Group Awards

Cross Agency Point Of Distribution Team

Over the course of 2 months the POD operated, the POD Team exuded the epitome of professionalism while assisting nearly 1,000 staff and their families receive the vaccination. The POD team maintained a courteous demeanor in their efforts to mobilize, support and provide information and access to the POD. The team made the space welcoming and made everyone feel welcomed and at ease throughout the process, exemplifying customer service excellence. This team collectively made history with the first POD at ACS created in response to a major pandemic.

• Deonarain Anand
• Williams Anthony
• Jaron Ben-Shalom
• Charles Burrus
• Cesar Cabrera
• Sheppard Clarance
• Ana Colares
• Ebony Dunn
• Martine Edmund
• Donald  Geary
• Galasso Gene
• Stuart Goldstein
• Janet Griffith
• Jenifer Guillaume
• Jacqueline Hamilton-Davis
• Tremaine Hayward
• Shaunee Hodges
• Knox Howard
• Mercado Jason
• Martinez Julian
• Jessica  Kelly
• Novaid  Khan
• Duandie Martinez
• Wendy Mathis
• Kukushkin Michael
• Jeffrey Minnier
• Ricardo Munoz
• Ijeoma  Onyejiukwa
• Ingrid Oyuela
• Dgawanti Parbhudial
• Pavel Pavlyuchuk
• James Perrino
• Joshua  Pimentel
• Laura Postiglione
• Teel Qaron
• Burwell Quentella
• Shanthanu Ramani
• Sarai Rivera
• Adrian Saldana
• Fisher Sandrene
• Winette Saunders
• Anil K. Sharma
• Sandra A. Smith
• Amar S. Sondhi
• Gladys Spencer
• Newman Steven
• Pedro Tapia
• Betty Taylor
• Barbara Turk
• Richard Watson
• Naimah Welch
• Mathis  Wendy
• Judith S. Williams

Individual Awards

Nicole Mathias

Nicole Mathias's duties as BIC Deputy Director of Policy often results in her directly interacting with BIC applicants as well as other members of the public. She excels at interpersonal communication and has coordinated several time sensitive outreach projects. Her drive and knowledge of agency operations, combined with her pleasant demeanor, greatly contribute towards the success of significant public safety initiatives, such as the trade waste industry vehicle emissions law and additional industry safety policies. Nicole's resourcefulness and overall commitment to her job has garnered her the respect of colleagues, BIC applicants, agency partners, and other members of the public.

Individual Awards

Andrew Kunkes

Andrew has gone above and beyond in his role in emergency management and recovery efforts. His ability to be professional, kind, proactive, and a team player make him a worthy recipient of the Customer Service Award.

Group Awards

IT Operations

Over the last year, the IT Operations Team configured and deployed over 100 laptops and 80 mobile phones. This allowed the agency to transition to remote work quickly and easily without any major disruptions in key business activities. In addition, the team implemented technology that allowed IT to transition to a virtual service desk model to meet the needs of agency staff remotely and in real-time. This team has demonstrated not only their commitment to providing excellent customer service, but also a willingness to learn new technologies and think outside the box to keep up with the growing demands of the agency.

• Anthony Castro
• Christopher Gomez
• Carlos Taveras

Individual Awards

Lenny James

Lenny James spearheaded an initiative to establish training for Older Adult Centers on how to operate as Cooling Centers during the COVID-19 State of Emergency. Due to the pandemic response, agency staff in other divisions were limited, and Lenny established a communication network to relay activation status to the 100+ Older Adult Centers that served as Cooling Centers during the Heat Seasons of 2020 and 2021. Lenny went above and beyond to work with our Older Adult Center network to ensure proper safety measures were incorporated prior to activation of Cooling Centers. Given the breadth of coordination required, this meant answering calls and responding to inquiries from NYC Emergency Management which oversees the program, as well as Older Adult Centers at all hours of the day and on weekends. Lenny went above and beyond when he volunteered to manage the activation of the Aging's Cooling Centers on non-work hours to ensure that they were operational, and attendance was reported on time. Older Adult Center staff were pleased by his responsiveness and the level of effort he invested with troubleshooting and assisting with guidance interpretation, and often relayed this satisfaction in communication with the agency. Lenny is a well-liked and well-respected member of the OEPR team at Aging, and his dedication to emergency operations, particularly with respect to his efforts in communicating with our non-profit provider network, has been nothing short of impressive.

