1. (713) 500-9236
Mary.A.Smith@uth.tmc.edu
The University of Texas School of Public Health
1200 Herman Pressler, RAS-W214
Houston, TX 77030
School of Public Health
Date: January 15, 2016
To: Search Committee
From: Mary Ann Smith, PhD
Re: Ms. Anne Baronitis
I am pleased to submit an enthusiastic and my strongest recommendation on behalf of Ms. Anne
Baronitis’ application for your posted position. I served as Anne’s direct supervisor at the
UTHealth School of Public Health from 2010-2016 and worked closely with her during her
tenure as Executive Director for Student Affairs at our school. I am confident that she will be an
exceptional candidate for this position.
Anne’s experience, skill set and work ethic fit all of the key accountabilities listed in your
position announcement. As you can see from her resumé, her academic training and
professional experiences cover the key elements encompassed by admissions / student affairs /
student support services throughout the student life cycle. In addition, Anne is a skilled
manager. These skills allow her to guide and mentor a diverse staff in a manner that fosters
their optimal performance and plays to their individual strengths. Rather than go point-by-
point on each of the key position accountabilities and how they match to Anne’s resumé, I will
instead, describe for you why I believe Anne to be an outstanding candidate for this position.
The role of a person in this position requires someone who has a genuine interest in the welfare
of all students. Anne’s passion for students is clear when one observes her enthusiasm and
sincerity when interacting with students. Our school is a complex six-campus entity and Anne
was able to connect effectively with students from all of our campuses.
Units that are responsible for students provide the infrastructure for the life of any educational
institution. When the unit functions well no one notices or appreciates the efforts, except for
those of us “in the trenches”. The multifactorial life of professionals in positions such as these
requires myriad skills. These include excellent written and oral communication skills, the
ability to build consensus, compassion, and most of all, be able to juggle multiple tasks (both
deadline-driven and open-ended). Anne excels in all of these categories.
In addition to the above-mentioned personal attributes, Anne’s organizational skills and
attention to detail ensure that the work she and her staff produce are without reproach. She is
able to organize large, complex tasks in a manner that allows all stakeholders to effectively bring
projects to completion. This is one of the most important skills for professionals who deal with
students. The complex nature of offices that serve student needs requires staff and their
leadership to be able to work with potential students and at the same time as meet the needs of

2. (713) 500-9236
Mary.A.Smith@uth.tmc.edu
The University of Texas School of Public Health
1200 Herman Pressler, RAS-W214
Houston, TX 77030
current students. Her broad view of the student life cycle and all that it encompasses has been
one of the hallmarks of her success as a leader in our student affairs unit. Administrators in
these positions should serve as outstanding examples of professionalism for our students.
Anne’s honesty and integrity serve as the base from which all of her student, staff and faculty
interactions emanate. Her work ethic and professional behavior set the standard for our staff
and student behaviors.
Our school has recently undergone an administrative restructuring wherein the leadership and
management structure for both student and academic affairs have been consolidated from two
units into a single unit. As a result of this restructuring, Anne’s position was lost to a reduction
in force. This has been a tremendous personal loss for me, as I no longer have daily access to
her counsel. It will be a greater loss for our students as they have lost their greatest advocate.
As I indicated at the beginning of my letter, Anne exceeds the skills, experience, academic
training, and professional demeanor required for your position. Please do not hesitate to
contact me by phone or email should you require any further clarification regarding Anne’s
suitability for your position. I am pleased to provide my strongest recommendation without
reservation on her behalf.
Sincerely,
Mary Ann Smith, Ph.D.
Assistant Dean for Students