Bloomington Council Staff Spotlight

June 2025

Karla Lewis

Department: Academic Engagement and Student Experience (AESE), College of Arts & Sciences

Nominated by: Karla was nominated anonymously twice!

First nomination text: I'm nominating Karla Lewis, Event Services Specialist. Karla plays a pivotal role in the success of the College of Arts and Sciences' student programming through planning and executing large-scale annual events like Care Week, Senior Send Off, and the College Expo during Welcome Week, to the countless smaller programs that occur at the Walter Center throughout the academic year, Karla is the steady force behind the scenes who ensures every detail is thoughtfully managed. Her meticulous attention to space requisitions, logistics, and coordination transforms ideas into seamless, engaging events. Karla’s ability to juggle multiple priorities while remaining approachable, collaborative, and incredibly organized makes her an invaluable asset to our team. Her commitment to student engagement and her tireless work ethic do not go unnoticed!

Second nomination text: If calm, cool, and collected had a mascot, it would be Karla Lewis. As our Event Services Specialist, Karla is the behind-the-scenes powerhouse who makes the AESE shine. Whether she’s orchestrating a major conference with career professionals from across the country or ensuring students get their bagels and puppy cuddles during College Care Week, Karla does it all. Her colleagues describe her as the steady hand in the storm, the go-to problem solver, and the kind presence who makes everything (and everyone) better. Karla may not seek the spotlight, but her impact is impossible to miss.


 

Jill Romack

Department: Media School

Nominated by: Rebekah Leake, Media School

Nomination text: As our Career Services Specialist, Jill is an incredible resource to our Media School students, and she provides them with invaluable support in their job and internship search journeys through individual coaching appointments, group information sessions, and more. While Jill's student-facing work well deserves a spotlight, I'm nominating her today because Jill is an amazing colleague! Jill is always the first to volunteer to help with any additional projects to better support our students. She is always generous with her time, even with her impressive achievements in career services. Our team benefits so much from her knowledge, professionalism, and the kindness with which she shares both!


 

Michelle Willhoite

Department: Center on Representative Government (CORG)

Nominated by: Ann Byars, CORG

Nomination text: Michelle's title at CORG is Project Manager, but that is really just the beginning. When you walk into our office, her warm smile and exceptionally helpful attitude gives a peek at the can-and-will-do mantra Michelle possesses. A sign on her desk says "everything is figureoutable" and there isn't a question you can ask her that she can't find the answer to. When travelling to conferences, Michelle is a display booth pro, chatting/informing/connecting for hours on end. And, mind you, everything she does, she does while calm and organized. Pretty amazing, we are so lucky.


 

October 2024

Alison Stake

Department: Undergraduate Education

Nominated by: Anonymous

Nomination text: As the Student Services Coordinator in Undergraduate Education, Alison is responsible for directly helping staff and students in several offices on a daily basis: Academic and Major Exploration Services, Career Exploration & Student Employment, Health Professions and Prelaw Advising, and Undergraduate Education Records. Her duties are too expansive to list! She is incredibly organized and manages the demands of her role with an unparalleled attention to detail, professionalism, and kindness. She is a beloved member of the team in Undergraduate Education.


 

Abigail Gschwend

Department: Kelley Direct

Nominated by: Kylie Smith, Graduate Accounting and Finance Programs

Nomination text: Abigail is tireless in her efforts to improve diversity in the Kelley Direct Online MBA Program and to provide amazing support and resources to KD students. She was instrumental in creating partnerships with FORTE and ROMBA, organizations that provide great resources and funding for female and LGBTQ+ MBA students. She's also presented at several conferences to share inclusive recruitment and retention ideas with other universities.


 

Carissa Bullman

Department: University Enrollment Services

Nominated by: Anonymous

Nomination text: Carissa is a wealth of knowledge and is an integral part of the UES Student Records team. She is very easy to work with and is a compassionate supervisor. She truly cares about our Student Records team, individually and collectively, and cares about the people in the offices with which ours intersects. The work she does for IU positively impacts so many areas across all 9 IU campuses. If Carissa doesn't know the answer, she will either find it or knows the right person to point one to in order to get the assistance needed. Her 20+ years of Registrar knowledge and dedication to a job well done is priceless and we couldn't ask for a better representative for UES Student Records than Carissa. I am so thankful for who she is and all she does.