By Barbara D. Kiernan, M.A.'90

Good mentoring has gotten Rita Duda far, and it's a blessing she does not hesitate to count among the reasons she loves working at Fairfield University. Back in 1982, she arrived early for her first day as administrative assistant in the Department of Human Resources and found herself locked out of the office she would come to call home. To the rescue came then Provost Dr. John Barone, who noticed her waiting in the hall and opened the door with a warm welcome. "Every time I saw him after that," Duda says, "he asked how things were going. He took a real interest in the people who worked for him; in fact, he's the one who encouraged me to pursue my undergraduate degree here."

Today, equipped with both a bachelor's and a master's degree from Fairfield, and having served more than 20 years in Human Resources during her rise to associate director, Duda recognizes potential when she sees it. "My promotions were the result of courageous leaders who were not afraid to share their knowledge," she says of people like former H.R. director, Stephen Jakab. "Steve noticed potential, encouraged growth, and rewarded the efforts of those around him," she says.

Of all the positions Associate Director of Human Relations Rita Duda has held, none quite matches the joy of being "Nana" to grandchildren James Cardosi (left) and Mary Grace and John Held.

It's a lesson Duda has tried to carry forward into a profession that involves not only recruiting and hiring employees but also administering benefits that she says reflect the core values of the institution. "Mark Guglielmoni, our director, reminds us that we are responsible not only to individual students and employees, but to their families as well," says Duda.

Thus, full-time employees and their families enjoy tuition benefits that foster learning, excellent health benefits, life insurance, long-term disability, and paid leave, as well as access to an Employee Assistance Program staffed by an external counselor. "Fairfield University attracts and retains employees because our overall environment includes not just talking about values, but the effort to live them," she observes. "To work at the University is a high calling. Our hope is that those we hire, no matter what their position, will try to model the Jesuit ideal of being men and women for others."

To that end, the Human Resources Department strives to match the right person to the right job and also provides a place for confidential consultation when things go awry. "Rita combines compassion and practicality," observes Guglielmoni, now in his fifth year as director. "She is able to see both sides of an argument, has a good sense of fairness, and when it's needed, can gently give someone an answer they may not want to hear. Those qualities, plus her history with the University, make her a tremendous asset."

Assets are what Guglielmoni and Duda are out to protect. "In any organization, payroll is the biggest expense, so it makes the most sense to look after that resource," she says. That "looking after" includes not just benefits, but an effort to develop the potential each employee brings. "The more you can let others shine, the more light there is for everybody," she says, noting that even in conflict, it's not about who is right or wrong. "It's about trying to gain objectivity, trying to see a fuller picture."

Speaking of fuller pictures, a look around Duda's office reveals the presence (in pictures) of the three delightful grandchildren in her life: Mary Grace, 6; her brother John, 4; and their cousin James, also 4. "Being with grandchildren feels just like it does when you're falling in love," she says, "but the feeling stays with you all the time." In her spare time, she enjoys being with them as often as possible. A great lover of Italian food, she swears she could live on pasta. A self-professed lifetime learner, she's an avid reader who prefers reality-based books to fiction. "Ever since I was a little girl, I've loved to read the lives of the saints," she confesses. She continues to do so today. "I love that they were real people who had both virtues and flaws. Padre Pio (a mystic to whom people flocked for confession) was cranky. Theresa of Avila had such self-doubt that she burned the books she wrote. I find the saints fascinating."

Which may be why she finds her job at Fairfield fascinating as well.