Administration

Erika Cauvel honored with Fortunato Award for Excellence in Human Resources

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Erika Cauvel, interim coordinator of part-time talent acquisition, is the recipient of the 2020 Ray T. Fortunato Award for Excellence in Human Resources for her contributions to human resources at Penn State.

This flagship award, made possible by the late Ray T. Fortunato, has been established to acknowledge human resources employees for their exceptional contributions and dedication to bettering human resources at Penn State. This year’s award was presented to Cauvel by Lorraine Goffe, vice president for human resources and chief human resources officer at Penn State, during the Human Resources October all-staff, virtual Town Hall meeting.

“Erika is an excellent leader, dedicated team player and is an asset to the Human Resources organization,” said Lori Yacisin, director of talent acquisition and Cauvel’s direct supervisor. “Erika is very deserving of the Ray T. Fortunato award as she exemplifies excellence in everything she does.”

In her interim coordinator role, Cauvel showed exceptional initiative in support the launch of the new Workday Recruiting system. Those who submitted letters of support for Cauvel’s nomination described her as “a creative problem solver,” “an outstanding leader,” and “a can-do person with a positive attitude and calming presence.”

“This nomination came as quite a surprise, and I’m so honored to join such a talented group of HR professionals who have been recognized in the past,” Cauvel said. “I want to especially thank our entire talent acquisition team, who have all been rock stars and done amazing work in 2020 all while being remote! I’m very proud of our achievements.”

More information about the award and its benefactor, Ray T. Fortunato, can be found here.

Last Updated January 4, 2021