DOVER, DE - On May 6, 2024, Governor John Carney hosted his annual awards ceremony to honor Delaware state employees as a part of Public Service Recognition Week observed from May 5-11, 2024. The event celebrates the dedication of government employees who play a crucial role in supporting both the operations and welfare of Delaware. Notably, this year’s event returned to an in-person format, held at the Modern Maturity Center. The Governor, joined by members of his Cabinet and the state’s business community, recognized Delaware’s public servants and the outstanding contributions of state employees.

“I am proud to acknowledge the outstanding achievements of our public servants,” said Governor Carney. “It is an honor to work with state employees who are committed to serving Delawareans each day.”

“Our state employees are the heartbeat of all we do,” said Department of Human Resources Secretary Claire DeMatteis. “They are dedicated, hard-working, compassionate, and resilient employees, and they exemplify excellence in public service. Their commitment to serving our Delaware communities is inspiring and essential.”

The following individuals and teams of state employees were honored for their excellence and commitment to public service during the 2023 calendar year.

Awards were presented in the following categories:

• Delaware Award for Excellence and Commitment in State Service
• Governor’s Team Excellence Awards: Commitment Award, Champions Award, and
  GEAR P3 Innovation & Efficiency Award
• GEAR P3 Trailblazer Award
• Delaware Award for Heroism

To view the ceremony, visit https:/www.youtube.com/johncarneyde.

Delaware Award for Excellence and Commitment in State Service Award

The Delaware Award for Excellence and Commitment in State Service Award is presented to up to five State of Delaware employees, or small groups of up to five employees, who exemplify the highest standards of excellence and commitment in state service. Recipients of the 2023 award are:

• Caleb Bontrager, Department of Technology and Information
• Jason Gingerich, Department of Health and Social Services
• Rebecca Salmon, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
• Jessica Jason-Torres, Department of Health and Social Services
• Charlotte Walsh, Justice of the Peace Court

Governor’s Team Excellence Awards

This award category includes the GEAR P3 Innovation & Efficiency Award; Champions Award; and Commitment Award. The Governor’s Team Excellence Awards, presented annually to a team of six to 20 state employees, encourages teamwork by recognizing groups of state employees for their efforts to use continuous quality improvement tools to excel in leadership, team dynamics and communication to produce superior customer service and tangible results.

Commitment Award
This award recognizes teams that demonstrate a commitment to developing and applying quality improvement tools and techniques and achieving results that lead to continuous improvement in their organization. Recipients of this award are:

• Claymont Transportation Center Team - Department of Transportation
• Peer Support in Long-Term Care Team - Department of Health and Social Services

Champions Award
This award recognizes teams that demonstrate a superior knowledge of continuous quality improvement techniques, produce tangible results, and increase efficiencies, customer satisfaction, or cost savings. Recipients of this award are:

• FOCUS Team - Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families
• Delaware State Police Aviation Section Team - Department of Safety and Homeland Security
• Unifier Migration Team - Department of Transportation
• SNAP Stolen Benefit Replacement Workgroup - Department of Health and Social Services

GEAR P3 Innovation & Efficiency Award
This top award honors teams that not only use continuous improvement tools to achieve outstanding results but also develop innovative designs and processes, establish best practices, and produce verifiable results that are sustainable, scalable, and adaptable to other areas of government. These teams serve as clear role models for other organizations. The recipients of this award are:

• DHR Agile Workspace Project Team - Departments of Human Resources and Technology and Information
• DSS Unwinding Team - Department of Health and Social Services
• Continuous Quality Improvement Initiative Team - Department of Health and Social Services

GEAR P3 Trailblazer Award

The GEAR P3 Trailblazer Award provides special recognition for individuals or small teams of employees who implement projects that increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability of State government. These recipients are acknowledged for using continuous improvement tools to develop innovative processes, establish best practices, and produce verifiable results that are impactful, sustainable, and adaptable to other areas of government.
Recipients of the 2023 award are:

• Ashley Kavanagh, Department of Human Resources
• Digitization Project Team, Departments of Human Resources and Technology and Information - Ashley Lebo, Alex LeClaire and James Robinson
• Comprehensive Review Tool Project Team, Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families - Jerrica Boyer and Tina Selby Ware
• Connect Community Project Team, Department of Health and Social Services - Ke’Andra Hackett, Nicole Jingozian, Barnabas Kerkula, and Melissa Winters

The GEAR P3 Trailblazer Award and the GEAR P3 Innovation and Efficiency Award were established through the support of the Government Efficiency and Accountability Review (GEAR) Board and a Public-Private Partnership (P3) between the State of Delaware and the local business community. Corporate sponsors include, Buccini Pollin Group (BPG), Corporation Services Company (CSC), DuPont, Highmark BCBS Delaware, JP Morgan Chase Bank, M&T Bank, Morris James LLP, The Precisionists Inc. (TPI), W.L. Gore & Associates, and WSFS Bank.

“As chairman of the Governor’s Efficiency & Accountability Review (GEAR) P3 Taskforce for Governor Carney’s GEAR initiative, I am thrilled that the private sector, with the strong backing of the Delaware Business Roundtable and the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, has partnered again with the State of Delaware on the Public-Private Partnership (P3) Governor’s Innovation & Efficiency, and Trailblazer Awards. This program is a terrific step toward better government, and in recognizing state employees and teams on outstanding accomplishments,” said Ernie Dianastasis, CEO of The Precisionists (TPI).

Delaware Award for Heroism

The Delaware Award for Heroism recognizes state employees who have demonstrated outstanding judgment, exceptional courage, extraordinary decisiveness and presence of mind, and unusual swiftness of action, regardless of his or her own personal safety, in the attempt to save or protect human life and/or property. The 2023 recipients are:

• Juan Arroyo-Camacho, Department of Transportation
• Thomas Catalfamo, Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Delaware State Police
• Adam DeLucia, Department of Transportation
• Matthew Downes and Matthew Sampson, Department of Transportation
• Matthew Lichtenstein, Department of Transportation
• Sara Miller, Tracy Purnell and Sasha Rampersad, Department of Labor
• John Walker, Department of Transportation