State employees recognized for excellence and commitment to public service
WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Monday signed a proclamation announcing May 7-13, 2023 as Public Service Recognition Week. Beginning on the first Sunday of May, the week is devoted to recognizing and paying tribute to government employees who provide valuable services to Delawareans while keeping the public sector running smoothly. The Governor, together with members of his Cabinet and the state’s business community, will acknowledge the outstanding work of state employees and honor our exceptional public servants through a series of videos released each day.
“We are fortunate to have devoted state employees that are dedicated to the people of Delaware,” said Governor Carney. “Even after navigating through a really challenging time during the pandemic, they continue to provide an exceptional level of service that keeps our state running well. I’m thrilled to recognize some of our employees with awards thanks to a partnership with our business community. Thank you to all our public servants for their hard work and making Delaware a great state to live and work.”
“State employees rock,” said Department of Human Resources Secretary Claire DeMatteis. “They show up day in and day out no matter how difficult the job, demonstrating grit, grace, determination and compassion. I am proud to be a state employee and serve alongside so many committed professionals.”
During Public Service Recognition Week, individuals and teams of state employees will be honored for their excellence and commitment to public service during the 2022 calendar year. This includes recognizing employees who identified creative new ways to provide state services, as well as those who exhibited acts of heroism and courage.
Awards will be presented in the following categories:
- Tuesday, May 9 – Delaware Award for Excellence and Commitment in State Service
- Wednesday, May 10 – Governor’s Team Excellence Award (Commitment Award, Champions Award)
- Thursday, May 11 – GEAR P3 Innovation & Efficiency Award and GEAR P3 Trailblazer Award
- Friday, May 12 – Delaware Award for Heroism
Recognition videos will premiere each day at 11:00 a.m. on youtube.com/johncarneyde.
Delaware Award for Excellence and Commitment in State Service Award
The Delaware Award for Excellence and Commitment in State Service Award is presented to up to five State of Delaware employees, or small groups of up to five employees, who exemplify the highest standards of excellence and commitment in state service.
Recipients of the 2022 award are:
- Angela Foraker, Department of Health and Social Services
- Nadeim Ghoryani, Department of Technology and Information
- Robin Jenkins, Judicial Branch
- Lisa Tingle, Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families
- Linda Velott, Department of Finance
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.
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 recipients of this year’s award are:
- Shoreline and Waterway Management Section-Beach Crew – Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
- Consumer Reporting Form Re-Platforming Team – Department of Health and Social Services
- DMV on the Go – Department of Transportation
Champions Award
This award recognizes teams that demonstrate a superior knowledge of continuous quality improvement techniques, produce tangible results, and increase efficiencies, customer satisfaction, or cost savings. Recipients of this year’s award are:
- Bridge Buprenorphine Induction Program Team – Department of Health and Social Services
- Gun Violence Intervention Delaware Operations Team – Department of Health and Social Services; Department of Correction; Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families; Department of Safety and Homeland Security; and Department of Justice
- Casho Mill Road Clankers Team – Department of Transportation
GEAR P3 Innovation & Efficiency Award
This top award honors teams that not only use continuous improvement tools to achieve outstanding results but also develop innovative designs and processes, 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 recipients of this year’s award are:
- Restore the Corridor Team – Department of Transportation
- Delaware Relief Rebate Team – Department of Finance
GEAR P3 Trailblazer Award
The GEAR P3 Trailblazer Award provides special recognition for individuals or small teams of employees who implement projects that increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability of State government. These recipients are acknowledged for using continuous improvement tools to develop innovative processes, establish best practices, and produce verifiable results that are impactful, sustainable, and adaptable to other areas of government.
Recipients of the 2022 award are:
- Brian Calio, Department of Health and Human Services
- DLC Portal Team, Department of Human Resources – Darlene Hicken-Gott, Ashley Kavanagh and James Robinson
- Tonia Muncey, Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families
- Larry Trunfio, Department of Human Resources
- James T. Vaughn American Correctional Association Accreditation Team – Department of Correction – Kara Austin, Renee Gutowski Chelsey Pernic, Damaris Slawik, and Michael Trader
The GEAR P3 Trailblazer Award and the GEAR P3 Innovation and Efficiency 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. Private sector contributors include Bank of America, Corporation Service Company (CSC), Delmarva Power, Highmark BCBS Delaware, JP Morgan Chase Bank, M&T Bank, The Precisionists Inc. (TPI), W.L. Gore & Associates, and WSFS Bank.
“As chairman of the Governor’s Efficiency & Accountability Review (GEAR) P3 Taskforce for 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 & Efficiency, and Trailblazer Awards. This program is a terrific step toward better government, and in recognizing state employees and teams on outstanding accomplishments,” said Ernie Dianastasis, CEO of The Precisionists (TPI).
Delaware Award for Heroism
The Delaware Award for Heroism, established in 2013, recognizes state employees for acts of heroism and courage. The 2022 recipients are:
- Van Adams and Trevor McColley, Department of Transportation
- Jeffrey Hansen and Timothy McCrary, Department of Correction
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