App State honors 4 employees with 2021 Staff Excellence Awards

Sadler worked in App State’s Office of International Education and Development from 2014–21. She was a university program specialist and the logistics coordinator for the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement and Mandela Washington Fellowship programs at App State.

Bachmeier said, “She is described as epitomizing positivity and as a visionary, democratic and supportive leader who cares about all staff and their professional endeavors, as well as our campus and greater community.”

Sadler was a past chair of the university’s Staff Senate and represented App State for three years as a university delegate to the UNC System Staff Assembly.

Her volunteerism included helping lead Staff Senate’s efforts to support App Builds a Home and assisting the Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships with student advising.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in higher education from App State.

Pepper joined App State’s Office of International Education and Development in 2015 and is the interim director of international student and scholar services and outreach.

Her nominators lauded her “amazing support, both administratively and emotionally,” and said her work has “contributed to the morale and well-being of international faculty on campus,” according to Bachmeier.

In her role, Pepper oversees immigration support for international students, scholars and faculty. She has spent time studying and traveling in Senegal, Lesotho and Reunion.

She holds bachelor’s degrees in international studies and French from Wittenberg University, and she earned a master’s degree in international studies and a graduate certificate in nonprofit management from the University of Oregon.

Since 2014, Marshburn has served as App State’s director of environmental health, safety and emergency management. Bachmeier said Marshburn has spent most of his tenure preparing the university for the possibility of an emergency or crisis, such as COVID-19.

“Jason’s work to keep our community safe is beyond excellent — it is heroic,” Bachmeier said.

Marshburn liaised with local public health and the University of North Carolina System and coordinated the university’s response to changing regulations and guidelines from national, state and local governments.

He also managed all on-campus COVID-19 surveillance testing events and provided support and guidance to M.S. Student Health Service and Athletics’ testing operations. In addition, he helped App State become a vaccination site in the state of North Carolina.

One of Marshburn’s nominators said, “Throughout the pandemic, I have looked to Jason as an example of what it means to be in public service.”

Marshburn mentors student interns in his office and serves as an adviser for Delta Sigma Phi fraternity. He holds a Bachelor of Science in emergency management from Western Carolina University and a Master of Science in safety, security and emergency management from Eastern Kentucky University. He also maintains certifications, including the North Carolina Emergency Management Certification and Emergency Medical Technician certification.

Owen retired in 2021 after spending 20 years as the office manager in App State’s Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Owen oversaw a complex departmental budget including grants and contracts, assisted students, supported faculty and managed the department office, according to Dr. Jennifer Burris, chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

“She did everything,” said Burris, “and she was someone students and faculty felt like they could come to for help.”

One person wrote Owen has the “strength of character” that “ensures fairness is a key component” in all of her decisions, Bachmeier shared, noting that other nominators described her as “a shining example of giving her all to App State.”

Another nominator said, “Angela ... helped me in so many ways. She was there for me, helping me navigate the department, encouraging my intellectual growth and making sure that I knew I belonged.”

An App State alumna, Owen earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in anthropology and psychology in 1998 and a Master of Arts in psychology-experimental psychology in 2008.