Dedicated, trustworthy, reliable, and professional are just a few words that colleagues use to describe Vickie Martin’s outstanding 42-year career at Virginia Tech.

Martin has served as a senior fiscal technician for the Office of Educational Research and Outreach, part of the School of Education, for the past 11 years, managing grants and fiscal matters for the office. Her fiscal expertise and problem-solving skills led her to being selected to create the system for post-award operations for the office.

“Since the inception of the office, the grant portfolio of the School of Education has grown from $7 million to $17 million,” said Barbara Lockee, a professor in the School of Education. “My colleagues and I are certain that Vickie’s efforts in managing the post-award process have directly impacted this substantial growth in external revenue.”

In recognition of her outstanding innovation, Martin is one of 21 Virginia Tech employees nominated to represent the university in the statewide Governor’s Award program. She was nominated in the career achievement award category. The winners were announced in May.

Before Martin assumed her current role as a fiscal technician for the School of Education, she was a fiscal officer for the Department of Education Leadership and Policy Studies. Her responsibilities included managing the department’s budget, as well as processing grants and contracts. With a reorganization of the university and college, she transferred to the Office of Educational Research and Outreach.

Martin is widely known throughout the university for her fiscal knowledge and often gives advice and assistance to faculty and staff in other departments and colleges. A few years ago, Martin even helped start a professional community of fiscal technicians from across the university called The Fiscal Lunch Bunch.

“The fact that colleagues throughout our university actively seek her knowledge and skills is a true reflection of the significant impact she has had within our university community,” said Lockee.

Even though much of Martin’s work goes on behind the scenes, her colleagues see her as an integral part of the success and efficiency in the office.

“Working with someone who exhibits such a high level of professionalism and competence, going far beyond what is required, is not only a pleasure, but elevates the work around her as well,” said Patricia Bickley, director of the Virginia Department of Education’s Training and Technical Assistance Center.

Bickley has worked with Martin since 1994 on grant and fiscal matters of the Training and Technical Assistance Center, a project that has received up to $3 million annually to serve the educational needs of children with disabilities in the commonwealth.

“Vickie has worked tirelessly to assist us in fulfilling the mission of our center,” said Bickley. “She is dedicated to our success and fully understands the role of sound fiscal management and the achievement of our goals.”

Martin’s fiscal expertise also involves the support of international fiscal programs and projects. For more than 20 years she has assisted with budget and planning to provide K–12 educators and administrators the opportunity to travel and study abroad.

At times, these projects were complicated by differing accounting procedures between countries.

“Martin handles the difficult job of converting the British pound and the Chinese yuan to United States dollars and back again with incredible skill, knowledge, and expertise,” said M. David Alexander, a professor in the School of Education. “No other individual in the university has more knowledge about fiscal matters as they pertain to international budgets and financing.”

While Martin is highly praised for her fiscal knowledge and expertise, her generous spirit and integrity marks her as an exceptional employee. She has embodied Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) through her work and her dedication to her office, department, and the university for the past 42 years.

Written by Mackenzie Nicely