Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Each year the University of Waterloo bestows a small number of honorary doctorates, distinguished professor emeritus designations, as well as honorary memberships to the University. Honorary memberships are the highest honour a staff member can receive and are granted on retirement in recognition of individual outstanding service to the University as a whole. The Library is delighted to share that Sharon Lamont, former director, Organizational Services, who retired in 2021 after nearly 40 years of service, is one of this year’s recipients.
The following citation was shared on the occasion of this designation:
After working as a student in the Library while pursuing an Honours BA (English) here at Waterloo, Sharon joined the library staff and quickly became engaged in developing and managing people and programs, focusing on excellent customer service. By the early 2000s, Sharon led User Services operations, with a staff of over 40 people and a substantial student casual staff roster. As Sharon progressed through the administrative ranks to become director, Organizational Services in the Library, she became deeply engaged in campus-wide staff development and governance, serving as president of the Staff Association, co-chair of the Joint Health and Safety Committee, co-chair of the Excellence Canada Going for Gold Advisory Committee, along with key roles on the Staff Compensation Committee, Accessibility Advisory Committee, and many more.
In her role as a leader within the Library, Sharon’s commitment to going ‘above and beyond’ safety compliance to promote health, safety and wellness speaks to her character and dedication to staff. Sharon led efforts to provide the best possible working environment, including establishing and maintaining an active Library Health and Safety Committee to engage employees. While co-chairing the Excellence Canada (People driver), she worked to understand and improve the culture for all employees at the University. Sharon brought her early experiences in the Library, achieving a silver certification in 2017 for Excellence, Innovation, and Wellness to her leadership role on this university-wide certification effort. Sharon was an early adopter and trail blazer with Excellence Canada and provided much needed guidance and direction to the work, leading to a successful certification effort at the University level. Her service to the University community continues with her service on the University of Waterloo Retirees Association Board of Directors and the establishment of a student award. Sharon is constantly working to make the journey a better one, from student, to employee, to retiree.
Congratulations Sharon!