Individual Awards

Jonathan Becker

Jonathan has demonstrated exceptional courtesy, responsiveness, and assistance to DCAS employees. He always looks to find out the best outcome for all involved and truly exemplifies the core values of DCAS in providing the best service. During the pandemic, he voluntarily came to the office every day to help with roll out of laptops and to provide the needed on-site support. His presence and customer service were crucial for the success of DCAS' transition to remote work.

Group Awards

DCAS Storehouse Team

The DCAS Central Storehouse was nominated for "Excellence in Customer Service" because of their commitment during the pandemic to ensuring agencies were provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) to combat COVID-19 safely. They provided knowledge around PPE to First Responders, demonstrated a degree of professionalism during deliveries in high-infectious areas of the city, and executed all deliveries (small and large) requested by the City Hall team in a timely manner. As the logistical arm of DCAS, the Central Storehouse was relentless in combating the virus, and acted as one of the key efforts in curbing the spread and saving lives during Emergency Response. DCAS Central Storehouse has gone above and beyond demonstrating just how effective outstanding customer service can lead to forging stronger relationships with our sister agencies.

• Jose Cajas
• Dan Calles
• Cherilyn Carpenter
• Frank D'Onofrio
• Ranford Gayle
• Ricardo Goldson
• Ronald  Hansen
• Vivian Jackson
• Vickie Kearse
• Addesh Lal
• Trevor Leid
• Michael Maldonado
• Charles Mandelbaum
• Reinaldo Martinez
• Ishraq Mohammed
• Marc Munroe
• David Peltz
• Cristo Pinto
• Elaine Richardson
• Jabbar Richardson
• Renee Tang
• Kathleen Tichio
• Alberto Velasquez
• Medina Villafane
• Leonard Walters
• Shawn Witten
• Serfanuz Zaman

Individual Awards

Sara Avila

Sara is an outstanding public servant with extraordinary professional commitment to public service. She is responsive to public needs, and unfailingly polite and courteous – despite the high-pressure work environment, often in a very public setting, and often with many investment dollars at stake. The complexity of what is trying to be accomplished at each commission hearing meeting requires them to run like clockwork. Sara is always 'on' for these sessions, anticipating and clearing issues before they become bigger - her professionalism shines all the time. In working with the public who have been participating in our hearings via Zoom, she's behind the scenes helping the public sort out their technical issues, working creatively and quickly to find alternate methods where needed (eg dialing in separately, using another computer), without anyone being the wiser. Sara's also organized, conscientious, and always treats people with empathy and compassion -- we love how she represents the City as the 'face' of our check-in procedures and inspires us all rise to a higher level.

In the beginning of the recent Soho/Noho planning process the Department held an open house in conjunction with the Borough President and the local councilmember. A consultant was hired to run the meeting, but City Planning staff were asked to volunteer. Sara was a volunteer at this meeting and asked to run the sign-in at the front door. The consultant was using software to sign-in meeting participants on iPads. Unfortunately, the wireless connection was poor at the site and signing in the public was taking too longSara on her own initiative created a paper sign-in process on the fly. She collected the appropriate information and enlisted her fellow volunteers to expedite sign-in. Sara explained the issue to the people attending the meeting and told them what she was doing to fix it. The public attending the meeting went from potentially being angry about a long wait to sign into the meeting to being quickly mollified and able to contribute on the issues they came to discuss. This anecdote illustrates Sara's creativity and initiative. She also communicated with the public in a sensitive and forthright manner.

Individual Awards

Carmen Soler

PO Soler is very professional to residents, clients and staff at all times. PO Soler goes above and beyond to help clients and staff. Employee takes her time and actively listen to the clients and helps them with their request accordingly. There is no judgement, she helps everyone in the best way she can. An ex-client came to the site because she felt comfortable talking to PO Soler, the female client expressed that she was having family issues and had not taken her medication. PO Soler immediately notified her supervisor and contacted medical services to support the individual.

