Applause for Katharina Stokes

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An Applause for

Katharina Stokes

Business Manager
Center on Children, Families, and the Law

Summer 2022

“Katharina Stokes is simply the best. Since she joined CCFL in 2018 as our business manager, she has universally impressed our faculty and staff with her incredible skill, patience, and dedication. Over the last four years, CCFL's projects have expanded thanks to her commitment and wisdom. Katharina's business expertise enables all of us to better fulfill our mission of helping the helpers to improve the lives of children and families. Thank you, Katharina!”

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“Katharina is an absolute treasure and blessing for our center! She is exceptionally competent, timely, and accurate in the development of new budgets/justifications for my grant proposals, or any sort of budget inquiry I may have on my existing projects. I never have to do anything more than a quick cursory check of her work, because it's always accurate. She has established good working relationships with OSP and I see her as an integral part of our grant proposal development and project management. She has been such a great support to me, I sincerely appreciate it!!”

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“I am nominating Katharina Stokes for the Applause award. Katharina serves as the UNL-CCFL Business Manager and has become indispensable to our mission and work. Katharina has improved all aspects of grants management at UNL-CCFL during an incredible expansion of funding at our Center. In my 30+ years at UNL as a PI on many grants, I have never worked with a more professional, competent, pleasant, and confidence-inspiring business manager. Katharina has without a doubt allowed CCFL to expand our grant funding through her ability to manage many dozens of grants simultaneously and inspires confidence in our funding sources. I am so thankful to have Katharina as a colleague. ”

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“I am endorsing the nomination of Katharina Stokes because we would be lost without her. Katharina is always so knowledgeable and helpful about all of our different grants. She also keeps up with all the news on travel, purchasing, Firefly, and not only shares it with us but is happy to help us navigate any changes. I started about 8 months before COVID-19 moved everyone to work-from-home, and so I still had a lot to learn, especially about travel, when we returned to the office. My first requests to prepare my team members for travel were on very short notice. I was thankful that Katharina was willing to patiently help me and that I could trust her to double-check those first trip requests and expense reports. No one is more deserving of Applause than Katharina!”

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“It is with great honor to nominate Katharina Stokes. Katharina came to the Center on Children, Families and the Law with a strong background in finance. It is one thing to monitor finances on one project and another to manage over 80 different accounts. Katharina took this on with focus, compassion and interest in each and every project.”

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“There are not enough adjectives to describe how valuable Katharina is to the center. She is positive, is always willing to help in any way that is needed, responsive to questions, and is available to meet with her. It would be remiss not to mention that she is accurate, detailed, regulation based and is just a great person to work with. She is a true asset to the center and the University. She deserves an Applause, but much, much more.”

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“Katharina is very easy to work with and lets me know information on a timely basis. She has all of the grants with CCFL set up so that the expenses are posted timely and makes it easy for me to invoice the sponsor. She will send me IPAS forms for new projects UNL will be receiving funding, so that there are not Journal Entries and Payroll Transfers needed. She has made CCFL one of the best departments I work with on sponsored projects.”

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“Katharina, CCFL Business Manager, has been an impressive addition to the CCFL team from day one. She learned everything associated with sponsored projects quickly and immediately improved processes for the unit. Whenever Katharina prepares a budget and completes a NUgrant OSP Routing form, you know it's going to be done correctly and timely. She is also readily available and responsive to questions. I wish we could clone her!”

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“Katharina is amazing! She is wonderful at her job, and is always willing to take the time to work with everyone to address any finance, budget, or funding question that is posed to her. She is patient, kind and so very competent at her job. I don't know how she manages all of the grants we have at the Center, but her excellence allows our project directors to focus on their work rather than navigate financial situations.”

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“I have worked with numerous individuals in various departments and colleges over the past ten years who work in the research realm, and Katharina is one of the best that I have had the pleasure to work with. She is incredible at managing multiple, competing priorities, she is always responsive and helpful in her communications, and she is extremely thorough and detailed in keeping track of countless proposals and ongoing projects. I truly believe Katharina deserves recognition for the fantastic job that she is doing.”

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“Katharina juggles SO many areas at CCFL and is always responsive with requests and information. She is a TRUE team player!!!”

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“Katharina is the beating heart of our office... I have learned so much from her since joining the CCFL team. I am truly blessed and grateful for her support every day! A million hands to applaud this truly talented person! As the Payroll Associate...I'm so thankful to be able to collaborate with her on business needs. She's also very kind, sweet and not to mention so so so bright!!! A good, welcoming friend to me when I started here....She deserves this award for her work here at CCFL and for UNL!!!”

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“Katharina Stokes is the CCFL business manager and is extraordinary at what she does. CCFL has 99 faculty, staff, and students all on grants and contracts that Katharina single-handedly manages. Katharina does both pre- and post-award for CCFL for grants from the IRS, Children's Bureau, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Department of Education, and many, many more. She is simply amazing. I have never seen her flustered or behind on her schedule. We give her a rough idea of a budget and she comes back moments later with a detailed and thoughtful full budget proposal. Then, when we get the grants she is adept at making sure we do not overspend (or under-spend!). It is nothing short of miraculous! Virtually everyone at CCFL has split FTEs across multiple grants and Katharina is somehow able to make sure it all works. Not only does she manage millions of dollars for us, but she also does it with a smile and a sweet calm spirit. I am grateful every day for Katharina!”