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Fifth Third Bank rep named Recruiter of the Year

Oct. 17, 2005

KALAMAZOO--Jamie Martinez, a recruiter in the human resources department at Fifth Third Bank (Western Michigan) in Grand Rapids, has been selected as Western Michigan University's 2004-05 Recruiter of the Year.

Martinez will receive the honor during the eighth annual Etiquette Dinner from 6 to 9 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 20, in the Fetzer Center on the main WMU campus in Kalamazoo.

Recipients are chosen based on the degree to which they demonstrate professional and ethical recruiting practices, use the employment resources WMU offers, and work with the University to provide educational experiences that contribute to the career and personal development of its students and alumni.

Career and Student Employment Services, part of WMU's Division of Student Affairs, has been designating the University's top recruiter each academic year since 1991. CSES also organizes the Etiquette Dinner, which serves as an interview-preparation event for upper-class students.

"Jamie's commitment and collaboration in partnering with WMU on behalf of Fifth Third Bank has been outstanding," says Linda Ickes, associate director of CSES. "She gives her time generously to support the career development of WMU students. And because of her, Fifth Third Bank is highly visible on our campus."

Martinez, a WMU alumna, has been actively teaming up with WMU for the past few years. Her activities have included participating in the University's spring Career Fairs and securing Fifth Third Bank to sponsor this event in 2005.

She also has served on the business internship panel, lent her expertise during Practice Interview Day and been a guest speaker for the student chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants. Plus, she will co-present the seminar portion of this year's Etiquette Dinner, which is being sponsored in part by Fifth Third.

Martinez earned a master's degree in management from Aquinas College in 2002 and a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from WMU in 1998.

"Jamie landed her first job in the banking industry--assistant branch manager--after interviewing with Old Kent Bank during WMU's 1998 spring Career Fair," Ickes says. "She's a role model for the opportunities that a college degree can offer and the many ways a university like WMU contributes to the success of its students."

That first banking job has translated into a long-term career. A year after being hired, Martinez transferred to the human resources department of Old Kent, which was acquired by Fifth Third Bancorp in 2001, and Martinez has been employed in various human resources roles ever since.

"I am honored and excited to receive this award," Martinez says, adding that CSES has been essential in helping Fifth Third Bank find quality candidates to interview.

"We have hired many WMU students for various positions, ranging from customer service representatives and retail associates to credit analysts," she notes. "We are happy to partner with WMU, and look forward to growing our relationship with the University."

In addition to her duties managing the college recruiting program, Martinez recruits for the retail division in Kalamazoo and southwest Michigan as well as the credit analyst program. She also manages Fifth Third's diversity internship and scholarship program in western Michigan.

Martinez is active in the Grand Rapids community, serving as a member of the Young Leaders Society, Women's Leadership Council and the planning committee for the Children's Assessment Center.

Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company that has $103.2 billion in assets. The company is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has operations in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and West Virginia. It was named the "#1 Superregional bank" by FORTUNE in the magazine's 2002 and 2003 "Most Admired Companies in America" surveys.

Media contact: Jeanne Baron, (269) 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu

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