Group Awards

Street Homeless Solutions

During the unprecedented worldwide Covid-19 pandemic, the JCC outreach staff remained on the streets of New York engaging potentially street homeless individuals. At the height of the pandemic this dedicated team diligently canvassed and engaged potentially street homeless individuals which included screening for COVID and referring interested clients to stabilization beds and Safe Havens which offer light touch case management services as well as a safe place for street homeless individuals to sleep and uphold social distancing protocols. Importantly during the past year, in response to the MTA's shutdown of overnight subway service, our staff at DSS-DHS, our contracted providers, and our incredible, dedicated outreach teams stepped up to meet the moment, engaging New Yorkers in need every night at end-of-the-line stations as the subways closed to offer them support and pathways to services and stability. Through these efforts, and over 8,000 thousand engagements focused on building trust, more than 800 individuals engaged by outreach teams on the subway train or subway platform are now in shelter – a testament to the importance of our teams' compassionate approach to encouraging people to accept services so they can get back on their feet. Despite all the uncertainty surrounding COVID 19 and the toll that it took on all New Yorkers, this team came to work day in and day out. They helped many potentially street homeless individuals access safe locations and for that they are our HEROES.

• Driss Ahmouch
• Anthony Aldano
• Katherine Araujo
• Johanna Arias
• Simona Burrell
• Melissa Centeno
• Ulysses Covan
• Yvette Cruz
• Marijana Curguz
• Maribel Feliz
• Clarence Gamblin
• Nitza Garcia
• Chantel Henriquez
• Evelyna Hernandez
• Craig Himmons
• Crystal Jalloh
• Mahamuda Khair
• Ebony Larmond
• Dominick Lynch
• David Metayer
• Kavar Middleton
• Yasir Mohamed
• Kalil Morales
• Phillip Neumann
• Pamela Ortiz
• Shakiera Payne
• Angela  Pena
• Jonathan Perez
• Jamal Phillip
• Pedro Pinela
• Nadine  Porsenna
• Edgar Ramirez
• Naritza  Reid-Morales
• Terri Rhabb
• Brandon Rios
• Maritza Rivera
• Christopher Rodriguez
• Janielle  Rogers
• Nelly Sanchez
• Xavier Shakesphere
• Zaiire Sharpless
• Dondrelle Shuler
• Kelly Snider
• Rachel Spivey
• Justin Torres
• Nephtali Valcin
• Efrem Velez
• Trone Williams

Individual Awards

Darnelle Clarke-Mills

Darnelle is a phenomenal leader and is well versed in operations protocol. She remembers the goal of the NYC Department of Building is our commitment to providing efficient service to all New Yorkers.

Darnelle knows that the formula to reach her goal includes excellent customer service. Darnelle dedicates her time to providing information and guidance to customers, helping them to understand the necessity of properly filing applications and documents correctly, and performing all work according to the NYC Construction Codes, Zoning Resolution and local laws. Darnelle performs research and makes sound decisions that will not only assist the customers in meeting compliance but will also improve the Agency's operations. Darnelle also serves as a resource for her internal customers (her colleagues and supervisors) and is always willing to provide an immediate resolution of a challenging issue.

Darnelle took her responsibilities and duties seriously and was selected as a Service Manager. Darnelle's superior performance and customer service focus established her as the "go to" person in the Brooklyn Borough office after the retirement of the borough director in 2019.

Her career trajectory is a road map of success and the NYC Department of Buildings is proud to honor and nominate Darnelle Clarke-Mills, for the Mayor's Award for Excellent Customer Service!

Group Awards

Assets and Facilities Management

During the pandemic Asset Management created PPE Go Bags for our inspectorial work force, distributing over 10,000 kits to field staff at the height of the pandemic. In addition, they worked with both DCAS and private vendors to ensure office spaces with COVID exposure were properly sanitized.

Asset Management also produced over 300K copies of COVID safety print materials for distribution in hot zones and other areas of interest across the City.

The Fleet staff ensured one of the highest utilized fleet programs in the City coordinated the pool of vehicles amongst the 500+ inspectors so that services levels could be met during the pandemic.

