LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Cara Roesner was nominated by Thomas Roesner, a family member.

Ms. Roesner joined the SCPS Facilities Services team through her work with the SCPS Facilities Planning Department. It is important, however, to realize how she came to the district. Her son was going to become a member of the SCPS family when he enrolled at Indian Trails Middle School. As he became a student there, Ms. Roesner continued her lifelong involvement in the community by becoming a member of the School Advisory Council. She excelled in her involvement and subsequently became the Chairperson for two consecutive years. Her quest to learn about the schools and district did not finish with her School Advisory Council membership. Instead, it intensified.

Ms. Roesner subsequently enrolled in the SCPS Community Leadership Academy. Her experiences gained through the completion of the academy created a positive impact. She was so thoroughly impressed with the district and its mission that she wanted to become a part of the team. As such, she found a vacancy in the Facilities Planning department and was hired.

Facilities Planning was an excellent location for Ms. Roesner to enter the district, and her skills with budgets and accounting were immediately put to work. The staff was pleased with her knowledge and hard work. As part of this department, she shared close working relationships with the Facilities Services/Maintenance team. When an admin support specialist position opened up in the Facilities Services department, the team thought Ms. Roesner would be a good fit. Due to her involvement in lengthy, complex projects, she is currently assisting both the Facilities Planning and Facilities Services department. She hasn't let either of these jobs detract from each other, and she was named the Facilities Services/Maintenance Employee of the Month for July 2018.

Ms. Roesner's positive attitude is one of many admirable qualities that has made her so important to the Department. She consistently displays a smile and is quick to offer a positive comment or compliment. Often times, Ms. Roesner is involved with special projects for the department that have boosted employee morale. She is an employee advocate and has developed or been part of department programs, including monthly employee birthday recognition, Facilities Services/Maintenances employee of the month, Veteran's recognition of Department employees for Veteran's Day, and the departmental Holiday Party. In addition to this, she serves as the liaison to Seminole County Emergency Management for emergency shelter coordination.

Ms. Roesner's exemplary attitude isn't the only quality that makes her perfect to assist with special projects. She also possesses a vast knowledge of City and County government, as well as District operations. She came to the district from municipal government, and her contacts and experiences have often been beneficial. Ms. Roesner is also extremely well-trained. She has taken advantage of numerous educational opportunities, both through work and in her personal life. These opportunities include classes on school threats, health concerns, diversity, software usage, and emergency operations. It is this knowledge and positive behavior that make her a go-to person within the Department.

The aforementioned traits aren't just displayed to those within her department. These items are also shown to those in the community. Her behavior and sense of community involvement have enabled her to be recruited into numerous community events. Many times, she has risen to leadership positions in community organizations. As mentioned, Ms. Roesner has previously served on the Indian Trails Middle School- School Advisory Council and is currently serving as the Vice President of Legislation for the Winter Springs High School Parent Teacher Student Association. Additionally, she is an active church member and attends the Epiphany Lutheran Church in Oviedo. She has been able to combine both her professional and church lives by previously serving as the Epiphany Lutheran Church liaison to Indian Trails Middle School Food Pantry, as well as Epiphany Lutheran Church liaison to the SCPS Tools4School program.

Her current work with the Parent Teacher Student Association has allowed her to solicit for grant funding from the American Academy of Dermatology Shade Structure Grant Program. The grant provides sun shade umbrellas for the students to eat their lunch outside. The umbrellas not only provide a better environment for meals, but they also prevent skin cancer.

Caring about the students' health is not the only area of concern she has for the students. In fact, she has worked with several students to assist them in obtaining Bright Futures Scholarship volunteer hours by placing them as volunteers within Facilities Services/Maintenance. When it was reported that children in her neighborhood couldn't safely walk home from school, Ms. Roesner submitted her name to the City’s Advisory board for Pedestrian walkways and was subsequently appointed to the board.

"Mrs. Cara Roesner is an exemplary employee of the Department and the District," said her co-workers. "She exhibits positive behavior for co-workers and displays her district in the most positive light. Her representation of the district is constant and does not finish when her shift is complete."