta because she is the best of the best,” Naneene says. “She has been the Administrative Assistant III in the English Department for only six semesters, yet she manages our complex department of 85 faculty, eight staff, and 5,500 students as if she has been with us for two decades. As she has put it, she must be ‘all things to all people.’ She sits at the hub and makes it all work, maintaining her good humor through relentless work days, stressful weeks of scheduling, hiring, evaluations, student complaints, and faculty meltdowns.”

It is her consistent professionalism, efficiency, commitment to team, and outstanding customer service that make Loretta so effective. “When I was Department Chair, I couldn’t imagine doing my job without Loretta. She always goes out of her way to help both faculty and students,” Naneene says. Numerous faculty members comment about Loretta’s diverse contributions: “She is simply remarkable, sensitive to confidential matters, patient with faculty and students, and a true advocate for our students;” “She is a true professional, maintains a wonderful overview of department affairs, and addresses them with personal attentiveness;” “She’s always ready to go beyond what is expected;” “I rely on Loretta for just about everything I do outside of the classroom. She is a wonderful addition to our department.” 

When asked why she thinks she has been successful at SRJC, Loretta says, “I genuinely like what I do. I multitask a lot, love people, and always try to be helpful. I tend to laugh quite a bit and I just love it when I hear laughter wafting through the department hallways. Working in this educational environment really feels good to me.” She identifies her greatest accomplishment at SRJC as “working hard and believing in what the college stands for and who it serves.” She notes that her greatest challenge has been “dealing with budget cuts/deficits, learning new computer programs like convergence and curriculum, and handling many interruptions when I’m busy.” What she likes most about her job: “Without a doubt, it’s the people, both students and staff alike. They constantly surprise and enlighten me.” What may surprise others most about her work, Loretta is the Department Safety Leader and “actually has a hard hat and a safety vest.”

Loretta volunteers for various college activities, including the Clo Classic, graduation, Day Under the Oaks, and the Writing Center Conference. Outside of work, Loretta is involved in the Holy Spirit Church, serves as a member of the environmental organization Save the Bay, and is involved in her children’s soccer and baseball teams. “Spending time with my family and friends may be my main hobby, but I also love to read, cook, travel, and music. Taking walks at Doran Beach and in my neighborhood just makes me appreciate all that I have.”

Born in Great Falls, Montana, she has six sisters and brothers. After moving to Spokane, Washington when she was in elementary school, the family relocated to Novato and then settled in Petaluma. She graduated from Petaluma High School and earned an A.A. at SRJC. After college she worked in the mortgage industry for seven years and for Santa Rosa City Schools for nearly 21 years. The mother of two children, son Brian, who is 30, earned his A.A. from SRJC and works in Santa Rosa as a roofing contractor. Daughter Amy is 28 and works for a nonprofit organization and looks forward to teaching on the community college level. Loretta especially looks forward to her daughter’s wedding next summer!

 “There’s never a dull moment in the English Department office, and I so enjoy getting to work with all my coworkers. Conversations are always lively in department meetings, folks are dedicated and passionate about what they do, and I get treated well,” Loretta emphasizes. “I love what I do, I love the people I work with, and I love having student contact. It’s a perfect match.”

When she was informed about being selected Employee of the Month, Loretta responded: “I’m humbled, and honored. I know many people on this campus who give so much to the college and to the community. I’m such a small part of what makes SRJC so successful. I feel like I’ve come full circle: I went to school here and am now on staff. It feels like I am home.” Congratulations, Loretta!

 

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