BLACKSTONE, Va. –
Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, and Walt Mercer, the Chief Operations Officer for the Virginia Department of Military Affairs, presented agency-wide awards May 18, 2021, at Fort Pickett, Virginia, to recognize outstanding state employees for their accomplishments.
Williams and Mercer presented the DMA Agency Star Award to Tracey Perdue in the Army Personnel Branch and Rebecca Moses in the Virginia Army National Guard Chief of Staff’s Office. They also presented the Award for Customer Service to Tanisha Roberts in the Army Personnel Branch, the Award for Community Service and Volunteerism to Todd Phillips in Maneuver Training Center Range Operations, the Award for Workplace Safety and Health to Christal Spake in MTC Billeting and the Award for Teamwork to James Snead, Brian Reekes, Clarence Hart, Josh Gulbronson, Timothy Morini and Timothy Bradford in MTC Range Operations.
Previously, DMA conducted the State Employee Recognition Day by providing a banquet and an awards ceremony at two different locations, Maneuver Training Center Fort Pickett and the State Military Reservation, that totaled more than 400 participants. The 2021 awards ceremonies to recognize job performance and service anniversaries will be conducted at the department level to ensure all safety precautions are met for the health and welfare of DMA employees.
The State Employee Recognition Program is designed to encourage employees to make a performance difference either individually or through teams. Individual awards can be given to up to 50% of a department’s staff in May, and supervisors have the option of submitting staff throughout the year for Individual “Impact” Awards separately. The sole purpose for the Employee Recognition Program is to recognize employees for their achievements above and beyond those duties outlined in their Employee Work Profile. The recognition program recognizes the employee's dedication and hard work, which contributes to the overall mission and success of the DMA.
Agency-wide awards are given to exceptional employees who are top performers in their area or who demonstrated excellence in one of several unique categories such as Customer Service, Innovation, Teamwork, Career Achievement, and others. Senior staff officers are responsible for nominating their employees for agency-wide awards by completing the agency-wide awards form. No more than one individual or team may be nominated by a senior staff officer, and they are selected by a panel in a very competitive process.
The following additional awards will be presented at a future event along with a “Thank You” letter from the Adjutant General and a $500 monetary award:
The New Employee Award will be presented to April Hand-Cameron in Commonwealth Challenge. This award recognizes an individual who has been employed two years or less with DMA and has achieved noteworthy accomplishments, demonstrates a positive attitude and a grasp of DMA mission and displayed a willingness to learn and develop professionally.
The Award for Career Achievement will be presented to Susan Smead in Facilities Management. The award recognizes the employee with a record of consistent achievement over time that has significantly improved the efficiency and effectiveness of Commonwealth operations.
The Award for Innovation will be presented to Tristan Bradsher in Facilities Management. The award recognizes the employee who produces results such as increased productivity, efficiencies or cost savings through creativity and bright ideas that are implemented within the agency or state government.
More information on the awards presented May 18:
The DMA Agency Star Award recognizes an individual who, through extraordinary performance and interaction with others, contributed to the mission and overall success of DMA. The recipient must have a current Extraordinary Contributor rating, demonstrate continuous respect for supervisors, managers, and the overall chain of command, participated or is willing to serve on an agency-related committee, and demonstrated a willingness to serve in the surrounding community. The employee also should have exhibited a cooperative work ethic through integrity, positive attitude, dependability, willingness to perform above and beyond expectations, and by providing exemplary customer service and exhibited extraordinary work performance by taking the initiative, meeting all deadlines, utilizing creative work methods, implementing cost- saving measures, and paying utmost attention to safety. The recipients of the DMA Agency Star Award received a “Thank You” letter from the Adjutant General and a monetary award of $1,000.
The recipients of the following awards all received a “Thank You” letter from the Adjutant General and a $500 monetary award.
The Award for Customer Service recognizes the individual who, through a willingness to respond to the needs of the organization and its internal and external customers, contributed to the overall mission and overall success of DMA. The criteria for the award includes the employee demonstrating the ability to understand and quickly respond to customer's needs, providing courteous and respectful service, demonstrating patience when dealing with complex matters, and insuring timely follow-up when necessary.
The Award for Teamwork recognizes teams of 2-5 employees, either within a directorate or across directorates, working together to accomplish a specific task or assignment in order to contribute to the overall mission and success of the DMA. Criteria will be based on attitude, participation, and performance of entire team.
The Award for Community Service and Volunteerism recognizes an employee who volunteers on their own time in non‐profit community activities or serves as the "extra pair of hands" in agency activities.
The Award for Workplace Safety and Health recognizes the employee who leads the way in promoting a safe and healthy work environment, suggests workplace improvements, and promotes and supports the importance of a safe and healthy work environment.