Employee Captain Inspired by Duke Football’s Transformation

Adam Tomasiello will take the field on Sept. 2 with the Duke Football team as the 2017 Honorary Employee Captain.

Tomasiello, who graduated from Duke and works as an admissions officer, was nominated by Will Giles and Elysia Pan, both of whom have worked with him in Undergraduate Admissions.

“Duke Football has been a central component of my own Duke experience these last eight years,” Tomasiello said. “It has been amazing to watch Coach Cutcliffe and the university community take the program to where it is today. I love watching football, and to now rally behind my own alma mater’s program is truly inspiring.”

As honorary employee captain, Tomasiello will celebrate by:

• Participating with head coach David Cutcliffe during a weekly press luncheon.
• Participating in the Sept. 2 pre-game coin toss with officials and team captains.

It won’t be Tomasiello’s first time on Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium, but this time he’ll be official. Last season, Tomasiello joined other fans on the field to celebrate Duke’s win against rival University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“This is an incredible opportunity,” he said. “I will have the chance to go behind the scenes and be part of the experience.”

Tomasiello was among nearly 20 employees nominated for the title, which has been bestowed annually since 2012 to a faculty or staff member who goes above and beyond in the workplace. Honorary captains excel in areas of Duke’s Guiding Principles, which are trustworthiness, respect, diversity, learning and teamwork.

“As the admissions officer for Georgia and South Carolina, Adam was responsible for advocating for eight of the student-athletes on the 2017-18 roster,” Giles wrote in his nomination for Tomasiello. “He is quite the effective advocate for his students, as he is an expert on the high schools in his region and really delves into his students' backgrounds and circumstances.”

Giles, who worked with Tomasiello in Admissions for two years, said his colleague represents the best of Duke to thousands of newly admitted students as a coordinator for Blue Devil Days, the largest event each year.

“Adam was everywhere, and I marveled at his ability to anticipate the needs of our visiting students,” Giles wrote. “Despite waking up at 5 a.m. and not going to bed until midnight each day, Adam still had the unbounded and unmatched enthusiasm that makes him the face of admissions, and of Duke, to many.”

Nominees for Honorary Employee Captain 

Below are the names of other Duke employees nominated this year for Duke's Honorary Employee Captain:

• Brittany Petrimoulx, Duke Cancer Institute, Office of Research Support
• Donna Dyer, Sanford School of Public Policy, Career Services
• Wes Brown, Development, External Relations
• Lola Martin, Nicholas School of the Environment, External Affairs
• John Borrelli, School of Medicine, Anesthesiology-Business & Support Services
• Donna Flamion, Student Information Services and Systems
• Scott Greenwood, Alumni Affairs
• Nancy Hillsman, Corporate & Foundation Relations
• Carrie Dargan, Duke Hospital, General Surgery
• David Courtney, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
• Dr. Debra L. Hunt, OESO Biological Safety
• Jeff Hawley, School of Medicine, Office of Clinical Research
• Kathryn Lytle, School of Nursing
• Diana Connor, Duke Hospital, Housekeeping
• Erika Gilbert, Duke Regional Hospital, Education
• Noland Shipman, Cardiology Access Center

Congratulations to everyone from the Working@Duke team!