Michelle Schmiedeler: AC Employee of the Month

Michelle Schmiedeler, public information coordinator, is the staff employee of the month for the Administrative Center.

Michelle, who was nominated by September employee of the month, Donna Evans, has worked at MCC since 2003 and has held a number of staff leadership positions, including president of the AC staff association.

She consistently exhibits a diligent commitment to both her colleagues and MCC students. During her tenure as staff association president, Michelle spent much of her own time – and some of her own money – to ensure that AC staff felt appreciated and well-informed. Her keen, conscientious style of organizing and communicating made for meetings that were well-run and projects that were seen through from beginning to end. Even as president emeritus, Michelle’s commitment to office camaraderie has not waned: just a few weeks ago, recognizing an opportunity to help AC employees socialize and stay active, Michelle established a weekly after-work walking group.

Having previously worked on a campus, Michelle is quick to remind AC colleagues to be sure that we keep students at the top of our minds as we’re developing processes and procedures and as we’re going about our usual workdays. As an MCC-Penn Valley alumna, Michelle offers valuable insight into the student mindset, which is often elusive to others of us who have not sat in a classroom recently and may have little direct contact with students.

In her role as public information officer for the district, Michelle was instrumental in the creation and implementation of The MCC Insider, MCC’s new communication and news platform. In addition to her duties as PIO – which, last year, consisted of sharing her time with MCC-Blue River to help with their public relations efforts when they were without a PIO – Michelle also serves on the district wellness committee and the green initiatives task force.

The idea that she is making a difference for MCC students is what motivates Michelle to come to work every day. “I truly enjoy being a small part of the bigger picture of helping students,” she said. Regarding her role as a public information coordinator for the district, she said she enjoys, “the challenge of trying to improve communication throughout the district…to make information more available to employees.”

Michelle earned an associate’s of art from MCC-Penn Valley and is currently working on a bachelor’s of general studies with an emphasis in communication from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She participated in her first triathlon this summer – a feat that is punctuated by her decades-long fear of water – and this weekend, on Saturday, October 16, she will run in her first half marathon (that’s 13.1 miles!). She is also celebrating more than two years as a non-smoker.

Michelle takes great pride in her work at MCC and regularly goes above and beyond her job duties to ensure an impactful experience for students and a pleasant working environment for employees. We appreciate her for that!