Ann Named Employee of the Year

 MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Western Illinois University Program Coordinator, Business Advisor Ann Friederichs, of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), has been named the Al and Elaine Goldfarb 2021 Civil Service Employee of the Year.

Friederichs, who was named the Civil Service Employee of the Month for June 2021, received an engraved clock and a $500 stipend from the WIU Foundation. She came to WIU in 2017, as a faculty assistant in the SBDC. In 2019, she transitioned to Civil Service and her current title.

Her nominator said Friederichs has helped several small businesses flourish during the pandemic, including Tamales for Hope, Tacos Al Vapor and Curry Out. These businesses have been detailed on the WIU Quad Cities campus as food trucks and/or vendors, and have added convenient options for meals for students, faculty and staff.

"During the pandemic, she continued to work regular hours, both from home and at campus, and also put in many hours beyond the customary workweek, fielding quadruple the call volume, assisting small business owners in completing grant paperwork, finding businesses emergency funding, and advising how to weather the COVID-19 storm," said her nominator.

In August 2010, the Goldfarbs established an endowment to permanently fund the University's Civil Service Employee of the Month award. The Goldfarb endowment is used to fund a $100 award for the recipient of the Civil Service Employee of the Month, as well as a plaque.

The WIU Foundation provides a $500 stipend for the Civil Service Employee of the Year. Western faculty, staff and administrators, as well as community members, wishing to nominate a civil service employee for the monthly recognition should contact the Civil Service Employees Council (CSEC) at csec-nominations-g@wiu.edu.