Teresa Kabat says her favorite role she’s held in Weatherhead School of Management is the one she’s currently in as department administrator for the Department of Economics.
“I do everything behind the scenes that makes a department run,” she says. “Sorting bills, reimbursements, helping with the schedule, budgeting for the year—it’s a mishmash of many different things that make a department operate on a smooth basis.”
At the end of this month, Kabat will retire after 25 years of dedication to Weatherhead.
In August 1998, Kabat joined Weatherhead as a secretary in the school’s former marketing and policy studies department. She then moved to an administrative assistant role and eventually became the department assistant for the team now known as [U]Tech. In 2007, she moved to the economics department for her current role.
“One of the reasons I stayed here for so long is because I really like the economics department and the professors in it,” Kabat says. “They’re easy to work with, very supportive of everything and they’re a great group of people.”
During her time at Weatherhead, Kabat went through the ǿմý Administrative Professional Series (CAPS), which entails three online and 10 in-person courses, providing training on the policies and procedures that direct employees’ stewardship of university funds.
One of her favorite projects had been managing the Howard T. McMyler Memorial Lecture, an annual event where a well-known economics scholar would visit campus for a couple of days and give a lecture in the Tinkham Veale University Center Ballroom.
Kabat loves attending lectures on campus and encourages everyone to “absorb as much of the knowledge that you can working here. If there are seminars and lectures going on, take advantage of them.”
On campus, Kabat’s office is filled with Cleveland Guardians bobbleheads, posters and other trinkets from the franchise. Upon retiring, she plans to keep up with the Cleveland baseball team, spend time exploring national parks and historic places around the country and visiting her brother in Colorado.
One piece of advice she offers to new staff members at Weatherhead is, “don’t be afraid to go to people to ask questions. One of the great things about Weatherhead is we have tremendous staff who’ve been here for a long time and they have a wealth of knowledge,” she says. “They will help you.”
What others are saying:
“Teresa has been so integral to the economics department over the last decade that it’s hard to envision the department functioning without her. We were incredibly lucky when Teresa came to us 10+ years ago. As anyone around the school can tell you, she’s fantastic at her job and knows everything. Her good cheer, her ‘let’s get it done!’ attitude and her patience with absent-minded professors will be sorely missed. How are we going to have department birthday parties without her amazing homemade cakes?!” - Mark Votruba, department chair and associate professor of economics.
“When I started working at Weatherhead, Teresa was given the responsibility to train me and Sylvia. She was incredible at it. She alway made sure we understood her instructions and she demonstrated everything! If I ever called her with a question she made the time [to answer my question] and she was always willing to go over how it should be done intricately. Teresa is not only a co-worker to me but a friend who I will miss at Weatherhead, but not on our trips to Amish Country and eateries.” - Pamela White, department administrator for the Master of Supply Chain Management and Master of Business Analytics and Intelligence programs.
"Teresa is one of the first people here at Weatherhead that I became very good friends with. She has always been very helpful when I had questions about pretty much anything, and was always eager to help! Pam, Teresa and I would take trips to the Amish Country and BJ's, and would have a great time. Teresa would have chocolate kisses waiting for me when I entered her office. Teresa will be missed, and I wish her well." - Terry Thomas, project and operations coordinator at Weatherhead.
“Teresa has been an amazing person to get to know and work with while I have been here at Weatherhead. She has been one of the people who is always willing to help train others, to help out with what is needed and it is always with a smile. She is a person who thinks positive and looks for the best in all. What she is known for is her cakes she bakes for everyone's birthday in her department and her holiday cookies and candies that she makes from scratch and passes around each holiday. She will be missed by all, since with her goes years of history, years of knowledge that is hard to capture or write in words.” - Christine Damukaitis, director finance and administration at Weatherhead.