Collectively, the Buildings' Asset Management team excelled during the agency's most challenging times. Their selflessness, long hours in the office and commitment to the mission were unmatched. This small unit supported over 1,600 employees, ensuring all the necessary resources were in place to help our agency serve the citizens of this great City.

The NYC Department of Buildings is proud to Asset Management with the Mayor's Award for Excellent Customer Service! Thanks for providing Extraordinary and Excellent Customer Service.

• Ismael   Agosto
• Tracey   Barnett
• Anthony Bonilla
• Duane   Brown
• David Carcache
• Christina Conti
• Joseph Continelli
• Louis      Corbett
• Mary Kate Cudahy
• Tracey D'Adamo
• Matthew Freud
• Alexander Gonzalez
• Krystian Kopec
• Nicholas Martinez
• Alfred Morris
• Tony Ng
• Thaddius Novack
• Kelly Pari-Rodriguez
• Ariel Peterson
• Thomas Ryan
• Mark Sanabria
• Glenn Stertefeldt
• Najib Succar
• Gong Tang
• Jairo Velez
• Marco Wong

Individual Awards

Jermey Taylor

Jermey began each day with a group meeting and grounding exercise for the entire team to set the tone. His enthusiasm is inspiring, and the result was a cohesive team which was excited to work together to serve the public by administering life-saving vaccines. He led by example with his promptness, quick responsiveness to people in stressful situations and excellent judgement to resolve concerns. We had many compliments from customers who said they were so pleased to be treated so well in a City-run site, and from the staff who were led by Jermey who praised his positive, can-do spirit and willingness to work alongside them to solve problems.

Group Awards

External Affairs

• Samantha Steingard
• Nina Tinikashvili
• James Soracchi
• Harry Millwater

The External Affairs Teams within DOHMH is responsible for communicating to New Yorkers about key messages and public health guidance. We are recognizing four staff from the External Affairs public correspondence, call center, and print shop. The Correspondence team receives questions and concerns from constituents and elected officials regarding a wide range of public health issues. The team liaises with staff throughout the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, as well as with many other City agencies to ensure each inquiry is handled by the appropriate subject matter experts. Nina and Samantha monitor incoming inquiries for trends that can inform the Department's operations and outreach. On average this year, this small but mighty team has handled nearly 700 inquiries each month. As compared with the years preceding 2020, this is twice the usual volume of correspondence. While working at the DOHMH Call Center as supervisor, James also volunteered time to support POD Operations and COT assignments. Worked performed consisted of assisting customers with general inquiries and guidance along with providing support to members of the community by answering questions and directing them as needed through the PODs. James also handled the printing and mailing of Quarantine and Isolation orders. He was the Print Shop employee at DOHMH Gotham copy center responsible for the reproduction and copying of all type of material needed by COVID-19 Vaccine sites, outreach teams and other pandemic related work.

Individual Awards

Pearl Boatswain

Pearl Boatswain manages a team of professional and para-professional staff responsible for servicing more than 800,000 cubic feet of records for more than 50 city agencies, courts and the district attorneys. These services include storage and retrieval of files from two off-site storage facilities, devising record retention schedules, and facilitating conversion to electronic record formats.

During the past 18 months, through the COVID pandemic, Pearl Boatswains' performance has been especially critical and essential. When agencies, courts and district attorneys needed their files stored by DORIS, Pearl Boatswain did not just direct that her staff fulfill these requests, she went to the facilities herself and assisted in providing this essential service. In addition to these duties she has coordinated moving Office of the Mayor records stored in a difficult-to-access location underneath one of the court buildings to another facility. And, again, she has not just asked others to do the work, she takes on the tasks herself. Pearl Boatswain is a valued member of the DORIS team and is a worthy recipient of the Customer Service Award.

Group Awards

Probation Support Team (PST)

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the PST was situated in each of the Accessible Magistrate court parts, providing direct support and services to young people (& families) who are being processed as an AO. The PST served as DOP's representative to the court and helped families navigate the Accessible Magistrate & DOP Intake process (re: connecting families to the DOP team that will conduct the intake interview & providing services/resources when applicable).

