11th Annual CDHS Employee of the Year Reception

1
11th Annual CDHS Employee of the Year Reception

• October 16, 2008
• Governors Residence

2
Colorado Department of Human ServicesKaren Beye,
Executive Director

• I am amazed on almost a daily basis by the
  great work done by the staff of the Colorado
  Department of Human Services. Today is even more
  special.

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Adult, Disability, and Rehabilitation Services
Employee of the Year for Customer Service

• Olivier De Smedt
• Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
• Oliviers job performance is a wonderful example
  of how an outstanding employee performs. On top
  of being a model employee, Olivier also excels in
  providing all customers, both internal and
  external, with appropriate information, data
  requested and various program performance
  reports. Olivier has received numerous emails
  acknowledging his exemplary customer service
  performance.
• Olivier makes every one of his customers feel
  like they are his one and only customer, when
  behind the scenes he is actually working with
  many different people each week.
• It is very rewarding to work with someone who can
  be approached with a request and know that you
  will be provided a quality product that is well
  researched and accurate.
• For this, Olivier De Smedt is most deserving of
  an EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD.

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Adult, Disability, and Rehabilitation Services
Employee of the Year for Customer Service

• Shawna Roberts
• Division for Developmental Disabilities
• Pueblo Regional Center
• One of the supervisors at the Regional Center was
  injured and out of the office for approximately 6
  months. During this time, Ms. Shawna Roberts
  stepped up and assumed this supervisor
  responsibilities! Although Shawna was not the
  most senior staff person in the Home, she
  volunteered to make schedules, inventory
  warehouse orders, attend never ending senior
  staff meetings, all the while attending to the
  needs of her clients as well as the supervisors
  clients during their absence.
•  
• Shawna demonstrates the qualities of a great
  supervisor she is efficient, bright,
  considerate, and compassionate.
•  
• For this, Shawna Roberts is most deserving of an
  EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD.

5
Adult, Disability, and Rehabilitation Services
Employee of the Year for Direct Service Worker

• Leonard Ladue
• Division for Developmental Disabilities
• Grand Junction Regional Center
• Leonard, or Len as we like to call him has a
  reputation for doing an excellent, caring job on
  the Skilled Grand Mesa North unit! Len not only
  cares about the people on his unit that he
  supports and serves, he also has genuine concern
  for how the work goes in general for the entire
  unit.
•  
• We can all count on Len as he maintains a
  professional demeanor, however not letting go of
  his kindness and interest that makes him very
  easy to work with.
•  
• Len produces quality work and expects the same
  from his peers. Lets just say, This keeps
  everyone hopping!
•  
• Len in very involved in the agency as a whole,
  championing causes to make sure our agency is
  growing not just for the clients, but also for
  all the hard-working staff at the agency.
•  
• Len Ladue is most deserving of an EMPLOYEE OF THE
  YEAR DIRECT SERVICE WORKER AWARD.

Picture not available
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Adult, Disability, and Rehabilitation Services
Employee of the Year for Leadership

• Jennifer Scilacci
• Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
• I have four nominations right here that praise
  Jennifer Scilacci for being an exceptionally,
  awesome boss and for really being there!
•  
• Jennifer has successfully developed the Mountain
  District Team for the Division of Vocational
  Rehabilitation (DVR). This involved the opening
  of 3 new offices and managing a total of 5
  existing offices from Steamboat to Frisco to
  Glenwood Springs.
•  
• As a leader, Jennifer not only believes in
  teamwork, but also demonstrates this through her
  direct participation on the teams that she leads.
  Although geographically disperse, Jennifer has
  brought the Mountain District offices together,
  functioning as a single, cohesive team. She
  provides information, education, mentoring, and
  of course, fun!
•  
• Jennifer is an excellent example of what she
  wants us to be she values her employees and
  continues to be a very positive force that
  enables all of us to provide services to our DVR
  clients.
•  
• The Mountain District Team would not be afforded
  the success they have today without the
  leadership of Jennifer Scilacci and for this,
  Jennifer is most deserving of an EMPLOYEE OF THE
  YEAR LEADERSHIP AWARD.

