Mary K. Briggs Honored with Blue & Gold Award for January

The chaplain for Emory & Henry College was recently honored by ¬¬¬her fellow employees as the January recipient of the Blue & Gold Staff Award.

The recipient, Mary K. Briggs, has served the College for over 3 years as a member of the Spiritual Life staff.

The Blue & Gold Staff Award was created to recognize outstanding Emory & Henry employees who go above and beyond the call of duty -- not only in their respective positions, but in the College community as well.

Briggs was honored for her dedication and leadership to the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration held at various locations on campus. This year’s event highlighted the impact of music on the Civil Rights Movement and other significant events in black history. The keynote speaker for the celebration was musician, social entrepreneur, and radio/television host Derrick Ashong, who emphasized the theme of: "One Song. Many Voices: The power of music in times of social unrest."

“In all our jobs we seem to do a lot that goes unnoticed, but this award helps remind me that people do pay attention,” said Briggs. “Although, it’s not about me, it’s about the students because they really make my job what it is.”

When asked about the importance of the Blue & Gold Staff Award, President Reichard said, “It’s so important to me that we support all of our employees. The quality of the learning environment here at the College is very dependent on the work of the staff. They influence our students in a multitude of ways, and it’s so important that we provide support to them.”

Mary K. Briggs and her husband Rob have two children, Bert (a second-year student at Emory & Henry) and Mara (described by Mary K. as the families speed demon for her prowess on the track and soccer fields). In her free time she enjoys both photography and scrapbooking.

If you know an Emory & Henry staff member who has performed exceptionally in his or her role and would like to nominate that employee for the Blue & Gold Staff Award, contact the Human Resources Office by the last business day of each month.