You want to work with Enjoli Sonnier? Get in line. 

The associate director of events at the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON), Sonnier, MBA, MS, is extremely popular among her co-workers in the Office of Communications and beyond. According to her supervisor, Giordana Segneri, MA, “Everyone wants Enjoli on their team.”

“That’s what I hear from everyone, all the time, about the respect she has garnered and the exceptional customer service she provides to constituents both inside the School of Nursing and external to it,” said Segneri, associate dean for marketing and communications. “She truly embodies the UMB core values of respect and integrity. Her No. 1 priority is ensuring that the school is well-represented and that our primary constituents, our students, are well-served.”

Segneri heaped more praise upon her colleague during a videoconference July 10, when Sonnier was named the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Employee of the Month for July. UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, kicked off the meeting by surprising Sonnier with the news, saying, “The award nomination was a glowing evaluation of your performance, and it’s just exceptional, so congratulations and thank you,” before handing things off to Segneri.

“We’re the lucky ones to have Enjoli on our team in the Office of Communications because she is an exceptional team player,” Segneri said. “She always has the best interests of the school at heart, and she pushes us to think about that all the time. She’s always considering our key constituents, especially our students, faculty, and staff, and she is the tide that lifts all boats.”

Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, the outgoing Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the School of Nursing, was on the videoconference and praised Sonnier, too, noting that they had worked together during her entire 10½-year tenure as dean, which would be ending the following week.

“Enjoli has been here on the whole journey with me, keeping me on track, organizing amazing events, and making people feel welcome,” said Kirschling, who will be moving to Colorado in retirement and was celebrated with a Western-themed sendoff at the school in late June. “I will always hold in my memory the time when she put on her sheriff’s outfit and came as a cowgirl to my sendoff. She didn’t dance on the stairs with me, but I’ll forgive her because she knows she is the sheriff of the School of Nursing. Enjoli, you are so special, and I thank you.”

Sonnier has worked at UMSON since 2001, starting as a secretary, moving to a support role in information technology, joining the Office of Communications in 2007, and taking over as events coordinator two years later. She helps organize National Nurses Week events; the Maryland Action Coalition’s annual conference; retirement farewells; dean’s events such as Seeds of Change, which honored two trailblazing UMSON alumna this year; and events held at UMSON by outside constituents.

“I’d say Nurses Week is probably one of my favorite times of year,” Sonnier said. “It’s a hectic time of year, but it allows student involvement and it’s great to see the smile on students’ faces when they attend. And it says that we thank them for actually being our customers, essentially, and it’s a joy to see  students graduate and know that they are alumni of a prestigious school.

“I wear many hats, but the main hat I wear is helping people to create events from their content and concepts,” she added. “I also love to develop relationships and connect with people who aren’t necessarily in my industry. It’s good to connect and understand the different aspects of events that are held within your organization.”

Sonnier also helps out at graduation time by designing event programs, manages digital displays throughout the UMSON building, and has become adept at using vFairs, a virtual conferencing platform that incorporates visuals and multimedia content. During the COVID-19 pandemic when UMSON was teleworking and conducting classes online, Sonnier took the lead on determining how the school’s events could continue virtually and co-chaired a Universitywide committee involved in determining an appropriate platform.

“Since our return to in-person working and learning, she has continued to enhance and perfect these events, capitalizing on the benefits of continuing to offer them fully virtually or, in some cases, offering them in a hybrid environment, often doubling the work involved,” Segneri said. “She is always willing to roll up her sleeves to get the work done, and she is always willing to lend a hand, even when the task isn’t necessarily part of her job responsibilities.”

Sonnier will receive a plaque, letter of commendation from Jarrell, and $250 in her next paycheck as rewards for the UMB honor. Being honored was “definitely surprising,” she said, because she thought the videoconference was to discuss welcoming UMSON’s new dean.

“Winning an award like this was something that I never thought about because I’m just so involved in doing the job every day,” Sonnier said. “But I do think it’s important to know that someone really supports what you’re doing and can take that moment to say thank you, to congratulate you, and recognize you for just the smallest of efforts.”

Two of the people on the videoconference, both representing the Staff Senate, could relate to Sonnier’s recognition, as they are past Employees of the Month — Shawnta Privette, MSL, of UMB Police and Public Safety, and Taylor DeBoer, MA, of the University of Maryland Graduate School.

“It’s exciting to win this award,” Privette told Sonnier. “It lets you know that your work doesn’t go unnoticed and that you are valuable to your school and the whole UMB community. I’m still telling people I was Employee of the Month, and that happened five months ago. When this conference is over, you should call all of your family, tell them what you just won, and then demand that they fix you dinner for two weeks! Because you deserve it.”

— Lou Cortina