Meyer receives staff recognition award

As the recipient, Meyer receives a $500 honorarium funded by the Alumni Association, a plaque, and a luncheon for her and her coworkers. The honor is given to recognize staff who consistently provide outstanding contributions by going above and beyond what is expected, personify a strong Christian commitment, and distinguish themselves as an inspiration to the campus community. Northwestern employees nominated candidates, and a selection committee—which included a faculty member, the three previous winners of the award and another staff member—selected Meyer.

Meyer joined Northwestern’s staff in 2001 after more than 24 years of work in the art and creative services departments of American Identity/K-Products, the last 14 as manager. She is a 1976 alumna of Northwestern College, where she majored in biology and played on the basketball and softball teams.

Deb Sandbulte, director of human resources, says Meyer models all of the attributes the staff award seeks to recognize. “Brenda exemplifies service, compassion and integrity in all she does. She does so much behind the scenes of which people are unaware, and she does so with a willing and gracious attitude and a smile on her face. Even though she may be swamped with work, she is always willing and ready to help others.

“Her passion for her Lord and Savior is witnessed through her actions of helping and serving others,” says Sandbulte. “She has this uncanny ability to sense when people are in need—whether it be a work-related need or a personal need.”

Dr. Juyeon Kang, assistant professor of music, is one of the employees who has benefited from Meyer’s servant attitude. “She has been a helpful co-worker since my arrival in 2003,” says Kang. “She has helped me not only with school-related matters, but also with such things as moving and cleaning. I nominated her not only for her excellent performance on the job but also for all of the contributions she has made to others.”

Dr. Scott Monsma, associate professor of sociology, describes Meyer as a hard worker. “I often see her here well before 8 in the morning and also working late as she tries to stay on top of all of the many tasks she has been given. She maintains an amazing attitude given all of the material she has to deal with and all of the different faculty she has to interact with.”