Salt Lake City, -In a ceremony on June 4th at the Capitol rotunda 24 State employees were presented the Governor’s Awards for Excellence. The awards recognize the contributions of state employees in the categories of humanitarianism, leadership, innovation and efficiency, outstanding public service, and heroism. A total of 170 nominees from a cross-section of state government departments and programs received consideration during the nomination review process. The award recipients were selected as outstanding examples of distinguished service and dedication to the citizens of Utah.
The presentation of the awards was part of State Employee Appreciation Week. Governor Huntsman kicked off the week with a signed declaration designating June 1-7 as the week to take time to show appreciation to State employees. During the week, agency managers took part in a variety of activities to show their appreciation. A popular activity was to work side by side with employees as they performed their duties. Division of Wildlife Resources executive management worked alongside a wildlife biologist as he made the first catfish release of the season and worked with a youth group to teach them how to catch, clean and fry fish. At the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, executive management worked in liquor stores alongside cashiers and accompanied field auditors as they conducted private club audits. Executive Management at the Department of Corrections conducted field visits with agents from Adult Probation and Parole and spent time working inside the Utah State Prison in Draper and Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison. Additionally, the commissioner of Agriculture and Food took time to work alongside food safety inspectors at a COSTCO store in West Valley as they demonstrated how inspectors protect the food supply.
The recipients of the 2009 Governor’s Awards for Excellence are:
Heroism: Marcie Singleton, Department of Health
Humanitarianism: Lloyd Pendleton, Community and Culture; Gayle Grotegut, Dept of Human Services
Innovation and Efficiency: Scott Bingham, Dept of Administrative Services; Teacher Salary Supplement Program Team (Mary Christensen and Michelle Watts), Dept of Human Resource Management; Gateway Team (Brent Cleverly, Dan Olsen, Jolet Olsen, Gerry Satterlee, Dept of Technology Services and Kim Diamond-Smith, Angela Abbott, Jamie Nagle, Dept of Human Resource Management)
Leadership: Kent Nelson, Dept of Commerce; Rick Torgerson, Dept of Transportation; Kevin Van Ausdal, Dept of Technology Services
Outstanding Public Service: Child Passenger Safety Team (Kristy Rigby, Terry Smith, Sgt. Ted Tingey, Rhonda Parker, Keri Gibson) Department of Public Safety; Bureau of Clinical Services Team (Marc Babitz, Steven Ipsen, Bruce Murray) Dept of Health