Marni Montgomery-Blake, administrative assistant IV for the School of Nursing, has been a Rebel since 2012. She recently was named the 2014 President's Classified Staff Rookie of the Year.

Why you came to UNLV

I had been living in Idaho where I worked as an administrative assistant at a K-12 school district. Then my husband got a job in Las Vegas. I wanted to stay in education because I love it. My bachelor's degree is in elementary education, but I found I was better suited to secretarial work than teaching.

First impression

It's beautiful. I was surprised by all the greenery.

Typical day

I am the administrative assistant for the department chairs and the faculty. My duties are anything they need -- ordering supplies, arranging travel, working on course schedules, etc.

Someone on campus who has been particularly helpful

I was very lucky that Jill Racicot, who used to have this job, is still in the School of Nursing. She has been a wonderful resource.

Advice for other new employees

Ask a lot of questions. The more questions you ask, the more information you get so that you can do your best.

Couldn't do my job without

The people around me.

Something people can do to make your job easier

I think communication is always key. If people let me know things that will be happening, it is beneficial. That is better than finding out at the last minute.

First job

It was at Orange Julius. I wore the uniform and had to squeeze all those oranges and make the hot dogs. That was in high school. I was earning money to help pay for college.

Something people would be surprised to learn about you

Two things. First, I have seven "fur babies" -- three dogs, Hurley, Sawyer, and Lanie; three cats, Topher, Beckett, and Samantha; and Broots, the ferret.

Also, I am an actress. I love working in community theater. Since moving to Nevada, I have been in three shows at Las Vegas Little Theatre, Picnic, Good People, and The Man Who Came to Dinner.

What the Person Nominating Her for the Award Had to Say

Patricia Alpert, associate professor and chair of the physiologic department: "Marni is a very bright, hard-working, self-directed individual who manages to produce quality work in a timely manner. She has great written and verbal communication skills. Her written work articulates clear thinking, demonstrated thoughtfulness, accuracy, and is well written.

"She is proactive and consequently she is always one step ahead of faculty. For example, she developed a template for faculty teaching assignments and a calendar for scheduling faculty simulation activities. This reduced the time faculty spend on these activities by eliminating confusion due to communication errors. She also anticipates areas of potential problems with scheduling faculty teaching loads and will ask the right questions to find alternative ways to correct the situation before a problem develops.

"Over the years in various administrative roles, Marni is someone that I can truly say I wish I could clone."