When Lyndon “Lenny” Wallington, administrator in the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s (UMSOM) Department of Pharmacology, saw a need, he quietly and effectively stepped in to help.

Wallington, who has worked at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) for 36 years, took on additional duties when the executive assistant to his department’s chair, Margaret M. McCarthy, PhD, resigned.

“We are in the process of hiring two new faculty, and there are many responsibilities associated with that process that my assistant usually manages,” McCarthy said. “Lenny has quietly stepped into the breach and done all of the work my assistant normally would without telling me about it.”

These duties have included working with the Appointment, Promotion and Tenure of Faculty Committee, gathering and writing letters for McCarthy, and helping to onboard new hires and make them feel at ease.

“Lenny spent an entire day walking a new faculty hire around campus to every agency she needed such as parking, getting her ID, and HR,” McCarthy said. “He never mentioned it to me, but she was so impressed and felt enormously cared for, starting her time at UMB in the most positive manner. When I thanked him, he just smiled and said, ‘It was no big deal.’ ”

For these efforts, Wallington was named the University’s November Employee of the Month. He was surprised by UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, as well as McCarthy and members of the pharmacology department during a Dec. 9 videoconference.

“This is long overdue. The last six months have been tough since we’ve been down by two staff,” McCarthy said. “You do it all without complaint.”

Wallington’s colleagues praised him as a welcoming colleague and a mentor.

“You made me feel welcome,” said Christina Ferrer, PhD, assistant professor of pharmacology, who came to UMB this past summer and was the new employee Wallington spent the day with to help her get acclimated. “You made me feel that this was home.”

Wallington supports a department of about 65 faculty, staff, and students in areas such as personnel, space, equipment, and pre- and post-award grant management. He also has put together a field guide, or instruction manual, that gives faculty and staff frequently asked questions on subjects such as how to get a corporate purchasing card or how to submit a grant.

He said people are the favorite part of his job.

“I’m a people person, and all the great relationships I’ve created over the years are special to me,” said Wallington, who has been with the pharmacology department for 20 years and previously worked at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and UMB’s Office of Facilities and Operations. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of being at UMB.”

Wallington said he came to UMB because of the tuition remission benefit but stayed because of the opportunities for advancement.

“I thought that I was going to take advantage of that benefit, and then I was going to go find my dream job,” said Wallington, who earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Baltimore. “But lo and behold, I didn’t know of all those opportunities for advancement that were here. So once I started learning about those, and while I was in the process of receiving my degree, I was able to apply for different positions and continue to move. And I figured out that, wow, this may be the place for me to stay.”

He added, “I tell the younger people, ‘The opportunities are here, you just have to take them.’ ”

Wallington thanked McCarthy and Lisa Wiggins, business operations specialist, and Lea Stokes, budget analyst.

“I deal with the three of them practically on a daily basis, and they really help make my job manageable,” he said.

During the videoconference, Wiggins thanked him for being her “unofficial mentor.”

Wallington, who will receive a plaque, a letter of commendation, and an extra $250 in his next paycheck for being named Employee of the Month, said he was humbled and overwhelmed to receive the award.

“It is such an honor, because I’m aware of the number of employees we have here, the number of applications they must get each month,” he said. “Just to be nominated is special.”

— Jen Badie