At the School of Public Health, the Staff Senate is a key avenue for staff to participate in the shared governance of the School. It works to provide a space for staff members to express their views on matters relating to personal and professional well-being, staff development, school culture, community, and SPH- and University-wide policies and initiatives.

Maria Costa, grants manager in the Department of Environmental Health, shares about her time serving as a member of Staff Senate and how her experience has impacted her time at SPH.

Why did you want join Staff Senate?

I joined SPH right before the COVID-19 pandemic shifted us all to working from home, and I felt that being on the Staff Senate seemed like a good opportunity to get to know other people outside of my own department. It was also a great opportunity to learn more about the School, to get more involved with the great work being done here, and to put myself in a position to be able to address important issues and work toward positive change.

What initiatives have you helped roll out since joining Staff Senate?

When I initially joined Staff Senate, I was really impressed with everything that they were doing, specifically with their subcommittees, which address specific staff concerns and needs at SPH, including professional development and training, faculty and staff relations, staff recognition and awards, staff survey, and communications.

I ended up joining the staff recognition and awards subcommittee and helped them with finalizing the recently launched Think. Teach. Do. Awards. It has been a really great experience helping to bring our vision for recognizing staff excellence at SPH to life.

What have you enjoyed most about your time on Staff Senate so far?

I have really enjoyed utilizing Staff Senate as a way to get involved at both the department and school levels. The discussions that take place allow me to make connections with other folks across SPH and use these connections when we solve problems at the department-level. It has also been great to see the efforts the Senate make be implemented at the School. It is a great feeling to be able to bring tangible solutions to pressing issues surrounding our staff.

What would you say to staff members who may be looking to join Staff Senate?

I really want to encourage people to join us! We really do work as a team to address issues not only for ourselves but for our departments, as well as the larger school community. Being on Staff Senate provides the opportunity to tackle concerns at a higher level and see real change as a result.