Human Resources
Employees of the Month
Charlotte County BCC employees may be nominated by citizens, peers, or their supervisor for embodying the County’s Core values of Integrity, Customer Service, Innovation, Partnership, and Stewardship. These employees understand being “Open for Business” and their efforts significantly contribute to achieving the County’s Mission of being the energy in making Charlotte county a beautiful and enriching place to live. Click here for information regarding nominating an employee.
Pat Moran - February 2012
Pat is one of those employees that exemplifies customer service in every single thing she does. She is pleasant, courteous and creative, and it seems she is always looking for a way to improve a current program or add a new one where she sees a need. Pat demonstrates an obvious personal interest in our employees, always striving for a way to make their experience a better one, whether it’s a one-hour Lunch and Learn or a large-scale project such as the Ambassador program. In addition, Pat has recently transitioned from full-time to part-time status yet somehow still manages to balance her many projects with grace, style, and a healthy dose of humor. She never seems to lose her composure, no matter how stressful the situation--always maintaining that quiet smile. She is truly amazing! Pat recently prepared and delivered a presentation to our County Administrators and Department Heads encouraging them to recognize and nominate their employees for the great work they do. Because she is such a true champion of our employees she took it upon herself to personally challenge our senior management staff to follow suit. Her presentation was so full of spirit and passion; everyone was so impressed! That is just one example, but everything she does, she does the same way: wholeheartedly.
Mark Smith - January 2012
With the reduction of staff resulting from the continuing budget constraints, individuals have been called upon to assume greater responsibilities and ever increasing workloads. Nowhere is that more demonstrated than the Customer Service Investigator's position. Mark Smith serves the County as a customer concern investigator and travels the County investigating complaints and meeting with citizens in resolving the situations. He is the embodiment of tact, helpfulness and courtesy. He has developed a "following" of citizens. Based on his success in past situations, the citizens now ask for Mark specifically to help them resolve a problem. He is upbeat and cheerful in this interaction and possesses a sincere desire to help the citizen. In short, if I could pick an employee for all of us to emulate it would be Mark Smith and that is why it is my pleasure to nominate him for Charlotte County Employee of the Month.
Kim Sternal - December 2011
Kim Sternal displayed great poise and courage when she discovered that a 3 year-old boy walking out of the Tax Collector's Office with his mother, began choking on a piece of candy. Kim immediately went over and performed the Heimlich Maneuver which dislodged the candy from the boy's throat and the boy was able to breathe again. The mother thanked Kim and they went off about their business. Kim does not feel like she did anything that was out of the ordinary, but in our minds, she saved a little boy's life and calmed the mother as she was frantic while this was happening.
Julia Galofre and Mary Ann Grey - October 2011
Community Development - Building Code/Sustainability Specialist and Administrative Assistant II
Mary Ann and Julia were tasked with planning and hosting the third annual Green Futures Expo held October 1, 2011 at the Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center. The event was a huge success with over 40 exhibitors and an estimated 1000 attendees and really highlighted Charlotte County as a force to be reckoned with when it comes to sustainability. Mary Ann and Julia started planning this event in early 2011 and in addition to planning the expo, arranged for an opening breakfast ceremony with a keynote speech from the Southern Director of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, mangrove walking tours and a boat tour of Charlotte Harbor. The event was fully funded by sponsorship and exhibitors, so no taxpayer funds were expended which, in this economy, is a great achievement. Feedback from both the exhibitors and citizens was extremely positive and can be summed up by a comment made by a representative with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, “The synergy within the Expo Hall could be felt and touched by the attendees both young and old. The kids could reach out and be part of their tomorrow right there in the hall and us older, I will say, more experienced attendees saw future ideas and products talk to us.” The two nominees put in countless hours of their own time to ensure this event was a success for the County and exemplify the dedication and commitment to their jobs and this County we would wish to see in any County Employee.
Marc Solomon - July 2011
Community Services- Recreation Program Supervisor
I asked Marc Solomon to consider helping the Special Olympics program in Charlotte County by providing swim instruction to athletes with intellectual disabilities. He quickly went to work, researching the Special Olympics program and recruiting swim instructors who had a desire to work with this special needs population. He put together a weekly program of swim instruction and he and his entire staff donated their time and the Community Services Department donated the facility to provide quality basic swim instruction to prepare athletes for area and state competitions. Marc and three other instructors took time out of their busy schedules to attend the Special Olympics Aquatics coach’s training in Pinellas County, so they could become certified coaches for the Special Olympics Program. Marc has diligently sought to learn the competition rules for Special Olympics and has personally worked with the athletes to improve their swimming skills. He has worked with his instructors to provide a fun, learning experience each week to keep the athletes engaged. The athletes have enjoyed each practice and especially enjoyed the County meet on July 25, 2011. Marc has worked with other swim instructors that practice at the South County facility to allow the Special Olympics athletes to continue practicing each Monday evening into October. I have been very impressed by the effort that Marc and his staff have shown in working with the Special Olympics program and the enthusiasm they have shown for working with the athletes.
