Howard County Employees Bestowed With Various Awards, Honors

Ellicott City MD

02 October, 2020

11:21 AM

Description

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — For the first time in county history, a 50-year service award has been bestowed upon a Howard County employee, George E. Martin, who happens to be the county's longest serving employee on record. Maria Bernadzikowski, deputy director for the office of emergency management, was named the county's "2020 Employee of the Year." In a year of health and public crisis, Bernadzikowski was described by co-workers as a "consistent and effective leader and problem-solver through unchartered territory." "Our employees have shown great dedication and adaptability this year, especially through the challenges of COVID-19," said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. "I am so grateful for the talent and commitment of our staff in Howard County. My sincere congratulations to Maria for her incredible work this year, she truly has gone above and beyond to allow for continued government operations and coordinate emergency relief for our residents. Additionally, we're recognizing for the first time in Howard County history a County employee who reached 50 years of service. George Martin has been working at Howard County for my entire life, and for that, we are very grateful. Thank you for your incredible public service, passion for your work, and dedication to making Howard County better for all." George E. Martin, engineer and plans reviewer with the county department of inspections, licenses and permits, is the county's longest serving employee with 50 years of service. Martin is known as the unofficial historian of county buildings and, according to those who nominated him, "his work helps keep all residents and visitors safe through proper building codes and regulations." Other employee awards and recipients included: Contingent of the Year – This year's contingent of the year award went to Terese Klitenic with the department of community resources and services' office on aging and independence. Described as "an invaluable asset" to the office's senior health insurance program, Klitenic was recognized for her dedication to supporting the needs of Howard County's older adults. Great Idea Award – This year's first place great idea award went to Courtney Barkley, Nicole Becerra and Cynthia Saathoff with the department of community resources and services' office on aging and independence (OAI). When the coronavirus pandemic forced the closure of county facilities, including OAI's 50+ Centers, the trio led the effort to establish new partnerships and pathways to ensure Howard County's older residents received the food they needed. To date, more than 15,000 meals have been distributed to more than 250 residents. James Wilkerson with the department of planning and zoning received the second place great idea award for his efforts to modernize the county's land use database. This modernization allowed for increased efficiency and effort. Wilkerson also contributed to HoCo Dash and other innovative data projects that help make county information accessible and useful. Unsung Hero Award – This year's first place unsung hero award went to Greg Slack with the department of technology and communication services. Slack has been "instrumental" in maintaining the county's network connections among remote locations. According to his nominators, he has also "been influential in expanding, troubleshooting and maintaining" the county's use of WebEx to allow for internal and public virtual meetings and forums during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. He has made sure these tools were available to county staff day and night. The Unsung Hero second place award went to Margo Ward in the office of the state's attorney for Howard County. In response to court closures and other pandemic challenges, Ward became the de facto tech person for the office of the state's attorney. She also oversaw the office's databases that became critical to maintaining its remote operations. Green Initiative Award – Anna Schrad in the department of recreation and parks is the recipient of this year's first place green initiative award. According to her nominators, Schrad has "gone to great lengths to enhance and maintain county properties," such as the Patapsco Female Institute. Her use of native plants have helped control erosion and minimized the use of chemicals. This year's second place green initiative award went to Jeffrey Hull from the department of recreation and parks for his effort to replace the Centennial Park North pedestrian bridge with a fiberglass model that is both cost effective and good for the planet. Mentoring Award – Ryan King, a heavy vehicle operator at the department of fire and rescue services' Station 9 – Long Reach, was nominated by his fellow firefighters for his "motivating demeanor and ongoing support of others." He also was recognized for his continuous encouragement of others to advance their skills and training for higher career opportunities. Leadership Award – Tiffany Vaira, chief of district court for the office of the state's attorney for Howard County, is this year's leadership award recipient. During court closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, Tiffany has been "vital to continuing the function of the office" through teleworking practices and spearheading other adjustments to the office's remote operations. Customer Service Awards – Robert Hollenbeck, department of public works (first place – internal) Alexandria Bonavita, office of the state's attorney for Howard County (second place – internal) Lisa Rhodes, department of community resources and services' office of children and families (first place – public) Firefighter/Paramedic Christina Castro, department of fire and rescue services (second place – public) Customer Service Team awards – Internal: Comprised of Christine Bain, Theresa Buckingham, Brian Campbell, Kevin Costin, Dean Drumheller, Shavon Gordon, Kori Jones, Lakishia Major, Cynthia McIntyre and Stephanie Wise, the department of recreation and parks emergency child care team helped ensure county first responders had the necessary childcare options available to them to allow them to report to work during the coronavirus pandemic. Public: The department of recreation and parks' emergency food delivery team coordinated with the Howard County Public School to deliver more than 5,000 meals to children through county recreation programs and camps. Led by Susan Potts, the team consisted of Tracy Adkins, William Banks, Shawnte Berry, Krista Billingsley, Melissa Byrne, Scott Corning, Rachel Curry, Richard Dubois, William Dunmore, Curtis Gore, Alonzo Hall, Jr., Donna Jackson-Parker, Kori Jones, Lakishia Major, Julia Martin, Patrick McGinnis, Carson Nickell, Anastasis Pyzik and Victoria Taylor. In addition to the above awards, 20 county employees were also recognized for their 35 and 40 years of service to Howard County Government across several departments.