COVID-19 required that the PST shift their role slightly as the Accessible Magistrate transitioned to remote delivery of services. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the PST remained an integral step in connecting families to DOP and ensuring they had the resources needed to support a positive intake experience.

COVID-19 required that the role of the PST expand even further to address the increased needs of the young people (& families) once they were formally connected with DOP. The PST took on the role of conducting weekly wellness calls to the families of young people on supervision and/or receiving pre-dispositional services, ensuring that the young person and family were well and inquiring about resources/service that were needed during a very difficult time.

DOP's Probation Support Team (PST) has shown an unrelenting ability to adapt to new roles/challenges while conveying positive energy, courtesy, professionalism, and timeliness in their work during the COVID-19 pandemic. When conducting wellness calls for families across NYC, the PST connect with young people in ways that our Probation Officer staff may not – building trusting relationships because they too are young people who have had similar experiences. Focusing on family wellness, the PST have been thoughtful when connecting families with the necessary resources (e.g., access to technology, food/clothing, etc.) and services (e.g., housing, mental health, etc.) that have made it possible for young people to thrive.

In the direct support of the Accessible Magistrate courts, the PST professional demeanor and familiarity of DOP's intake process has helped elevate collaboration between the courts & DOP to better service families that encounter the juvenile justice system.

As a front-line program support team, the PST have overcome obstacles to put on timely celebrations for young people (e.g., Fully Virtual Garden of Roses Event 2021), respond promptly to challenges presented from credible messenger program teams (e.g., enhancing virtual delivery of evidence-based group sessions), and ensure the time-sensitive implementation of new program initiatives in restorative practices & access to technology for young people at DOP. The PST has remained resilient in the direct service of the young people (& families) supported by DOP – as well as DOP & programming staff – so that we all continue to thrive during this difficult time. The PST at DOP is extremely deserving of the "Outstanding Customer Service Award" of 2021, and DOP is proud to recognize this group of young people.

• Emil Graves
• Randoll Nuñez
• Larissa  Roa-Reyes
• Christina Macon
• Cristina Navarro

Individual Awards

William Sherman

In response to COVID-19, Outdoor Learning (OL-S) was launched in the fall of 2020 to increase the amount of outdoor space available to schools. Schools were able to apply to use local streets and parks to hold classes throughout the 2020-2021 school year. Will Sherman managed DOT's participation in this process, which involved reviewing hundreds of applications, approving 190, and then managing correspondence with each of those schools and the public about OL-S sites, as well as the routine inspections of participating sites for compliance with safety standards. Throughout the school year, Will participated in weekly City Hall calls to negotiate and balance agency preferences, including on critical safety issues with the FDNY and NYPD.

Will tirelessly responded to all public communication concerning the program in a timely manner. Sensing an opportunity to communicate to a broader audience more effectively, he even stepped in to record a six-minute video posted on the DOT website providing an overview of the program to help demystify some of the requirements and constraints associated with OL-S. He worked diligently on the program throughout the school year, ensured that schools' questions and concerns were addressed as quickly as possible, making sure neither in-person learning nor safety would be de-prioritized despite emergency circumstances. He did all this with the utmost professionalism. At the end of the year, Will successfully transferred the OL-S program into the agency's larger Open Streets program, where we anticipate it will flourish for years to come thanks to the groundwork that he and his team laid down.

Group Awards

"Open" Programs Group

At the height of COVID-19, the Department was called on to reallocate our city streets to more day-to-day functions that New Yorkers had been otherwise unable to enjoy. The resulting programs – Open Streets, Open Restaurants, Outdoor Learning, Open Storefronts, Open Culture – gave New Yorkers more chances to safely go outdoors to socialize, exercise, dine, learn, shop, and more. Hundreds of DOT employees from all corners of the agency – including but not limited to Transportation Planning & Management, Sidewalk Inspections & Management, Public Art, Special Events, Information Technology & Telecom, Customer Service, and the Borough Commissioners' offices – pulled together to prioritize the creation of program guidelines and public information materials, as well as to develop education-based inspections and reporting protocols. Many are still hard at work every day making these programs better, but we want to especially recognize the inspectors, Street Ambassadors, borough planners, and customer service representatives who have tirelessly coordinated over the last year and a half with constituents by email, phone, or in-person visits to advise participants and partners and perform education-based enforcement.