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Adult, Disability, and Rehabilitation Services
Employee of the Year for Leadership

• Patty Wagner
• Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
• Patty is simply put, the best lead teacher a
  person could have. Patty is the Orientation and
  Mobility/Vision Rehabilitation Therapist Lead
  Teacher for the Division of Vocational
  Rehabilitation in Colorado Springsbut ask anyone
  and they will tell you that she is so much more
  than that.
•  
• Patty is a leader who you can consult with, get
  assistance from, obtain guidance about anything
  basically, Patty is there when you need her!
•  
• Patty demonstrates a profound sense of caring for
  both her clients and colleagues, delivering
  quality instruction to her clients, and expert
  guidance to her fellow teachers teachers whom
  she values and respects.
•  
• Best of all, even in the busiest and most
  stressful moments, Patty can make a person smile
  and put them at ease.
•  
• Everything aside, Patty always puts the clients
  first and provides them with the instruction and
  adaptive tools they need to be successful and
  independent.
•  
• Patty Wagner is most deserving of an EMPLOYEE OF
  THE YEAR LEADERSHIP AWARD.

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Adult, Disability, and Rehabilitation Services
Employee of the Year for Leadership

• Teresa White
• Division for Developmental Disabilities
• Grand Junction Regional Center
• Teresa has worked for the agency for 18 years and
  during this time she has demonstrated dedication
  to the people we serve.
•  
• In the past year, Teresa was promoted to a Health
  Care Technician II position on Fir Dorm. In this
  same year, Teresa also assumed an Acting Health
  Care Technician IV position off and on throughout
  the year. Through this transitional year,
  Theresa consistently made sure that everything
  related to the person receiving services and the
  living site was organized and met all current
  needs. Teresa also participated in an audit of
  the living site, which was found to be out of
  compliance in several areas. Teresa, along with
  all other duties assigned and assumed, took it
  upon herself to fix these deficiencies with
  minimal direction or assistance from upper
  management.
•  
• Teresa is a dedicated employee who thrives on
  organization and continuity to provide the best
  possible care and supervision for the persons
  receiving our services.
•  
• Teresa White is most deserving of an EMPLOYEE OF
  THE YEAR LEADERSHIP AWARD.

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Adult, Disability, and Rehabilitation Services
Employee of the Year for Ongoing Contribution

• Patricia Boone
• Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
• In October 2004, Patricia Boone joined a task
  force to completely revise Division of Vocational
  Rehabilitations self-employment program. Pat has
  crafted such training to include case studies
  that enable her peers to learn from and to assist
  them in learning the self-employment process. Pat
  also developed curriculum on the Business
  Exploration Agreement and the Individualized Plan
  for Self-Employment, and put together examples
  from actual service records.
•  
• Through substantial mentoring, coaching, and
  training, Pat has sought to assure that her
  colleagues have a comfort level in
  self-employment.
•  
• If you couldnt tell, Pat has a passion for
  self-employment. Pat was able to line up
  mentoring with a SCORE representative and the
  customer was able to realize her self-employment
  goal. With the right customer perseverance
  coupled with suitable and meaningful community
  resources and supports, this individual has
  achieved notable success.
•  
• With Pats involvement, guidance, analysis,
  positive attitude and overall passion for
  self-employment, this program continues to enjoy
  great success stories such as this.
•  
• Pat Boone is most deserving of an EMPLOYEE OF THE
  YEAR ONGOING CONTRIBUTION AWARD.

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Adult, Disability, and Rehabilitation Services
Employee of the Year for Ongoing Contribution

• Karen Ferrington
• Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
• Karen Ferrington has been a vital leader in the
  development and revision of the current
  self-employment program with the Division of
  Vocational Rehabilitation.
•  
• Karens organization, focus, and determination
  was instrumental in finding ways that
  self-employment could be streamlined to be a
  viable vocational goal for consumers. Karen
  researched regulations, organized groups to
  research other states, and helped staff pull
  together information gathered from workforce
  agencies, Small Business Development Centers, and
  other community resources for entrepreneurs.
•  
• Additionally, Karen assists the RCEs to build
  skills through the presentation of workshops,
  organized presenters, and ensuring an
  understanding of sound policy decisions. Karen
  promotes the program by speaking to other groups,
  other states, and our administrative staff.
•  
• Karen continues to lead by example and has built
  an optimistic team of individuals who are excited
  to offer and support self-employment as a viable
  choice for consumers.
•  
• Karen Ferrington is most deserving of an EMPLOYEE
  OF THE YEAR ONGOING CONTRIBUTION AWARD.

