Submitted by Washington State Department of Corrections
Twenty-two state corrections employees working in Thurston County have received DOC Annual Agency Awards. The employees were honored during a ceremony Friday, April 26.
The awards recognize employees for their continuous work to improve public safety. Each year, staff members are nominated for the awards by their colleagues. A total of 162 DOC employees across the state received agency awards out of a pool of 1,050 nominations.
Two Thurston County recipients work at the Cedar Creek Corrections Center, a minimum security prison in Bordeaux, Wash., that houses 489 male inmates. The rest work among the department’s headquarters in Tumwater and various administrative offices throughout Thurston County.
The following awards were given to corrections employees in Thurston County:
Cedar Creek Corrections Center
- Leadership Award: Edwin Duncan, Corrections Officer
- Correctional Officer of the Year: Joseph Hansen
Headquarters
- Leadership: Belinda Stewart, Correctional Program Administrator, Prisons Division
- Outstanding Performer: Matthew Butler, Investigator, Prisons Division
- Outstanding Performer: Leonard Floyd, Community Corrections Specialist, Community Corrections Division
- Community Partnership: Jennifer Williams, Community Corrections Program Specialist, Community Corrections Division
- Excellence in Service: Margaret Andreas, Budget Manager, Office of the Deputy Secretary
- Excellence in Service: Jacob Bezanson Correctional Program Manager, Community Corrections Division
- Team Excellence: Danielle Armbruster, Assistant Secretary of Reentry, Reentry Division
- Team Excellence: Carrie Kendig, Family Services Program Manager
- Team Excellence: Patricia Wall, Administrative Assistant, Administrative Operations
- Team Excellence: Geoff Nelson, Reentry Program Manager (Editor’s Note: Geoff Nelson is currently an Economic Services Administrator at the Department of Social and Health Services but received the award for his work at the DOC during 2018)
- Team Excellence: Misty Patterson, Program Specialist, Reentry Division
- Team Excellence: Joyce Lingle, Administrative Assistant, Family Offender Sentencing Alternative Program
- Team Excellence: Kara Withers, Executive Assistant, Reentry Division
- Team Excellence: Jacob Sainsbury, Information Technology Specialist
- Team Excellence: Roland Lanoue, Corrections Specialist, Prisons Division
- Team Excellence: Christopher Newton, Investigator, Intelligence and Investigations Unit
- Team Excellence: Susan Leavell, Reentry Senior Administrator
- Innovation: Susan Leavell, Reentry Senior Administrator
- Innovation: Mac Pevey, Assistant Secretary of the Community Corrections Division
Lacey Administrative Operations Office
- Excellence in Service: Tami Henderson, Fiscal Analyst
Correctional Industries Main Office (Tumwater)
- Team Excellence: Ryan Sadler, Correctional Industries Program Manager
Award Descriptions
Leadership
Presented to an employee who exhibits exceptional leadership qualities and provides a clear vision of what success looks like and how to achieve it. They strive for a safe and healthy environment for staff and/or individuals. They provide optimism and demonstrate integrity and have the ambition to succeed with the courage to take actions as needed. Understands the importance of delegating to promote employee growth and motivate the workforce and is seen as a reliable leader.
Correctional Officer of the Year
Presented to an officer whose performance goes above and beyond normal requirements and who demonstrates their commitment to the department’s goals and mission. This officer maintains a positive attitude, provides sound decision making, and a strong commitment to teamwork. S/he is an effective communicator, treating others with dignity, fairness, and respect. S/he is a positive role model and maintains professionalism at all times.
Outstanding Performer
Presented to an employee who consistently exhibits superior job performance and displays a strong work ethic. Excels in their position and is detail oriented, self-disciplined, and not afraid to take initiative. Plays a vital role in contributing to a safe and supportive work environment. Goes above and beyond by participating on committees or workgroups.
Community Partnership
Presented to an employee who understands the importance of partnering and collaborating with the community. Promotes DOC’s vision and mission working with external partners to assist in a successful transition back into the community, for individuals under the jurisdiction of the department. This may include education and/or trainings.
Excellence in Service
Presented to an employee who values the importance of building and maintaining relationships, both internally and externally, and conducts business in a professional manner. Demonstrates open, honest, effective communication skills by being inclusive and embraces diversity and respect.
Team Excellence Award
This award recognizes outstanding teamwork within a group of department employees. The award promotes the spirit of teamwork within departments and between units. They have outstanding performance results due to group achievement. They are recognized for their superior performance and reinforce the collaboration and partnership necessary to achieve agency goals. This team’s cohesiveness is articulated and demonstrated by example.
Innovation
This award is given to a team of department employees who have developed new and creative ways of doing business to drive the organization forward. When presented with a problem or challenge, they question existing assumptions and beliefs to produce a wide range of suggestions and solutions. Innovation is a priority among team members and they approach it with a practical, task-oriented mindset.
More information about the awards is available at http://www.doc.wa.gov/about/employees/awards.htm.
