Employee of the Month - September 2023
Amy Paulsen,
Office of the Provost
Executive Assistant to the Provost
Awarded Tuesday, September 19, 2023, via Zoom Virtual celebration. Amy was joined by President Jane Close Conoley, Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Karyn Scissum Gunn, Vice Provost Dhushy Sathianathan, and numerous Academic Affairs and campus colleagues.
Amy Paulsen joined CSULB in 2014 as Executive Assistant to the Provost. After working in the private sector for many years, she immediately felt a connection to The Beach’s mission for accessible higher education and service to students. Born and raised in Southern California, CSULB has always been part of Amy’s personal landscape, a place where she attended many community events before joining the campus as a staff member. During her tenure on campus, Amy has proven to be a stellar employee due to her kindness, exceptional organizational skills, and a willingness to go the extra mile.
Chanel Acker, the Administrative Services Manager for College of the Arts, praised Amy’s contributions, “Amy has truly been an incredible asset to the College of the Arts as we navigated all the ins and outs of the recruitment search for the college Dean. Amy coordinated and prepared detailed scheduling, communicated in a timely manner about upcoming events or changes, gave helpful advice and feedback about potential pitfalls, provided guidance and assistance to our support staff, and served as a supportive resource for the Division level administrative process of a large scale and rapid recruitment. Amy's kindness, thoughtfulness, responsiveness, and professional demeanor made her a vital part of this process. I am extremely grateful to have been able to partner with her on this project.”
Noah Kelly, the University Library’s Administrative Services Manager, also commended Amy for her coordination in a high-level recruitment. He shared, “Amy has been instrumental in facilitating our Library Dean search. Without her even keeled approach and unflappable positive attitude, we would have been a disorganized mess.”
Amy’s exceptional work extends beyond her day-to-day responsibilities. Athena Mitchell, an Academic Advisor in the University Center for Undergraduate Advising, shared her gratitude for Amy, saying, “Amy exhibited exceptional customer (colleague) service. I misplaced my office keys some time ago and she found them. She then contacted Beach Building Services to locate me and sent multiple emails until she was able to reach me. After a few weeks of reaching out I met her to pick up my keys and, she was warm, kind and gracious. Amy went above [and] beyond and she should be recognized for going the extra mile. Awesome job Amy!!”
As a first-generation college graduate, Amy holds a B.A. in English from Portland State University in Oregon. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, puzzles, travel, and especially spending quality time with her family and their many pets.