When colleagues describe Stephen Hesler, these words occur over and over: optimistic, helpful, inclusive and dedicated.
For those reasons and more, Hesler, research support specialist and lab manager for Professor Greg Loeb, earned the 2017 Employee of the Year from the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (NYSAES) in Geneva.
Hesler’s responsibilities include maintaining insect colonies, managing greenhouses, helping devise the logistics of lab experiments, and overseeing work schedules for lab employees, to name a few.
“The greatest asset of the Experiment Station is the people who work here, and Steve Hesler epitomizes these employees,” said Jan Nyrop, interim director at NYSAES and associate dean at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “He is dedicated to the Station’s mission, he is adept in the field and laboratory and each year he manages with aplomb a flock of employees. And, he is eternally upbeat. Steve is wonderful role model for all of us.”
Marc Fuchs, associate professor of plant pathology and plant-microbe biology in the School of Integrative Plant Science, has worked with Hesler for almost 10 years on several multidisciplinary projects.
“Steve always strives at excelling at whatever he does, and regularly goes beyond expectations to create a more enjoyable environment for the Station community through his positive demeanor and volunteering efforts,” Fuchs said. “There is little doubt that Steve is a great asset to the Station and well deserving of the employee of the year award.”
