Debra Ruffin combines cleanliness with friendliness in her job as a custodian in the Department of Environmental Services (EVS) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB). A 27-year employee of UMB, she is committed to providing excellent housekeeping service and doing it with a smile.

This was clear when Ruffin, who is affectionately known as Ms. Debbie, was honored as UMB’s December 2023 Employee of the Month during a videoconference Jan. 9. UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, led off the ceremony, informing Ruffin of the honor and thanking her for her exemplary work ethic and sunny disposition.

“Your colleagues tell me that you do great work, particularly at the BioPark and the Community Engagement Center,” he told Ruffin. “You have a number of traits that are wonderful. Among those are your commitment to UMB’s core values, which is really important, and your ability to get people to work together in an amicable way. We need that so much these days.”

Bill Joyner, JD, MSW, assistant vice president of community engagement and partnerships, Office of Community Engagement, nominated Ruffin for the award, saying, “Ms. Debbie is a stellar member of the UMB community who exemplifies all of UMB’s core values and looks out for the well-being of employees and visitors to the BioPark and the Community Engagement Center.

“She has saved the day at the Community Engagement Center more than a dozen times in the past year,” Joyner added. “The building’s basement bathrooms have been experiencing sewage flooding between one and four times a month. Ms. Debbie consistently responds to our emergency pleas for help, ensuring that the space is sanitized and safe for visitors to participate in our programming at the building. It’s a herculean task.”

Joyner also said that Ruffin is a “model of diplomacy” who mentors new hires and is considered a leader on her EVS team.

“I have watched Ms. Debbie resolve conflicts and defuse tension between employees effortlessly,” Joyner said. “When asked if she needs help, she usually responds, ‘No, everything’s OK,’ and proceeds to manage the issue — often using humor.”

Denise Meyer, director of EVS, told Ruffin: “We appreciate what you do every day and the sheer joy that you bring to the campus. I’m blessed to get to see you more often than many others do. I certainly appreciate you and your commitment to EVS and to UMB’s core values.”

Among Ruffin’s many duties, she cleans restrooms, labs, and offices, does high and low dusting, mops floors, and takes out the trash. 

“I just like to make sure my areas of responsibility are nice and clean and sanitized,” she said. “I really just want to make sure everybody’s needs are met. If someone needs me for anything, I am there to help them, to be courteous, and to have a smile each day. If I can talk with someone for a few minutes and make a little joke or two, that brightens my day.”

The feeling is mutual, said Mark Drymala, MS, assistant director-administrative, EVS.

“Ms. Debbie is incredible. Her positivity is contagious,” he said. “Every time I see Ms. Debbie, she is smiling — and that brings a smile to my face as well. And she does such great work.”

Ruffin will receive a certificate, a letter of commendation, and an extra $250 in her next paycheck as rewards for her Employee of the Month recognition. What will she do with the bonus? Share it with her colleagues, of course.

“I’m going to treat my co-workers to lunch, whatever they want,” she said, adding that she appreciates the support from Joyner and working with EVS colleagues such as Darlene Watkins, Juanita Dubose, and Candice Taylor. “I love working for UMB, and I’ve met some really beautiful people here. That’s what has kept me here all these years. I really love the people and what I’m doing.”

— Lou Cortina