November 21, 2005

Purdue Extension director honors employee relations expert

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Sharon Williams, manager and senior consultant in employee relations at Purdue University, has received the 2005 Purdue Extension Director's Award.

The award recognizes a person or an organization for outstanding contributions to the ability of Purdue Extension to achieve its mission of providing knowledge for the citizens of Indiana. Williams was honored Oct. 18 during the annual Purdue Extension Development Conference awards banquet.

In making the award announcement, director David Petritz said Williams is a strategic partner with Purdue Extension in staff recruitment and retention. Purdue Extension includes more than 250 educators located in county offices throughout Indiana who supervise 300 additional county staff members and more than 17,000 volunteers.

"With a staff of this magnitude, not a day goes by that Sharon does not serve as an employee relations resource and a consultant for Extension," Petritz said. "Employee relationships are critical, and Sharon is a key player on our administrative team. She is a creative problem solver who has a tremendous ability to listen and can get to the real issue that needs to be addressed and resolved.

"Sharon has also been instrumental in bringing additional skills and knowledge to Extension staff through professional development that has focused on important areas such as employment policy, supervisory skills, discipline, civil rights and equal opportunity, diversity, and hiring and retention practices."

Williams has been employed at Purdue since 1980, beginning as a job analyst before moving into employee relations in 1983.

Previous winners of the Purdue Extension Director's Award include strategic partner organizations such as the Indiana State Fair and the Indiana Farm Bureau; individuals outside of Extension, such as state Sens. Katie Wolf and Maury Mills, former Purdue President Steven Beering, and Bob and Nancy Guernsey of Boone County; and Purdue staff such as Bill Pratt, retirement benefits consultant in human resources, Don Stichter, display shop coordinator, and Carl Broady and Renee McKee, both Extension youth specialists.

Writer: Beth Forbes. (765) 494-2722; forbes@purdue.edu

Source: David Petritz, (765) 494-8489

Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
Agriculture News Page

Note to Journalists: A publication-photo of Sharon Williams is available at https://www.ces.purdue.edu/awards/2005/images/PA189123.jpg

To the News Service home page