Hall Recognized with College’s 2019 Award for Excellence
Charles Hall wins the Engineering Award of Excellence and was recognized along with three other outstanding ECE staff members at the annual Awards for Excellence ceremony.
May 13, 2019 
Charles Hall
Four outstanding electrical and computer engineering staff members were recognized by the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University at the annual Awards for Excellence ceremony held May 9 at the James B. Hunt Jr. Library on NC State’s Centennial Campus. Dr. Louis Martin-Vega, dean of the College of Engineering, honored the nominees, which included Jan Brock, Charles Hall, Hulgize Kassa, and Garret Nelson.
Charles Hall, was named one of the two SHRA winners for the College and presented with a plaque, cash award, and paid time off.
The Awards for Excellence program recognizes the accomplishments and achievements of permanent NC State employees at both the unit and University levels who do not hold faculty rank. Winners received eight hours of paid time off, a $250 check and a plaque. Winners are also made eligible for the university-wide Awards for Excellence—which will be awarded on June 11, 2019.
“NC State’s motto is ‘Think and Do.’ He embodies this motto to its fullest. I truly believe he wants to make ECE the best it can be.”
—Elizabeth New, Undergraduate Student Services Coordinator
Hall joined the ECE department in 2016 in the IT and Operations group, initially undertaking the complete redesign of the departmental web presence. Over his years with the department, he has been responsible for new internal and external websites, all print and electronic promotional material, social media, photography, and an increasing emphasis on video production and storytelling.
“The Department has never looked so good nor been marketed and promoted as well,” described Dan Green, the Director of IT and Operations. “Charles overhauled pretty much anything and everything involved with making the department visually appealing to visitors, students, and alumni both online and here.”
Hall has brought all communications services in-house, including a complete redesign and growth of the department’s annual magazine, Spotlight, and took the lead recognizing the 100th anniversary of the department in 2017, including researching and writing a new history document, “From Electric to Computer.” He has also been extensively involved in the new national branding campaign for the ECE discipline, under the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association (ECEDHA)—The Future is What We Do—integrating the campaign into the fabric of the department and exploring new methods and mediums to implement that message, presenting on the topic at the 2019 ECEDHA Conference.
Jan Brock, a member of the department for five years, is the Human Resources and Executive Manager for the department and was nominated in the Customer Service category. Citing the outstanding job she has performed in undertaking two full-time positions for almost a year—as executive assistant to the department head and as interim human resources manager—, she has been performing both positions while simultaneously pioneering new methods and practices to improve efficiency across the department.
Award for Excellence Categories
The Human Relations category recognizes a candidate who has made an outstanding contribution toward enhancing the quality or morale of the workplace or toward enhancing the public image of a department or division, NC State University, or state government.
The Customer Service category recognizes a candidate who provides/provided exceptional service that left the customer fully satisfied with their experience. The candidate exceeded expectations to meet the needs of the customer and added value to the customer experience.
Other available categories are Efficiency and Innovation, Outstanding State Government Service, Public Service, Safety and Heroism, and Spirit of North Carolina.
“[She] is a major contributor to the administration of the Department,” explained Greg Byrd, associate department head in ECE. “She provides strong leadership to the administrative staff, and serves as a welcoming and trusted contact for department faculty and the community outside of ECE.”
Hulgize Kassa, the laboratory manager for the FREEDM Systems Center lab in Keystone Science Center for the past nine years was also nominated in the Customer Service category. He is responsible for the lab operations and safety, and works closely with Ph.D. students in their research—some have even included him as co-author in their technical publications based on his contributions.
“This is something that is extraordinary for a lab manager,” said Subhashish Bhattacharya, a professor of electrical and computer engineering. “He does go above and beyond his duties and always with a smile.”
Garry Nelson, the Contracts and Grants Manager for the department over five years, also nominated in the Customer Service category, has been instrumental in providing critical support to help propel the department’s research into national prominence. With the largest amount of research expenditures for a single department at the university—6th in the country for ECE departments—he has been a driving force in ensuring faculty’s proposals and grants are managed to success.
“I have worked at three land-grant universities and have never known a harder [working], more committed support person to help faculty achieve outstanding goals,” remarked Douglas Hopkins, professor of electrical and computer engineering.
Hall is now a nominee for the NC State University Awards for Excellence, where the twelve possible winners receive an additional eight hours of paid time off, a cash-award for $1,000, and an engraved award plaque. The NC State University Awards for Excellence recipients are also submitted for consideration for the Governor’s Awards for Excellence, which is the highest honor awarded to a State of North Carolina employee.
