Tezeno receives Distinguished Employee Award

BY ARIE WILSON PASSWATERS
Rice News staff

Neither sleet nor rain nor the oppressive Houston heat keeps Delivery Services’ Senior Delivery Assistant Kenneth Tezeno from delivering campus mail to the offices in Duncan Hall with a smile on his face and a willingness to help his customers.

	KENNETH TEZENO

Tezeno has received Rice’s Distinguished Employee Award. He was recognized for not only being an outstanding and dedicated staff member, but also for his repeated willingness to go out of his way to accommodate customers on his route.

As the mail delivery person for Duncan Hall, Tezeno, who has been at Rice since August 2007, visits  offices  several times a day. One of Tezeno’s clients is the Office of the Dean of Engineering. School Administrator Carolie Allgood nominated Tezeno for the award after repeatedly being impressed by his professionalism, accommodating attitude and friendliness.

“If we are trying to get a mailing out and don’t have it quite ready, without asking, he will offer to stop by the office on his way back from the rest of Duncan Hall to give us a little more time to get it finished,” Allgood wrote in her nomination letter. “Considering how many stops he has to make each day, it is very considerate of him to do this, and it has made a difference more than once when we needed the mailing to go out.”

Delivery Services Manager Ute Franklin said many of the people Tezeno delivers mail to turned out for a surprise party in his honor to celebrate the award.

“He is always pleasant and helpful, courteous and always has a smile on his face,” Franklin said. “He goes out of his way to help his customers.”

The Distinguished Employee Award is given by Human Resources on behalf of the university to recognize employees who perform above and beyond their job descriptions for the benefit of the Rice community. Staff may be nominated for the award by their supervisor, peers or co-workers. It is not presented as a matter of routine, and there is no annual quota. The award is designed to honor and recognize those who are most deserving and who serve as a positive role model for Rice University staff, faculty and students.

Tezeno received a certificate, a silver key chain, a gift from the university and recognition on the Human Resources Web page.

To nominate an employee for the Distinguished Employee Award, contact Colleen Dutton at 713-348-4755 or cdutton@rice.edu.