The Board of Multnomah County Commissioners recognized county employees celebrating 15 to 45 years of service at a ceremony on Tuesday, December 7. The event drew its largest turnout yet, filling the boardroom with over 100 employees and their supporters.
Honorees came from every county department to celebrate a combined service of over 2,000 years. Members of the board spoke about several long-time employees at the ceremony before handing out certificates to all the honorees.
Ivy Scazzafavo, Employee Benefits Analyst
Ivy is a self-taught “data geek” whose mastery of complex databases has earned her the reputation of the “woman to go to when no else has answers.” In over 15 years at Multnomah County, Ivy has worked for many departments, including the Sheriff’s Office, the Library and the Health Department. Her time in other departments has given her a wide range of experience, knowledge and contacts to share with her colleagues. Her husband, Brian Scazzafavo, a case manager for DCHS, was honored for 20 years of service at the ceremony.
Kim Fairbanks Lee, Community Health Nurse
During her 25-year tenure at the county, Kim has worked as a nurse in corrections, telephone triage, women’s health, internal medicine and family practice. Kim has also volunteered extensively, lending her expertise and compassion to the diabetic care management committee, local nursing students and the union.
Joan Smith, Youth Librarian
During 30 years of service, Joan has literally been through flood and fire—she fought a furnace fire and endured a basement flood at the Belmont Library. Joan is recognized in the community not for her brave encounters with the elements, but for her work in children’s literacy. She founded Reading Readiness, the program known today as Building Blocks to Literacy, and was named Portland’s best children’s librarian by Portland Monthly Magazine in 2004.