Jim Delorie is known on campus as a leader, innovator, and easy to work with. That is why he was nominated by his colleagues as this month’s Terrier STAR. Jim is being recognized for his exceptional customer service, originality, compassion, dedication, “helping hand”, Thomas Pride, positivity, and loyalty.
As the Director of Recreation and Intramural Programs at Thomas for six years, Jim manages the programs and athletic events of the Alfond Athletic Center.
“So many people on this campus see him as the rec guy, but Jim has created a healthy culture around bettering yourself not only in his building but all around campus,” said one colleague. “He has turned the Alfond Athletic Center from the place where people fear going (the gym) to a place where people look forward to going for their different recreations that he has created.”
Jim has worked hard to listen to what students want – and doing his best to bring new ideas to campus to accommodate everyone, said the colleague, whether it is bringing in Bubble Soccer or just setting up a volleyball net with a lot of lights for students to play at night.
“To me, Jim has been more than a physical trainer, an intramural director, or even a teammate on an Ultimate Frisbee team – Jim has been a friend and someone to go to for support. Jim has been there for me to vent, to plan out program ideas, advice on training and so many other things that do not fit in his job description,” said the colleague.
“Jim will always strive to go further than expected of him and create the best environment he can while not forgetting the people he works with and always being there as a support for you when you need him.”
Besides running the Alfond Athletic Center, Jim Delorie is now the project manager and a huge part of the creation and execution of two new signature events on campus: The Dirty Dog Mud Run and the Thomas Cup.
“Jim is exceptional at managing projects, events, people, and tasks,” said another colleague. “I love working with Jim because he is always positive, straight-forward, stays on task, and has great ideas to make things run smoother and more efficiently.”
“No matter what team Jim is leading he never fails to keep everyone involved feeling energized, engaged, and excited. Thomas would not be the same without him. Jim makes everyone he works with feel valued and appreciated – an amazing quality to have in a coworker,” said a fellow staff member.