PSSA Newsletter, Summer 2021

Wow, what a year it’s been! The PSSA council members and committee chairs have enjoyed hosting a variety of
activities this year to help everyone stay connected, cultivate community, and support the development of our staff.

Thank you to everyone who provided ideas and suggestions on ways to promote physical well-being, community
support, and diversity awareness this past year. The challenge of keeping everyone socially connected during this
unprecedented time in our lives has presented plenty of learning opportunities, and we have persevered. We are
looking forward to the fall and seeing each other in person once again as we begin the process of transitioning back
to our pre-pandemic environment. If the situation should change, we are confident that we are now well-versed in
keeping connected virtually to continue supporting each other whether we are in person or temporarily apart.

Looking Forward to the 2021-2022 Academic Year

Can you believe we’re entering the 2021-2022 academic year?! The last 18 months or so
have flown by in some regards and stood still in others, but we’ll be kicking off the new
fall semester before we know it.

While we await further guidelines on meeting in large groups, the PSSA Council is hoping
to plan a list of activities for this upcoming year with the idea that we can transition any
activity or talk to a virtual event (or vice versa) if needed, but we need your feedback.

Please take a few moments to complete a survey about this year’s activities and to give
us ideas for the upcoming year.

Please give us your feedback.

PSSA End-of-Year Survey

Deadline 9 a.m. Wednesday, August 4

What a Year It’s Been!

It’s been important for us all to stay connected while everyone has been working adjusted schedules on and off-site
this year. To stay connected and continue our mission to support System Office, The Woodlands employees, the PSSA
Council made an effort to host guest speakers and activities to keep us connected while also bringing awareness to
the importance of mental and physical health, equity and diversity, and staying resilient when facing challenges.

Health & Wellness CharityMiles.org Challenge

We kicked off the year by inviting everyone to participate in a fitness
challenge using the CharityMiles.org app to both push themselves to get
moving but also to support a non-profit organization of their choice at the
same time.

LSC-Montgomery’s Wellness Center shared this opportunity with us, and we
decided to join. The LSC-SO PSSA Team grew to over 35 participants, and we
held check-ins throughout the year to share how many miles participants had
accumulated on their journeys.

Everyone could walk, run, bike their way to rack up their miles, and we were
excited to celebrate our top three Challenge leaders in May – Fiona, Jason,
and Gabriela. Thank you to everyone who participated!

You can still join us!

The LSC-SO PSSA team is still going strong. Download the CharityMiles.org app to track your miles and help earn
donations for your favorite charitable organization.

14,572 miles $1,457 (.10 cents per mile) $3,643 (.25 cents per mile)

Total miles (as of July 28, 2021) Estimated raised amount (as of July 28, 2021)

Users earn 10 cents for every mile biked and 25 cents for every mile on foot (walking or running).

Fiona Burnett Team LSC-SO PSSA Wendy W.
Jason Kot Melissa
Gaby Andrade Ericka Landry Cindy Madrid
Elizabeth Garcia Joanna Deana Hodges
Layton Gill Theresa Holloway Angela Fries
Jane Stueckemann Casi Freidank Donna Cottrell
Jenny Fricke Jessica Leffingwell Judy
Meagan Shafer Samantha Chapa Rama Devarakonda
Brittany Lang Cassy Hernandez Autavia Alexander
Isabella Willingham Donna Hammett Natalya
Mindi Funderburg Braxton Fonner Alejandra
Tawana Burke Migdalia Gomez Sparke Cephus
Kristin Malloy Sandra
Beck Landry

2020-2021 Challenge Winners Recognized in May – Fiona, Jason, and Gabriela

Wise & Well Lunch & Learn - "Unplug & Relax"

Terry Albores from the LSC-Montgomery Wellness Center, our Fall PSSA Association Meeting guest speaker, was kind
enough to join us online to teach everyone ways to unplug and relax. We recognize, and certainly identify with, the
added stresses of the pandemic and as well as balancing our family and work obligations. It was such a nice break to
take a few moments away from a busy day to slow down, focus, and take a breath.

Professor Albores lead us through some breathing exercises and stretching to help release stress, and we discussed
how important it is to step away and take a moment for our mental and physical health.

"Resilience is Easier--and Harder--Than We Think" Lunch & Learn

Organization Development graciously allowed us access to share Sean Fitzpatrick’s (The
Jung Center) thought-provoking presentation from this year’s Culture in Action
Conference for anyone at LSC-System Office, The Woodlands who may have missed it.

