Priti Wakefield
It was the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Environmental Services (EVS) employees’ turn to advocate for Priti Wakefield.
Almost 30 people from EVS and other Administration and Finance (A&F) units attended the Employee of the Month meeting Sept. 30 to celebrate the EVS administrative manager, who has been called a “tireless advocate” for the EVS team.
Wakefield learned she was UMB’s Employee of the Month of September from President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, during a videoconference in which he offered his congratulations.
“Thank you for your commitment to the University’s core values and the support and dedication you’ve shown to the EVS Department and throughout campus,” he said.
In her role, Wakefield provides business-related support such as handling purchasing and contracts and identifying operational efficiencies for EVS, which includes about 200 employees who provide service in the areas of custodial services, grounds and clean campus ambassadors, pest control, moving, recycling, and special events.
“I’m a problem solver, and I solve many challenges on a day-to-day basis, whether related to operations or personnel matters,” Wakefield said.
Wakefield was nominated for the award by a team of A&F employees who noted that her commitment to operational efficiency, staff development, and cross-departmental collaboration has significantly elevated the EVS team’s performance and morale.
Those co-workers praised Wakefield during the videoconference for setting an example for others.
“She’s very professional, efficient, and hardworking, but her tenacity is never vicious,” said her supervisor, Mark Drymala, MS, assistant director of EVS. “Priti is empathetic, inclusive, and extremely kind, typically wearing a big smile throughout the course of her workday, and everything that she does embodies our core values.”
Denise Meyer, director of EVS, also praised Wakefield’s commitment to UMB’s core values.
“Priti is a tireless advocate for the EVS team,” she said in the nomination. “She listens, supports, and empowers others while fostering a culture of respect and open communication. Her approachable leadership style and commitment to staff recognition have improved team cohesion and job satisfaction. She demonstrates UMB’s core values in everything she does.”
Wakefield learns the individual skills of the EVS employees and then works to make them more efficient in their roles.
“I put more effort in details about individuals: What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? And I try and help them to build those skills so that we can still navigate many more tasks and have more efficiency and effectiveness,” she said.
Wakefield has helped to introduce cutting-edge technology, changing the housekeeping equipment so that about 80 percent of it is now battery-operated. The i-mop, which cleans the floor via a machine operator, is one example.
“It is much faster and more efficient, and it helps staff members because it’s not that much laborious work on their own body,” Wakefield said. “It gives them some free time, so they can focus on other skills and utilize their time to do trainings.”
She also implemented the use of safer chemicals and a more efficient campuswide chemical dilution system.
Wakefield pointed out that with technology, EVS employees have had to adapt.
“Their knowledge is a power. With that knowledge and today’s technology and today’s current expertise, we put all that together, we see that there is a big change and big shift in the type of services we provide,” she said.
Meyer said Wakefield identifies opportunities for innovation and follows through with solutions that are practical and sustainable.
“Whether she is streamlining vendor contracts, optimizing supply management, or developing training systems for front-line staff, Priti approaches each task with analytical rigor and deep empathy for the people behind the work,” she said.
Among her other responsibilities, Wakefield is working on implementing an update to the work management software called the Facilities Services Module, which will allow managers to have more direct communication with the front-line staff regarding EVS assignments and work orders. And she has led the planning for the EVS Appreciation Week events for the past three years, helping to foster a culture of well-being and respect.
Wakefield said one of the things she likes most about her role is training, whether it’s technology- or safety-related. In 2022, she created a back-to-basics training, which she provided to the entire department.
“That was a really big hit,” she said. “I was surprised that the response from staff was just tremendous. They were so appreciative and happy, because they thought that finally, everyone is getting the same message and everyone is on the same page. What is the process? What is the protocol? What we are doing, what we are using, how we are using it.
“I provide that knowledge, and I’m able to try to put everyone on the same page so that we as a department grow all together.”
She collaborates throughout the campus, such as working with the Office of Sustainability on rolling out the self-service waste initiative in UMB buildings.
Wakefield also was a member of the UMB Staff Senate for four years. She decided to become involved because she said when she joined UMB eight years ago, it felt like EVS was isolated.
“Even though we are present in every single building on campus, it felt like EVS was never the topic of the talk or on anybody’s mind,” she said. “I said, ‘The Staff Senate is going to be the platform I will use to highlight the department through all the campus.’ ”
Drymala said efforts like these are appreciated throughout EVS.
“By consistently doing what is right and equipping management and staff to be successful, she voices the needs of EVS with UMB stakeholders to demand the respect that we and our staff deserve,” he said.
Wakefield, who received a certificate, a letter of commendation, and $250 for the Employee of the Month award, thanked Meyer, Drymala, and Anna Borgerding, PMP, assistant vice president of facilities and operations, for their support as well as the entire EVS team.
She said she feels overwhelmed and thankful for winning the award.
“I am just so grateful that my work is getting acknowledged, but at the same time, this is just the beginning. Now I have been given this award, so I’ll have to prove myself more,” she said.
— Jen Badie