City Of Napa Outstanding Employee Performance Awards Highlight Dedication, Exceptional Contributions

Press release from the City of Napa:

May 23, 2023

NAPA, CA — The City of Napa proudly recognized exemplary employees at this year’s Outstanding Performance Awards, an annual recognition that celebrates those who have gone above and beyond their regular duties, committed to fostering a positive workplace and fully embodied the City’s mission and core values of collaboration, inclusion, service and integrity.

The Outstanding Performance Awards highlight the dedication and exceptional contributions of Napa’s public servants. This year, several individuals and one team were honored for their remarkable service and innovative efforts.

Individual Awards

Chardonai Rose, Housing Specialist — As the Housing Division’s Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Coordinator, Chardonai’s leadership has led to the success of the program. The FSS program provides Section 8 clients support in achieving economic independence. Chardonai builds strong relationships with each client, guiding them through goal-setting and providing support to increase their wage earnings. She goes above and beyond, assisting with job applications, resume preparation and interview practice. The FSS program is incredibly successful because of Chardonai’s efforts with a full client base and an ongoing waitlist.

Jennifer Lerma, Administrative Secretary — Jennifer has provided invaluable support to the Department Operations Center (DOC) over the past decade. During severe storm events and disasters, Jennifer personally staffs the DOC and schedules additional staff to keep the Center open to ensure the protection of safety and property in the community. In the past year, she developed new standard operating procedures and trained teammates to improve DOC’s efficiency and effectiveness when responding to storm events. Leveraging her ability to anticipate and articulate scenarios, challenges and opportunities, Jennifer also created process improvements throughout the City. Jennifer’s continued, outstanding dedication to the Public Works Department operations, process improvement, collaboration and serving the community exemplifies what it means to serve the community.

Amy Shawley, Systems Analyst — Amy has been an indispensable resource in implementing the Enterprise Permitting and Licensing software (EPL) over the past two years. Her exceptional customer service, technical proficiency and positive demeanor have been vital to propelling the project towards success. Amy spearheads the development of software and hardware and supports project management efforts. She consistently steps up as an expert problem solver, resolving issues with the potential to delay project timelines. Amy’s involvement in the EPL project has set the City up for success, and she will continue to administer the EPL software and train new staff as they are onboarded.

Brandon Veyna, Senior Fire Inspector —Brandon is an asset to the fire prevention team, continually performing at the highest level. His leadership was pivotal in the successful implementation of tablet-based inspection software, an effort that took considerable configuration and time. This significantly improved efficiency by reducing paperwork and is now the blueprint for neighboring agencies. Brandon also revamped the Fire Prevention webpage, streamlined project submissions, created social media content and created a digital scheduling system which increased accessibility and efficiency as a whole.

Marisol Vargas, Records Supervisor — Marisol has demonstrated exceptional dedication and resourcefulness in working across a wide variety of crucial projects. From working on the budget proposal to completing timecards, Marisol’s unwavering willingness to assist the City in supporting the community regardless of the task at hand is a testament to her exceptional character. Beyond her regular responsibilities, Marisol volunteered to support the Dispatch Center as a Call-taker during a staffing crisis.

Toni McIntosh, Community Services Officer (CSO) —Youth Services Bureau - For three generations, Toni has been instrumental in fostering a strong bond between law enforcement and Napa residents. As the Youth Services CSO, Toni has been rooted in public service to guide youth in making better decisions, support families with parenting skills and solve complex issues. Every year, Toni develops vital community partnerships with local businesses and service clubs to coordinate events that strengthen the relationship between the police and the community.

Team Award

Napa Central Dispatch Center — This team has exemplified what it means to ensure the safety of our community, support the future, and provide ‘service over self’ every day of the year. Call Takers and Dispatchers serve as the vital link between individuals in crisis and emergency responders. Seeing as many 9-1-1 callers have never interacted with emergency personnel before, this team must quickly establish rapport and get vital information from distraught callers. Trained to handle a range of crisis situations, they offer calm assistance during moments of panic. This team consistently puts in long 12-16+ hour days every day of the year and, despite strained staffing in 2023, continues to deliver high-quality service to our community and public safety personnel throughout the valley.

