2024 Super Nova Recipients

“With everything going on with the FST/Oracle changes, she has been phenomenal with getting orders in, help with paying old invoices, and helping with everything associated with Purchasing & IT Requests. Always answers within 24hours, typically within an hour.”

“Doni is the best! Doni is reliable, efficient, knowledgeable and simply just awesome! She always has a ‘can-do, positive’ attitude that is contagious. She helps finds solutions and provides suggestions around hiccups to keep things going and flowing. If I can sat anything more about Doni, I’d need a book and a half of positive things to say that describe who Doni is as person and as a colleague.”

“Donnielle has provided exceptional support helping me navigate the new purchasing procedures and by facilitating the other steps that need to happen before she can enter a purchase. In one case I sent a question about a missing vendor at 5:01pm and had a detailed response at 8:27am the next morning. She followed up by connecting the pieces of the puzzle with others in IT services and resolving the issue without me needing to take any other action. In another case: my team shares the cost of a key software license with a non-ITS unit on campus. The other unit was stymied for days by an error message in the Oracle system and unable to enter the order. Donnielle provided some troubleshooting support but we were still stuck, until Donnielle successfully entered the order directly and resolved the issue. I am writing to nominate Doni Buffington for the Star Award in recognition of her exceptional service during the Oracle financial system migration.”

“Partnering with Michelle Cade, Doni played an essential role in tracking orders in the new system and recreating hundreds of purchase orders left behind in the old system‚Äîa process that required a substantial amount of dedicated and meticulous work. She invested herself in learning the critical procurement aspects of the new system to best support our teams.”

“Donnielle took over the purchase request process from Tina as the new FST and request processes changed. Everyone was confused when things didn’t work out, but Donnielle worked extra hours and was extra patient with all requests. She proactively helped with converting old POs that hadn’t transitioned from the old system. She and Michelle were instrumental in moving request and invoice payments through the system.”

“Michelle has more than gone above and beyond supporting the CIO team during the FST transition. She has provided great, unending support being amazingly patient as we learn how to navigate Oracle. She has personally “chased” missing PO’s for vendors that did not get transitioned. With out her help there are many vendors who would not get paid and service ending. I am confident without Michelle’s help the FST transition for the CTO organization would be in jeopardy with many of our vendors, contracts, and payments.”

“I am delighted to nominate Michelle Cade for the Star Award in recognition of her exceptional service and dedication during the financial system upgrade. Michelle was indispensable to me and many others after the new financial system went live in July, addressing post-migration tasks and issues that were critical to the timely processing of orders and payments. She dedicated countless hours, including evenings and weekends, to ensure a smooth transition.”

Her contributions include working with Doni to recreate hundreds of purchase orders that didn’t transfer from the old system. Michelle also played a crucial role in managing missing invoices by proactively communicating with vendors and colleagues with clear instructions for submitting updated invoices.

Additionally, she invested substantial amounts of her own time to master the new system, using her knowledge to train and coach her colleagues. This support was instrumental in our adjustment to the new system. Personally, I would be lost without her ongoing guidance and assistance.

The transition to the new system has been undeniably challenging and often frustrating for many of us. However, Michelle’s unwavering support and expertise provided significant comfort, as we felt confident knowing she was an invaluable resource we could depend on during these changes.

Michelle’s dedication, expertise, and support have significantly contributed to the success of our financial system upgrade. Her exceptional efforts truly embody the spirit of the Star Award, making her a most deserving candidate.”

“The new FST system hit everyone hard but it would have been 10 times harder without the Michelle’s help. Her dedication to figuring out problems, training people on the new tools, tracking down old purchase requests and invoices and pushing them through went well beyond expectations. She worked insane hours to make sure that the people she supported had what they needed from the financial system to do their jobs. On top of all of that, she did it with a smile on her face.”

“Michelle has provided exceptional support for IT Services staff in the wake of the major changes needed for FST. Most notably, she helped ITS managers understand how to navigate new FST systems and procedures. She provided training and answered questions in group forums. She also provided detailed guidance in response to questions from individuals. In one case, a colleague relayed to her that I was trying to figure out the best way to identify what vendors had been added to the new system. Michelle figured out the answer and emailed me directly with details.”

Michelle has more than gone above and beyond supporting the CIO team during the FST transition. She has provided great, unending support being amazingly patient as we learn how to navigate Oracle. She has personally “chased” missing PO’s for vendors that did not get transitioned. With out her help there are many vendors who would not get paid and service ending. I am confident without Michelle’s help the FST transition for the CTO organization would be in jeopardy with many of our vendors, contracts, and payments.