Show Your Appreciation
Each month, Staff Council will feature a classified staff employee to show appreciation for all the work they are doing at WVU.
Val Pratt,
a business clerk at the Parking
Management Office, has been selected to be featured as the February Staff Council
Classified Staff Showcase. A Newburg native, Pratt has been a valued
member of the Parking team since 2020.
In her role, she supports faculty, staff, students and visitors by addressing
parking-related concerns and inquiries for lots on the Downtown, Evansdale and
Health Sciences areas of campus. Additionally, she handles campus parking
permits, from answering questions and processing payments to distributing them
to drivers.
“I really enjoy my job, especially the independence my supervisor, Lee Ann Fox, gives me,” she said. “Opportunities to help make the office run more smoothly are rewarding, and I love working in a place where my ideas are valued.”
Her daily goal is to show others that the parking office is a welcoming place, noting that her team always works hard to find solutions for drivers.
“Dealing with occasional frustrated customers is part of the job, but I enjoy the challenge of turning those interactions into positive experiences,” she said.
Pratt joined WVU in 2009 as a bus and accessibility shuttle driver, and since that time, she says meeting new people and forming lasting friendships have been her most gratifying experiences at the University.
Outside of work, she enjoys watching comedy series, laughingly noting that she is such a fan of “The Big Bang Theory” that her vanity plate reads “BAZINGA” – a nod to fictional character Sheldon Cooper’s iconic catchphrase for successful pranks and jokes.
Pratt also looks forward to traveling to Las Vegas every winter break to visit her friend Rand, who she met 35 years ago while living in Utah. Their favorite traditions are eating at Twisted Sourdough Pizza and walking through the Bellagio Conservator’s Christmas display, which is crafted from thousands of fresh flowers and plants.
If you see Val around campus, give her a shoutout.
Each month, the University will acknowledge the valuable efforts and hard work of a Classified Staff employee with the Classified Staff Showcase.
