The Stevenson Center is celebrating the retirement of Dawn DuBois and the recent hiring of Amy Scovel. DuBois has worked for the center for over nine years as the office manager and now is happily looking forward to retirement. Currently, DuBois is onboarding her replacement, Scovel, who is an Illinois State University alum from the School of Communications.
The role of office manager deals with the administrative day-to-day tasks needed to keep the Stevenson Center running smoothly, or as DuBois put it, “my job is the three As:” applications, AmeriCorps, and accounting.
DuBois originally found her place at the Stevenson Center after returning from a 12-year absence from the working world. When reading the job description she saw, “what the Stevenson Center was about and what they did,” and thought, “This is a group that wants to make the world better. They’re service-oriented, they’re good people, and I wanted to be a part of that.” Previously, she had worked for an insurance company where she supervised over 20 support staff in the corporate law department. DuBois said, “It was a struggle, but this was a breath of fresh air.”
Scovel previously worked for the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs before joining the Stevenson Center. She knew about the job opening as a close partner to the center. “The funny story is, they actually were going to have me sit in on the interviews because (Research and Sponsored Programs is) kind of under the same general umbrella. I thought that that meant I couldn’t apply for the job…then, later, my boss, Barb (Rexroat) said, ‘I think you would like it over there. (Specifically) the people and the work that they do. You should apply.’ So, I did.”
Scovel plans to ensure that with DuBois’ departure, the transition is as seamless as possible. She wants those at the center to “miss (DuBois) for her personality,” but, administratively, Scovel said Stevenson Fellows and staff won’t miss a beat.
There was a shared sentiment that the people who work at the Stevenson Center are among its best qualities. DuBois said she’ll miss, “the camaraderie with my coworkers and with the students. It’s that people connection, and it’s that connection with people that are in it to better society and their communities and the world. I love being a part of that and having the very slightest little impact on that. But that’s what really drew me here, and that’s what keeps me here. And the only reason I’m leaving is because we have this house in Indiana that we bought, and my husband is retired.”
Scovel agreed with DuBois’ reasoning for joining the center’s team of students and staff, mentioning that being an extrovert draws her naturally to others. She added, “You get to see the artifacts people bring back (from Peace Corps service) and even in our community, there are people from here working. I thought it was a really cool mission, too.” She also hopes her recent love of plants will bring a touch of nature to the office.
When asked about retirement plans, DuBois’ first response was jokingly “sleep,” but after some thought, she was partly stumped. “I haven’t figured it out yet,” she said. “I’ll have more time to do things with my husband. We hope to travel a little bit more. Right now, my husband is in Indiana already at the house, and he is really having a good time finding walking trails and biking trails and all these fun little places along those trails that we never knew about.” DuBois also shared that her decision to move from Illinois to Indiana was meaningful to her. She explained how her mother and father had lived in Valparaiso, Indiana, for many years, so to her, “It feels like home.”
The Stevenson Center thanks Dawn DuBois for all the work that she has put in to make it the proud organization it is today. Her years of service and dedication to the students and staff will not be forgotten. We wish her a peaceful and well-deserved retirement with her husband, family, and friends. We also congratulate Amy Scovel on her new position and are excited to see all that she accomplishes.
