State employees honored for excellence and commitment to public service

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Monday signed a proclamation announcing May 1 – 7, 2022 as Public Service Recognition Week. This week has been celebrated during the first week of May since 1985 to honor the contributions of federal, state, county, and local government employees. Governor Carney, cabinet members, and the business community will recognize the inspirational service and commitment of Delaware’s public servants through a series of videos highlighting the extraordinary work of state employees. 

“Our state employees work hard every day to make Delaware a better place to live and work,” said Governor Carney. “These past few years have been especially challenging, but we are moving forward thanks to the commitment and perseverance of our employees. With the support of Delaware’s business community, we are able to present some of our most outstanding employees with well-deserved awards. I’d like to thank all of our public servants for their work to improve the lives of Delawareans.”

During Public Service Recognition Week, individuals and teams of state employees will be honored for their excellence and commitment to public service in the last year – including employees who identified innovative new ways to deliver state services, and those who demonstrated acts of heroism and courage. 

Awards will be presented in the following categories:

• Tuesday, May 3 – Delaware Award for Excellence and Commitment in State Service 
• Wednesday, May 4 – Governor’s Team Excellence Award (Champions Award, Commitment Award)
• Thursday, May 5 – GEAR P3 Innovation & Efficiency Award and GEAR P3 Trailblazer Award
• Friday, May 6 – 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. In addition, the GEAR P3 Trailblazer Award provides special recognition for those individuals whose accomplishments demonstrate leadership in application of continuous improvement best practices.

Recipients of the 2021 award are:

• Amber Clendaniel, Department of Human Resources
• Cynthia Coleman, Superior Court
• Anne Fenimore, Gloria Henry, and Vertie Lee (with Sakinaa Rock), Department of State
• Casey Kim, Department of Technology and Information 

 

GEAR P3 Trailblazer Award 

• Holly Reynolds, 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. 

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 Overdose and Police Diversion Program Team, Delaware State Police, Department of Health and Social Services, and Department of Justice

Champions Award 

This award recognizes teams that demonstrated 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:

• DelDOT Vaccination Site Coordination Team, Department of Transportation 
• Office of Unclaimed Property Money Match Team, Department of Finance, Office of State Treasurer, and Department of Technology and Information

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:

• iLEAD Delaware Leadership Program Team, Department of Human Resources
• DART Connect Micro-Transit Pilot Program Team, Department of Transportation/Delaware Transit Corporation
• Port of Wilmington Expansion Project Permitting Team, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control

 

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 of the awards include Bank of America, Corporation Service Company (CSC), ChristianaCare, 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 2021 recipients are:

• Barbara Bell, Yvette Fenn, Isaac Harris, Alethea Miller, and Diane Penland (with Elena Dill, Amy Fierro, Debra Remner, Melissa Sangare, and Glenroy Warner), Department of Health and Social Services.
• Manuel Carlis and Sabrina Ellerbe, Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families
• Deanna Carnevale and Shane Russell, Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families
• Donald Deputy (with Eric Jensen), Department of Transportation
• Travis Schirmer, Department of Transportation
• Jonathan Simmons and Richard Wyatt, Department of Transportation

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More than 200 state employees and their family members have registered to show artwork at Delaware State University Art Center/Gallery

Dover, Del. (February 16, 2022) – The Delaware Division of the Arts is hosting the 11th annual Delaware State Employee Art Exhibition. The free exhibition will be open to the public from February 21 to March 14, 2022 at the Art Center/Gallery at Delaware State University, Dover. This year, more than 200 State of Delaware employees and their family members submitted artwork and will be competing for awards and cash prizes. Prizes to be awarded include:

• Adult, Amateur, Intermediate and Professional: First Place Awards of $350; Second Place Awards of $250; and Third Place Awards of $150
• Youth / Teen: First Place Awards of $150; Second Place Awards of $100; and Third Place Awards of $50
• A Best of Show Award of $400
• An Art Education Award of $200 for reimbursement for arts instruction and materials
• People’s Choice Award, Facebook and in-person ballot

Additional awards including Honorable Mentions will be awarded at the discretion of the judges. Awards are limited to one cash award per artist per classification.

Visitors are invited to join Division and Art Center/Gallery staff for a special, weekend-long celebration of all this year’s participants and to see the winning artwork during the exhibition’s final weekend, Saturday, March 12 and Sunday, March 13 from 12-4 p.m. There will be activities, snacks, and giveaways for Gallery visitors.

The exhibition at the Arts Center/Gallery can be viewed during these hours:

• Monday: Closed to the public
• Tuesday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Wednesday-Friday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Saturdays, March 5 and March 12: 12-4 p.m.
• Sunday, March 13: 12-4 p.m.

Full visitor information can be found here.

Sponsored by the National Arts Program in support and cooperation with the State of Delaware and the Delaware Division of the Arts, the exhibit is judged by professional artists and visual art professionals. The Delaware State Employee Art Exhibition is designed to give artists at all skill levels a unique opportunity to exhibit their creative work and to compete for cash prizes.