Claire Jubb - June 2011
Community Development-Customer Service Manager
One of Claire’s greatest attributes is her commitment to providing excellent service to achieving real results that earn the public trust. Members of Charlotte County Utilities have worked with Claire to provide seamless, one-stop shopping to our building community by incorporating the utility processes into the building and construction services process. By doing this, we can now make timely inspections of construction efforts and minimize the wait time for certificates of occupancy, ensure quality delivery of service, allow contractors to submit paperwork in one place eliminating the need to visit multiple locations, and allow contractors to make one-stop payments. Claire has not only assisted us in many endeavors to provide our customers with greater customer service and found methods to assist us in maximizing product delivery and revenue, she does so with a pleasant, creative, and respectful manner. She is always professional and helpful.
Marcie DeGiovine - May 2011
Fiscal Consultant II, Budget & Administrative Services
Marcie led the coordination and planning efforts of the Fiscal Services Division’s employee appreciation events. Marcie and her team organized events that not only stayed within budget but went above and beyond. For instance, Marcie arranged for a local chef to donate his time to cook breakfast for over 30 staff members and negotiated with the manager at Sonny’s BBQ to provide an all-inclusive lunch at a reasonable price for our staff. Marcie is also quite the baker and baked most of the desserts used for one of the events, which included unique hand-made chocolate baskets and gourmet cupcakes. Marcie understood the value of showing employees how much management appreciates their efforts and implemented the Golden “thank you” Day” and the theme revolved around everything being golden. This theme really impressed upon staff that management believes we have the best of the best working for us.
Bill Sayers - April 2011
Design Technician, Public Works
While working full-time in the Public Works Graphics Section, Bill Sayers earned an Associate’s Degree in Information Technology. This education and training, taken during his personal time, contributes significantly when technical problems are encountered at work. His enthusiasm in completing projects is contagious. He cheerfully provides graphics, mapping and information services to all Charlotte County departments. He thinks “outside the box” when solving problems and over his 16-year career with Charlotte County has come up with innovative ideas and solutions for problems presented by Public Works divisions as well as other departments. Recently he helped the Maintenance & Operations Section design median landscaping, helped the Survey Section with the survey drafting for Murdock Village discussions, and worked with the Real Property Section on Public Works’ recent relocation and renovations, designing multiple options to relocate staff for maximum workspace and comfort. He worked with Risk Management to identify the number of parking spaces on County-owned property in order to calculate the number of handicapped spaces needed for ADA-compliance.
Dee Hawkins - March 2011
Fire/EMS PR Education Coordinator, Public Safety
Dee is a perfect representative of Charlotte County’s Values. She has the highest integrity in her job performance, delivers public service on an ongoing basis with being the Public Education spokesperson for Fire & EMS. Innovation, partnership, and good stewardship are the name of the game when it comes to Dee. With staff reductions, budget cuts, and the economic downturn all around, she has found ways to continue to educate the public in public safety. Dee gives 110% to everything she does for the Fire & EMS Department. She is always looking to ways to obtain education materials through grants and sponsorship avenues. Through her many years in the department she has been able to develop numerous programs for the public such as baby sitter safety course, child safety seat, fire alarms for the hearing impaired and many more that can be found on their website. Through Dee’s work in the EOC PIO room I can say with100% certainty that our Public Information Office during an activation will be able to handle anything thrown their way.
David Rockow - February 2011
Assistant Veteran Services Officer, Human Services
David is very meticulous in his job functions, and always engaged in his work, going the extra mile when necessary and fully believes in the Motto “Open for Business” David has a good working relationship with the various Veterans, State & Federal Organizations. His “Client” skill are beyond reproach and he has gathered many “positive” comments about his “positive demeanor” and “can do “attitude. In the February, David was instrumental in this office bringing in approximately $500,000.00 in VA benefits (funding) for our clients. This enabled his clients to pay for Assisted Living Facilities, medication and live a better quality of life. David goes well above his job description and truly cares. He has been working with a 100% disabled Veteran who lives by himself. He has gone so far as to assist this veteran in purchasing a new washer, delivering it and hooking it up for him. His “selfless “attitude sets a great example for all to emulate. He is a pleasure to have on our team.
