Event held during the celebration of Public Service Recognition Week, May 6-12, 2018.

WILMINGTON, Del. (May 11, 2018) —Governor John Carney and Cabinet members celebrated Public Service Recognition Week by applauding the extraordinary work of Delaware’s public servants. Awards for exemplary efforts in service to the State of Delaware were presented at the Governor’s Awards Ceremony: Recognizing State Employee Individuals, Teams and Heroes, hosted by the Department of Human Resources on Monday.

“Every day thousands of dedicated state employees are on the front lines protecting our communities, teaching our children, caring for our most vulnerable citizens and providing important services to all Delawareans,” said Governor Carney. “It is an honor to recognize those employees that have demonstrated outstanding commitment to their work and exemplify the best of what it means to provide public service.”

Nearly 200 attendees were on hand to celebrate the remarkable achievements of the nominees and recipients of the Delaware Award for Excellence and Commitment in State Service, Governor’s Team Excellence Award, and Delaware Award for Heroism.

Delaware Award for Excellence and Commitment in State Service
The Delaware Award for Excellence and Commitment in State Service, established in 1990, is given to five State of Delaware employees, or groups of employees, who exemplify the highest standards of excellence and commitment in state service. Recipients of the 2018 award are:
• Ozden Basaran, and Mark Barrett, Department of Transportation/Department of Technology and Information
• Erika Bradley, Superior Court
• Kim C. Cloud, Department of Technology and Information
• Kyle Conner, Department of Finance
• Amanda A. McAtee, Office of Management and Budget

Governor’s Team Excellence Award
The Governor’s Team Excellence Award is presented annually to a team of six to 20 state employees and encourages teamwork by recognizing groups of state employees for their efforts to use continuous quality improvement tools to excel in leadership, team dynamics and communication to produce superior customer service and tangible results. The 2018 award recipient is the Dealer Portal Team from the Department of Transportation.

In addition, the following team finalists were recognized:
• The NVF – Yorklyn Project Team, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
• Southern Health Services 2nd Annual Drive-thru Influenza POD Leadership Planning Team, Department of Health and Social Services
• Small Wireless Facility Team, Department of Transportation
• Trauma Informed Care Committee, Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families

Delaware Award for Heroism
The Delaware Award for Heroism was established in 2013 to recognize state employees for acts of heroism and courage. The 2018 recipients are:
• Christie Bonniwell and Trevor McColley, Department of Transportation
• Stewart Douglass & Matthew Palsgrove, Department of Transportation
• Christie Ray, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
• Angela Riddle, Department of Health and Social Services
• Karol Ann Shyers and Brian Payton, Department of Correction
• Kristen Thornton, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
• Gabriel and Jessica Vorous, Department of Correction
• William Walker, Department of Correction
• Jamie Whitehouse, Department of Transportation
• Cpt. Patrick Sheets, Lt. Brian Forte, Lt. Bradford Apa, Lt. Benny Dotson, C/O Jesse Cohen, C/O Michael Dunston, C/O Larry Welch, C/O Brian Dorrell, C/O Jacob Stauber, and K9 Spencer Alexander, Department of Correction

“State employees are incredibly driven and committed to serving the people of Delaware,” said Saundra Ross Johnson, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Human Resources. “It is an honor to have the opportunity to recognize those who have gone above and beyond their usual level of excellence.”

Detailed information about the 2018 award recipients can be found on the State of Delaware’s Employee Recognition Program web page.

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