Applause for Sara Mattson

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An Applause for

Sara Mattson

Grants Specialist
Oldfather Business Cooperative

August 2019

“I am nominating Sara for the applause award because she is simply OUTSTANDING at her job. I cannot tell you how valuable it is to me as a faculty member to know that I have someone I can count on to manage all the intricate details of funding awards and to answer my questions as they arise. I don’t have to lose sleep worrying about or working on managing grants because I know the college has someone who is knowledgeable, proactive, responsive, and thorough taking care of them. And, as icing on the cake, Sara is great to work with; I sincerely enjoy working with her. I feel privileged and thankful to have Sara as a resource in the College and, to be honest, more than a little sorry for my colleagues who don’t have a Sara Mattson to turn to. Sara definitely deserves a long standing applause!”

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“Sara Mattson has been an enormous help to the entire History Department and to me in particular. Since the OBC took over responsibility for the financial management of History a few years ago, my use of NU Foundation funds has become infinitely easier, thanks to Sara. I hold the endowed Thompson Professorship and she has guided me to more efficient and more productive use of the professorship's funds. She has anticipated issues ahead of time and solved problems long before I have even become aware of them. In sum, Sara is very smart, extremely helpful, professionally dedicated, and warmly attentive to the needs of those she works with. The History Department would be in a much worse situation without all of her guidance and assistance. Please give her an Applause!”

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“Sara is incredibly organized - she is able to identify the answer about a budget to a question quickly and completely. Sara is exceptional for both proposal development and management of funds over the course of a funding period. She is especially great at the end of a grant to let an investigator know how much money is available and the time in which it can be spent. I regularly tell people how fantastic our budget support is at the college level, and recommend to all new investigators in our department to talk with Sara as soon as they have an idea about funding. I also highly appreciate the monthly customized updates for individual projects to help with knowing where we are in spending and how much is left to spend. I honestly can't imagine developing a proposal or budget for a new project without working with Sara.”

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“Sara is doing an excellent job in handling financial matters and grants. She is always willing to help out, no matter how much work she already has. Sara goes above and beyond to help me understand the financial situation. She is an honest, friendly, knowledgeable, and kind person who is positive all the time.”

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“Sara deserves this award for so many reasons. First, she's a wonderful, enthusiastic, and generous colleague who always, always is ready to assist. Second, she's an expert in grants budgeting and OSP relations. I have had several complicated grants and subaward negotiations over the last several years, and in each instance Sara has provided outstanding advice and orchestrated the various participants to meet our deadlines and achieve our goals. And she's scary fast! She can whip up an NEH grant budget in less time than it takes to ride the elevator to the twelfth floor. And nothing rattles her! She adjusts on the fly with aplomb. And there's another quality worth mentioning -- I actually think she can read my mind. So much so that whenever I am about to inquire about this or that related to grant-funded research, it's a bit unnerving to receive an email from her with the answer to my question. How'd she do that? Because Sara Matson is one of the best colleagues we could have.”

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“Sara is a go-getter and gets things done! She isn't afraid to really dig deep to find out answers and solve problems. Sara is knowledgeable in several different aspects of the departments we serve. If she doesn't know the answer, she will figure it out. She is a team player and is willing to jump in wherever needed. Sara has been invaluable in helping me learn my new position! Thanks Sara!”

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“Sara is fantastic! Sara has stepped in to help CCFL at various times and is quick to learn our quirky systems and does so with a smile. We feel very fortunate to have Sara as a resource in the OBC and grateful for all the times she's been there to help us. Please give her this award!”

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“I would like to nominate Sara Mattson for the Applause award. Sara is always willing to help anyone out that comes into the OBC, whether it is travel, financial or HR related. Her passion working with the grants explodes when she talks about it and while she works with the PI’s on the grant. She is like a little kid in a candy shop when she is handed a financial mess and has to work her way through to find the answers. It is comical some days how she lights up and talks about what she has found. She brings that kind of energy to work with her each day and the OBC/CAS is so very lucky to have her. She’s one of my go to persons when I have issues and I would be lost without her knowledge. Please award Sara for the Applause, it is a long time coming and she so deserves it. ”

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“Sara make a valiant effort to help out her fellow colleagues and goes above and beyond in trying to help streamline processes within the OBC. She is amazing at all things in her Grant world and has a knack for solving some of the toughest budgets and yet is still personable enough to share that critical information with the PI's and her colleagues to help everyone understand. While the OBC continues to grow and responsibilities mount, Sara makes time in her busy days to always help out when needed and often times without having to be asked. She will simply take the initiative to get stuff done and it's a tremendous help and often a relief. Sara definitely deserves an applause!”

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“I've been working with Sara for several years. She has provided me with invaluable help and support in writing many grants. I could not have completed my budgets without her. Therefore I would not have succeeded in getting some of these grants without her. She is so knowledgeable and competent. It's been a great pleasure to work with her.”

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“Sara joined the OBC in 2013 as our Grants Specialist, but she does so much more than her title might convey. She is proficient in the world of grants and contracts, taking great efforts to become familiar with every funding agency she encounters. She is adept at establishing budgets within agency guidelines and making sure these guidelines are adhered to as she manages the post-award finances. Sara also manages Foundation funding with the same zeal, insuring funds are used in accordance with the donor's intent. In addition, Sara has become the 'resident expert' in service center policies and procedures. Along with supporting the OBC’s service center, she also provides consultation to other CAS service centers when needed. In her ‘spare’ time Sara is also the Wellness Team representative for the Dean’s office. Sara is a master of multi-tasking and ‘getting things done’. She is insightful, efficient, organized and possesses a real ‘team’ mentality. Sara has established strong relationships with the faculty and staff that she provides support to and they know that their requests will be handled quickly and thoroughly. She often goes above and beyond her own duties, offering to help out and drop what she’s doing to make sure that deadlines are met. On several occasions, Sara has been asked to assist Departments who have experienced staff transition. In these cases she was able to step in, review their finances and update their policies and procedures to create efficiencies. In short, Sara is a true asset to the OBC, the College and the University. We are fortunate to have her as part of our team and I would like to take this opportunity thank her and to reward her with Applause!! ”

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“All of the members of the Oldfather Business Collaborative team are amazing. This month i am focusing on Sara Mattson. I juggle many responsibilities and several budgets. Sara's proactive support has helped me have excellent budgeting and management for all of my accounts. She quickly perceives what i need (eg. how to most cost effectively accomplish goals) and the best ways to accomplish them (e.g. the best accounts, the best way of hiring people, or spreadsheets with formulas to calculate what I need. Her work saves me time and helps me to get the most of limited resources. She goes beyond what I expect and often anticipates what I will need before I even know what I need. I'm truly grateful for her amazing support. We are fortunate to have her on our team. She is also a pleasure to work with and persistent. She makes sure things get done, and get done correctly.”