Working with Stef

Testimonials from Employers,
Mentors, and Colleagues

“In my opinion Stef is an up-and-coming rock star! I have worked with her in my RI-SHRM capacity on the College Relations committee and our Emerging Leaders committee, she always goes above and beyond even in a volunteer role, she is lovely, easy to work with and takes initiative with everything she does! Her compassion, empathy and thinking out side of the box always moved our meetings/events forward. Her positive energy and can do attitude will certainly benefit any organization.”

Susan Breen | Retired, Former Membership Engagement Specialist at EANE

“I know Stef in two different settings. First, Stef [was] a student of mine at the University of Rhode Island, as she is finishing up her Masters Degree. Having taught at URI since 2011, I have had a variety of students. Stef is an outstanding student in all ways. She is bright and inquisitive, leading the class in participation. Her questions are meaningful and insightful. Stef’s submissions are of a high quality. She is a very good writer and brings her experience to the table, as one of the more seasoned students. She is an excellent student and a pleasure to have in class.
In another role, Stef works at URI within the Labor Research Center. In that role, she is a coworker. She and I are involved on an advisory committee together. Just as she is involved in class, Stef is actively involved in the advisory committee and in her position. Stef brings good insight, as a student and an employee, to the classroom and the workplace. Stef gives over one hundred per cent effort. She is a consummate public servant, mission driven and dedicated. It has been a pleasure to get to know Stef in both contexts. I can highly recommend Stef… Stef is a quick learner, grasping concepts quickly and accurately. She would be an asset to any organization.”

Jacqueline Kelley, Esq. | Professor, Public Personnel Management

“Stephanie Leigh Nelson joined the Finish What You Started program in 2019 after contemplating finishing her degree for many years. She is graduating Magna Cum Laude in Psychology after a 12 year journey. As a champion of others and wellness initiatives, Stephanie knew she wanted to study psychology. Balancing life, school, and a professional life has not been easy, but she has done it with excellence and a great sense of personal style. Stephanie is an inspiration in the classroom and in her community. Stephanie hopes to have the opportunity to use her education to serve social justice movements and find ways to inspire and empower women, LGBTQ individuals, and people of color to achieve their career goals and practice self-love. She will be continuing this work as a graduate student in the Labor Relations and Human Resource Master’s degree Program at URI this coming fall.”

Nancy Rabidoux | Admissions Advisor and Coordinator of the Finish What You Started Program

“Stephanie’s personal motivation to succeed and her enthusiasm are two standout qualities that are apparent upon introduction and reflected in the quality of her work. Stephanie has the ability to tackle complicated problems, break the information down so that she understands every aspect of the problem and relay that information to her teammates in a clear and concise manner. Her demeanor and enthusiasm were the catalysts that led to a collaborative environment on the team, leading to a higher quality of work and engagement. Her drive to succeed at any task that she’s handed is characterized by her capability to see not only the critical information that needs to be understood or conveyed, but also her ability to see and communicate other’s needs as well.”

Kelli Roy | Former Manager, 529 College Savings at Ascensus

“Stephanie was the utmost professional and approached her day with a smile on her face and a determination to succeed. She asked for more constantly and was proactive to keep an open line of communication to make sure that her performance was meeting our expectations.. Lucky for us she always exceeded them.”

Jeffrey Bart | Former Vice President of Miz Mooz, Inc.

“She is great at managing her time and incredibly organized and detail oriented. She is always a pleasure to work with and she truly gets behind the task at hand. She is a friendly, high energy individual with a great sense of humor.”

Chris McGinness | Distribution Manager at Miz Mooz, Inc.

“One of the most difficult topics to discuss over the phone are pending legal decisions. A CSR has strict limits as to what they can and can’t say to ensure the approved message is being conveyed. To assist her team with charting these murky waters, Stephanie Nelson created an in depth and comprehensive guide regarding one of the [State Facilitated Retirement] plans. This guide transformed the difficult to understand legalese into a one stop shop for the team to be able to answer any questions our callers may pose. This is extremely important to our state partners and thanks to Stephanie’s Thumbs Up Worthy work, we can be confident that this topic will be handled professionally.”

Andrew Larson | Former Manager, State Facilitated Retirement Plans at Ascensus

“…I’m almost certain that Stephanie has stayed late every night, both to assist her teammates in meeting deadlines, and also to perfect any and every assignment that gets delegated to her. I’m sure she gets tired, but you would never know it because she is a constant source of contagious and positive energy, and kind to ALL. She is an absolute core component of our team, and an asset to this company.”

Vanessa Andrade | SFRP Onboarding Team Lead at Ascensus

“She goes above and beyond daily, questions everything, and truly gets to the heart of things. She’s always looking for a better way to do our work, always looking for new things to learn, and masters them near effortlessly. She consistently helps out wherever she can, and is constantly finding and fixing problems of all kinds, while staying amazingly upbeat and positive.”

Ethan Rappolt | 529 College Savings Client Services Representative at Ascensus