Chair Cogen and the Board of County Commissioners hosted the fourth annual Multnomah County Employee Awards Ceremony to honor individuals and teams for their commitment to public service. After receiving 50 nominations, including more than 250 employees in six categories, we are pleased to announce the winners of the 2013 Multnomah County Employee Awards.
Diversity and Cultural Competency Award – Victoria Cross – Health Department
In recognition of Victoria’s exemplary work in creating the Employee Resource Group for Immigrants and Refugees; for the ongoing facilitation of that group, and her commitment to the success of Multnomah County employees from all cultures and backgrounds. Victoria has also taken what she’s learned in developing an employee resource group, and shared it with others at the Northwest Public Employees Diversity Conference.
Employee Innovation Award – Multnomah Evolves – Central Stores Team
This team was tasked with finding a completely new way of doing business related to ordering, delivering and storing supplies for the entire Multnomah County workforce. They did it while facing drastic changes to their own positions and came in on-time and under budget, saving the county $500,000 annually.
§ Aimee Ortiz – DCA
§ Barry Zimmerman – DCM
§ Catheraine James – DCA
§ Chris Wingerd - MCSO
§ Claudia Arvidson – DCS
§ Colleen Bowles – DCA
§ Darren Chilton – HD
§ David Harris – DCA
§ David Papworth – DCA
§ Diana Hoeft – DCM
§ Dorian Gualotunia – DCA
§ Dorothy Johnson – DCA
§ Dwight Wallis – DCA
§ Liz McCormick – DCA
§ Eric Garris – DCS
§ Erin Amundson – DCA
§ Garret Vanderzanden – DCA
§ James Smith – DCA
§ Jane Williams – DCM
§ Jeffrey Hagen – Library
§ Jim Norling – DCA
§ Jim Randazzo – DCM
§ Joanne Fuller – DCM
§ Joe Trussel – DCA
§ Julie Neburka – DCA
§ Julie Maggio – DCA
§ Kelly Wilhelm – Health
§ Ken Convery – DCA
§ Korrie Hicks – DCA
§ Korrie Erickson - DCHS
§ Larry Bartasavich – DCA
§ Madeleine Mader – DCA
§ Mike Waddell – DCM
§ Nancy Smith – DCA
§ Nick Pizzuto – DCA
§ Percy Winters – Health
§ Robin LeConche – DCA
§ Robin Walton – DCA
§ Sherry Swackhamer – DCA
§ Todd Treadway – DCM
§ Tony Dornbusch – DCA
§ Vincent Bargas – DCHS
§ Wendy Lear – Health
Outstanding Team Achievement Award – Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Project Team – Information Technology
This project was created to isolate all Multnomah County Sheriff's Office applications, reduce downtime impacts to MCSO users, and meet identified CJIS data isolation requirements. The project evolved into a major upgrade of almost every hardware and software component, including migration to more modern technologies, simplified application processes, and alignment with new data center standards. All of this was completed while simultaneously supporting the applications in the legacy environment.
§ Andrew Potter – MCSO
§ Christopher Clancy – DCA
§ Christopher Jam – DCA
§ Donna Ota – DCA
§ Eric Goodell – DCA
§ James Still – DCA
§ Jason Heilbrun – DCA
§ John Barkhurst – DCA
§ Karl Backstrand – DCA
§ Linda Swanson – DCA
§ Lucy Phan – DCA
§ Margaret Duerscher – DCA
§ Nga Le – DCA
§ Stanley Mason – DCA
§ Stephen Robertson – DCA
§ Tamara Williams – DCA
§ Tiffany Hsiao – DCA
§ Tim Kurilo – DCA
§ William Kwok – DCA
Superior Public Service to External Customers – Mike Pullen – Communications Office
Mike Pullen has been the county face for communications on all aspects of the Sellwood Bridge Project for the past seven years. His efforts have helped maintain the positive atmosphere throughout the project, and his patience, helpfulness and communication work is highly regarded by his peers and the public.
Superior Public Service to Internal Customers – Coury Coates – Department of County Human Services – Developmental Disabilities Unit
Coury Coates is being recognized for exceptional case management services with the Children’s Program, while also serving as the point person for 30 other case managers to secure Family Support funding for more than 250 families a year, and being the “go-to” person for resources and training.
Sustainability Award – Facilities & Property Management HVAC Engineer Shop – Department of County Assets
Nominated for the great work they do, serving the County’s buildings, ranging from the new LEED Certified East County Courthouse to the obsolete systems at the historic downtown Courthouse. They are being recognized in this category for the efforts they make to reduce the county’s global footprint.
§ Bradley Cole
§ Cale Adams
§ Gary Henderson
§ Gary Donnelly
§ Joe Gipson
§ Kevin Hendley
§ Pierre Morton
§ Robert Griffiths
§ Robert Hale
§ Robert Person
§ Rodney Martin
§ Samarith Loeung
§ Shannon Thornton
Chair’s Excellence Award – Bienestar de la Familia – Department of County Human Services
This team was nominated five times; three in the category of Outstanding Team, twice in Diversity and Cultural Competency. What resonated most was how dedicated this team is to serving their community, their students, families of varying backgrounds and resources, and with a passion that is impacting families for generations.
§ Betty Espinel
§ Fernando Sanjines
§ Julie Preciado
§ Nabil Zaghloul
§ Raquel Aguillon
§ Virginia Salinas
Hearty congratulations to the winners, and to each and every nominee who continues to demonstrate the passion, commitment and hard work that Multnomah County employees exemplify every day.
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