The University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Government’s Emily Schattler was honored with a Public Service and Outreach Staff Award for Excellence at a fall appreciation event at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.

Issued by the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach, the award acknowledges individuals for their exceptional job performance, workplace creativity and innovation, and commitment to service. It is the highest honor given to a PSO staff member. The honoree receives a certificate, a cash award and an engraved crystal memento.

“Everyone who has worked with Emily is impressed by her knowledge, expertise, work ethic, and positive attitude. Most importantly, she has a heart and love for public service, and her work makes a difference in supporting our government partners and the communities we serve,” said Rob Gordon, director of the Institute of Government.

Schattler, a program coordinator in infrastructure and community resilience, helps the institute acquire and manage federal grants. She also leads strategic planning and budgeting for its Defense Communities Resilience Program, a partnership between UGA and Georgia’s military installations that strengthens military and community resilience.

In the past year, Schattler was instrumental in facilitating a $1.1 million intergovernmental support agreement (IGSA) between Fort Moore and UGA to promote research and technical assistance at the Columbus, Georgia-based installation and surrounding communities. That agreement led to a regional IGSA with the U.S. Army to serve eight additional military installations in the Southeast, allowing additional projects to be developed and authorized for up to $100 million over 10 years.

Schattler has worked at UGA for 22 years. Before joining the infrastructure and community resilience team, she was a business manager in the Institute of Government’s finance and administration division and worked for the Georgia 4-H Foundation. She has extensive knowledge of federal grants, UGA budget processes and project development and reporting.

Jennifer Frum, vice president of Public Service and Outreach, noted the significance of the two IGSAs with the U.S. Army and credited Schattler’s work with contacts at UGA, Fort Moore and the Department of Defense to ensure budgets were developed properly and that the hiring of new Institute of Government faculty and staff was handled smoothly and on time.

“I’m very grateful to Emily for all the work she has done to further this partnership because it is going to make a difference to our installation,” said Brent Widener, chief of the Fort Moore Environmental Management Division-Department of Public Works. “You can tell she believes in the work. You have two very large organizations with a lot of rules and approvals, and everything must be done just right. Emily was always prepared and utterly diligent.”

For more information about the PSO Staff Award of Excellence, visit https://outreach.uga.edu/uga-staff-members-recognized-with-public-service-and-outreach-staff-award-of-excellence/.