Picture not available
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Adult, Disability, and Rehabilitation Services
Employee of the Year for Outstanding Achievement

• Jo Kammerzell
• Division for Developmental Disabilities
• While maintaining her day-to-day operational
  services, Jo assumed duties that included HCBS-DD
  emergency requests and allocations, transfers of
  individuals from one service area to another,
  foster care transitions, special needs requests
  and adult/children waivers.
•  
• Jo maintains a very positive attitude, an
  attitude that has endured through substantial
  Divisional management and system changes.
•  
• Through it all, Jo continues to collaborate with
  the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to
  provide regional employment training
  opportunities chaired a sub-committee of the
  Waiver Steering Committee that developed provider
  qualifications chaired a group to deal with a
  very contentious issue related to the use of
  summer camps for SLS supervision services and has
  chaired the Employment Committee.
•  
• Without Jos unsurpassed willingness to take on
  all these extra duties the ongoing operations of
  HCBS-DD services would have been greatly
  diminished.
• Jo has been asked to go way above and beyond
  expectations and she has risen to the challenge
  and excelled. The effort and quality of work she
  has exhibited is most deserving of an EMPLOYEE OF
  THE YEAR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD.

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Adult, Disability, and Rehabilitation Services
Employee of the Year for People Who Help People

• Scott Hertneky
• Division for Developmental Disabilities
• Pueblo Regional Center
• Scott Herneky always goes above and beyond his
  job description!
•  
• Scott delivers charts, medications, or anything
  that needs to be delivered. He de- escalates
  clients. He saves lives
•  
• Recently, Scott rescued a group of clients from
  their house when utility workers cut a gas line
  right outside their home. The clients could not
  use their bus for fear it would cause a spark and
  ignite an explosion. Scott was able to get a bus
  from a nearby home and proceeded to park the bus
  as close to the house as the Emergency Responders
  would allow. Scott and some of the other house
  staff carried the clients, many of which had to
  be carried in their wheelchairs due to the rocky
  and grassy terrain out back, to the waiting bus.
  Thanks to Scotts commitment to the clients he
  serves, all were moved to safety.
•  
• For these heroic efforts, Scott Herneky is most
  deserving of an EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR PEOPLE WHO
  HELP PEOPLE AWARD.

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Adult, Disability, and Rehabilitation Services
Employee of the Year for Support Staff Worker

• Nancy Cordova
• Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
• Ms. Nancy Cordova, in May 2007 took on new
  challenges, new staff, new supervisor and new
  geographic territory. Nancy moved from the Metro
  Rehab office to a new home office in Northglenn
  working in Region III with five relatively new
  Supervisor Ones and a really green Supervisor II.
  She took on many new people, new ideas, and new
  problems that she had never faced before.
  Essentially overnight, Nancy became responsible
  for over 80 employees to help six supervisors to
  manage, get in the right place at the right time,
  with the right tools. Nancy has taken the
  leadership role in improving case management
  activities with each office in file organization,
  documentation, accountability, improved bill
  paying, enhanced communication activities, and
  perhaps most importantly with team work. Nancy
  consistently serves a high number of staff while
  she balances her additional contributions to this
  Agency by volunteering for work groups, serving
  on committees and always asking what she can do
  to make the work unit run with more efficiency.
•  
• Nancys most significant contribution has been
  her attitude.
• For her dedication and commitment to this agency
  and for her unending support of the agency each
  and every day, Nancy Cordova is most deserving of
  an EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR SUPPORT STAFF WORKER
  AWARD.

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Adult, Disability, and Rehabilitation Services
Employee of the Year for Support Staff Worker

• Laurie Frances
• Division for Developmental Disabilities
• Wheat Ridge Regional Center
• By ordering milk directly from a local dairy
  instead of the grocery store, Laurie helped save
  8,000 per year for taxpayers. Working with
  management, Facilities and housekeeping, Laurie
  located a storage room on campus, remodeled the
  room, and helped develop a milk pickup and
  cleaning schedule.
•  
• Laurie also realized that renting formula pumps
  for clients that are tube fed and purchasing
  necessary equipment ourselves rather than from
  the rental company will result in a cost saving
  of approximately 5,000 per year.
•  
• Laurie has spent many hours analyzing the fiscal
  year 2008-2009 budget, streamlining spreadsheets,
  looking for duplication requests and
  troubleshooting.
•  
• Laurie has an extraordinary ability to identify
  what can be done to improve practices and
  procedures, save money and help with the
  day-to-day workload to improve efficiency.
  Laurie is knowledgeable, cheerful, and
  demonstrates a can-do attitude. We are very
  fortunate to have her in our department and for
  this, Laurie Frances is most deserving of an
  EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR SUPPORT STAFF WORKER AWARD.

