Web content specialist Micah Murphy might be the youngest member of the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Office of Communications and Public Affairs (OCPA), but to his colleagues, he demonstrates maturity beyond his years.

“A bunch of us call Micah an ‘old soul’ because he has a genuine and caring attitude toward not only everyone in our office, but toward the broader UMB community,” said Alice Powell, CMP, who works closely with OCPA as director of event operations, Office of External Relations. “When Micah started with the web development team a few years back, he immediately jumped into working with a new event registration program called Cvent. And he was so good. He was so professional.

“Even in the busiest of times, Micah brings a sense of relief and confidence to us and the team that we will meet our deadlines. I know I can always count on him to make any changes that we need, even those Friday end-of-the-day requests.” 

Powell was one of many colleagues who sang Murphy’s praises in a teleconference Aug. 19, when he was named UMB’s Employee of the Month of August. President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, surprised Murphy with the news of his award, and more than 25 colleagues attended the virtual celebration, several of whom logged on despite being on vacation.

“I read the award nomination and learned about the many wonderful things that you do,” Jarrell told Murphy. “It’s clear that you are very deserving of this honor. It looks like you have a whole lot of people here on this call who want to say great things about you.”

Paulette Harris-Gross, MS, program manager, Office of the President, was first in line to offer her praise, thanking Murphy for his work with the UMBrella Group overall and in particular the registration site he builds for the annual Women’s History Month Symposium.

“With just everything he does, Micah is always so responsive,” Harris-Gross said. “Every time I need him, I know I can depend on him. He’s always there for me and is always diligent about all the work requests that he handles for so many people at the same time. It’s always good to work with Micah.”

Murphy’s work at UMB began in 2016, when he was a 16-year-old high school student and was accepted into YouthWorks, a program through the Mayor’s Office that provides a five-week summer job opportunity for Baltimore youths ages 14 to 21. (Read more about Murphy’s YouthWorks experience.)

He worked in summer 2016 for UMB Police and Public Safety and in summer 2017 for Human Resource Services before getting a part-time position with OCPA that he maintained during his time as an undergraduate at the University of Baltimore, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration-marketing. In April 2023, he was hired full time by OCPA and is working on a master’s degree in management-marketing from University of Maryland Global Campus.

His duties with OCPA include building websites through the Cvent platform for events such as the Women’s History Month Symposium and Faculty Convocation, maintaining UMBrella’s website, and working with the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State (MPower) UM Scholars Program. He also monitors work requests for the web development team, guiding established and new clients through the project management process.

“I am the liaison for work requests that come to our team,” Murphy said. “I will help clients with billing questions or, if they need help with the project, I’m usually the first person that they’ll seek out, unless they have a pre-existing web development contact. So new clients usually come through me now and it’s my job to point them in the right direction.”

Powell, Harris-Gross, and Ashley DeMaio, MPower specialist in the Office of the Provost, nominated Murphy for the UMB honor, which will reward him with a certificate, letter of commendation, and $250 in his next paycheck. They noted that Murphy epitomizes UMB’s core values of Respect and Integrity, Well-Being and Sustainability, Equity and Justice, and Innovation and Discovery.

“Above all, Micah is kind, compassionate, welcoming, and inclusive,” DeMaio said. “He approaches every project with integrity, enthusiasm, utmost care, and transparency. I look forward to every meeting with Micah and only wish I had more. And I definitely agree with Alice: He is like an ‘old soul’ — always patient, respectful, and eager to lend a helping hand or find a solution.”

Murphy said he enjoys the camaraderie that comes with working at UMB.

“The best part of my job is that UMB has a great a sense of community around it,” he said. “I’ve had mentors from each office where I’ve worked here, and I always feel like whenever I’m on campus, I’m always passing somebody I know and I’m always saying hello.”

Amir Chamsaz, ScD, MS, managing director, web development and interactive media, OCPA, noted that Murphy is reliable and adaptable, able to learn quickly and finish projects in a timely and efficient manner.

“I am very lucky to have Micah on our team,” said Chamsaz, read moreho is Murphy’s supervisor. “Anytime I need help, I know I can turn to him and the job is going to get done. And he’s come such a long way from when he started as a work-study student. His customer service, the way he presents himself, the way he talks to people and handles communications, I love it. He does a really, really great job.”

Laura Kozak, MA, chief marketing officer and senior associate vice president, OCPA, agreed.

“I appreciate everything that Micah does to help our office and our clients,” Kozak said. “I especially like that he is always so willing to embrace any project that comes his way. As so many of his colleagues will tell you, he is a pleasure to work with.”

Murphy thanked Powell, Harris-Gross, and DeMaio for their nomination, as well as Chamsaz and Kozak for hiring him and supporting his professional development. He said he appreciated receiving the Employee of the Month honor, though he’s not the type to seek out the limelight.

“Sometimes I feel like, ‘Am I putting in enough work? … Am I being nice enough to this person? … Did that email come off weird?’ ” he said. “I don’t like too much fanfare, but hearing what Alice, Paulette, and Ashley had to say about me, and getting this award, it’s nice to know that the work that I put in is being noticed.”

— Lou Cortina