Kathy Minikus receives January Gold ‘U’

Kathy Minikus

People who bring positive energy to everything they do are the foundations of happy and productive workplaces.

Kathy Minikus, accounting technician in the College of Public Health Department of Health Services Research and Administration, is such a person.

Be it her management of the department’s research funds, leave requests and payroll issues or her team-building efforts that galvanize the staff, Minikus is an undeniably vibrant force in the department.

“I have been very impressed and appreciative of the significant contribution Kathy has made to creating a great esprit de corps,” said Keith Mueller, Ph.D., interim dean of the College of Public Health and chairman of the health services research and administration department. “Kathy also has been a great ambassador for our department and the college in her relationships with people outside the university.”

For her efforts, Minikus received the Chancellor’s Gold ‘U’ Award for the month of January.

“Kathy also has been a great ambassador for our department and the college in her relationships with people outside the university.” Keith Mueller, Ph.D.

An example of Minikus’ team building came during the 1 Million Step Challenge — a wellness challenge at UNMC in 2007 and 2008 that had employees walk 1 million steps in a year.

To keep her colleagues motivated, Minikus would send weekly notes of encouragement to the entire department. And these weren’t short, one or two sentence notes, but page-long notes filled with humor and interesting facts designed to motivate colleagues.

Her positive attitude carries over into her typical job functions, too.

“She is the ‘go-to person’ for any questions or concerns we may have,” one of her nominators said. “From dealing with accident reports to helping us develop useful spreadsheets, she does it all. … There is no question she enjoys the work she performs.”

Minikus is in the eighth year of her second tour at UNMC. She worked in finance at what was then University Hospital from 1969 to 1988. She returned to the medical center in 2002.

For Minikus, the reward comes from knowing her job contributes to a larger mission.

“I get a real sense of accomplishment knowing that my work helps our researchers achieve their goals, which in turn improves lives and health care in general,” Minikus said.

When she’s off duty, Minikus and her husband of 30 years, Wayne, attend sporting events — be they local college teams or those of their grandchildren and nephews.