UK HealthCare

'UK at the Half': Meet UK's Outstanding Staff Member of the Year

Angela Keene
Angela Keene

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 5, 2022) — For this "UK at the Half," we talk to University of Kentucky's College of Pharmacy's Angela Keene. 

“One of my mottos as an HR director is to always practice empathy. And to make sure that we help each other and support each other and our struggles and triumphs,” said Angela Keene.

That approach to her job at the UK College of Pharmacy is a big reason why Keene was recently named the UK Outstanding Staff Member of the Year. It is an award that is decided by other UK staff members.

“To have them recognize me, in this manner is just truly humbling,” said Keene.

She has been the HR manager for the College of Pharmacy since 2015. Keene says she enjoys having a front row seat for the accomplishments throughout the college.

“Just seeing students earn their degrees and achieve their successes is really special. Our college is doing so many wonderful things, cutting-edge research, being on the front lines of delivering COVID-19 vaccines, and just to be a part of that is is amazing.”

Working in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, like for many, has meant making making necessary changes while keeping the college’s mission in focus.

“It was a little bit of a scramble at first wondering how are we going to support our students that are remote learning? How are we going to support staff and keep the college going?," remembered Keene. “It was a lot of reminding ourselves that we're all here for the same thing. We're all here to support each other. When someone else stumbles, we're there to pick them up. And to really help them move forward for the success of all of us, for our students, for our postdocs, for the research that needs to continue.”

Keene says she is not only proud of the resiliency shown by those she works with but also of how they never hesitated when called upon.

“I took my mom, who is 89, to the Kroger Field vaccine clinic and to see all of our students there and our faculty that contributing there … it is outstanding, and I couldn’t be prouder to work here.”

It is a job that Keene says is truly a joy, and it is because of here that many others at UK say the same.

“As a lifelong UK fan, if you will, to be able to work at the university and work in the UK College of Pharmacy that's ranked sixth in the country, it is just a pleasure. This recognition is just like icing on the cake.”

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.