MARY LANIUS
Senior Secretary
Operations and Maintenance Department
Physical Plant Division

JOB DESCRIPTION: “I provide administrative support for the manager, three assistant managers and 10 foremen for the 300-person department. This includes assisting in monitoring hiring action, preparing job classifications and job postings. I also maintain and update state vehicle allocations for more than 160 state vehicles, validate sick and annual leave, schedule meetings, address incoming routine and emergency inquiries, and process correspondence and other clerical duties.”

YEARS IN CURRENT POSITION: Five.

MOST REWARDING PART OF MY JOB: “The people I work with. No one could ask for a better group.”

MOST CHALLENGING PART OF MY JOB: “Handling many different things--the phone’s ringing, letters need to be typed, someone needs to be located--all at the same time is always a challenge. It’s a challenge to keep everyone happy and keep a smile on your face. We recently hired a new employee, Mary Mallory, and she’s been a big help. And Donna Davis can do anything. We cover for each other.”

OTHER UGA EXPERIENCE: “I worked for about five years as a senior secretary in several departments including the Counseling and Testing Center, the School of Music, the College of Education and the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. I am also a student here studying consumer economics.”

OTHER WORK EXPERIENCE: “I am originally from California, where I worked in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office as a dispatcher. I also worked as a legal secretary for two law firms in Athens.”

IF I WASN’T DOING THIS JOB, I’D MOST LIKE TO: “Be a camp director for a children’s camp or a recreation director for a state park. I love to be outside, especially at parks in Athens and Oglethorpe County.”

OFF-THE-JOB INTERESTS: “Camping. We often take weekend trips to Myrtle Beach, Jacksonville Beach and the mountains in Helen. I enjoy spending time with my kids, who are 20, 17 and 12 years old. I enjoy reading, listening to music, and taking my Rottweiler to the park to watch him play in the river.”

FAVORITE MUSIC: “Country music and oldies, especially old rock ’n’ roll. I also like bluegrass and jazz.”

A BOOK I’D RECOMMEND TO OTHERS: Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. This book--which everyone should read--unfolds the dangers of pesticides. It really makes you aware that some things you think are perfectly safe are not, and that you can’t always trust everything you read.”

THE PEOPLE I MOST ADMIRE: “My mom, Rosemary LaPack, who is the strongest, sweetest person I know, and Jerry Thompson, my minister at Good News Christian Church. He is a true inspiration to everyone he meets. His credo is ‘Go out into the community, find the hurts and try to heal them.’ He is always there for anyone who needs support.”

AN ISSUE THAT CONCERNS ME MOST ABOUT TODAY’S WORLD: “The guidance and supervision of children. In most two-parent and single-parent families, children come home every day to empty homes.
“Life is hectic today, and I don’t think we spend enough time with our children. This time is what allows them to grow into secure, moral, educated adults.
“The children are our future. I hope we increase the number of structured activities and after-school programs to help them develop.”

--Mary Sue Kopecko