• Supervisors: Sarah Freeman, Lee-Ann Crowe, Afton Pinney, Teresa Amaral
• Dispatchers: Lori Borg (retired), Denise Davis, Jenny McRoberts, Paula O’Rourke, Katie Thompson, Chris Parker-Swain, Heather Vieau, Madeleine Peterson, Celina Davis, Rebecca Spiers, Ondriea Perino, Nikki Morlan, Britney Marquez, Bergen Verdu, Natalie Kemp, Devyn Baum, Dascia Skadal
• Call Taker: Ariana Briceno
• P/T Dispatchers: Amanda Kertianis, Maria Lugo, Lauren Vassos, Becky Abrams, Karla Ceja
• Extra Help Records Supervisor: Marisol Vargas

Employee Milestones: Years Of Service

The City of Napa also honored staff members reaching significant milestones in their public service careers. Join Napa in congratulating the following City staff for being recipients of this year’s Service Awards:

Celebrating 25 Years of Service

1. Sergio Martin, Utilities Department
2. Steve Crandell, Public Works Department
3. Bill Hernandez, Police Department
4. Jennifer McRoberts, Police Department

Celebrating 20 Years of Service

1. Julio Carrillo, Public Works Department
2. Jim Cortese, Fire Department
3. Albert Burgess, Fire Department
4. Paul McRoberts, Fire Department
5. Eric Vandeburgt, Public Works Department
6. Doug McLean, Utilities Department
7. Kyle Upchurch, Police Department
8. Kelly Bullock, Parks and Recreation
9. Kris Jenny, Police Department
10. Jen Lerma, Public Works Department

Celebrating 15 Years of Service

1. Dawn Owens, Parks and Recreation
2. Marisol Vargas, Police Department
3. Jocelyn Ramirez, Finance Department
4. Jesus Perez, Public Works Department
5. Tonya Espinoza, Utilities Department
6. Miguel Cuellar, Public Works Department
7. Garrett Brown, City Manager
8. Dominic Deguilio, Police Department
9. Chris Shoop, Utilities Department
10. Eric Koford, Police Department
11. Joe Carrion, Public Works Department
12. David Orozco, Parks and Recreation
13. Aaron Baracco, Fire Department
14. Anthony Genaro, Fire Department
15. Devon Ulitin, Fire Department

Celebrating 10 Years of Service

1. Garrett Smith, Police Department
2. Andy Oros, Police Department
3. Nick Toscani, Police Department
4. Kevin Skillings, Police Department
5. Marcus Martinez, Police Department
6. Katie Thompson, Police Department
7. Matthew Gonsalves, Fire Department
8. Nathan Bjorgum, Fire Department
9. Jacob Fonville, Fire Department
10. Scott Wilkes, Fire Department
11. Ismael Saldivar, Parks and Recreation
12. Bob Janowski, Utilities Department

Celebrating 5 Years of Service

1. Hilary Pieper, Police Department
2. Sabrina Wolfson, City Attorney’s Office
3. MJ Tueros, Police Department
4. Tyler Olson, Police Department
5. Dave Youdell, Parks and Recreation
6. Hannah Ramirez, Parks and Recreation
7. Andy Guzman, Finance Department
8. Christina Silva, Finance Department
9. Monica Lopez, Housing, City Manager’s Office
10. Tony Valadez, Community Development Department
11. James Stanic, Fire Department
12. Zachary Dias, Fire Department
13. Clay Zusman, Fire Department
14. Jack Durham, Fire Department
15. Ali Koenig, Parks and Recreation Department
16. Ryan Robles, Police Department
17. Fernando Bravo, Utilities Department
18. Isabella Romero, Police Department
19. Jacob Culverhouse, Public Works Department
20. Dino Cittoni Jr, Public Works Department
21. Ashley Titus, Human Resources Department
22. Max Hitzler, IT, City Manager’s Office
23. Brandon Veyna, Fire Department
24. Diana Carranza, Human Resources Department
25. Matt Colburn, Fire Department
26. Michael Norrbom, Fire Department
27. Val Amado, Parks and Recreation Department
28. Tim Kittel, Utilities Department
29. Adam Barrera, Police Department
30. Pedro Soria, Utilities Department

“The City of Napa thrives because of the dedication and care that our entire staff have for this community,” said City Manager Steve Potter. “Recognizing the recipients of the Outstanding Performers and Service Awards is a small way of acknowledging the breadth and depth of their contributions to the City.”

Napa underscores the significance of the Outstanding Performers and Service Awards by celebrating the dedication and excellence of all City staff, shining a spotlight on the remarkable contributions of those who have showcased long-standing dedication to the organization and those who have gone the extra mile in exemplifying the City’s mission and values.

The City of Napa is always looking for passionate and talented individuals to join our team. To learn more about current job opportunities and become a part of our committed community, visit www.CityofNapa.org/Careers.

This press release was produced by the City of Napa. The views expressed here are the author’s own.