Cindy Stearns

Get to Know: Cindy Stearns

January 26, 2021

Cindy Stearns recently announced that she will retire on February 28, 2021 after an incredible 42-and-a-half years of dedicated service to the University of Richmond.

Her current title, Assistant Director of Marketing and Special Programs, does not begin to encompass her contributions to this campus. She's worked as a line server. She's spent numerous nights on campus during severe weather to help support students. She directed the former University Club, once housed in today's Richmond Room. And in an era before computers were readily available on campus, she developed and hand-wrote menus complete with her own drawings.

Cindy has been a crucial participant in the launch and success of every campus dining location known today. She's a trained food photographer (our Grubhub campus content is a prime example) and assisted the Spider Shop with branding and marketing campaigns, promotions, and web design. Year after year, she's taught hundreds of food service employees crucial food safety and first aid information as a certified ServSafe instructor and proctor, and mentored scores of student workers. She's played a pivotal role in the execution of every incredible international dinner, Springfest, and Winter Celebration. And together with the late Chef Glenn Pruden, she founded the beloved Spider in the Kitchen dining event series which brought hundreds of Spiders back to campus to enjoy creative culinary feasts during the past decade.

As the mother of two young sons working full-time, she managed to earn her Master's Degree from the University of Richmond. In her spare time, she's volunteered on USAC, the WOW (Wonderful Outstanding Worker) planning committee, the Stewardship & Resiliency team, and has been recognized for her work on the National Association of College and University Food Services Board. She's also won numerous NACUFS awards on behalf of UR Dining and most recently received a Business Affairs Award in 2017.

Congratulations on your much-deserved retirement, Cindy, and thank you for sharing your many talents with us. Our team will not be the same in the absence of your leadership, and more importantly, friendship.