April 21, 2009
For Immediate ReleaseOFFICE TEAM
2884 Sand Hill Road Menlo Park, CA 94025
Contact: Abby Goodman (650) 234-6289
abby.goodman@officeteam.com
FIFTH ANNUAL OFFICETEAM ADMINISTRATIVE EXCELLENCE AWARD RECIPIENT NAMED: DecolynneJo Barteski of Kinder Morgan Canada Terminals to Be Honored During Administrative Professionals Week.
MENLO PARK, CA -- DecolynneJo Barteski, Executive Assistant at Kinder Morgan Canada Terminals in Calgary, Alberta, has been selected as the winner of the 2009 OfficeTeam Administrative Excellence Award. The award is presented annually to an Administrative Professional who demonstrates a commitment to leadership and professional development, and identifies business efficiencies. Co-sponsors of the award include the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) and SkillSoft PLC (Nasdaq: SKIL). Other supporters include CareerBuilder.com, Dress for Success, MeasureUp, OfficeArrow and Working Mother Media.
Four runners-up for the award also were recognized for their contributions to their employers and the profession. These outstanding individuals include Patti Barton of Monsanto in St. Louis; Lisa Langton of SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES in Princeton, N.J.; Joan Sheppard of ICBC in Surrey, British Columbia; and Julie Smith of Brooks Health System in Jacksonville, Fla.
“The OfficeTeam Administrative Excellence Award recognizes the value Administrative Professionals bring to companies,” said Robert Hosking, Executive Director of OfficeTeam, a leading staffing service specializing in the placement of highly skilled Administrative Professionals. “OfficeTeam commends DecolynneJo Barteski and the four additional honorees for the high level of dedication, service and professionalism they demonstrate each day.”
Barteski will be honored April 21 during the live broadcast of the SkillSoft Annual Briefing for Administrative Professionals, an interactive training event for administrative staff. Barteski’s former manager, Harold King, Vice President at Kinder Morgan Canada Terminals, nominated her for the award. More information about the nomination process, judging criteria and prize package can be found at www.officeteamaward.com.
In addition to appearing on the live broadcast of the Annual Briefing in Denver, Barteski will attend the IAAP International Convention and Education Forum in Minneapolis, July 26-29.
Widely respected by her peers, Barteski has developed relationships with professionals at all levels within and outside her company, and also is an early adopter of new technology solutions in the office. She is recognized for taking the initiative to continually learn and apply skills that will benefit her employer, even if they are outside of her normal duties.
In addition to the contributions she makes on the job, Barteski serves as President of the Calgary Chapter of IAAP, where she conducts trainings for new Administrative Professionals within the association. She holds the Certified Professional Secretary (CPS) designation and also serves as an advisor for the Administration Information Management (AIM) programs at both the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and Olds College.
“The International Association of Administrative Professionals is proud to celebrate the accomplishments of DecolynneJo Barteski and her peers in the administrative field,” said Barbara Horton CAP, IAAP’s 2008-09 International President.
“DecolynneJo Barteski’s enthusiasm to constantly learn and challenge herself sets a high standard for all those in the administrative profession,” said Taavo Godtfredsen, Executive Producer of SkillSoft.
About the Award Sponsors
OfficeTeam provides businesses with the highly skilled administrative professionals they need to maximize productivity achieve cost efficiency and support existing staff. The staffing firm has more than 325 locations worldwide and offers online job search services at www.officeteam.com.
The International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) is the world’s largest association for administrative support staff, with more than 550 chapters and approximately 40,000 members and affiliates worldwide. For more information, visit www.iaap-hq.org.
SkillSoft enables business organizations to maximize business performance though a combination of comprehensive e-learning content, online information resources, flexible learning technologies and support services. For more information, visit www.skillsoft.com.
2009 Recipient: DecolynneJo
Barteski CPS
DecolynneJo Barteski, an Executive Assistant with
Kinder Morgan Canada Terminals, is the winner of the
2009 OfficeTeam
Administrative Excellence Award. A 10-member committee chose Barteski, of
Calgary, Alberta, from a pool of nearly 200 nominations throughout North
America.
Barteski says that success in the administrative
field requires strong communication and negotiation abilities, time-management
skills, patience, honesty and consistency. Barteski’s manager, Vice President
Bill Henderson, said she is a “go-to person” in the organization who possesses
all of those traits — and many more.
When asked to name the one quality that impresses
him most about Barteski, Henderson offered three: “First is DecolynneJo’s calm
disposition,” he said. “Even when things get harried and stressful, she is able
to remain cool and calm, working with colleagues and clients in a friendly,
professional manner. Second is her ability to anticipate my and other senior
team members’ needs. Third is her desire for self-improvement and willingness to
take the initiative in finding ways to improve her skills.”
When a large project was jeopardized by an
unexpected staff vacancy, for instance, Barteski stepped up to play a critical
role, teaching herself the intricacies of Kinder Morgan’s purchasing, budgeting
and cost-tracking processes.
Her efforts proved invaluable.
“She helped save the project by
traveling to a remote location for several weeks and applying new skills that
are normally performed by degreed accountants and engineers,” wrote
Kinder Morgan’s Vice President Hal King in his nomination letter. “She
was a leader on this job and a prime contributor to its success.”
King added: “Even the chairman of our
8,500-employee company knows DecolynneJo. Throughout the
organization, she is seen as someone who can be depended on to get things done,
no matter how difficult.”
Barteski noted that she enhanced her leadership
skills by watching and learning from respected managers and mentors. “Observing
how good leaders act has given me excellent pointers and a pattern to follow,”
Barteski said.
In addition to the many contributions she makes
on the job, Barteski remains highly active outside the office. She steadily
climbed the ranks of the Calgary Chapter of the International Association of
Administrative Professionals (IAAP). After serving as Program Chair and Vice
President, she is now Chapter President.
Barteski, who holds a Professional Legal
Assistant credential, and added the Certified Professional Secretary (CPS)
designation to her name in January, in addition, she is currently studying for
her Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) designation. She also is an
advisor for the Administration Information Management (AIM) programs at both the
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and Olds College. “As a mentor for
others in the administrative field, my goal is to help people acquire the skills
and confidence they need to succeed in their jobs,” Barteski said.
Barteski was honored on April 21, 2009, during
the live broadcast of the
SkillSoft
Annual Briefing for Administrative Professionals, an interactive training
event for administrative staff held in Denver. She received an extensive
prize package and also
will be honored at the
IAAP International
Convention and Education Forum in Minneapolis, July 26-29, 2009.