I Spy: Sandy Cannone is 'priority one' to business dean
When visiting Sandra Cannone in her office, the first thing you notice is the aquatic frog named Lucy on her desk. The second thing is how smoothly she handles all the calls and visitors and questions and the day-to-day functions of the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration at Coastal Carolina University.
Known for being resourceful, having a positive attitude and making delicious chocolate chip cookies, Cannone has been the administrative coordinator of the Dean’s offices at the Wall College for the past five years.
“It is amazing in five years how far CCU has come,” she says.
Cannone is in charge of staffing, faculty contracts, outfitting of the offices and classrooms with desks and computers, as well as getting the rooms a fresh coat of paint when needed. She sets up all faculty schedules and meetings and ultimately gets the Wall College ready for the new school year. After all that, Cannone still has what she calls “priority one,” being assistant to Dean Barbara Ritter.
“Sandy approaches each aspect of her job with a positive attitude,” says Ritter. “She is always willing to go above and beyond with the broad range of stakeholders We serve, on a daily basis, from students and community members to faculty and administrators. She clearly has a spectacular range of knowledge and skills, and somehow through it all she keeps her cool, her positive attitude and she always feels the teal.”
Wendi Lee, marketing and social media coordinator at the Wall College, nominated Cannone for the “I Spy” to let her know that her presence and her work are apreciated. Lee says Cannone is everything a second-in-command should be.
“You don’t realize everything she does,” says Lee. “Sandy is a really good person–very patient, kind, but tough, and she has to be, running the Wall College. We’re lucky to have her.”
Cannone is from West Hartford, Conn., and attended St. Joseph’s College, where she earned a degree in business management. She went on to work at St. Joseph’s as a department chair in education.
When Cannone is not at CCU, she enjoys golfing in Murrells Inlet and around the Grand Strand with her husband, Sam. She also likes to cheer on the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team and she has season tickets to CCU’s football games.
Cannone’s favorite aspect of working at CCU is the people, which is not surprising considering how many faculty and staff she deals with in a day. She enjoys the friendliness and the positive attitude of everyone at CCU.
“It’s the people that make the University friendly and approachable, which makes it nice to work here,” she says.
