By MC2 Taylor Vencill

Following an impressive 45-year federal service career, a packed house of friends and Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) coworkers were on hand, May 30, to wish Academic Planning Administrative Officer Rumi Escobido fair winds and following seas.

“I just want to thank everybody for coming,” said Escobido. “The years have just flown by because I work with really good people, and that’s what counts ... working together for a common mission.”

Leaders in Academic Planning, recent reorganized to Faculty Administration, praised Escobido for her spirit, unending knowledge, and commitment to the mission.

“Rumi has worked a lot of different issues throughout the years and she has often been the provost’s right hand,” said Dr. Michael Freeman, Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs. “Tasks have come and gone throughout the years, but academic planning and now faculty administration has always internalized Rumi’s driving motivation of doing what is necessary. So, when new tasks arose, Rumi has always been willing to jump in and fill the gap.”

Freeman compared Escobido to an all-knowing oracle, who always seemed to know what was happening on campus, and what was going to happen.

“I want to highlight and thank Rumi for being the keeper of institutional knowledge,” he said. “Whenever she predicts something, it comes to be true and she was usually right.”

Recognizing her value to the university, Dr. Steven Lerman, NPS Provost and Academic Dean, presented Escobido with the Department of the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award.

“I don’t think we can describe the great scale of your contributions, it’s just enormous,” Lerman noted in presenting the award. “It’s not only the duration, but the amount you did each of those years that we’re all very grateful for. Thank you for everything, it’s been a pleasure and an honor.”

“She was always insistent on doing things right and fairly for the people involved,” said Dr. Gil Howard, former NPS Director of Academic Planning on hand for the celebration. “There are people in every organization who make it work, and Rumi is certainly one of those people. She deserves every bit of praise we can give her.”

“I came to NPS with 25 years of HR experience, which didn’t really help me much because this was my first exposure to the academic environment,” said Ermelinda Rodriguez-Heffner, Human Resource Director. “I wouldn’t have been able to navigate through all of the intricacies of faculty policy without Rumi. She was so instrumental in helping us provide the right support to our faculty.”

As Escobido prepares for her next chapter, she says she is excited to experience new things, no matter what lies around the corner. But, she adds, she will miss those friends and colleagues she spent so much time with here on campus.

“I will miss the people and the great personalities, we had a great team,” she said.