Picture not available
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Adult, Disability, and Rehabilitation Services
Employee of the Year for Support Staff Worker

• Shannon Lee
• Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
• Much of Shannon Lees work is performed behind
  the scenes so this nomination did not entirely
  capture how much she contributes to our office.
  It seems that she prefers to do her good works
  without anyone knowing which makes her, in all
  of her excellence, even more impressive. Her
  humility has demonstrated that her motivation to
  perform her work so well is not to bring
  attention and credit to herself but to improve
  the quality of life of those she serves. She
  truly cares for the needs of others more than her
  own.
•  
• In her role as Administrative Assistant, Shannon
  demonstrates initiative, skill, professionalism,
  resourcefulness, integrity, and a strong work
  ethic, taking the term hard-working to an
  entirely new level. She goes out of her way to
  assist all staff, including those she is not
  assigned to.
•  
• Shannons colleagues have described her as kind
  and patient, motivating and inspiring. Her
  positive attitude and spirit consistently
  surpasses all expectations.
•  
• We would definitely say that Ms. Lee is the
  complete package!
•  
• For this, Shannon Lee is most deserving of an
  EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR SUPPORT STAFF WORKER AWARD.

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Adult, Disability, and Rehabilitation Services
Employee of the Year for Team / Teamwork

• Krista Dann
• Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
• Krista Dann knows what teamwork is! In the nine
  months since the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
  Program relocated to Division of Vocational
  Rehabilitation Services (DVR), Krista welcomed
  this team with her warmth and learning spirit at
  the very first Rehabilitation Leadership Team.
•  
• Krista builds teams as she does her front of the
  room work. Amidst a very busy schedule, Krista
  also agreed to build DVRs Veterans Initiative
  under the guidance of Nancy Smith. With Kristas
  efforts, the first meeting of the Boards for
  the world of brain injury in Colorado was held
  and before that first meeting was complete, under
  Kristas guidance, Colorados Brain Injury
  Collaborative was born - ready to find ways to
  work together to maximize the limited resources
  for a population experiencing great needs. Krista
  was instrumental in building and facilitating
  annual retreats for both Colorados Brain Injury
  Advisory Board and the TBI Trust Fund Board.
•  
• Hats off to Krista Dann! She teaches us about
  gratitude by being such a terrific team member
  and for this, Krista Dann is most deserving of an
  EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR TEAM / TEAMWORK AWARD.

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Adult, Disability, and Rehabilitation Services
Employee of the Year for Team / Teamwork

• Active Treatment Facilitators
• Thomas Blackburn, Jillian Dennis, Connie Eussin,
  Daria Evangelista, Rebecca Miller, Marybeth
  Thompson
• Division for Developmental Disabilities, Wheat
  Ridge Regional Center
• Teamwork is exemplified when the results exceed
  what the same individuals working independently
  could have accomplished. The Wheat Ridge Regional
  Center Active Treatment Facilitators are a true
  team in every sense of the word. They
  re-established active treatment as a consistent
  expectation that enriches the lives of the people
  that live at Wheat Ridge Regional Center, and
  they have also been the leaders in establishing
  Person Centered Thinking as part of

the Centers culture. Using their unique
individual skills in art, leadership,
communication, ability to motivate, work ethic,
etc., they were able to sell the vision of
continuous active treatment and person centered
thinking to over 350 employees from highly varied
backgrounds and wide ranging experiences in the
field of human services. Because of the
teamwork, the dedication, and fervor of the ATX
Team, active treatment and Person Centered
Thinking will be part of Wheat Ridges future.
For this, the Active Treatment Facilitators team
is most deserving of an EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR TEAM
/ TEAMWORK AWARD.
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Behavioral Health and HousingEmployee of the
Year for Direct Service Worker

• William R. Oritz
• Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo
• William Ortiz has worked at to Colorado Mental
  Health Institute at Pueblo (CMHIP) for the 26
  years. Bill is extremely reliable and hard
  working, often volunteering to work extra shifts
  when the hospital is short staffed or in need of
  additional security personnel on particularly
  difficult units.
•  
• Bill teaches therapeutic verbal de-escalation
  skills and safe application of physical
  management techniques for violent behavior all
  of which he exemplifies through his day-to-day
  treatment of, and therapy sessions with, his
  patients.
•  
• Bill is President of the Colorado Psychiatric
  Technician Association, an organization that
  represents a group of frontline treatment staff
  who provide the bulk of clinical care at CMHIP,
  an organization that advocates for training,
  career advancement and high quality community
  education for entry-level positions. In support
  of this, he works hand in hand with nursing
  educators at Pueblo Community College to recruit
  students to the Psychiatric Technician program
  and advises on curriculum issues.
•  
• Bill is a shining example of what frontline
  psychiatric staff should be like. For this, Bill
  Ortiz is most deserving of an EMPLOYEE OF THE
  YEAR DIRECT SERVICE WORKER AWARD.

