New London resident Michelle Sensing receives Superior Service Award

COLLEGE STATION —Anna Michelle Sensing recently received the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s Superior Service Award in the state/district office support category.

Sensing is an office associate for East Texas AgriLife Extension district 5, with administrative offices located at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton.

The award, presented Jan. 8 during the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Centennial Conference, is given to staff who demonstrate outstanding performance or who provide exceptional service to AgriLife Extension, an educational outreach agency of the Texas A&M University System.

Sensing provides secretarial support for three AgriLife Extension subject matter specialists, each of whom is from a different department and has different professional needs.

She began working at the Overton center in 2008 and has been promoted twice since being hired. In February 2013, she was promoted from senior office assistant to office associate, adding job responsibilities that include providing assistance to the district office manager.

“Dr. Jason Banta, beef cattle specialist, and myself have developed programs that we host at the Overton center as well as off-site at times,” said Dr. Vanessa Corriher-Olson, AgriLife Extension forage specialist in her nomination letter for Sensing.

“Michelle is instrumental in the success of these programs,” Corriher-Olson said. “She coordinates registrations through Conference Services, keeping track of the number of registrants and following up as to who has paid. She assists in developing flyers, notebooks consisting of program materials and CDs consisting of program-specific files. Michelle is responsible for coordinating meals, snacks and drinks as well. All of her efforts for these programs have made our jobs easier. All we have to focus on is putting together our presentations; she takes care of the rest.”

Banta wrote, “She is a highly skilled individual whom you can count on to get things done right. On a weekly basis, Michelle updates a cattle price trend report for me that is utilized by numerous county Extension agents and is highly desired by our producers. On numerous occasions, she has helped me find or figure out new software that can be used to develop educational resources.”

“In her five years at the district office she has shown a continued dedication to her job,” Corriher-Olson said. “She has built positive working relationships with everyone in the office in Extension and research.”
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