Deon Ritchie: UNC Charlotte’s first Caswell Award recipient

A few weeks ago, I had the unique pleasure of sitting down with Deon Ritchie, facilities and operations specialist for Belk College of Business for over 25 years. What I thought was going to be a typical interview ended up being so much more. I walked away with a sense of awe of her humility, servanthood and perspective on life.

If I’m being honest, I didn’t know much about her before the interview, other than she had served the state of North Carolina for over 45 years in various capacities, resulting in her being UNC Charlotte’s first Richard R. Caswell Award recipient.

I made my way through the Friday Building a little early so I wouldn’t be late for my interview and saw her through the cracked door and gave a knock and hello.

I felt bad because I knew I caught her in the middle of organizing all her papers, but it didn’t seem to bother her. She put them away and invited me to sit in her tidy and organized office.

“I’m not very interesting,” Ritchie said as we sat down. “I’m just a plain worker bee.”

As I began asking her questions and listening to her story, I found the opposite was true. Her life was filled with hardships and sweet memories. The more I learned about her, the more intrigued I was.

Ritchie never finished college due to medical reasons. As a three time cancer survivor, she celebrated her 82nd birthday last month.

She and her husband were married for 52 years at the time of his passing in 2017. They shared a sweet marriage and a simple tradition. She recounted how every night at the dining room table, they would discuss their day at work and how they were able to spoil their co-workers.

It was the word “spoiled” that caught my attention.

Essentially, that’s what Ritchie does — she spoils faculty and staff. Every day, she walks through the Belk College of Business and makes sure nothing is broken or needs to be replaced. She spends more time responding to faculty and staff emails and helping them with their requests.

Even with the pandemic, Ritchie never stopped working. Her team would rotate who came to the building as the building still needed consistent upkeep and safety supplies well stocked. She saw the pandemic as an opportunity for her to learn new skills, including information technology and how to effectively work from home. While direct communication is a key for Ritchie, she doesn’t own a smartphone; instead she still carries her flip phone, a gift from her husband from years past.

I’ve heard people complain all the time about their jobs, but not Ritchie. Her eyes lit up when talking about what she does.

“I’m genuinely happy working,” said Ritchie. “Spoiling is just a part of my job.”

Her supervisor of 14 years Tim Carmichael agreed. Joining us mid-interview, he described Ritchie’s impact, and you could tell they weren’t just co-workers but friends.

“She is so humble, yet so amazing at the same time,” Carmichael said. “Her strength of character is unparalleled to anyone I’ve ever met. She has an uncanny ability to make sure everything gets done and is always happy to be here. ”

To me, it sounded like Ritchie enjoyed more than just her job but her interactions with people. She loves to greet the grounds people and even with all the beautiful places on campus, the Friday Building will always be her favorite. Many faculty, staff and students over the decades have been touched by her kindness, care and dedication.

“I was just brought up that way,” said Ritchie. “I don’t know any other way.”

It’s no wonder she won UNC Charlotte’s first Richard R. Caswell Award. Those who work with her wouldn’t want it any other way. Her approach and her character is unique and clearly influenced her work at UNC Charlotte.

As I finished my interview with Ritchie, I felt spoiled to have such an enlightening conversation with a wonderful, dedicated employee.

We can all learn something from her. I left with a new perspective, wondering how I too could spoil those around me.

Ritchie was recognized for 45 years of service at the Employee of the Year reception Tuesday, April 26. The Richard Caswell Award Program was established in January 1998 to recognize state employees with 45 or more years of service and acknowledge and express appreciation for their noteworthy extended dedicated service. An appropriate statewide or agency level ceremony is conducted annually for eligible employees.