NEVADA CITY, Calif. March 14, 2017 – Nevada County’s 2016 Employee Recognition awards were presented today by the Supervisors to staff in the following categories: Employee of the Year, Creative Employee of the Year, Enthusiastic Employee of the Year, Dedicated Employee of the Year, Supervisor of the Year, Team of the Year, and Safety Champion.
Nominated by their peers and supervisors, the winners are selected by a panel composed of one Elected Official, the County Administrative Officer or his/her designee, one representative of the Department Heads Association, one employee representative, one representative from the community at large.
The Nominees and Winners are:
Employee Of The Year
1. Phebe Bell
2. Angie Coffey
3. Shaun Cummins
4. Donna Fry
5. Carol Merrall
6. Shannan Moon
7. Rory Sonnier
8. Debra Wilson
Said Chair Hank Weston: “This year’s employee of the year winner uses innovative ideas and an open door policy to develop successful partnerships with others in and around the community. This year’s winner values open, honest communication and always has the mentality of, ‘How can we do this better?’ This employee works hard to develop and foster relationships with those whom some would consider professional adversaries. As a result of this person’s efforts, the work unit is experiencing a cultural change for the better. This year’s employee of the year winner is Captain Shannan Moon of the Sheriff’s Office.”
Enthusiastic Employee Of The Year
1. Barry Anderson
2. Melissa Blais
3. Megan Brooks
4. Teri Collins
5. Hayley Elrod
6. Shianne Frank
7. Sue Piscatella
District III Supervisor Dan Miller presented the award, saying “This year’s enthusiastic employee of the year used team-building strategies, humor, and a ‘can do’ attitude to support the department and the customers. This employee inspires others by an enthusiasm and willingness to shoulder more than the normal share of the work. Community partners often ask for this person to lead programs and to conduct outdoor team-building activities because of this person’s infectious attitude. This year’s enthusiastic employee is Hayley Elrod from Behavioral Health.””
Creative Employee Of The Year
1. James Brennan
2. Cathy Cross
3. Shianne Frank
4. Mark Heine
5. Donna Hendrich
6. Kristin Long
Chair Hank Weston also presented this award: “This year’s creative employee of the year used professional skills to think outside the box in new ways. This year’s winner was able to express how kids would benefit from use of Burton Homestead Land’s facilities and grounds. As a result, access to a campsite, ponds, tree bridges, and trails are available to kids. This year’s winner also expressed in words compelling reasons why the department would benefit from a grant, and the department won $2,500 as a result. This person uses colorful, heartfelt postings of encouraging quotations to inspire office staff and customers. Mark Heine from Behavioral Health is this year’s creative employee of the year.”
Supervisor Of The Year
1. Angie Coffey
2. Chris Lyon (2)
3. Guy Selleck (2)
4. Cynthia Wilson
5. Stacy Zachary
6. Suzanne McMaster
District I Supervisor Heidi Hall presented the award, stating “This year’s supervisor of the year winner is a champion not only for the team, but for the customers that this winner works with. This year’s winner is known to be compassionate, dedicated, and hard-working. This person’s leadership style earns respect from subordinates, supervisors, and customers. This employee understands the importance of balancing rules with humanity and in treating people like people—regardless of where they are in life. This year’s winner has incorporated many projects within the work unit that support staff as well as clients. This year’s supervisor of the year is Stacy Zachary from the Sheriff’s Office.”
Dedicated Employee Of The Year
1. John Browning
2. Cara Carvalho
3. Angie Coffey
4. Teri Collins
5. Dawn Federmeyer
6. Robert Ferrer
7. Kevin Gunning
8. Nick McBurney
9. Ed Peevey
10. Judith Richert
11. Ben Kopec
12. Chelsea Skaliski
District II Supervisor Ed Scofield said “This year’s dedicated employee of the year winner works tirelessly tackling the voluminous work of processing applications from people who don’t want to pay certain debts that might be owed. This year’s winner researches the application, visits the applicant, and becomes an expert in the part of the law that might apply to the situation. Even when the decision turns out to be unfavorable to a customer, and the customer is informed that money is owed, the customer knows that this person has treated them fairly and honestly. This year’s dedicated employee of the year winner is Teri Collins from the Assessor’s Office.”
Safety Recognition Award
1. John Beckett-Probation
2. ID Badge Safety Project-HR & IGS
District III Supervisor Dan Miller presented the safety award: “This year’s safety recognition award winner helped add an extra measure of safety to staff and the public. As a result of the efforts by this winner, we are better able to know that we are working around people that belong here in the buildings. This winner’s efforts produced 900 clear, large images of employees, volunteers, and contractors and affixed them on badges. This year’s safety recognition winner is the ID Badge Photo Upgrade Team from IGS and Human Resources.”
Team Of The Year
1. DCSS-Innovation to Improve Children’s Lives
2. CPS/CalWorks (Continuum of Care Reform)
3. Up to the Challenge – Probation Dept.
4. J. Hall (Brooks, Duran, French, Fleming)
5. PH-Disaster Crisis Response Team
6. PH/HHSA-Truckee Clinic Team
7. Public Works- Sanitation District I – Atmospheric River Storm Response Team
8. PH – PH Immunization Clinic Team
9. HR Open Enrollment Communications Team
District V Supervisor Richard Anderson presented not one, but two awards in the category. “This year’s first team of the year winner took a program and turned it on its head. The results improved the quality of service to customers, enhanced the growth and development of staff, increased the department’s revenues, and—very importantly—improved the rates of childhood immunization rates in our County.
This year’s first team of the year is the Immunization Clinic Quality Improvement Project from Public Health.”
The selection team awarded a second ‘Team of the Year’ award.
“This year’s second team of the year provided exceptional customer service this past year through its focused efforts on reaching hard to serve populations, including teenagers. They also proactively addressed a gap in the health care system in the area by expanding services to reach an even broader swath of the community. Title X, the State’s oversight unit, has recognized this team as among the top health clinics of its kind in the State. The Truckee Family Planning Clinic Team is this year’s second team of the year winner.”
Editor’s note: Congratulations to all the nominees and winners. Thank you for your service!