During the 42nd Annual Payroll Congress today, PayrollOrg awarded several payroll education grants.

Sheri Lewis, CPP, Payroll Manager at NACCO Natural Resources, located in Plano, Texas, received the complete PayrollOrg Payroll Education Package, which includes registration for Payroll Congress, registrations to four 90-minute webinars of her choosing, access for one full year to a complete library of PayrollOrg publications, and PayTrain®.

“When I received the news, I honestly was shocked, surprised, and humbled all at once,” Lewis recalled. “I received the call on one of my two days in our company office, and as badly as I wanted to scream in excitement, I knew I couldn’t without having a rush of people running to my office to make sure all was OK. In my mind upon hearing the news, I was thinking, ‘is this a late April Fool’s joke?’ Knowing there are many individuals out of the thousands of PayrollOrg members who apply for this grant, I knew the odds of having the winning application could be low, so hearing I had won out of so many deserving candidates, I felt very humbled and honored.”

Other education grant recipients this year include the following:

  • Kelvin Byrd, Payroll Manager at Novolex in Hartsville, S.C., received PayrollOrg’s Course/Conference Grant
  • Charla Dailey, Director of Payroll at Compassus in Brentwood, Tenn., received the Payroll Source Plus® Grant
  • Anna Dee, Payroll Manager at Lifetime Brands, Inc., in Garden City, N.Y., received the Payroll Source Plus® Grant
  • Andrea Hoettels, Director of Payroll Operations at the Milwaukee Center for Independence in Wisconsin, received PayrollOrg’s Course/Conference Grant
  • Robert Swingler, Director of HRIS/Payroll at Superior Energy Services in Houston, Texas, received the Payroll Source Plus® Grant

For Lewis, receiving the grant brings her childhood dreams full circle.

“When I was growing up, all I wanted to do was be a teacher. I have been able to share my knowledge through teaching courses for the Dallas Chapter, the Alamo Chapter, local Dallas area companies, and at the Texas Payroll Conference,” Lewis explained. “Giving back and sharing with others in the payroll community is the best way to give back and make an impact on someone’s career, just as many of us had at least one teacher from our childhood that made an impact on us growing up.”

As her employer’s business expands, Lewis plans to give back to her fellow employees and payroll professionals.

“I plan to use the opportunity to attend PayrollOrg seminars [and] training courses to gain either new or additional knowledge that in return can be shared within my organization, with my team, local chapters, and others who I mentor in my payroll network,” she said.

Sean Tait Bircher is the Editorial Assistant of Membership Publications for PayrollOrg.