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Behavioral Health and HousingEmployee of the
Year for Innovation / Creativity

• Roger Lucchesi
• Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo
• Roger is a registered nurse with a degree in
  computer information systems who provides a rare
  combination of talent, energy, and both clinical
  and automation expertise.
•  
• This includes the automation of the Institutes
  personnel management and budgeting process,
  automation of HR-2 creation and tracking
  development of a staffing inventory system for
  precise reporting of the utilization of all
  Institute FTEs by discipline and work area.
  Roger is also currently developing a Nursing
  scheduling system, a Recovery Measurement system
  for capturing patient and staff assessments, and
  in his spare time, supports the Colorado Mental
  Health Institute at Pueblo (CMHIP) web site.
•  
• Roger recently completed a system for tracking
  the progress of patients referred to CMHIP for
  court-ordered evaluations and restorations a
  system that tracks the patient from the time of
  the judges order through patient admission,
  treatment, formal evaluation, discharge and court
  concurrence. The system was instrumental in
  greatly reducing the waiting list for admission
  to CMHIP and was a key component in the
  Institutes ability to avoid costly outcomes
  presented in a lawsuit settlement.
• For this, Roger Lucchesi is most deserving of an
  EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR INNOVATION / CREATIVITY
  AWARD.

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Behavioral Health and HousingEmployee of the
Year for Innovation / Creativity

• Sharon Pawlak
• Division of Behavioral Health
• Sharon Pawlak served as the project manager for
  the first CDHS/State Judicial integration project
  that allows real-time data sharing between these
  two agencies using web services. This project was
  completed on time, under budget and will help
  keep Colorado roads safer, improve data
  integrity, eliminate redundant data entry and
  reduce DUI recidivism.
•  
• The Judicial Interface project was successful
  in part because of Sharons hard work, ability to
  successfully conduct interagency collaborations,
  innovative approaches to customer service and her
  ability to convert user needs into business
  solutions through brilliantly designed systems
•  
• Bob Roper, CIO for State Judicial, proudly
  exclaims that this project was an example of how
  Colorado leads the country in inter-agency data
  transfers.
•  
• Sharon blazes new trails by designing new systems
  that will expand on her current achievements. For
  this, Sharon Pawlak is most deserving of an
  EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR INNOVATION / CREATIVITY
  AWARD.

21
Behavioral Health and HousingEmployee of the
Year for People Who Help People

• Michael George
• Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo
• Michael George has exemplified a consistent
  leadership role at Colorado Mental Health
  Institute at Pueblo (CMHIP) in moving the entire
  hospital to a Recovery oriented, patient and
  family centered operation. He has taken the
  conceptual model of Recovery and brought the key
  elements of hope, healing, building alliance,
  consumer empowerment and community connection to
  the practices of staff at the CMHIP. While there
  are many people that have contributed to the
  noted success, he has been the consistent
  facilitator, organizer, director, taskmaster,
  trainer, supporter and conscience for the
  implementation of the principals.
•  
• Michael has trained staff and patients at all
  hours of the day and night with the philosophy of
  inclusion and adaptability. Michael has received
  recognition by the National Alliance for Mentally
  Ill and advocate forums. Other institutions are
  in awe of the efforts and successes of the
  Recovery model.
•  
• Michael has dealt with and resolved concerns of
  staff as the hospital moved from a maternalistic
  and paternalistic role with our patients to one
  of partnership and patient responsibility. For
  this, Michael George is most deserving of an
  EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR PEOPLE WHO HELP PEOPLE
  AWARD.

