PUEBLO – Four outstanding team members have been selected as employees of the year at Pueblo Community College.
Winners were chosen in four categories – faculty, part-time instructor, administrative/professional/technical and classified. The recipients are Susann Anger (classified), Lisa Molina (APT), Shanda Vidmar (faculty) and Kimberly Wells (part-time instructor).
The four were honored Jan. 16 during PCC’s Spring Kickoff and employee recognition breakfast. They will also be recognized at a statewide event in the spring with other employees of the Colorado Community College System.
"What stands out about all of these employees is their commitment to students and making sure they have the information, tools and encouragement they need to succeed at PCC,” said PCC President Chato Hazelbaker.
Anger is an administrative assistant III in the medical and behavioral health division.
"The warmth she brings to the deans' office is palpable. While she is the last to want to be recognized for her incredible work and character, she is the first to celebrate those around her,” said the colleague who nominated her.
In addition to her regular job duties, Anger serves as the secretary for the surgical technology program’s advisory committee. She also served on multiple search committees.
Anger attends many community events in which PCC students are involved. She loves reading and learning about local history, traveling and being with her family.
She is the mother of two PCC graduates and is about to become a graduate herself: After a 30-year break from school, Anger expects to receive her associate degree in May.
Molina works at the PCC Southwest campus in Mancos as director of student services. She started working at the college in 2018.
Originally from Mio, Mich., she earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Alma College and two master’s degrees – in higher education administration and philanthropy and fundraising – from Central Michigan University.
Molina’s professionalism, integrity and empathy have a significant impact on PCC Southwest students and staff. She continually uses feedback from students and staff to make meaningful changes that will improve students’ experiences at PCC.
A Mancos coworker praised “the exceptional communication skills and collaborative partnerships between the Southwest, Fremont and Pueblo campuses built by Lisa. Maintenance of these relationships requires ongoing unity, collaboration and leadership.”
Molina serves on several PCC committees as well as the Colorado Community College System Deans Council. She counts “mom-ing” her two kids, reading, skiing and coffee among her passions.
Vidmar has been a respected instructor at PCC for 20 years. She is the assistant chair of the biological and physical sciences department.
She is widely praised for her collaboration, leadership and dedication to creating a supportive environment for her students and colleagues. As her supervisor noted in her nomination, “It is rare to encounter someone whose impact on both colleagues and students is as profound and far-reaching as hers.”
Though born in Pueblo, Vidmar spent much of her childhood in Texas. She double majored in biology and chemistry at the University of Southern Colorado (now CSU Pueblo) and earned her master’s degree in biochemistry at CSU Fort Collins.
Vidmar has served in multiple volunteer positions at PCC. She is the current chair of PCC’s Faculty Council and has earned admiration for her steady guidance in that role.
Away from work, she enjoys family time, concerts, movies, skiing and hiking.
Wells has been a part-time history instructor at PCC since fall 2023.
She is a native of Colorado Springs and spent seven years as a social studies teacher in Widefield District 3. In addition to her position at PCC, she teaches at Colorado Technical University and was a semifinalist for CTU’s 2023 distinguished faculty award.
Wells’ supervisor noted that, “Her interaction with students shows that she holds them to a high standard while still showing compassion when students struggle.”
She earned her bachelor’s degree in social science education from Olivet Nazarene University and a master’s degree in history from Missouri State. She has a passion for world travel – in fact, she lived in the Netherlands for 10 years and is fluent in Dutch and German.
Wells also enjoys hiking, reading and running.
