A bountiful breakfast and beautiful blooms for Administrative Professionals Day 2016

It is one of the lesser known workplace traditions, but it shouldn’t be. Administrative Professionals Day, which is observed in the U.S. on the Wednesday of the last full week of April, or Administrative Professionals Week, is the day that some of the hardest working members of any workplace team are recognized with a token of appreciation.

This year, Georgetown said “Thank you!” with a lovely morning coffee and breakfast for the special staff tasked with keeping everyone organized and the University in top shape. Coordinators from the different departments, as well as their supervisors, directors, the human resources team, and Dean Nonneman, gathered in the Majlis for this year’s Administrative Professionals Day festivities.

“This gathering was really nice, because it was a way of recognizing us, no matter how large or small our contribution is,” said Hadeel Salameh, who started out as an admin but now serves as administrative coordinator for Communications and HR.

Around 15 staff members were invited to the Majlis breakfast, where they received a bouquet of flowers following a speech by Dean Nonneman and Chief Operating Officer, Amol Dani. “The dean mentioned how proud he is of us and also how much our role is important for the departments and for GU-Q. His recognition of our hard work really meant a lot to us,” said Hadeel.

Aphrodite Hammad, the Program Coordinator for Continuing and Executive Education, and Rita Roche, Executive Assistant to the Dean, also addressed the gathering in impromptu remarks inspired by the dean’s warm words.

“This special holiday was really a special moment, especially because Georgetown has made it an annual event,” said Aphrodite. “It’s very much appreciated from our end as well.”

Administrative Professionals Day and Administrative Professionals Week isn’t an official holiday but is widely observed in many workplaces in the United States and other countries around the world. Many employers and supervisors arrange events to show their appreciation of the work carried out by administrative professionals, to highlight their importance to the organization and to enhance their work-related skills.