Purdue Today

Did You Know?: WorkLife Programs ambassadors

WorkLife Programs has announced its team of 2011-12 ambassadors -- faculty, staff and retiree volunteers who represent more than 25 areas across campus to help integrate health into the campus community.

The ambassadors' main responsibility is to help motivate colleagues to achieve healthier lifestyles. They do this by learning about the variety of campus resources, participating on an outreach team, acting as a health and wellness resource for their colleagues, and assisting WorkLife Programs staff with campus events.

"Having ambassadors all over campus extends our reach," says Julie Huetteman, health and wellness administrator. "Our ambassador program increases WorkLife's presence on campus and helps us disseminate information to more people. It also gives Purdue staff and faculty a convenient point of contact to answer work-life and wellness questions or direct them toward appropriate resources."

Since the program began in 2003, ambassadors have organized walks and hosted presentations on topics such as healthy eating, holiday stress relief and emotional intelligence. They have coordinated healthy bake-off events, where staff members prepare and sample healthy baked goods and collect the recipes to take home, and weight loss programs similar to NBC's "The Biggest Loser."

Also they collaborated to create a physical activity guide highlighting safety tips, ideas for activities and the benefits of physical fitness. It is available at www.purdue.edu/hr/pdf/PhysicalActivityResourceGuide.pdf.

Some ambassadors have created wellness bulletin boards and weekly emails with health, exercise, stress-relief and nutrition tips. Others hang signs and posters throughout buildings in their areas to remind colleagues of the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle.

"Serving as an ambassador is a great opportunity for me to support the University's efforts in promoting healthier lifestyles and balanced work and personal lives," says Becky Rice, second-year ambassador for the College of Agriculture. "I've enjoyed sharing my enjoyment of the programming offered by WorkLife Programs and learning what others across campus are doing in their areas and personally to make improvements in their lives."

The ambassadors and their areas of representation are:

College of Agriculture
Candy Byers
Pam Mow
Becky Rice

College of Education
Roslynn Bol
Rogene Loepker

College of Engineering
Tami Conn
Cynthia Quillen

College of Health and Human Sciences
Lisa Duncan
Rhonda Hostetter
Alan Mehringer

College of Liberal Arts
Judy Ware

College of Pharmacy
Melinda Schultz

College of Science
Keith McDermott
Jaime Turner
Leslie Wampler

College of Technology
Mitch Springer
Raji Sundararajan

Vice President for Ethics and Compliance, Office of Governmental Relations, Office of Institutional Research, Graduate School Administration, Vice President for Advancement, Office of Marketing and Media, Development, and Affiliate Organizations
Brandee Sommer

Vice President for Business Services and Assistant Treasurer, and Vice President for Human Resources
Trina Higgins
Kimerly Mullen

Intercollegiate Athletics
Lisa Perry
Angela Pickett

Office of the President, Office of Provost, Vice Provost for Diversity, Vice Provost for Engagement, Vice President for Research, Discovery Park, International Programs, Libraries, and Continuing Education and Conferences
Angela Roberts
Amber Thompson

Retirees
Joma Roe

School of Management
Trish Anderson
Jill Mullens

School of Veterinary Medicine
Mindy Anderson
Amanda Schoolcraft

Vice President for Information Technology
Sue Lakin
Martha Williams

Vice President for Physical Facilities
Beth Timmons

Vice President for Housing and Food Services
Shannen Jordan
Mary Ann Prah

Vice President for Student Services
Judy Bower
Anita Brieda

To contact an ambassador for a campus area with questions and ideas, visit www.purdue.edu/hr/WorkLife/Wellness_Ambassadors/wellnessMembers.html.

Ambassador registration is open each spring. Following an application and approval process, ambassadors receive instruction and HIPAA training from WorkLife Programs. They serve one-year terms and may choose to stay on for an extra term.

For more information on WorkLife Programs ambassadors, visit www.purdue.edu/hr/WorkLife/Wellness_Ambassadors/index.html.