The inspectors, customer service reps, IT experts, and planners remain engaged in performing the work keeping both users and the traveling public safe by working closely with all participants to clearly communicate agency standards, and providing highly individualized attention to rectify any noncompliance issues. Whether in-person, by email, or by phone, these staffers are typically available within a day, and often sooner. These programs are overwhelmingly popular: nearly 200 schools, 11,000+ restaurants, 500+ stores, and almost 300 community partners managing Open Streets participate. The quick delivery of reliable, easy-to-understand information, sometimes in other languages, has been critical to keeping things running smoothly. These teams are consistently knowledgeable, prompt, patient, and eager to jump in. Without these efforts, these programs simply would not have the same level of positive impact that they do now for New York City.

• Kyle Gorman
• Sean Quinn
• Edward Pincar Jr.
• Jennifer Sta. Ines
• Jennifer Leung
• Kimberly Rancourt
• Lyle Blackwood
• Colleen Chattergoon
• Jackie Lazaro
• Keith Bray
• Claudette Workman
• Emily Riquelme Beaufort
• Valerie  Ingram
• James   Dashiell Henley
• Ronda   Messer
• Nivardo Lopez
• Keith Kalb
• Darisa Cruz
• Matthew Arancio
• Nicole   Garcia
• Andrew Arcese
• Albert Silvestri
• Craig Chin
• Jason Banrey
• John O'Neill
• Roseann Caruana
• Victoria Giordano
• David Yep
• Burns Forsythe
• Vincent Maniscalco
• Joseph Yacca
• Christian Esposito
• Justin Rivera
• Ronald  Amaya
• Victor Green
• Arturo Mallard
• Nina Haiman
• Anne Marie Doherty
• Karin Sommer
• Emily Weidenhof
• Jack Whitney
• Nina Marren
• Marissa Lazar
• Joan Lee
• Chandrima Pal
• Ramanan Mohan
• Drew Jungkuntz
• Rochelle Brahalla
• Tina Wilkins
• Martha Isaacs
• Arban    Vigani
• Jeannette Saunds
• Theresa Lyde Sr.
• Tonya    Dorsett
• Jeff Moore
• Toni Miller
• Merissa Oliver
• Deneita Graham
• Moses Godson

Individual Awards

Ronald Lashley

Due to the pandemic, NYC Parks Recreation Centers were closed to the public. As they slowly began to reopen, the Agency needed to implement systems to manage gym memberships as well as staff expectations of a safe work environment.

Ronald came up with an idea for the Recreation Center reopening that became the basis for the Citywide reopening. He created a virtual Health Attestation form for members with QR codes, as well as an entirely new protocol around fielding reservations. He taught himself Microsoft Bookings and set up a complex system that is now in place at the 15 centers we have opened thus far. He was quickly able to troubleshoot issues and ensured that we could reopen safely, providing a clear structure for everyone to use. Working day and night, Ronald was the brains and heart behind some of most crucial components of reopening. We could not have pulled it off successfully without him, and we continue to rely on him as the process unfolds. He is smart, thoughtful, detail-oriented, and always jumps to help. On the first day of reopening he was spotted at the Brownsville front desk offering patient, hands on assistance to seniors as they navigated new protocols and the technology that goes along with that.

The Bookings platform has allowed thousands of gym members an easy and quick way to return to their favorite center. It has also given center staff the peace of mind that strict capacity guidelines will be adhered to. Essentially his idea and hard work has both helped the Agency provide excellent customer service externally but also allowed NYC Parks to provide a similar level of service to our own staff.

Group Awards

Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex Team

The Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex Staff hosts over 100 events per year and welcomes over 450,000 people yearly. Visitors, members, athletes and spectators come from not only around the United States but also internationally to compete at the venue. In addition to events, we serve over 10,000 community members, run various youth programs that are considered some of the top in the country and also work with local organizations to provide healthy and safe opportunities for the community.

