ANOKA, Minn. – (March 24, 2016) – A group of Anoka County employees were recognized at this year’s Awards of Excellence presentation at the March 22 Anoka County Board meeting. The awards are given annually to recognize outstanding work by county employees in several categories. Recipients were nominated for the awards by fellow employees and members of the public. “This recognition program gives us an opportunity to acknowledge the great work our employees do for the people of Anoka County,” said Rhonda Sivarajah, chair, Anoka County Board of Commissioners. The awards were given in six categories this year: Teamwork, Customer Service, Leadership, Performance, Innovation, and Promoting Diversity.
The recipients are:
- Teamwork: This award is given to a group that exemplifies “excellence in documented improvements accomplished by a team.” The recipients are Jodi Wald, Jenn Straumann, Jason Smalley, Judy Soule, and John Goebel for their work to build a team collaboration site for Library staff using SharePoint.
- Customer Service: The Customer Service Award is presented to an individual who “demonstrates courteous effort, a high degree of efficiency, the ability to respond to needs, and who frequently goes the extra mile in responding to the requests of internal or external customers.” This year’s recipient is Gina Eckes from the Economic Assistance Department. Along with her professionalism and excellent communication skills, Gina was cited for her outstanding efforts working with the Partnership for Family Success, a program that focuses on families who face multiple barriers and have complex cases.
- Leadership: The Leadership Award is presented to an employee who “displays exemplary vision, leadership, and dedication.” Gayle Alexander from the Community Resource and Volunteer Unit received this year’s award for successfully organizing and managing all aspects of relocating an entire work unit from one building to another.
- Performance: The Performance Award is given to an individual who “demonstrates superior performance, or makes a significant contribution to the accomplishment of key organization goals and objectives.” Laurie Larson, of the County Attorney’s office, received the award this year for the extraordinary degree of energy, innovation, and professionalism she brings to her work.
- Innovation: The Innovation Award is presented to an individual or group whose “effort results in a significant cost savings or who maximizes program effectiveness.” The Disk Based Backup Solution Team is this year’s winner for developing a system that allows Information Technology staff to back up county data on high speed disk drives instead of slower magnetic tape drives, saving both time and money in the process. Team members are Cory Storms, Steve Schmidt, Josh Bydlon, Al Rautio, Dan Lekatz, and Dave Devries.
- Promoting Diversity: The Promoting Diversity Award is given to an individual or group who “has made considerable progress toward promoting diversity within its organization.” This year’s award goes to Shannon Melham and Kristine Yost for their efforts to make a job training experience for an English Language Learner a positive one for the student, library staff, and the community.
“Congratulations to all our award winners,” Sivarajah said. “We are so fortunate to have a team of employees who work hard every day to achieve our mission of service with respect and innovation, yet always keep an eye to the bottom line.”
