Six in running for County Employee of the Year award
Winners will be announced at a ceremony April 11
Six employees from Yuma County have been nominated for the 2017 Employee of the Year Award and 4 employees for the 2017 Superior Court Employee of the Year, sponsored by the Yuma County Board of Supervisors. The County will also decide who the 2017 Safety Excellence Award recipient will be out of a field of 13 nominees.
The Yuma County Employee of the Year and Superior Court Employee of the Year programs recognize employees for providing exceptional public service to the citizens of Yuma County. The winners will be announced during a recognition event 3:30 to 5 p.m. April 11, in the Yuma Art Center at 254 S. Main St., Yuma.
Employee of the Year nominees are:
• Jessica Arciniega — Human Resources, Employment Specialist
• Dorey Conway — Library, Branch Manager
• Ana Duarte — Sheriff’s Office, Detention Sergeant
• Dennis Owen — Health District, Animal Control Supervisor
• Nancy Ngai — County Administration, Community Planning Coordinator
• Richard Zavala — Housing, Facilities Maintenance Worker III
The 2017 Yuma County Superior Court Employee of the Year nominees are:
• Lindsay Caraway — Superior Court, Bailiff Supervisor/Assistant Caseflow Manager
• Robert Guzman — Juvenile Court, Education Paraprofessional
• Teresa Piedra — Justice Court, Chief Clerk
• Lucia Rodriguez — Adult Probation, Probation Services Supervisor
Candidates are chosen for having promoted the county’s core values and developing demonstrable cost savings to the county or Superior Court through ideas or suggestions.
Nominations will be screened by a merit award system board appointed by the Board of Supervisors. Each first place winner will receive a plaque and an award of $1,000 (after taxes). The remaining nominees split an additional $1,000.
The Board of Supervisors will also decide the recipient of the 2017 Yuma County Safety Excellence Award. The Safety Excellence Award is both a quarterly and annual award. The nominees are:
• Emmanuel Alvarez — Sheriff’s Office
• Isaac Barragan — Public Works
• Desarae Doten — Administration Office
• Lana Heston — Library District
• Robert Hunter — Sheriff’s Office
• Kelly Fricke — Public Works
• Lisa Mendez — Library District
• David Rico — General Services
• Jesus “Chuy” Salazar — Public Works
• Ramon “Ray” Salcido — Public Works
• Richard Sandoval — Public Defender
• LeeAnne Stansbury — Financial Services
• Candy Wheeler-Ruby — Public Fiduciary
Candidates are chosen for initiating safety practices that provide cost savings and contributing to the development and implementation of safety programs in the workplace.
The Safety Excellence Award Committee screens all nominations and forwards the final candidates to the merit board. From there, the board reviews applications and makes a final recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.
Winners of the Quarterly Safety Award receive a prize and $100 (after taxes). The winner of the 2017 Yuma County Safety Excellence Award will receive a recognition plaque and $250 (after taxes).