Admin of the Month: Janeth Zafra-Mauricio

I applied for a Management Assistant role at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in 2017. Being an immigrant, it was not an easy attempt. I applied three times in various departments before the Director of Labor and Delivery, Susan Hawkes, hired me. I made an impression by creating a Daily Staffing Sheet Tool Online (DSS Tool), which the department still utilizes to this day.  

In February 2019, I got promoted to Lead Administrative Assistant. As a result, I made sure to always go above and beyond expectations by pursuing self-development courses and taking lead on various programs and events. I maintained a culture of teamwork and accountability in the division. I was fearless in giving innovative proposals on improvements of processes/workflows and was grateful for the empowerment and stellar support extended by my Executive Director, Peachy Hain. It was also Peachy who inspired me to take initiative of various programs and events, such as the MD-RN Collaborative, Schwartz Rounds, National Doctors’ Day, Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, and Filipino-American History Month (FAHM) celebrations.  

Earlier this year, I got promoted to Executive Assistant. My current boss/executive leader, Vice President Nicole Anderson Leonard, has opened a broader opportunity by allowing me to take the PACE exam offered by ASAP and become a certified administrative professional. She has also given me the amazing opportunity of assisting her in launching “The StoryLab: HERStory” and organizing the “Arts Week 2024” in our medical center.  

What is your favorite part of the job? 

From among the various obligations required of me as an administrative professional, I am delighted to be given leadership and organization-based tasks, especially event planning. I am also fascinated by the task of managing my executive’s calendar. As a highly organized individual, I am sensitive to details. This allows our business to run effortlessly because of my strict monitoring and compliance with schedules. 

I take pride in my ability to create harmonious, hassle-free communication from superiors to subordinates, thus ensuring daily business tasks and operations run efficiently and as planned. This means that I can contribute to the whole of my organization by allowing Cedars-Sinai to maintain its organized delivery and discharge of services, as it always has.  

Personally, the American Society of Administrative Professionals (ASAP) has allowed me to discover more of my potential and go beyond the expectations of my original job description. In fact, ASAP’s support and various resources is what convinced me to give this Executive Assistant position a chance.  

I continually check on the ASAP website for interesting and helpful articles that could be applicable to improve my organization, inter-disciplinary, technical, marketing, communication and other skills pertinent to my role. These resources have helped improve my ability to generate multiple ideas when I need a solution to handle a new task or problem. 

What is your professional superpower? 

I am driven by challenge and am motivated to perform tasks out of the box. Since my high school years, I have always strived to be bold, go beyond the confines of my faculty, and aspire to learn more. I am fond of difficulty and take pride in finding never-seen-before solutions! 

More About Janeth:

Janeth Zafra-Mauricio assists the Vice President and Executive Vice Dean of Academic Affairs of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, who happens to also be the Research Integrity Officer of the organization. Her superb organization of the most recently concluded Arts Week 2024 yielded in her receipt of special mentions and praises from core executive leaders, medical practitioners, well known musicians and performers, and colleagues.  

A diligent and adaptive learner, Mauricio exemplifies a commendable “can-do-attitude,” asserting herself to always function at the highest level. She never adheres to the status quo and is always exploring ways to make her work better.  

Truly dedicated to her craft, Janeth is an accomplished employee and has been the recipient of Cedars-Sinai's prestigious President’s Award and Friends of Nursing Award in 2020 and 2021. She was also nominated for the “My Socal Hospital Heroes” award in 2023 for her contributions and unparalleled support during the Covid-19 pandemic and is an officer for the Fil-Am CARES Employee Resource Group. In addition, Janeth mentors several Senior Administrative Assistants and continually serves as a resource person due to her expertise and experience. She is an honorary member of Trendsetters and a current member of Toastmasters International, too.