Congratulations to the outstanding economics staff, who collectively won Brown's 2023 Staff Excellence in Leadership Award!  

During the past several years, the staff of the economics department, led by Department Manager Kim Departie, has ably managed increased enrollments, an expanded faculty roster and a more than doubling of the department’s non-remuneration-related expense base. This high-performing group seamlessly organizes tens of conferences and seminars each semester (including travel, catering and expenses), oversees approximately two dozen separate sources of endowment and research funding and coordinates activities with departments across the University. 

Over the past three years, Kim and the team have revamped the staff organization to streamline processes and better serve this broad group of faculty, students and staff. From large events to smaller daily processes, the team has made it very easy for department members to accomplish what they need. This high level of support for the department has become particularly evident over the first two months of this academic year, when (due to ongoing remediation work) the staff’s offices were unusable.  Despite working from spare offices and common-room couches, the staff made the opening of the academic year seamless.

The staff is deeply vested in their work and the overall mission of the University. Whether it is responding to an after-hours query or participating actively in Commencement and Reunion Weekend, this team goes the “extra mile.”

The award will officially be given on BEAR Day,  March 26, 2024.