Lisa Yancey named Hoover City Schools 2016-17 Employee of the Year
Lisa Yancey, the office manager for the student services department of the Hoover school system, today was named the district’s 2016-17 Employee of the Year.
Hoover schools Superintendent Kathy Murphy announced the honor in front of about 160 people at the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel.
Yancey has been with the Hoover school system for about 16 years. She spent about 11 years as the registrar at Hoover High School and nearly five years in her current role at the central office in the student services department.
Yancey helps manage things such as enrollment, zoning, and court and custody issues regarding students.
The coordinator of student services, Wayne Smith, described Yancey as a “fix-it person” for Hoover City Schools.
Their department deals with a lot of students and families that are struggling with various issues, including homelessness, poverty, hunger, a lack of transportation and changing family dynamics, such as a grandparent taking custody of a grandchild.
Yancey follows the school district’s policies and procedures to make sure issues are handled legally, but she does so with a heart of compassion and care for the individuals involved, Smith said.
She is a calming force in a time of need and can turn tears into laughter, he said.
“She never gets angry. She never gets frustrated. She never gets stressed out while working in the most difficult situations,” Smith said.
When parents get through dealing with Yancey, she has a way of making them feel like their child is the No. 1 priority of Hoover City Schools, he said.
“I could not imagine having to do my job without Lisa,” Smith said in a nomination statement. “I depend on her every day all day long.”
Yancey probably gets 100 calls a day from people outside the school system, but she also is a go-to person for district administrators when they need data and reports, Smith said.
Yancey grew up in the McCalla area and graduated from McAdory High School. She received a computer programming degree from Bessemer State Technical College and worked for AmSouth Bank for 15 years before coming to the Hoover school system.
She and her husband, Ronnie, have lived in Hoover for 28 years and have two grown children. She also is a member of the Regular Runners of Hoover group and an active member of Southcrest Baptist Church.
Other finalists for 2016-17 Employee of the Year were Andre Brown, a technology specialist who works at four Hoover schools, and Marc Hutchinson, the lead custodian at Spain Park High School.
Brown has been with Hoover City Schools 13 years, while Hutchinson has been with the district about four years.