June 17, 2025
As Oakland University’s Constituent Records Coordinator, Brian Montgomery takes pride in doing the “little things” that help his colleagues do their best work.
A key member of the University Advancement team, Montgomery is responsible for ensuring that donor records – names, addresses, gift agreements, pledge documents, and correspondence files – are accurate and up to date.
He also orders supplies, prints gift receipts, and shares his institutional knowledge to help make others’ jobs easier and more productive. Even though his job includes lots of “tedious” tasks that others might find boring, Montgomery says it’s an ideal fit for him.
“I don’t mind repetition. Even in my personal life, I’m very structured and routine-orientated,” he said. “I think that’s one reason they like to keep me around, because I love routine – I thrive on it.”
It was during a routine Monday a few weeks ago that Montgomery got a call from the Provost’s Office, saying that Provost Amy Thompson wanted to set up a phone call with him.
“At first I was like ‘Oh no, what did I do?’ But they said ‘don’t worry, it’s nothing bad.’ We set up a call for the next morning and the provost called and told me I had won the Sharon Wilhelm Award.”
The Sharon Wilhelm Excellence Award is given annually to a clerical-technical employee who exemplifies the positive, can-do spirit of Sharon L. Wilhelm, who spent her 45-year career providing exceptional service to the OU community.
“I went from thinking I was in trouble to finding out I won this awesome award,” Montgomery said with a laugh. “It was a wonderful honor and a really great way to start off the week.”
Colleagues nominated Montgomery for the award, praising his technical expertise, genial personality, and team-focused approach.
“Brian has been an asset to University Advancement, specifically to the Gift Accounting Department,” said Director of Advancement Operations Stephanie Pollock. “He has mastered the technical skills necessary to be more efficient in processing data updates and regularly takes on new tasks in order to keep our jobs running smoothly.”
“When I was new to the division, Brian made me feel extremely welcome,” added Stewardship Coordinator Lea Herweyer. “The institutional knowledge he holds from his immense career in our division makes him a valuable resource to someone starting their career, and he is always willing to share what he knows.”
Outside his job, Montgomery is an active participant in the Oakland University Professional Support Association, helping represent the interests of OU’s clerical-technical employees. He cultivates his love of reading as a member of OU’s Lit to Film Book Club, a group that discusses books and their film adaptations.
“We’ll read whatever book is assigned, then watch the movie and talk about what we liked and whether they did a good job adapting,” said Montgomery. “We have such great books and [Social Sciences and Outreach Librarian Anne Zacharias] does a great job facilitating. I think it’s good to do a little bit of reading each day just to stay active.”
Reflecting on his long career at OU, Montgomery feels fortunate to work in such a positive, supportive environment.
“I told [Vice President for University Advancement Mike Westfall] that I wouldn’t have stayed for 27 years if I didn’t enjoy working here, and even though there’s been different waves of colleagues, I don’t think I’ve ever had any disagreements with anybody,” said Montgomery. “I’ve worked with so many great people, in a great environment. The whole OU experience from day one has been awesome.”