Burkhart retirees after 30 years

Most employment experts predict that the average person will change careers three to five times over the course of his or her work life. That was not the case for Darlene Burkhart, who retired last week after over 30 years of commitment to MCC.

Darlene began her career with MCC in 1979, where she worked part-time at the Maple Woods print shop. Her proven ability and excellent customer service skills fit perfectly for Darlene’s move to a human resources personnel assistant. She was later hired as an administrative assistant by the director of physical facilities, where she displayed her impressive computer skills and team player attitude.

In 1999, Darlene joined the MetroSoft implementation team as a records specialist. She was instrumental in the successful implementation of both the human resource and payroll systems, and later applied the same expertise to the student financials module implementation. She remained with the student financials team for the next 10 years.

Darlene was an active and committed member of the Missouri Community College Association (MCCA) and the MCC Staff Association for many years. She was selected to serve on the MCC Classification Committee and was elected three times to serve as MCCA Secretary-classified staff department. The district officers nominated her for the MCCA Classified Staff Achievement Award, an honor awarded to her at the annual convention in November 2007.

In December 2008 she received her associate's in business management from MCC and was promoted to student financials module leader.

Darlene has been described by her colleagues at MCC as a true resource whose shoes couldn’t be filled by anyone else. Her knowledge base is tremendous and she operates with insight, ingenuity and leadership.

Our hats are off to you, Darlene, for your years of service and a job well done. Good luck in your retirement!