22
Behavioral Health and HousingEmployee of the
Year for People Who Help People

• Kathy Jensen
• Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo
• Kathy Jensen has a passion for good food and good
  health and she brings these passions to work at
  Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo
  (CMHIP)! Due in part to the metabolic side
  effects of newer medications that are otherwise
  very helpful to CMHIP patients, weight gain has
  become a focal issue at CMHIP. Kathy, along with
  Susan Fosdick, Director of Nutritional Services,
  implemented a healthy living diet for CMHIP
  patients and CDOC residents.
•  
• Kathy and Susan revised daily menus to reduce
  salt, unhealthy fats, and sugar, while
  maintaining an excellent food product advocated
  for increased funding to allow the menu upgrades,
  and tirelessly campaigned for support from both
  patients and staff. Kathy also serves as our
  liaison with the CDOC Nutrition Services staff,
  serves as liaison to the Business Enterprises
  Programs on-site café at CMHIP and is co-chair
  of the Café oversight committee working with
  each agency to skillfully improve relationships.
•  
• If Kathy sees a need, she studies the subject and
  available options proposes realistic solutions
  and successfully implements those that are
  approved and assigned to her - all in addition to
  the job of managing a kitchen workforce that
  produces and delivers over 1000 meals per day.
  For this, Kathy Jensen is most deserving of an
  EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR PEOPLE WHO HELP PEOPLE
  AWARD.

23
Children, Youth and FamiliesEmployee of the Year
for Leadership
DYC Management Team Al Estrada, John Gomez, Caren
Leaf, Ted Trujillo Division of Youth Corrections
One situation involved a DYC youth with serious
medical issues who lapsed into a coma. The DYC
Management Team went above and beyond their
normal job duties to find difficult to locate
family members, stayed at the hospital around the
clock, regularly and thoroughly briefed Karen
Beye, the Departments Executive Director
concerning her obligations and responsibilities
as this young man was in State custody. In
another situation, when a former employee
threatened existing

• DYC staff, the DYC Management Team put in
  thoughtful security precautions and immediately
  briefed staff on both the threat and how they
  should protect themselves.
• And most recently, this team provided tangible
  support for the staff at the Adams Youth Services
  Center following the tragic death of the
  directors daughter in arranging for facility
  coverage so that staff who wished to do so could
  attend the memorial services without concern for
  a disruption to facility operations.
•  
• This DYC Management Team consistently goes above
  and beyond what is expected in taking care of
  clients as well as supporting their staff and for
  this Al, John, Caren, and Ted are most deserving
  of an EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR LEADERSHIP AWARD.

24
Children, Youth and FamiliesEmployee of the Year
for Outstanding Achievement

• Tyler Fittz
• Division of Youth Corrections
• Tyler Fittz, a Client Manager in the Weld County
  area, a member of the DYC Colorado Juvenile Risk
  Assessment Oversight Committee, and a statewide
  Colorado Juvenile Risk Assessment specialist has
  championed the implementation and application of
  the nationally recognized instrument, Colorado
  Juvenile Risk Assessment (CJRA), not only in his
  Region, but Statewide. Tyler has trained
  Northeast Region private providers and other
  community partners including Regional Senate
  Bill-94 committees, the Weld County House Bill
  1451 IOG and Community Review Boards to better
  understand the instrument and gain improved
  perspective of the clients that come before them.
  His mentorship with other Client Managers in the
  Region in the use and interpretation of the CJRA
  to better provide the right service at the right
  time has improved service delivery and community
  safety. His work has helped advance the alignment
  of services to needs, the core principle in the
  Divisions Continuum of Care strategy.
•  
• Tyler is an assertive advocate for the youth who
  are committed to the Department of Human
  Services. Tylers can do attitude, creativity
  and sense of humor set an example for excellence
  in Northeast Region and for this, Tyler Fittz is
  most deserving of an EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR
  OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD.

25
Employment and Regulatory AffairsEmployee of the
Year for Ongoing ContributionMary YoungHuman
Resources
Ms. Mary Young distinguished herself through
ongoing contributions impacting the people of
Colorado, internal and external human resource
customers of the Department of Human Services
Southern and Western Districts, and to her
immediate staff, through high-level, unwavering
support for what is right! Mary Young
demonstrates the highest level of integrity in
dealing with customers and staff at all levels
with selfless dedication to her work.

• Mary is a mentora trait that she exhibits daily
  with pride and professionalism. Heres a key
  indicator the only turnover of staff in
  Southern and Western District Human Resource
  offices were through long-service retirements.
• Mary Young is the real deal. She exemplifies
  the whole person concept needed as a Human
  Resource Administrator. Marys HR savvy makes
  CDHS a better place to work. She demonstrates
  tremendous patience, tact, diplomacy, and concern
  for doing what is right while also offering
  concern, support, and appropriate empathy for all
  who are involved. Mary provides superb
  leadership, continuity, and thinks out of the
  box she is also an extraordinary coach. For
  this, Mary Young is most deserving of an EMPLOYEE
  OF THE YEAR ONGOING CONTRIBUTION AWARD.