The pandemic has presented us with an
extraordinary time in our lives. In many
cases, it has given us a unique time to
contemplate our actions and what it takes to be resilient, or what we
think of as resilient, in today’s environment.

Mr. Fitzpatrick’s presentation explores what resilience is, what is really
needed in order to develop it, and provides us with sustainable ways to
serve others during this unique time in our lives.

If you would still like to watch the presentation, the recording is available
through MyWorkshops (LSC-3519-1).

Celebrating our Staff Excellence Award Nominees Presentation

Staff Excellence Award winners are typically announced each year, but we don’t usually hear who was nominated. This
year, we celebrated all our nominees and the reasons they were recognized at our Winter PSSA Association Meeting.
Congratulations to all our nominees!

• Pablo Alcantara, OTS Campus Services
• Tawana Burke, Manager, Faculty Development
• Janeen Fagbemi, Videographer
• Arnaldo Flores, OTS Technical Services
• Eddie Garza, Dispatch Supervisor
• Cassy Hernandez, Coordinator II, Organizational

Development
• Theresa Holloway, Administrative Assistant, Academic

Affairs
• Julianne Lacsina, Business Manager
• Sharon Luczak, Quartermaster, Police Department
• Ali Syed, Analyst, Supplier Diversity
• Christina Thibodaux, Commodity manager, Procurement

Keep an eye out for the call for nominations this fall!
Celebrate the successes and value the contributions of your colleagues.
Nominate a co-worker, so we can recognize them for inspiring excellence.

And congratulations, again, to our final 2020 Staff Excellence Award winners, Tawana and Christina!

"Let's Talk Diversity" Lunch & Learn with Professor Latoya Hardman Lewis

We were so excited to have Professor Hardman Lewis lead us in a talk on diversity the week before Spring Break.
Professor Lewis always provides such engaging presentations and her enthusiasm is
infectious.
Not only did her presentation consist of numerous startling statistics regarding the
challenges being faced today by people of color, but she also brought these statistics
home by relating them to our own families, friends and neighbors. Professor Lewis
tested our knowledge and brought our own preconceived ideas to light so that
everyone could walk away with a better understanding of racial disparity.

"Just Mercy" Common Read

This past spring, the PSSA Diversity Committee hosted a common read and invited
everyone at LSC-System Office, The Woodlands to join. We read “Just Mercy” by
Bryan Stevenson, a novel based on the true story about the Equal Justice Initiative
and the importance of confronting injustice.

Books were given out to the first ten people who signed up in March and then
everyone else was invited to purchase their own copy and join us for a discussion later
in the semester.

In May, we were honored to have Director
of Diversity & Inclusion Jeremy Kirk lead us
in a discussion about the book. He pulled
excerpts from certain chapters to focus
the discussion around events and stories that are detailed in the book and
invited everyone to relay their thoughts and feelings.

Reading about the struggles and injustices that were endured by individuals
that Mr. Stevenson fought tirelessly to defend, including a wrongly convicted
man who was on death row, was thought-provoking and eye-opening.

Wise & Well Lunch & Learn - "Summer of Gratitude"

In April, Jackie Cooper and Terry Albores from the
LSC-Montgomery Wellness Center invited
everyone at LSC-System Office, The Woodlands to
join in their “Summer of Gratitude and Kindness”.

They shared how Harvard Health research found
that gratitude helps us:

• Feel more positive emotions
• Relish good experiences
• Improve our health
• Deal with adversity
• Build strong relationships

And did you know? Research shows compassion and kindness
have the power to:
• Reduce stress
• Boost the immune system
• Reduce negative emotions (Anger, depression, anxiety)

To participate in this endeavor, everyone was invited to
complete 12 or more activities of their own choice from the
Gratitude and Kindness checklist.

By being kind to others, you give but you also get a lot more in return.

“Paint the Town" Group Painting Party (Summer Association Meeting)

We got creative together! On Wednesday night, July 28, we wrapped up the summer with our final event of the
academic year – a group painting party in partnership with Paint the Town. Although the event would have been great
in person, participating over Zoom from our own homes was a fun and unique experience. Our Paint the Town
representative, Cici, led the group through painting “Birds of a Feather” step by step, and everyone had a great time.

“Very relaxing” seemed to be the consensus from everyone who participated. We listened to some music and chatted
while we painted, sharing our progress along the way. Everyone was welcome to follow along or get creative and go
with their take on the artwork. Our resident artist, David Gonzalez, went above and beyond and even painted a Harry
Potter-themed fan art poster during our time together. At the end of our experience, Cici invited everyone to share
their final masterpiece for a group photo. Such fun!

