City Recognizes Employee & Team of the Year and First Quarter Award Winners
Gaithersburg, MD – (July 21, 2020) During the virtual meeting of the Mayor and City Council on Monday, July 20, 2020, Acting City Manager Dennis Enslinger presented the 2019 City of Gaithersburg Carl Webb Employee of the Year Award to Siobhan Halmos and the Team of the Year Award to the Parks Maintenance Team. Custodian/Maintenance Worker Maria (Chilo) Membreno, Permitting Manager Bobbie Fulmer, and the Census and Telework Setup Teams were also recognized with Employee Recognition Awards for the first quarter of calendar year 2020.
Annual Awards
The Employee and Team of the Year winners were selected from a pool of quarterly winners reviewed by the City’s Employee Recognition Committee, which is made up of peers from each department. Typically the Employee and Team of the Year awards are announced during the annual employee recognition luncheon. Due the pandemic crisis, this year’s in-person event was cancelled.
The 2019 Carl Webb Employee of the Year Award, named for a former Public Works employee who exemplified the ideals of hard work, integrity, honesty, and enthusiasm, was presented to Siobhan Halmos, Program Supervisor for the Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture. Siobhan is recognized for her commitment and dedication to the City’s parks programming, including youth sports programs, golf tournaments and use of public school facilities.
The Team of the Year award was presented to the Parks Maintenance Team, comprised of Jason Braithwaite, Mark Smith, Charles (Bill) Gilbert, Andrew Rosencrantz, and Lloyd Piar of the Department of Public Works. The Team is recognized for its dedication, commitment and extra efforts to help install the “Where Angels Play” playground at City Hall’s Griffith Park within a very short timeframe. The Gemmell Family Playground honors and celebrates the lives of Marie, Cole and Devin Gemmell, who were tragically killed in 2014 when a private plane crashed into their family home near the Montgomery County Airport. The City featured the Gemmell Family Playground in the fall 2019 edition of inGaithersburg magazine, available here.
First Quarter 2020 Awards
Due to the unique nature of timing with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Employee Recognition Committee created two award timeframes – January 1, 2020 through March 17, 2020, prior to the pandemic, and March 17, 2020 through April 30, 2020, during the pandemic. The effort was to ensure that outstanding public service efforts both prior to and during the pandemic received the recognition they deserved.
Maria (Chilo) Membreno, Kentlands Mansion Custodian/Maintenance Worker with the Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture, was named Employee of the First Quarter (pre-pandemic) for her dedication and commitment to maintaining and cleaning Kentlands Mansion, both on a day-to-day basis and during numerous special events. Chilo is generally the first one to arrive at the Mansion, comes in on the weekends, and adjusts her schedule to accommodate special events. She is known to complete her work with a great deal of pride and dedication. Staff noted that Chilo is always dependable and conscientious, taking care of all the details in such a way that always goes above and beyond expectations.
The Census Team, comprised of Lauren Sukal, Britta Monaco, Jeff Baldwin, Amy McGuire, Samantha Sekellick and Jimmy Frazier-Bey of the Department of Community and Public Relations, Kirk Eby and Steve Marquina of the Planning and Code Administration, Nansie Wilde of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture, and Sergeant Scott Scarff of the Gaithersburg Police Department, was named the Team of the First Quarter (pre-pandemic).
Every ten years the nation conducts a census, counting every person residing here. This population data is critical, as it is used to define legislative districts and federal funding allocations. It also guides decisions on locations of future hospitals, schools and libraries. Businesses also use the data to determine where to locate. Since April 2019, the Census Team has worked to develop a branding campaign, “I Am Gaithersburg. I Count,” and create graphic materials, videos and social media content.
The Team’s efforts included outreach to the entire community, as well connecting regionally, statewide (including with the Maryland Municipal League), and with other jurisdictions to expand outreach efforts and share best practices. These efforts are critical, as it is estimated that for every person not counted in Maryland, the state could lose $1,850 per year in federal allocations over the next 10 years. The spring 2020 edition of inGaithersburg magazine was solely dedicated to the census. It is available here.
Bobbi Fulmer, Permitting Manager with the Department of Planning and Code Administration, was named Employee of the First Quarter (during the pandemic) for putting new policies in place to make it possible for the City to accept and process permit requests, applications and fees remotely, as well as for creating new online options for applications and the provision of City services. Bobbi has also protected the safety and welfare of her staff, limiting in-person contact and serving as part of the Modified Work Environment Plan Committee to establish longer-term protocols to protect the health and safety of both employees and the general public.
The Telework Setup Team, comprised of Pete Cottrell, Jim Conway, Mike Hober, Jacob Maskal, Yolanta Millner, Guy Goodenough, Rick Rowles, Zach Harris, Roland Miller, Brian Helms, Andrew Barnes, Renato Gomez, Tom Tracy, Yeon Kim, and Justin McCubbin of the Department of Information Technology, was named the Team of the First Quarter (during the pandemic).
The Team was recognized for its extensive and successful efforts to ensure employees could work from home effectively as the pandemic began, reflecting a true team effort. The Team accomplished an incredible amount of work in a very short amount of time with little notice. In addition to creating a workable system, the Team had to work with each teleworking employee, visualizing each individual’s needs to find a way to make it work.
The Team also installed necessary software to allow individuals to access computers remotely and a dashboard tracking system to track the status of all work requests. These efforts were accomplished in less than two weeks and have ensured that more than 100 employees can safely work from home.
Made up of peers from each department, Gaithersburg’s Employee Recognition Committee reviews nominations for individuals and teams on a quarterly basis. These winners are then eligible for the annual Employee and Team of the Year Awards.
For more information on the Employee Recognition Awards please contact the Office of the City Manager at 301-258-6310 or visit the City’s website at www.gaithersburgmd.gov.
