Photo by Jessica Maloney,
UNH Human Resources

"How do I mail an item by Federal Express?" "How much insurance should I get for mailing this package?" "What time does UPS pick up?"

Answering those and many other related questions is how Joe Infante spends a large portion of each working day at UNH. The "information man" has been fielding questions and helping staff for the past 23 years in Mailing Services.

Joe and his wife moved to New Hampshire from New York in 1978 when she took a job with the Durham Post Office. Joe was a carpenter and they took a job as houseparents at a UNH sorority. "I did a lot of minor repairs and living there allowed us to save enough money to build our own house," Joe said. When a Clerk position opened up in Mailing Services in 1980 Joe took it and has been there ever since.

"When I first started in the Mailroom I did a bit of everything" Joe explains. "I delivered, sorted, and stamped mail. I still do some of that on occasion, and I now supervise five staff members." Technology advancements over the years have made many aspects of Joe's work simpler and speedier and he notes that "the anthrax scare and the tremendous volume of e-mail has reduced the physical amounts of mail coming through our department."

When asked what he enjoys most about his position, Joe responded "people who work here really want the university to succeed. They love the university." He credits Joanne Morgan as someone who "keeps me on the straight and narrow. I've worked with her for 17 years and we have a really good relationship and work closely together. And she's my friend." Joe says his ability to "go with the flow, and always trying to greet people with a smile" go a long way to make stressful days more enjoyable for both he and those he works with.

Joe began learning sign language 10 years ago in an attempt to better communicate with a co-worker. Joe's hobbies also include raising Arabian horses on the 25 acre farm which he and his wife own. As a matter of fact, they just had a foal in May. The farm also includes 2 barns and three tractors. Not quite what you'd expect from a man who says "I'm allergic to hay!!"