Participants must be a current employee or immediate family member of a current employee of the State of Delaware. All entries must be the original work of the applicant and completed within the last three years. View last year’s participant artwork.

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Contact: Kaitlin Ammon, Program Officer, Marketing and Communications
302-577-8280, kaitlin.ammon@delaware.gov

State Employees Recognized for Outstanding Achievements

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Monday signed a proclamation recognizing May 2–8, 2021, as Public Service Recognition Week. Governor Carney, cabinet members, and the business community will celebrate Delaware’s public servants throughout the week in videos highlighting the extraordinary work of state employees. 

“It is an honor to have the opportunity to work with our dedicated and hard-working state employees,” said Governor Carney. “Our public servants persevered through the challenges of this past year, and they continue to go above and beyond to serve the citizens of Delaware.”

The Department of Human Resources traditionally hosts an in-person annual recognition event during Public Service Recognition Week. This year, in a series of videos, the State will honor individuals and teams of state employees across our workforce who exemplified excellence and commitment to public service in the last year – including employees who identified innovative new ways to deliver state services, and those who demonstrated acts of heroism and courage.  Awards will be presented in the following categories:

• Tuesday, May 4 – Delaware Award for Excellence and Commitment in State Service 
• Wednesday, May 5 – Governor’s Team Excellence Award (Champions Award, Commitment Award)
• Thursday, May 6 – GEAR P3 Trailblazer Award, GEAR P3 Innovation & Efficiency Award
• Friday, May 7 – 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 five State of Delaware employees, or groups of up to five 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:

• Charles Harris, Department of Health and Social Services
• Anne Hiller Clark, Division of Libraries
• Stacey Purnell, Department of Health and Social Services
• Wayne Smiley, Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families
• Dawn Stevens, Department of Correction

GEAR P3 Trailblazer Award 

• Brent Johnson, Department of Finance
• Kalee Nelson, Department of Technology and Information
• Michael O’Malley & Jonathan Rutledge, Department of Homeland Security

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 recipients of this year’s award are:

• Judicial Information Center COVID Response Team,Administrative Office of the Courts
• Government Support Services Central Contracting Team, Office of Management and Budget

Champions Award 

This award recognizes teams that demonstrated 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:

• Special Events Team, Department of Transportation
• Technology Response to COVID-19 Pandemic Team, Department of Technology and Information
• Telework Support Team, Department of Health and Social Services

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:

• Bridge Maintenance Team, Department of Transportation
• DMV Online Appointment Scheduler Team,Department of Transportation and Department of Technology and Information
• DSAAPD Neuro-Behavioral Health Team,Department of Health and Social Services

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 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.

 

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:

• Keytwan Brooks, Department of Transportation
• Justin Sauble, Department of Transportation
• Robert Stevens,Department of Transportation
• Stewart Megee, Department of Transportation
• Fred Beach,Steven Beck, Walter Bruhl, William Fintak, Jennifer Gabriele, and 
  Ronald “Skip” LeMieux, with volunteer “Chief” Larry Keller, Department of State.

 

Detailed information about the award recipients can be found on the State of Delaware’s Employee Recognition webpage de.gov/govawards. 

 

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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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More than 280 state employees and their family members have registered to show artwork at Delaware State University Art Center/Gallery

Dover, Del. (February 17, 2020) – The free exhibition will be open to the public from February 24 to March 25, 2020 at the Art Center/Gallery at Delaware State University, Dover. CANCELED AS OF 3/12/2020 The reception and awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, March 15 at 1 p.m. in the Longwood Auditorium, Bank of America Building at Delaware State University. Prizes to be awarded include:

• Adult, Amateur, Intermediate and Professional: 3 – First Place Awards of $350; 3 – Second Place Awards of $250; and 3 – Third Place Awards of $150
• Youth / Teen: 2 – First Place Awards of $150; 2- Second Place Awards of $100; and 2 – Third Place Awards of $50
• A Best of Show Award of $400
• An Art Education Award of $200 for reimbursement for arts instruction and materials
• People’s Choice Award, Facebook and in-person ballot

Additional awards including Honorable Mentions will be awarded at the discretion of the judges. Awards are limited to one cash award per artist per classification.

Sponsored by the National Arts Program in support and cooperation with the State of Delaware and the Delaware Division of the Arts, the exhibit is judged by professional artists and visual art professionals. The Delaware State Employee Art Exhibition is designed to give artists at all skill levels a unique opportunity to exhibit their creative work and to compete for cash prizes.

Participants must be a current employee or immediate family member of a current employee of the State of Delaware. All entries must be the original work of the applicant and completed within the last three years. View last year’s participant artwork.

Gallery Hours

Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday, 2/29 and 3/7 from noon to 4 p.m.; Sunday 3/15 from 1 to 3 p.m. Visitor information

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Contact: Leeann Wallett, Program Officer, Communications and Marketing
302-577-8280, leeann.wallett@delaware.gov