On Friday, the NC Department of Administration honored 19 of its employees who have exemplified excellence in their work during the past year. Departmental leaders and more than 100 staff members gathered for a special ceremony where honorees were presented with the Secretary’s Award for Excellence in the categories of customer service, outstanding state government service, efficiency and innovation, public service, and teamwork.
“I am continually impressed by the dedication, ingenuity and creativity of our DOA employees,” said NC Department of Administration Secretary Pamela B. Cashwell. “For me, it’s vital that we recognize good work, taking time to pause, and acknowledge staff for their extraordinary service, which is what the Secretary’s Award for Excellence is all about.”
The ceremony featured remarks from DOA Secretary Cashwell and Deputy Secretary David Elliott, and was led by Alicia Lyon, Deputy Director for DOA’s Historically Underutilized Businesses Division, and Bob Talley, Assistant Director of the State Construction Division’s Consulting Services Section.
Recipients of the Secretary’s Award for Excellence in customer service include:
- Shauna Godoy, accounting technician in the Mail Service Center division, demonstrates exemplary customer service patiently listening to and resolving problems. She also simplified the billing process and routinely covers other jobs when short-staffed.
- Tracey McMillan, administrative associate with State Parking, has for 20 years provided prompt, friendly and professional service to employees who need assistance with parking.
- Traci Herrod, certification specialist with the Office of Historically Underutilized Business, reviews and processes HUB certifications often providing technical assistance to vendors.
Award winners for outstanding state government service include:
- Althea Trantham, training manager and organization development specialist in the Human Resources Management Office, has maintained her sweet and thoughtful nature while performing the functions of up to three different roles in 2022.
- Deatrice Williams, Council for Women and Youth Involvement’s Eastern Region office assistant, for several months readily assumed the duties of interim regional director while continuing to complete her own duties.
- Chad Bouffiou, facility management director, has created an empowering environment for his team through thoughtful leadership and his dedication to developing effective sustainability practices for the state.
Honorees for the efficiency and innovation category are:
- Sandra Bryant, lead procurement card administrator in the purchasing section of DOA’s Fiscal Management division, has been integral in automating the existing P-Card approval process, effectively eliminating the use of paper forms, and increasing trackability.
- Justin Leonard and Ryan Hyatt are maintenance/construction supervisors in the Facility Management Division whose work in implementing more sustainable practices at the central steam plan in downtown Raleigh has improved efficiency and resulted in utility savings of more than $90,000.
- Stephen Maynor, director of the Section 8 Housing Clinic Voucher Program with the Commission for Indian Affairs. He recently developed a system that enables staff to efficiently process grants, contracts, travel reimbursements, and even make monthly Section 8 Program payments.
- Gayle Myers, who is an M365 developer on the GenGov Solutions Team at DIT assigned to DOA, developed a new online database for DOA’s Historically Underutilized Businesses Office, reducing data entry time and improving their bid submission processes.
Employees who were recognized for their public service are:
- Evin Grant, DOA’s policy director, who serves the people of North Carolina through continued advocacy work, volunteering his time to several law-based committees in his community, and developing the Emerging Professionals Resource Group to support new state employees at DOA.
- Greg Richardson, executive director of the Commission for Indian Affairs, for nearly 30 years has worked to bring awareness to the challenges that American Indians face and to share their rich history.
In the category of teamwork:
- Lisa Henderson, administrative manager, Kadisha Molyneaux, administrative supervisor, Abria Peterson, administrative associate, and Pamela Hicks, deputy director of the state surplus division, came together during a difficult time of transition for their division and exemplified teamwork in their willingness to adapt to the circumstances and maintain excellent customer relations.
- Prentice Hunt, budget manager with DOA’s Fiscal Management division, and Sherry Morales, human resources analyst with the Human Resources Management Office, together developed a tool that enabled leadership to effectively track and assess salary adjustments, leading to a salary increase for approximately half of DOA employees.
The Secretary’s Award for Excellence is awarded annually to DOA employees who go above and beyond their call of duty. All DOA employees are eligible, including permanent state employees, contractors and temporary employees.
View the program and photos from the event here.
About NC DOA
The N.C. Department of Administration acts as the business manager for North Carolina state government. Under the leadership of Secretary Pamela B. Cashwell, the department oversees government operations and advocacy programs. The department's advocacy programs help to promote and assist diverse segments of the state's population that have been traditionally underserved.