DOVER – Governor Jack Markell today recognized and celebrated the efforts of the 2014 recipients of the Delaware Award for Excellence and Commitment in State Service. The award winners and nominees were recognized for their exemplary efforts in service to the State of Delaware.

“These individuals exemplify what it means to be a public servant,” said Governor Markell. “I commend them for their commitment and dedication to providing excellent service to Delawareans.”

The 2014 recipients are:

• Kevin Boyd – Kevin Boyd is a Management Analyst III who works for DHSS at the Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill. While still doing his Management Analyst duties, Kevin was asked to serve as the interim Food Service Director for the Governor Bacon Health Center in September of 2013. There were three urgent problems he faced in the Dietary Department: There was no food, no schedule, and there were not enough employees. Kevin triaged the situation and immediately sprang into action. He called the vendors and went shopping to get food into the facility for the residents. He set up an electronic ordering system to continue the flow of food coming into the facility. He revamped the schedule and created a new schedule that made sense. Once he generated the schedule, he realized that there were a number of positions that had not been filled and he set out to fill them. Meanwhile, he brought in temporary workers to alleviate the staffing shortages that had produced chaos in the department. Under his guidance, the kitchen became spacious and orderly. Kevin just stepped up to the plate and went far beyond his assigned job duties.

• Richard D. Beaman and Tina M. Shockley – Rick Beaman, an arborist with DelDOT, determined that a tree in close proximity to a road was becoming unsafe and had to be removed. However, the tree had become a memorial to a 17-year-old girl, Samantha “Sam” Brown, who had been killed there several years before. Rick wanted to contact the family of the young woman so they would be aware of the tree’s removal and could collect the items at the site. He contacted DelDOT’s Public Relations section and reached Tina Shockley. Tina researched the police report associated with the name and date etched into the tree and was able to locate the family. She reached out to Sam’s father, Thomas, and personally notified him that the tree was scheduled to be removed. On the day of the tree’s removal, Rick was on site and Sam’s father happened to drive by as the crew was working. Rick took the time to talk to Thomas, and as they talked, one of the contractors removing the tree offered to remove the section of the tree that had been marked with Sam’s name and create a plaque that could be placed at the site or elsewhere. The plaque was presented to the family two days later. There are no “written rules” for removing a tree that’s associated with a roadside memorial. Rick could have simply scheduled the tree’s removal and disposed of the items. But Rick and Tina went the extra step and helped a grieving family.

• Glenn Davis – Glenn Davis works for DNREC’s Division of Water, Surface Water Section. He is the State subject matter expert in the field of wastewater, and has developed staff members, established a Health and Safety Committee for the division, and ensures the wastewater treatment facilities continue operating within the parameters of their approved DNREC permit. During Hurricane Sandy, Glenn was asked by Secretary O’Mara to be the Department’s point of contact for all the municipal and industrial wastewater treatment facilities throughout the state. Glenn kept in close contact with every facility in the State, both municipal and industrial; each one had its own unique set of variables that required careful pre-planning, communication, and monitoring. Because Glenn had established and maintained professional relationships with the staff at the facilities, the Lewes Wastewater Treatment Plant kept Glenn apprised of the fluctuation in water levels due to the storm surges and high wind. Glenn and the plant staff worked together to determine that it was necessary to secure the plant and remove all staff to ensure they were not trapped in the facility. As a result, the staff weathered the rest of the storm at home and the plant was properly secured until it was safe for the staff to return to duty. After Hurricane Sandy moved out of the area, Glenn spoke to a representative from each of the facilities and walked them through the damage assessment process and reporting of “offline” gaps as a result of the storm. During Hurricane Sandy, Glenn’s expertise was essential to the health and wellbeing of every Delawarean.

• Tina Leager – Tina Leager is a Senior Accountant with the Department of Finance’s State Lottery Office. Over the past year Tina has been heavily involved in the administration and development of financial reconciliation processes for the newly authorized Charitable Gaming Organizations, the reconciliation of the newly launched internet gaming websites, and the migration of Sports Lottery accounting processes to an automated system. Tina has been instrumental in the development of the monthly filing procedures and she took the lead in providing personalized customer service to each and every licensed Charitable Gaming vendor and venue, in addition to her involvement with the overall process redesign that was required. Tina played a critical role in the review and development of financial reporting for the new internet gaming system and she worked to implement in-house reconciliation procedures and administered the first poker clearinghouse in the United States. Tina is also responsible for accounting for the Sports Lottery and was instrumental in creating, implementing, and, now, overseeing all aspects of the Sports Lottery’s financial reconciliations, analysis and reporting while continuing to perform other critical assignments. Tina’s invaluable expertise, participation in system testing, and input during the development process of all of these programs were key to smooth transitions.

• John F. Snow – As an Equipment Operator for DelDOT, John Snow has a long history of assisting motorists in need of help, but recently two examples especially stood out. In January, John responded to a motorist and her father who were stranded with a flat tire on Route 1. Instead of just pulling behind the stranded vehicle and activating his safety lights so the motorist could wait for roadside assistance, John changed the tire himself. When the motorist then realized her battery was dead, John again could have made the motorist wait for roadside assistance, but instead he called another coworker for jumper cables and stayed with the vehicle to keep the occupants safe until the vehicle was running and back on the road. In March, John was traveling on Route 1 and spotted a stranded vehicle with a trailer attached. John learned from the elderly couple that a tire on the trailer blew out. The couple had contacted their roadside assistance company but was refused help because while the car was covered by the insurance, the trailer was not. John immediately went into action to help the couple out. The driver stated that John “. . . never once expressed his displeasure or frustration at the job at hand. He is a credit and a fine representative for DelDOT.” John doesn’t have to get out of his truck and help stranded motorists – he just has to maintain the safety of the scene, which he could provide from the comfort of his truck. But he chooses to go out of his way and help with a pleasant and gracious attitude.

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