Three members of Texas A&M Transportation Services have been recognized by the International Parking and Mobility Institute for their Professional Excellence.
Administrative Associate Carol Yeager, Director Kenneth Kimball and Marketing and Communication Director Melissa Maraj-Bubela were nominated by their peers for this prestigious award in recognition of their hard work and dedication within Transportation Services.
In an article on Texas A&M Today, Transportation Services Associate Vice President Peter Lange said he is impressed by the services the three honorees provide the department.
“We are extremely proud of our staff for their outstanding commitment and hard work,” Lange said. “We commend and thank them for their professional excellence. Our department and university are thrilled to see them receive such prestigious recognition by the industry.”
A staff member for Transportation Services since 2008, Yeager works as the manager’s administrative assistant. Yeager is often nominated for many awards each year and has a vital role in working with move-in, football games and fundraisers.
Acting as the finance and administration director, Kimball works with the I.T. and accounting departments. According to Kimball, A&M has one of the largest parking and transportation services, and other universities often turn to A&M to learn how to organize and run their systems, and he helps to provide and share resources.
“Our folks put in the nominations so that means a lot to me that they felt enough to nominate me for something,” Kimball said. “IPMI is the biggest organization for parking and mobility in the world so it’s a good organization to be honored by. It feels good because accountants or accountant types don’t always get recognized. We’re kind of the behind-the-scenes people in a lot of ways.”
As communication director, Maraj-Bubela works to update and manage the websites and apps as well as the advertising aspects with her small team. Maraj-Bubela also helps to run all campaigns and the social media services for Transportation Services.
“It feels like an amazing accomplishment, you put your heart into your work and I love working with my team, there’s no I in team,” Maraj-Bubela said. “Being recognized feels like an opportunity to be seen for everything we do, leading the team takes a lot of attention because you are responsible for a lot of different parts of the operation.”
With the COVID-19 pandemic, Transportation Services has had to implement safety and health guidelines to keep the buses and parking running despite the challenges, Bubela said.
“It’s been remarkable to see the way the entire department has adapted and risen to the challenge. Transportation Services as a department works very hard to offer the types of services that benefit the community but we are also very thoughtful for how we need to adapt when times call for adapting,” Maraj-Bubela said. “I think that COVID-19 was a perfect example at the dedication the department gives to provide the best services possible under very challenging circumstances.”