WNCVAHCS Administrative Professionals Recognized

As part of the week, an awards ceremony recognized six staff members for their hard work, positive attitudes, and strong commitment to the mission. These staff were nominated by their peers and supervisors. Many more employees were nominated—140 nominations in total—and are similarly dedicated to providing great service to Veterans, but these six recipients rose to the top of the nominees.

Medical Support Assistant of the Year, Kimberly Roper, stood out in a big way. She received nine separate nominations, more than any other award winner. She works in outpatient geriatrics, where many Veterans have memory problems, trouble moving, or changes in hearing and vision. These challenges can make it hard for them to check in or schedule visits. Kim works very hard to make sure these Veterans never feel overlooked. People who nominated her said she is exactly the kind of person anyone would want helping a loved one.

At the Franklin Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), Angela Bush earned recognition as Medical Support Assistant of the Year. Angela brings a positive, can-do attitude every day. She often arrives early to make sure everything is ready before the first patient walks in. She supports both a PACT team and the Optometry/Visual Field clinics. Over the past year, she scheduled more than 10,000 appointments and maintained almost perfect scores on scheduling checks. People who work with her say she works carefully and efficiently and always focuses on what is best for Veterans.

Kimberly Orvis, Program Support Assistant of the Year, shows strong drive to grow as a leader. She completed the RISE Leadership Development Course and LEAN training and continues to work toward her LEAN Yellow Belt. She leads a project to make discharge scheduling more efficient in the Mental Health Service Line, helping Veterans move safely and smoothly from hospital care to follow-up care.

Administrative Officer of the Year, Amberli Russell, makes a big difference behind the scenes. She helped secure EPIC access for all Community Care administrative and clinical staff. This change allows staff to get medical records faster, which leads to quicker consults and better coordination of care for Veterans. She also keeps Veterans Care Agreements current and accurate and supports safe, smooth operations every day.

Healthcare Data Analyst of the Year, Robert Colling, uses data to improve care across the entire system. As Co-Chair of the Access, Choices, and Excellence Workgroup and a founding member of the Emerging Technologies Workgroup, he helps leaders decide where to focus and how to use resources. He regularly takes on responsibilities beyond his normal duties to support system-wide improvements.

Transportation Coordinator of the Year, Lois Taylor, represented by Tina Edwards, provides fast and reliable travel coordination for Veterans. She often responds to travel requests within minutes and looks at every possible option to make appointments work. She has served for many years and always informs the team in advance when she plans to be away so patient care does not suffer. Her work may happen quietly, but staff and Veterans feel her impact every day.

Each category of awards encompasses many job series, so if any administrative professionals notice that there isn’t an award for their job series, it’s because their job series shows up in one award category, but other series may have also been eligible to receive it.

This was the first year that the WNCVAHCS has presented these awards, but they plan for it to be an ongoing occurrence for many years to come.

“Administrative Professionals are truly the heart of our organization. Their dedication, support, and countless behind-the-scenes contributions keep our healthcare services running smoothly every day,” said Krystal Hullender Chief of Member Services. “By dedicating a week to honor them, we not only celebrate their hard work, but also embrace our core values—Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence. Recognizing these incredible team members lifts spirits, encourages unity, and reminds us that every person’s efforts matter deeply. Together, we create a workplace where everyone feels seen, valued, and celebrated.”

Together, these six awardees show the very best of the Western North Carolina VA Health Care System and demonstrate the very best service to Veterans.