Staff Spotlight: Kimberly Vonner

I remember during my first interview for Stanford, I said I wanted to find a department to plant my feet in, grow with, and enjoy. I was fortunate to be able to do that in CEE and now, almost 30 years later, I still love coming to work. 

I started working at Stanford when I was 20 years old–first at the Medical Center, then the Black Community Center, followed by the News Services, and finally within the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department. It’s been a pleasure to work closely with such great faculty, students, and colleagues. “Team work makes the dream work” is very true here—I really appreciate the collaboration within my department. 

As the Program Administrator for Structural Engineering & Mechanics, my responsibilities center around information management. The role includes processing reimbursements, verifying purchases, ordering supplies, managing affiliate appointments and student funding paperwork, and aiding in the yearly admission process. Additionally, I provide visiting faculty with housing assistance, course and room scheduling, and contribute to program/department events. I take great pride in supporting our faculty and students in their teaching and research.

The most inspiring part of my job is watching students grow over the years. As a longtime program administrator, I get to witness students’ journeys from beginning to end: from admission season, to visit day, orientation, commencement, and beyond. Seeing former students return as lecturers or even watching them transition into faculty members fills me with joy. It’s fulfilling to know that I played a small part in their journey assisting them when they needed help.

Stanford has been an amazing workplace, and I am still eager and excited to continue my journey here.