Greenway recognizes Botticelli, Barrick, Cruse for outstanding employee service

Three employees at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary were recognized for outstanding service, communicating the “spirit of Southwestern” in their work during the annual gathering of all seminary staff members August 12 in Truett Auditorium.

Adam W. Greenway, president of Southwestern Seminary and Texas Baptist College, explained that the “spirit of Southwestern” phrase encapsulates “what it means to be a servant of our Lord Jesus Christ who serves at Southwestern Seminary, and who works to be used as an agent in His hands to make a difference.”

Jill Botticelli, archivist and associate director of the B.H. Carroll Center for Baptist Heritage and Mission, began working at the seminary in 2015. Greenway called attention to her Twitter account, @AntiquarianSeminarian, especially her Friday Southwestern trivia tweets, saying, “Jill Botticelli represents so much of what is right about Southwestern Seminary.”

Greenway added that Botticelli overcame a difficult season of grief in the loss of her husband, Vinnie, on Sept. 17, 2021, yet “she has still been so strongly focused upon her work in telling the story of Southwestern by digging into the richness of the treasure of our archives, and our heritage and our history.”

“Jill is someone who just loves to be behind the scenes, not to draw attention to herself, but to draw attention to our Lord and to his seminary,” Greenway reflected. “And we are a better institution because Jill Botticelli serves here with us. And I’m thankful for her and thankful for all that she does for us.” 

Botticelli became a certified archivist in 2017 by the Academy of Certified Archivists after passing the academy’s rigorous certification process. 

Chris Barrick, associate director of operations and security development for Campus Technology, was also recognized, with Greenway noting his work done during the COVID-19 period of 2020, when all classes went online. 

“Chris Barrick is emblematic of our entire campus technology team in what they do to enable us to do what we do, because our world today is a digital world,” Greenway said. Additionally, Barrick leads in protecting Southwestern from online hacking and other security issues. 

“It’s a challenging environment,” Greenway said in appreciation of Barrick, who has worked at Southwestern since 2015 and completed his Master of Theological Studies degree in 2020. 

“If we don’t have a Campus Technology team that is able to do its work and to do it securely and effectively, we don’t have an opportunity to teach students,” Greenway said, adding that Barrick’s award was an affirmation of the “extraordinarily vital worth” of the entire Campus Technology team. 

In receiving the award, Barrick said, “The only thing I would add is just that I’m one person, but I have a whole team of people. There’s a whole group of people, and we are supporting every one of you. And our goal is to make Southwestern the best it can be. Thank you.”

The final honoree was Joey Cruse, landscaping manager at Southwestern Seminary, having been employed since 2006. Greenway praised Cruse for the improvement to the landscaping just in the time that he has served as president, saying people like Cruse and the “blue shirt” crew are a part of “a lot of unsung heroes here at Southwestern Seminary who just make magical things happen.”

Even during financially hard times, Greenway praised Cruse and the landscaping team who “help this campus be the most aesthetically beautiful place.” In so doing, the beauty of the campus will reflect the “the truth, beauty, and goodness of our Lord and of His Christ,” Greenway added.

Greenway concluded the employee recognition by praising all employees as vital, saying that before the Lord, “every vocation, every calling is worthy.”“Is that really ministry when I’m doing what may seem to be mundane work, is it really ministry?” Greenway asked. “It is, because God has given you gifts and talents that He is stewarding in you. And He desires to use you as an instrument in His hand in ways you may not even be able to fully understand. He will use you to make a difference that only eternity will reveal.”