{"71492":{"#nid":"71492","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Williams Enjoys Connecting with Employees","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETrying to understand the Georgia Tech benefits options can be a confusing and often frustrating task for employees \u2014 unless you have someone like BeNedra Williams helping every step of the way. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMy job satisfaction comes from being able to help those I come in contact with,\u201d said the senior benefits counselor in the Office of Human Resources (OHR). \u201cI\u2019ve received numerous thank you cards and emails from employees and their families expressing thanks for taking the time to help them along the way. After all, in OHR our mission is, \u2018We exist to ensure a recognition that all accomplishments come through people.\u2019\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWilliams, who has been at Tech for three years, assists new employees with enrollment in health and welness benefits and long-term employees with their various benefits inquiries. In a given day, she might be responsible for anything from ordering new insurance cards to organizing the annual benefits fair.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecently, The Whistle had an opportunity to learn more about Williams.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat did you want to be when you were a child? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EI wanted to be a state trooper. I loved the authority they had \u2014 and they got to drive fast.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere are your favorite spots on campus?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003EThe garden on the Clough Commons roof is nice, because you can lose yourself in the clouds above or watch people on Tech Walk. I also like Tech Rec, because it\u2019s just a fun space with a lot of games and activities. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is your favorite thing about Tech?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003ESince I work in the benefits office, I\u2019m always meeting new and interesting people. For example, I recently met the Georgia Tech Jazz Band Director, Chip Crotts. I thought Georgia Tech only had marching and concert bands. So, now I\u2019ll have to stop by and attend a jazz band performance some time.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite place to eat lunch, and what do you order?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003EIt\u2019s Tiny Bistro, and I usually order the chicken salad on a croissant.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat piece of technology could you not live without professionally and personally?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EProfessionally, it would be Microsoft Outlook. Personally, it would be my HTC Evo Shift smart phone \u2014 although these phones aren\u2019t always as smart as we given them credit for being.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhich do you prefer: Facebook, Twitter, or a world without all of this social media stuff?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003EI like Facebook, because I\u2019m a social butterfly and enjoy keeping up with my friends and acquaintances.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the best advice you\u2019ve ever received?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EYou are responsible for your life, and your ultimate success depends on the choices you make. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIf you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003EIt would be my grandmother, who is no longer alive. She spoke some of the wisest words, and I miss our talks.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is something that we didn\u2019t cover that you want to make sure people know about you?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003EI enjoy football season to the fullest. I attend most of my college alma mater (Jackson State University) football games. And since I\u2019m originally from Monroe, La., I am a loyal New Orleans Saints fan. Who Dat!\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETrying to understand the Georgia Tech benefits options can be a confusing and often frustrating task for employees \u2014 unless you have someone like BeNedra Williams helping every step of the way.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Trying to understand the Georgia Tech benefits options can be a confusing and often frustrating task for employees \u2014 unless you have someone like BeNedra Williams helping every step of the way."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2011-10-17 15:12:31","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:10:30","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2011-10-17T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2011-10-17T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"71490":{"id":"71490","type":"image","title":"BeNedra Williams","body":null,"created":"1449177386","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:16:26","changed":"1475894637","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:57","alt":"BeNedra Williams","file":{"fid":"193526","name":"benedra.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/benedra_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/benedra_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":923206,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/benedra_0.jpg?itok=WKaXgraZ"}}},"media_ids":["71490"],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"14762","name":"BeNedra Williams"},{"id":"4288","name":"benefits"},{"id":"8122","name":"Office of Human Resources"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications \u0026amp; Marketing\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-4142\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}