by: Jenny Rogers
Meredith Hoyt, the University of Florida Department of Environmental and Global Health department administrator, has been a cornerstone to the EGH team since her first day in May 2018.
Drawn to the department by the remarkable faculty and their groundbreaking research within the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions, Hoyt knew she wanted to contribute to a cause bigger than herself.
“I am so impressed every day with the research our professors are involved in,” Hoyt said. “The EGH department has been such a great place to work, because it feels like a family.”
As the department administrator, Hoyt manages all the EGH finance, human resources and operations.
Even as a seasoned member of the team, Hoyt is always looking for ways to grow professionally.
Last year, she completed the Managing at UF: The Supervisory Challenge, an employee program designed to equip university leaders with essential knowledge and skills to excel in its unique environment.
Moreover, the program schooled Hoyt on the university’s leadership competency model, reinforcing its four values of building trust, creating and communicating vision, generating alignment and cultivating talent.
“Completing the supervisory challenge was an important step to help me become a good leader,” she said. “I really enjoyed getting to know other leaders throughout UF within my cohort.”
Outside of work, you can be sure to find Hoyt on the water.
Whether it’s camping, water skiing, wake boarding, surfing or stand-up paddle boarding, she loves spending time on Florida’s beautiful lakes, rivers and beaches.
Hoyt is also a devoted mother of two boys, ages 11 and 13, who accompany her to adventures at Florida’s amusement parks.
As she reflects on her time at UF, Hoyt said she most enjoys the connections she builds with others.
“I really enjoy on boarding new employees and helping them navigate our department and UF as a whole,” she said. “I strive to be a wealth of knowledge, especially to new people to Gainesville.”
To Hoyt, her job is not solely about the day-to-day tasks but the relationships she fosters with UF students, faculty and other staff along the way.
“I was born and bred a Gator and graduated from UF,” she said. “So, as they say, ‘I bleed orange and blue.'”