26
Self Sufficiency and IndependenceEmployee of the
Year for Customer Service

• Ruth Potter
• Disability Determination Services
• Last spring, Disability Determination Services
  (DDS) was notified of an impending influx of
  Wounded Warrior cases due to our proximity to Ft.
  Carson and Buckley Air Force Base. Ruth Potter,
  a Disability Examiner, demonstrated her
  leadership by stepping up to the challenge of
  expediting these cases. Ruth has a professional
  commitment to serve these cases, but more
  importantly, Ruths husband is retired military
  and she also has a personal passion for these
  cases as well.
• Ruth was instrumental in developing a network
  with SSA and other DDS teams to assist with these
  cases. This included getting the appropriate
  medical evidence to document the severity of the
  disabling condition and tracking down medical
  records. Ruth was vigilant in watching for
  indicators of "hidden" Post Traumatic Stress
  Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury a diagnosis
  that makes a difference in whether the soldier
  receives benefits from SSA or not. Ruth also
  worked with DDS Information Technology staff to
  develop a confidential, secure process to access
  the soldiers medical records stored on a
  Department of Defense Gold CD a process that
  expedites the receipt of medical records into the
  electronic disability folder.
• Ruth set the tone on behalf of CDHS that each
  soldier deserves the best service we can give
  him/her, in return for what they have done for us
  and for this, Ruth Potter is most deserving of an
  EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD.

27
Self Sufficiency and IndependenceEmployee of the
Year for Leadership

• Pauline Burton
• Director of Self Sufficiency and Independence
• Pauline models strong leadership and empowerment
  skills. Redefining roles and organizational
  commitment has inspired the team to improve
  occupational knowledge supporting the
  Departments vision to be the nations leader in
  providing human services. Pauline provided the
  vision and guidance to make Colorado's Child
  Support Program a national leader in innovation,
  program performance and customer service.
• Pauline has shepherded and supported the Food
  Stamps Director through series of very
  complicated federal corrective actions to resolve
  federal-state partnership and accountability
  issues.
• Pauline has successfully guided the Food
  Distribution Program integrating CDHS goals and
  mission into day-to-day business protocols
  through encouragement and support she instilled
  a forward thinking and solutions oriented
  business base-building philosophy because of the
  building block of perseverance and utmost
  customer service, Food Distribution has become
  one of the top commodity distribution programs in
  the nation.
• Pauline encourages her team, as leaders, to
  participate over-and-above just doing their jobs,
  thus empowering them to be community leaders.
  They have each benefited from this unique
  leadership style that encourages professional
  best resulting in better program services and
  controls and for this, Pauline Burton is most
  deserving of an EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR LEADERSHIP
  AWARD.

28
Self Sufficiency and Independence Employee of
the Year for Outstanding Achievement

• Marty Frey
• Division for Developmental Disabilities
• Marty Frey demonstrated leadership, vision,
  solution orientation and customer based focus of
  the operations at the Disability Determination
  Services (DDS) which has resulted in DDS becoming
  a regional and national leader.
• Through Martys leadership, DDS met or exceeded
  all FY 2007 federal funding source goals and
  objectives, resulting in the current 145,321
  beneficiary/constituents receiving 1.24 billion
  in annual benefits.
• Marty also included the development and
  improvement of the best triage units in the
  nation, a program that is being emulated by
  Social Security Administration (SSA) to better
  serve hardship and vulnerable clients.
• Marty was involved in many other projects which
  led to national recognition regarding ongoing
  priority for Military Causality Cases oversight
  of the Colorado DDS Homelessness Initiatives
  leading and oversight of the Cooperative
  Disability Investigations units Denver
  initiatives which was recently recognized in
  conviction and recovery rates in the millions of
  dollars this fy alone.
• As a result of Martys efforts, leadership and
  vision, DDS received the SSAs highest service
  award, the Commissioners Citation, given to only
  15 top DDS offices across the nation for 07-08!
  For this, Marty Frey is most deserving of an
  EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
  AWARD.

