Kimberly (KC) Cufley, administrative manager in the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine’s Department of Community and Behavioral Health, has received one of Washington State University’s 2026 President’s Employee Excellence Awards. The awards recognize outstanding contributions to the university by employees statewide.
Department of Community and Behavioral Health Chair Naomi Chaytor, PhD, ABPP, one of her nominators, celebrated Cufley’s extensive administrative support for faculty and staff across the department, noting not only her outstanding organizing ability, problem-solving, and technical knowledge, but also the work she has done to create a culture of care in the department.
“KC goes out of her way to make her colleagues feel seen and valued, as employees, but more importantly, as humans,” Chaytor wrote. “She’ll make sure somebody receives a personal handmade card, provides positive feedback to a colleague’s supervisor in real time, always has gluten-free options for those with dietary limits, and reaches out to do something kind when someone has experienced a loss in their family. She genuinely promotes kindness of the human spirit in all that she touches and through every interaction.”
Assistant Professor Crystal Lederhos Smith, PhD, highlighted Cufley’s exceptional impact for researchers and department productivity in addition to her many other contributions.
“KC’s impact on our department is not abstract; it is measurable in time saved, crises averted, productivity sustained, and faculty and staff supported in moments when institutional processes feel opaque or overwhelming,” Smith wrote in her nomination. “What might take a faculty member hours—or days—of confusion is often resolved by KC in minutes, not because it is her formal responsibility, but because she has made operational excellence her personal standard.”
Assistant Professor Sara Parent, ND, seconded that assessment in her nomination.
“KC embodies the very best of WSU through her creative problem‑solving, consistent reliability, and positive influence on our work environment. She elevates the work of everyone around her through both her professional skill and her remarkable character,” Parent wrote.
For Cufley, the reward is in the work itself.
“It has been a career highlight to be the inaugural administrative manager for the Department of Community and Behavioral health, working with strong departmental leadership to build infrastructure and equitable processes,” Cufley said. “I am grateful to my chair Naomi Chaytor, who engages me as a partner and who clearly articulates visions and goals that I help to execute.”
“It has been a difficult and chaotic year in higher education and within academic research, to say the very least. But it’s easy to see the incredible heart and spirit of the Department of Community and Behavioral Health—from research coordinators to tenured professors,” she continued. “It’s fulfilling to serve in my administrative role knowing I’m doing just one part that supports important research and education that is then disseminated out into the world.”
This year’s award recipients will be recognized at the Celebrating Excellence Banquet on March 27 in Pullman as part of Showcase week.