What’s Gotten You Through the Pandemic?

In the fall, we had asked everyone to submit photos or quotes about ways they have coped with the pandemic. We
hoped by now we’d be well on our way to getting back to normal, and we are slowly starting to get there.

Caffeine has definitely helped me get through Music has been Bill Van Rysdam’s go-to stress
the pandemic! – Mindi Funderburg reliever

My awesome family has helped get me through this Casi Freidank’s quarantine co-workers
pandemic. Finding creative ways to allow my
energetic toddler to have a sense of recess in our
home and still enjoy our date nights in a socially
distant way has been so much fun.

We’ve started doing more crafts and activities we
haven’t all done together in years!

#LoveLoveLove – Brittany Lang

What helped me get through 2020?: The time spent with my fur babies, Hank and Roo, they have a lot personality and
it was nice being able to be at home with them. I have a strong passion for baking and trying new recipes has been
something I wanted to do for years but never had the time. Due to the extra time at home because of COVID-19, I was
able to try new recipes for homemade potstickers, concha pastries, donuts, tamales, and so many others!
– Cassy Hernandez

Who all thinks Denise McCurdy has the right idea?!

– Silvia Gitte
Taking the time to enjoy the simple things again, like
a baby pool and a sprinkler! – Janice Dover

“Catching” not even required! And twice daily walks with these two! – Jed Young

My neighbors and I had fun getting creative and
sharing words of inspiration around the
neighborhood when everything was closed except
essential services.

And my furry co-worker has kept me entertained
while working from home because she snores away
in the background of my Webex meetings.

– Jennifer Mendez

Jenny Fricke’s furry co-worker!

It’s gotta be the cats… – Lyndsey Pace
Video chats and phone calls with friends have helped me get through the pandemic.

– Mike Sellers

Looks like Rachael Covey’s solutions have been days on the lake and the new addition to our wardrobes, the
facemask. Very stylish, Rachael!

I’ve enjoyed spending
more time with my dogs
(Evee and Riley) and
playing more games with
my husband and
daughter.
– Stephanie O’Neil

Furry friends, Queen Elizabeth III and Razzle Dazzle the
Chihuahua have been a great help during the pandemic. My
son and I have four chihuahuas and two cats and this little
kitten is our latest rescue! We have had great fun with them
since we can’t do the things we would normally do!
– Wendy Jasper

A day spent with grandkids picking flowers, My “virtual” office with my new helper.
they make everyday beautiful! – Wendy Wilson
– Theresa Holloway

And a few fun memes folks shared….
In times like these, you must embrace the funny!

We Are Your 2020-2021 PSSA Leadership Team

Thank you to everyone who participated in our election this summer. President Theresa Holloway has been busy
meeting with the new Officers and Council. Theresa has also initiated monthly meetings with our PSSA Presidents
across LSC to keep us connected.

We are all excited to take on new ways to promote a collegial work environment while working remotely, and we
look forward to collaborating and sharing ideas with our fellow PSSAs to find ways to continue to support everyone
until we no longer have to personally distance from one another while remaining social.

Position Name Department Email
President [email protected]
Theresa Holloway Developmental Education &
Vice President Curriculum Support [email protected]

David Gonzalez Marketing Services & Publications

Treasurer Casi Freidank Student Success [email protected]

Secretary Jane Chancellor’s Office [email protected]
Stueckemann
Diversity Chair Autavia Marketing Services & Publications [email protected]
Alexander
Historical Records LSC Police [email protected]
Chair Quentin Iuen

Hospitality Chair open

Outreach Chair Cassy Hernandez Organizational Development [email protected]

Public Relations Jennifer Mendez College Services [email protected]
Chair

Social Events Chair Mindi Funderburg Marketing Services & Publications [email protected]

If you are interested in volunteering, please email us.

The Mission of the System Office Professional and Support Staff Association is to support all staff by providing an avenue to bring

concerns to the administration; supporting and facilitating the professional development of its members; and promoting a
supportive and collegial work environment for the System Office as a whole.

Our Vision The PSSA Council aspires to encourage communication between staff and administration by providing an avenue for

staff to bring concerns and/or matters of importance to the Administration’s attention. We will support the development of staff
in the areas of leadership, practical skills, technology, public speaking, as well as other areas of opportunity. We strive to have all
Professional and Support Staff actively engaged as members and participating in the Association. We will foster an environment
that supports collegiality and teamwork.

Questions? Suggestions? We want to hear from you.

Email PSSA SO-TW at [email protected]

One LSC | Student Focused | Own It | Advance Equity | Cultivate Community | Choose Learning