Mark Whitmer

President's Award for Excellence in Unclassified Staff Service

A Team Player Dedicated to a Spirit of Service

Whitmer

Mark Whitmer’s days are busy. As the assistant director of Physical Plant Services, Whitmer supervises numerous direct and indirect employees, helping to operate the day-to-day support of the university’s physical needs. And with a campus that boasts 363 contiguous acres in Hammond, 152 buildings, and 12 residential facilities, those needs are myriad and plentiful.

But that’s just the day job for Whitmer, this year’s winner of the President’s Award for Excellence in Unclassified Staff Service.

A resident of Tickfaw, Whitmer has been actively involved in his church, Our Lady of Pompeii,  and community for more than a decade. His activities include recreational, spiritual and nutritional outreach programs. Whitmer has coached softball for various community teams, reads books to elementary school children at local schools, and has completed maintenance, construction and yard work for his church and community.

He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, a worldwide Catholic fraternal organization that is dedicated to service.

“Our virtues are charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism,” said John Catalanotte, financial secretary for Our Lady of Pompeii Council. “Mr.  Whitmer has shown these qualities to the full extent. He always takes pride in whatever he is asked to do.”

He has set up the church’s hall for special events, such as the Fourth of July Feast, Italian Heritage celebration, St. Joseph Altars and fund-raisers for local community members suffering from health crises. Whitmer also assisted with food distribution opportunities during Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.

Krewe of Omega Parade Captain Joyce Smith has known Whitmer since he was a child living in her neighborhood. A retired teacher and principal at Independence Elementary School, she watched Whitmer mature as a “person who deserves recognition for his service to Southeastern, the Hammond community and the Parish of Tangipahoa.

“In recent years, as Captain of the Krewe, I have asked Mark to volunteer as Parade Marshall,” said Smith. “This is a very difficult job. He has been there every year – including the year he stood in the pouring rain – to assist me and other Omega members by lining up floats, classic cars and multiple high school bands. This year, when I again requested Mark’s help, his response was, ‘I was hoping you would ask me to help.’”

“It is my belief that raising responsible citizens begins at home, and that is I why my life’s activities reflect respecting, sharing and giving to the community to build a better world, one experience at a time,” said Whitmer, a 2006 graduate of Southeastern with a bachelor’s degree in management.  

That dedication to service is a quality he brings to his job in the Physical Plant, where he is often praised for going well beyond what would be expected in his work.

“Mark is a team player who often offers his expertise to university staff and willingly shares information to help others,” said Cally Berner, Southeastern director of Event and Conference Services. “As a leader, he has instilled his work ethic in his staff as it is consistently displayed among those who report to him in the Physical Plant. As a peer, Mark makes my job easier.”

Whitmer is personally involved with many major events on campus, including but not limited to Rock-n-Roar, Homecoming, commencement ceremonies, Lion home football games, Chef’s Evening, and Lionpawlooza. For these events, he communicates with the appropriate departments to help ensure the accuracy of event planning and labor scheduling.

To Whitmer, service involves setting high expectations and going above and beyond the call to ensure the task is well done. It is having a successful customer experience from beginning with identifying a need, to working through details to finding a workable solution and applying it.

Director of Recreational Sports and Wellness Dollie Hebert-Crouch, who has worked with Whitmer on many events, couldn’t agree more.

“Mark begins and ends his day focused on valuing people and insuring their needs are met. His actions and his words show this is something that he truly values and is attentive to throughout the day, whether working at Southeastern, out in the Hammond community or at home with his family,” she said. “Mark Whitmer steadily demonstrates service in all that he does. He is a committed Southeastern employee and a true leader in his area.”

It is important to Whitmer how he presents his image representing both the university and Physical Plant. He said he strives to maintain harmony throughout all departments and customers utilizing his department’s services.

“Little by little, a difference can be made, and I value each encounter with my community,” he said. “By helping people reach their full potential through love, respect, kindness and setting proper values, I believe I can make a difference in the world we live.”