diff --git a/services/web/app/src/Features/ThirdPartyDataStore/TpdsUpdateSender.js b/services/web/app/src/Features/ThirdPartyDataStore/TpdsUpdateSender.js
index 78998e3cee..b3d352225b 100644
--- a/services/web/app/src/Features/ThirdPartyDataStore/TpdsUpdateSender.js
+++ b/services/web/app/src/Features/ThirdPartyDataStore/TpdsUpdateSender.js
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ async function enqueue(group, method, job) {
     return
   }
   try {
-    const response = request({
+    const response = await request({
       uri: `${tpdsWorkerUrl}/enqueue/web_to_tpds_http_requests`,
       json: { group, job, method },
       method: 'post',
@@ -123,16 +123,18 @@ async function getProjectUsersIds(projectId) {
     projectId
   )
   // filter list to only return users with dropbox linked
-  const users = await UserGetter.getUsers(
+  // skip the first user id, which is always returned
+  const dropboxUsers = await UserGetter.getUsers(
     {
-      _id: { $in: projectUserIds },
+      _id: { $in: projectUserIds.slice(1) },
       'dropbox.access_token.uid': { $ne: null }
     },
     {
       _id: 1
     }
   )
-  return users.map(user => user._id)
+  const dropboxUserIds = dropboxUsers.map(user => user._id)
+  return [projectUserIds[0], ...dropboxUserIds]
 }
 
 async function moveEntity(options) {
diff --git a/services/web/app/src/Features/User/UserGetter.js b/services/web/app/src/Features/User/UserGetter.js
index 9f5e5fe401..e9ef82972f 100644
--- a/services/web/app/src/Features/User/UserGetter.js
+++ b/services/web/app/src/Features/User/UserGetter.js
@@ -15,10 +15,12 @@ const UserGetter = {
       callback = projection
       projection = {}
     }
-    normalizeQuery(query, (err, query) => {
-      if (err) return callback(err)
+    try {
+      query = normalizeQuery(query)
       db.users.findOne(query, projection, callback)
-    })
+    } catch (err) {
+      callback(err)
+    }
   },
 
   getUserEmail(userId, callback) {
@@ -129,10 +131,12 @@ const UserGetter = {
   },
 
   getUsers(query, projection, callback) {
-    normalizeQuery(query, (err, query) => {
-      if (err) return callback(err)
+    try {
+      query = normalizeQuery(query)
       db.users.find(query, projection, callback)
-    })
+    } catch (err) {
+      callback(err)
+    }
   },
 
   // check for duplicate email address. This is also enforced at the DB level
@@ -146,23 +150,19 @@ const UserGetter = {
   }
 }
 
-function normalizeQuery(query, callback) {
+function normalizeQuery(query) {
   if (!query) {
-    return callback(new Error('no query provided'))
+    throw new Error('no query provided')
   }
-  try {
-    if (typeof query === 'string') {
-      callback(null, { _id: ObjectId(query) })
-    } else if (query instanceof ObjectId) {
-      callback(null, { _id: query })
-    } else if (Array.isArray(query)) {
-      const userIds = query.map(u => ObjectId(u.toString()))
-      callback(null, { _id: { $in: userIds } })
-    } else {
-      callback(null, query)
-    }
-  } catch (err) {
-    callback(err, null)
+  if (typeof query === 'string') {
+    return { _id: ObjectId(query) }
+  } else if (query instanceof ObjectId) {
+    return { _id: query }
+  } else if (Array.isArray(query)) {
+    const userIds = query.map(u => ObjectId(u.toString()))
+    return { _id: { $in: userIds } }
+  } else {
+    return query
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/services/web/test/unit/src/ThirdPartyDataStore/TpdsUpdateSenderTests.js b/services/web/test/unit/src/ThirdPartyDataStore/TpdsUpdateSenderTests.js
index e157f29307..4ea30c2a7d 100644
--- a/services/web/test/unit/src/ThirdPartyDataStore/TpdsUpdateSenderTests.js
+++ b/services/web/test/unit/src/ThirdPartyDataStore/TpdsUpdateSenderTests.js
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ describe('TpdsUpdateSender', function() {
       }
     }
     const getUsers = sinon.stub().resolves(
-      memberIds.map(userId => {
+      memberIds.slice(1).map(userId => {
         return { _id: userId }
       })
     )
@@ -145,11 +145,7 @@ describe('TpdsUpdateSender', function() {
       this.UserGetter.promises.getUsers.should.have.been.calledOnce.and.calledWith(
         {
           _id: {
-            $in: [
-              'user_id_here',
-              'collaberator_ref_1_here',
-              'read_only_ref_1_id_here'
-            ]
+            $in: ['collaberator_ref_1_here', 'read_only_ref_1_id_here']
           },
           'dropbox.access_token.uid': { $ne: null }
         },
@@ -203,11 +199,7 @@ describe('TpdsUpdateSender', function() {
       this.UserGetter.promises.getUsers.should.have.been.calledOnce.and.calledWith(
         {
           _id: {
-            $in: [
-              'user_id_here',
-              'collaberator_ref_1_here',
-              'read_only_ref_1_id_here'
-            ]
+            $in: ['collaberator_ref_1_here', 'read_only_ref_1_id_here']
           },
           'dropbox.access_token.uid': { $ne: null }
         },
@@ -254,11 +246,7 @@ describe('TpdsUpdateSender', function() {
       this.UserGetter.promises.getUsers.should.have.been.calledOnce.and.calledWith(
         {
           _id: {
-            $in: [
-              'user_id_here',
-              'collaberator_ref_1_here',
-              'read_only_ref_1_id_here'
-            ]
+            $in: ['collaberator_ref_1_here', 'read_only_ref_1_id_here']
           },
           'dropbox.access_token.uid': { $ne: null }
         },
@@ -308,11 +296,7 @@ describe('TpdsUpdateSender', function() {
       this.UserGetter.promises.getUsers.should.have.been.calledOnce.and.calledWith(
         {
           _id: {
-            $in: [
-              'user_id_here',
-              'collaberator_ref_1_here',
-              'read_only_ref_1_id_here'
-            ]
+            $in: ['collaberator_ref_1_here', 'read_only_ref_1_id_here']
           },
           'dropbox.access_token.uid': { $ne: null }
         },
@@ -361,11 +345,7 @@ describe('TpdsUpdateSender', function() {
       this.UserGetter.promises.getUsers.should.have.been.calledOnce.and.calledWith(
         {
           _id: {
-            $in: [
-              'user_id_here',
-              'collaberator_ref_1_here',
-              'read_only_ref_1_id_here'
-            ]
+            $in: ['collaberator_ref_1_here', 'read_only_ref_1_id_here']
           },
           'dropbox.access_token.uid': { $ne: null }
         },