Public Servants Recognized for Outstanding Achievements 

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney, Cabinet members, and the business community celebrate the extraordinary work of Delaware’s public servants and present awards annually to state employees that have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to their work. Historically, the Department of Human Resources hosts an annual recognition event during Public Service Recognition Week; however, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented employees from gathering for an event. Instead, awards are being distributed to individual and team recipients this week.

“State of Delaware employees deserve to be recognized every day for their commitment to their work and dedication to public service – especially during this time of crisis,” said Governor Carney. “State workers have stepped up for Delawareans during this COVID-19 pandemic, delivering important services that families rely on. I know it hasn’t been easy, but we recognize and appreciate that commitment to service.”

This year’s GEAR P3 Innovation and Efficiency Award and the new Trailblazer Award were made possible through the support of the Government Efficiency and Accountability Review (GEAR) Board and a Public-Private Partnership (P3) between the State of Delaware and the Delaware business community. These awards recognize State employees with the highest level of performance excellence in continuous improvement activities. Private Sector contributors of the awards include Bank of America, Capital One, Corporation Service Company (CSC), Delmarva Power, Highmark BCBS, JP Morgan Chase Bank, M&T Bank, The Precisionists Inc. (TPI), and WSFS Bank. Governor Carney emphasized the importance of these contributors, saying “I’m grateful for our continued partnership with the State’s business community and for their support in honoring these employees.”

“As the private sector representative of Governor Carney’s GEAR initiative, I am thrilled that the private sector, with the strong backing of the Delaware Business Roundtable and the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, has partnered again with The State of Delaware on the Public-Private Partnership (P3) Governor’s Innovation and Efficiency Awards. This program is a terrific step toward better government, and in recognizing state employees and teams on outstanding accomplishments,” said Ernie Dianastasis.

Governor’s Team Excellence Awards

This award category includes the GEAR P3 Innovation & Efficiency Award; Champions Award; and Commitment Award. The Governor’s Team Excellence Awards, presented annually to a team of six to 20 state employees, 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.

GEAR P3 Innovation & Efficiency Award

This top award is a cooperative initiative between the State of Delaware and the business community. This public private partnership honors teams that not only use continuous quality tools to achieve outstanding outcomes but also develop innovative designs and process, establish best practices, and produce verifiable results that are sustainable, scalable, and adaptable to other areas of government. These teams serve as clear role models for other organizations. The recipient of this year’s award is:

• Delaware One Stop Rebuild Team, Department of State, Department of Technology and Information, Department of Finance, and Department of Labor

Champions Award

This award recognizes teams that demonstrate a superior knowledge of continuous quality improvement techniques, produced tangible results, and increased efficiencies, customer satisfaction, or cost savings. Recipients of this year’s award are:

• SR1 Christiana Mall Project Team, Department of Transportation
• Drug Intervention Notification Program Team, Department of Health and Social Services and Delaware Criminal Justice Information System

Commitment Award

This award recognizes teams that demonstrate a commitment to developing and applying quality improvement tools and techniques and achieving results that lead to continuous improvement in their organization. The recipient of this year’s award is:

• Elections Systems Migration Team, Department of Elections, Department of Technology and Information, Department of Transportation, and Delaware Criminal Justice Information System

Delaware Award for Excellence and Commitment in State Service Award

The Delaware Award for Excellence and Commitment in State Service Award, established in 1990, is given to five State of Delaware employees, or groups of up to six employees, who exemplify the highest standards of excellence and commitment in state service. In addition, the GEAR P3 Trailblazer Award provides special recognition for those individuals and small groups whose accomplishments demonstrate leadership in application of continuous improvement best practices. Recipients of the 2020 award are:

• Mary Baker and Kathleen Truitt, Department of Services for Children Youth and Their Families
• Thomas Gilbert, Department of Transportation
• James Henry, Office of Management and Budget
• Carole Mick, Department of State
• Christopher Miller, Department of Agriculture

GEAR P3 Trailblazer Award

• Anthony DiCicco, Department of Technology and Information
• PCMA Group
  • Jessica Guido-Brown, Department of Health and Social Services
  • Melissa Winters, Department of Health and Social Services

Delaware Award for Heroism

The Delaware Award for Heroism, established in 2013, recognizes state employees for acts of heroism and courage. The 2020 recipients are:

• Christopher Camacho, Department of Correction
• Joshua Churchill, Department of Correction
• Evan Taylor, Department of Transportation
• William Forbes, Department of Transportation
• Paula Thomas, Department of Health and Social Services
• Amy Edwards, Department of Health and Social Services
• Betty Jo Charles, Department of Health and Social Services
• Sean McHale, Justice of the Peace Court

Detailed information about the award recipients can be found on the State of Delaware’s Employee Recognition webpage at https://dhr.delaware.gov/training/award/.

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