"I could not have imagined that this is how it would've turned out because, again, I was skeptical in the beginning. Now, I actually tell my colleagues and other institutions that we're doing this virtual assistant thing and it's really working out. Now, I'm all for it!"
— Kaye-Ann Sadler, Senior Administrative Manager, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
The Challenge
As Senior Administrative Manager of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, Kaye-Ann Sadler oversees office managers and administrative assistants who collectively support all faculty and clinical instructors within the school. Many of her staff had been with Emory for 15 to 20 years — but longevity didn't necessarily translate into the specialized capabilities the faculty increasingly needed.
Over time, the demands of the role evolved. Faculty members were wearing two hats, moving between classroom instruction and research- or clinical-intensive studies, and they needed administrative support that could keep pace. Tasks like understanding biosketches, conducting research, and submitting grant proposals required a different skill set than the documents, emails, and scheduling her team had traditionally handled.
When Kaye-Ann's Director of Operations suggested exploring virtual support to bridge the gap, she was unconvinced.
"I can honestly say when Adam came to me with it, I was extremely reluctant. I just could not see how we could have an external person working as if they were internal."
Rather than dismissing the idea outright, Kaye-Ann brought her team together for a structured whiteboard session to map core competencies against what a virtual assistant could realistically provide. What she saw on the board surprised her — and changed her mind.
The Solution
After her whiteboard analysis confirmed the fit, Kaye-Ann contracted with BELAY Virtual Assistant Marlaine. From the start, Marlaine's approach set the tone for a productive partnership. Her familiarity with academia, combined with a proactive and transparent communication style, allowed her to integrate into the Emory environment as naturally as any in-house employee.
"She made the process easy. If we didn't tell the faculty that she wasn't an Emory employee, they would not know. It's partially her having academia experience and her level of professionalism and openness. If she doesn't know something, she'll say she doesn't know and ask the right questions in order to figure it out."
Marlaine's seamless performance gave Kaye-Ann the confidence to expand the model. She brought on two additional BELAY Virtual Assistants, with Marlaine taking an informal leadership role — fielding questions from newer VAs, joining onboarding calls, and running monthly check-in meetings for the growing team. Kaye-Ann handles initial onboarding and system access, while Marlaine ensures continuity and consistency across the group.
To maintain visibility across the team's work, each VA submits weekly time reports, giving Kaye-Ann a clear picture of how hours are being spent across departments without requiring her to be in constant communication with each individual.
"I can honestly say when Adam came to me with it, I was extremely reluctant. I just could not see how we could have an external person working as if they were internal."
— Kaye-Ann Sadler, Senior Administrative Manager, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of NursingThe Impact
What began as a cautious pilot with 65 hours per month has grown into a 110-hour-per-month engagement — a 69% increase that reflects the trust Kaye-Ann and her faculty have placed in the BELAY team. The expansion wasn't a formality; it was driven by results that faculty members experienced firsthand.
Kaye-Ann regularly checks in with the faculty members the VAs support directly, and the feedback has been consistently positive.
"I've been checking in with the people that they're working with directly and they have nothing but high praises to sing about them as well."
Beyond the numbers, the impact has shifted Kaye-Ann's perspective entirely — from reluctant participant to vocal advocate. She now recommends the virtual assistant model to colleagues at other institutions.
"And honestly — this is just me being one-hundred-percent honest — she is just amazing. Everything has been really smooth and just overall amazing. I could not have imagined that this is how it would've turned out because, again, I was skeptical in the beginning. Now, I actually tell my colleagues and other institutions that we're doing this virtual assistant thing and it's really working out. Now, I'm all for it!"
For an organization as complex as Emory's School of Nursing, the ability to scale specialized administrative support through BELAY has proven to be more than a staffing solution — it's become a core part of how Kaye-Ann's team operates.