Sitting among the beautiful furniture and fine art in the reception area of Powell Building, suite 104, you begin to understand the anxiety some faculty, staff and students might feel sitting there, waiting for an audience with President Leo M. Lambert. For the five individuals who spend the most time in the president's office, however, any unease seems incomprehensible.
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“The sense of awe surprises us,” says Sandra Fields, assistant to the president.
“I don’t think we’re intimidating – we’re pretty friendly!” interjects Carolyn Ent, director of events for the president.
“It surprises me that people are intimidated by our office as if it’s the principal’s office,” says Lisa Keegan ’03, senior assistant to the president.
Fields, Ent and Keegan, in addition to Robin Plummer and Jo Watts Williams ’55, comprise the administrative support staff for the president. They work to keep track of each detail of his university-related life, from meetings with students to interactions with visiting dignitaries. And in Williams’ case, she serves as President Lambert’s representative to many important local organizations and associations. In the following mini-profiles, enjoy a glimpse of their experiences working with and for the president.
Carolyn Ent
Ent worked as director of special events, primarily for development offices, at the University of Maryland, Duke University and Cornell University before joining Elon’s staff more than two years ago. While at Cornell, she coordinated events related to the university’s recent $4 billion campaign, winning an award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education for her efforts. At Elon, Ent plans events for the president, serves as a liaison for Laurie Lambert, the president’s wife, and manages Maynard House, the president’s residence.
Her favorite thing about working in the president’s office:
“I like the creativity I have in terms of working on events, figuring out appropriate meals for guests who are coming in and being creative with the settings we have at the house. Maynard House has a sense of history for Burlington and for Elon. It’s wonderful to be there, take pride in that house and show it off.”
Her favorite prominent guest:
“I enjoyed Madeleine Albright last year when she was here. We had her at Maynard House, and she was so full of stories, so charming to everyone. I remember, she had one story after the other. She was going on and on, and she was supposed to leave at a certain time. Her staff came up to me and said, ‘We have to leave this dinner.’ I said ‘We’re trying, but she’s telling such fascinating stories, no one wants to leave!’”
Sandra Fields
A resident of North Carolina since she was 2 years old, Fields worked part-time for the pastor of her church in Greensboro for several years until her children were finished with school. As luck would have it, at about the same time the pastor retired, her youngest child graduated from school and former Elon President Fred Young’s assistant also retired. The pastor, a member of Elon’s board of trustees, told Young there was someone he should interview: Fields. Since 1994, she has played an integral role in the life of the president’s office, managing the president’s calendar, assisting with his correspondence, and receiving and directing phone calls and mail.
The strangest call she’s taken for the president:
“One day, a parent called and asked how to have someone accept delivery of her freshman student’s new sports car, which she had bought him and sent to 2185 Campus Box. I told her she had shipped the car to president’s mailbox. She asked, ‘Well, where should I send it to?’ Of course, I had to make several calls, from the garage to the vice president of business, finance and technology, to find out that, no, we couldn’t take responsibility for receiving the car. We agreed to let the car be parked on university property, but her son was to be called the moment the car arrived so he could be there to sign for it. She said, ‘Well, they might deliver it at 2:30 in the morning.’ My response was, of course, that he would still have to be the one to accept the car.”
A fun fact about President Lambert:
“He jokes about the time he told his prospective son-in-law when he was dating his daughter, ‘You just remember that I have an entire police force at my command.’ He’s a devoted father, which I don’t think would surprise anyone.”
Lisa Keegan ’03
After graduating from Elon and working for two years as a counselor in the admissions office, Keegan entered law school at Stetson University, where she developed an interest in higher education law and policy. She completed her J.D. in December 2007 and was seeking positions in higher education when the senior assistant position came open at Elon. It was a great fit – her then-fiancé, now-husband John Keegan ’96, works for Elon’s Department of Athletics. In addition to her daily duties assisting the president, Keegan serves as secretary to the board of trustees.
Her favorite thing about working in the president’s office:
“I love how things change day-to-day. You just never know what’s going to come across your desk. My second week here, I came back from lunch and asked Sandra, ‘Did anything happen at lunch I need to know about?’ She said, ‘Well, President Clinton’s advance man called, and Bill Clinton is going to be on campus in two weeks for Hillary’s campaign.’ That was a moment when it hit me – this is a really different job, really unique. I like those surprises.”
One of the challenges of working in the president’s office:
“Managing people’s expectations of our office. When people call the president’s office, they are often seeking resolutions to problems and expect the president’s office to resolve issues in their favor. We use our judgment on how to handle those situations, but that can be a challenge. We often have to tell people what they don’t want to hear.”
Robin Plummer
Plummer, the president’s office assistant, serves as “command central” for the office, manning the phones, greeting visitors and guests, and directing queries where they need to go. She also serves as the support staff member for Executive Vice President Gerry Francis. A longtime Burlington resident, she worked for General Dynamics and Western Electric before moving to Elon’s accounting office in 2001. After working in Johnston Hall for a brief period, she assumed her current duties with the president’s office in 2006.
A fun fact about President Lambert:
“He loves peppermint patties.”
One of her favorite things about Dr. Lambert:
“If he can, he always tries to greet students when they walk into the office. Especially at the end of the year, we have lots of students come by who want to speak to the president, and he tries to make time to see them.”
Jo Watts Williams ’55
Williams hasn’t been at Elon every day since she first stepped on campus as an undergraduate, but close. She has played numerous roles in her tenure, including faculty member, associate dean, director of development and vice president of development. When she retired as vice president in 1995, she assumed duties as special assistant to President Young. When President Lambert came to campus in 1999, he asked Williams to stay on in that capacity.
Her insights about working for four Elon presidents:
“Each one has just been a great joy to work with. I’ve worked for the last four presidents, and each one has been the perfect leader for the university at the time he was president. President Lambert’s leadership ability, his focus and his desire to move Elon forward, his general overall vision and leadership – it’s wonderful to see that vision shape up and move Elon forward.”
By Kristin Simonetti ’05