Congratulations ACES 2025 Winner, Kristian Biega!

Each year, fewer than 1% of UPMC staff from across the health system are recognized for the Award for Commitment and Excellence in Service (ACES).

The award honors outstanding employees who exemplify UPMC’s five core values — Quality & Safety, Dignity & Respect, Caring & Listening, Responsibility & Integrity, Excellence & Innovation — which are the foundation of all we do.

ACES winners exceed the high level of service that our patients, members, and the community have come to expect from UPMC.

For 2025, our own Kristian Biega, marketing communications specialist II, was a winner.

Kristian, who started at UPMC Enterprises in November 2023, has “quickly become a trusted, steady, and fully integrated member of the division, someone colleagues naturally rely on,” according to her manager, Jamie Saporito, who nominated Kristian.

“Kristian consistently demonstrates UPMC’s values through both her work and her interactions, strengthening communication, supporting staff, and enhancing the overall employee experience across UPMC Enterprises,” Jamie continued. “Her commitment to keeping people informed, connected, and valued has made her a unifying presence and an essential contributor to our culture.”

Kristian is not only essential to our internal communications efforts at UPMC Enterprises, but she also has taken on additional responsibilities supporting external communications and promotion, social media, and content development.

Learn more about Kristian and why she was picked as an ACES winner this year.

Q: What is your favorite part of your job?

I really enjoy that I’m involved in many varied projects across Enterprises and now working more with other system colleagues. I’m most interested in the communications, social promotion, and learning more about the strategy of promotion, but I’d say that internal communications, like All Hands, and support of culture activities, like the Enterprises Book Club, have become my niche. I see a lot of value in providing opportunities to bring our division together.

I’m particularly proud of the work I’ve done to tell stories about UPMC Enterprises and our people to the broader UPMC community through my collaboration with UPMC Internal Communications’ Daily Extra newsletter and First Friday magazine. This area of my role makes the job a lot of fun and amplifies the human aspect of the work that we do.

To me, that is a very important aspect of a large team like Enterprises among the larger UPMC system. It can be easy to get caught up in the corporate work, but there is value in learning about amplifying people’s strengths and passion on a personal level.

Q: What motivates you to go above and beyond in your work?

My team is awesome and everyone is so great at their jobs — this atmosphere makes it easy to show up and do my best each day. The positive reinforcement I get from my team and energy and mission around UPMC Enterprises makes for an excellent environment in which to thrive.

I feel honored to help support such important work and amazing colleagues. Sometimes it is intimidating to work alongside people who are making critical technologies and therapies a reality; however, it is very fulfilling that I get to be the one sharing their accomplishments to the world with my role as a communicator.

The environment we have here feeds a desire to do more and make a difference. It’s easy to believe in the work of improving health care when you change happening in real time.

Q: How does it feel to be an ACES winner?

Honestly, I was shocked! I feel extremely humbled and grateful to be recognized for my contributions.

We all work with such intelligent, awesome people, so to be considered among the best of them is really special. It just makes me proud to see that I’m doing work that is having positive impact and that the power of communication truly can go a long way.

I am especially grateful to have been nominated by my manager, Jamie Saporito. Not only is she one of the hardest working people I know, but she has always been the loudest cheerleader in my corner. She and my other marketing colleagues have provided me so many opportunities to not only grow, but thrive. Thank you all for your kindness and support!