29
Self Sufficiency and IndependenceEmployee of the
Year for Team / Teamwork

• Richard Batten and Ruth M. Glenn
• Colorado Works
• The Department received a federal Promoting
  Responsible Fatherhood Grant. Rich and Ruth
  worked together to develop protocols and training
  programs for collaboration between the domestic
  violence community and the fatherhood programs.
  Rich familiarized himself with the domestic
  violence programs and Ruth with the fatherhood
  programs, both worked tirelessly to help these
  programs understand why the programs established
  by this Grant were necessary challenging
  antiquated thinking and service delivery
  practices and really opening some eyes. Rich and
  Ruth became a visible duo to those that needed
  the most molding around the new concepts and took
  a serious dual gendered look at the issue of
  domestic violence in Colorado.
• Ruth is an advocate for the need to change our
  way of thinking about the male role in the effort
  to end domestic violence and Rich recently
  developed and is on the Colorado Dads website, a
  place for men to sign a pledge against domestic
  violence and bring their shoes to the Domestic
  Violence Awareness Month rally at the state
  Capitol.
• Bringing awareness to domestic violence from a
  male perspective is powerful and this road
  traveled by Rich and Ruth was met with much
  resistance but because they knew it was the
  right thing to do for Colorado families to be
  safe, Rich Batten and Ruth Glenn deserve to be
  recognized for an EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR TEAM /
  TEAMWORK AWARD.

30
State Veterans Nursing HomesEmployee of the Year
for Direct Service Worker

• Judith Smith
• Trinidad State Nursing Home
• Judith Smith demonstrates creativity, drive for
  excellence and a genuine love for the
  participants in the STAR CLUB program a program
  that is the only certified Adult Day Care
  program in Las Animas County. STAR affords
  citizens in the community the opportunity to
  receive economical, quality care in a safe and
  structured environment and still live at home.
  Financial limitations never stop Judith from
  achieving her goals with this program. Judith
  organizes fund raisers and always goes over and
  above for her participantsshe really cares.
  Judith truly is a good friend to these
  participants.
• The STAR CLUB is surveyed by the Department of
  Public Health and Environment and has received
  zero deficiency surveys. What do participants
  like best about STAR CLUB? Judith Smith.
  Judiths work saves us all moneythe STAR CLUB is
  a cost effective alternative in the medical
  continuum of care offering transportation,
  socialization, education, medical monitoring,
  nutritious meals and snacks for about 59 per
  day. This compared to 100-300 per day for
  nursing home care and home care. But more
  importantly it gives this community of
  participants the freedom to continue to live at
  home longer.
• Judith is not only an excellent employee she is a
  wonderful human being. She is an asset to the
  Trinidad State Nursing Home, the Division and the
  State of Colorado and for this Judith Smith is
  most deserving of an EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR DIRECT
  SERVICE WORKER AWARD.

31
State Veterans Nursing HomesEmployee of the Year
for Innovation / Creativity

• Barbara J. Moore
• Bruce McCandless Colorado State Veterans Nursing
  Home
• In April of 2006, Barbara Moore made a commitment
  to see a dream of transforming the Bruce
  McCandless Colorado State Veterans Home into a
  more homelike atmosphere. There were many people
  involved in this transformation including our own
  staff, Pinon Management and most importantly, our
  elders and their families.
• Barbi put together a plan for the evolution of
  the Eden Philosophy for our Home. Through the
  Eden Philosophy, our staff has learned how to
  minimize and even eliminate our elders feelings
  of loneliness, helplessness and boredom. Barbi
  asked staff and elders what they would like to
  see our home become and how to achieve it. She
  has empowered our staff and especially our elders
  to make more decisions and has encouraged
  personal growth for virtually everyone living or
  working here.
• With Barbara Moores guidance, the dream was
  realized in July 2008 when our home became Eden
  certified. The Bruce McCandless Colorado State
  Veterans Home is the only state veterans home in
  the nation to be Eden certified! Barbi shows
  leadership through compassion, hard work, and
  goes the extra mile for the elders and staff.
  Barbi gives of herself to help our nursing home
  and other state nursing homes to be a leader in
  health care.
• Barbara Moore is most deserving of an EMPLOYEE OF
  THE YEAR INNOVATION / CREATIVITY AWARD.

32
2008 Colorado Department of Human Services
Employee of the Year Nominees
33
2008 Colorado Department of Human Services
Employee of the Year Nominees
34
2008 Colorado Department of Human Services
Employee of the Year Nominees
35
2008 Colorado Department of Human Services
Employee of the Year Nominees
Congratulations to all the Nominees!
36
Thank You Employee Of The Year Committee Members
for All Of Your Hard Work on This Event!

• Kelley Eich
• Information Technology
• Bernadette Hisel
• Behavioral Health and Housing

Michael Gallegos Children, Youth and
Families Genie Hurt Adult, Disability, and
Rehabilitation Services
Liz McDonough CDHS Communications
Director Diane Roybal Operations and Financial
Services Anna Sandoval Self Sufficiency and
Independence Jessie Sweet State Veterans Nursing
Homes
All Photographs were taken by David Hurt