In dealing with the close to a half million visitors a year, the staff at Ocean Breeze always strives to make sure everyone has a great experience at the athletic complex. Communication to our members, athletes and spectators is always a top priority and is done in a quick and professional manner. The staff is extremely well versed in what happens at the complex daily and is also willing to help someone within the complex, on the phone or just community members visiting the Park.

• Lauren Primerano
• Sean Capers
• Jaron McBride
• Dane Ambrose
• Louis Vazquez
• Evan Kessler
• Jaclyn Badagliacco
• Michael Parisi
• James Costello
• Stephen McLean
• James Destefano Jr.
• Carmen Albino
• Christopher Caropolo
• Justin Esposito
• Allica Cato
• Tenisha Albino
• Jonathan Giordano
• Melissa Kraker
• Anthony Ruggiero
• Tamea McIntosh
• Hank Hester
• Jerrell Wisdom
• Carl Josephs Jr.
• Karley Chamblee
• John DeJesus
• Orin Mersereau
• Erica Martinez
• Robert Simon

Individual Awards

Stephen Caruso

Steve joined the Bureau of Community Affairs in November 2019. In a short time, he has proved to be an invaluable asset to the Bureau and DSNY. Steve's customer service skills are exemplary; he is personable and always arrives with a smile on his face and a pleasant disposition. Even when dealing with difficult and challenging situations and initially unhappy constituents, Steve has demonstrated the ability to calm customers and de-escalate the situation, making new "friends" from once "unhappy" customers. Since his joining our Bureau of Community Affairs, Steve has received five formal commendations/appreciation awards from community-based organizations - not to mention countless informal "thanks" - from the public, and community groups.

Group Awards

DSS Emergency Management

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the DSS Emergency Management Team went above and beyond to open a COVID-19 Vaccination site to vaccinate staff, clients, and providers early in the vaccine roll out.

As vaccines were rolling out in the US and only select groups of individuals were able to get them, the DSS Emergency Management team took the extraordinary steps to open a vaccination site to vaccinate DHS clients, staff, vendors and HRA staff who were eligible for the vaccine. The team was responsible for over 11,000 individual shots, helping to vaccinate some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers and those who work with them. They did this with kindness and compassion while putting themselves at risk for the greater good.

• Taina Galarza
• Ronald  Spence
• Joseph  Montalvo
• Diana Velic
• Janel Cloyd

Individual Awards

Irma Cortijo

From the onset of the pandemic, Ms. Cortijo took initiative to ensure all staff were able to work remotely. She made a priority to foster relationships with the program's ITS and FIA group to facilitate a smooth transition and ensure that staff were connected and providing assistance to New Yorkers in need. There were times when Ms. Cortijo drove her personal vehicle to deliver an agency-issued laptop to employees and took time throughout the day to walk staff through the MFA installment and remote connection to ensure they were able to work. She held TEAM meetings with staff to train them on how to troubleshoot WMS and POS access to minimize the burden on the ITS team. When staff felt overwhelmed and anxious due to the pandemic and taking on a new task, she lent an ear and calmed their fears. Lastly, she has gone above and beyond to ensure all emails from staff are addressed daily, even if it means working past her scheduled hours. Ms. Cortijo is courteous, kind and cares about the staff. She speaks to staff and her colleagues in a professional manner and provides accurate information. She is integral to why the FF staff are successful during their redeployment, all while completing her administrative responsibilities and supporting her co-director.

Group Awards

The Family Independence Administration

FIA Operations is a shining star of the agency. The leadership team and staff routinely help NYC families put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. They help to prevent lights from being turned off, pay storage fees for the homeless, issue restaurant allowances for those without a place to prepare meals, and so much more. The team's exceptional work was raised to new heights during the public health emergency. When the agency received more than three times the number of SNAP applications and double the normal volume of applications for cash assistance, FIA's leadership team mobilized staff to meet the urgent demand. We cannot recount all the letters and telephone calls received from grateful clients complimenting staff for helping them during a period of uncertainty. However, the words that stood out the most was kindness, compassion, and understanding. Our staff exhibited all these traits and much more. Customer service often came naturally when FIA Operations was handling its normal workload of cash and SNAP recerts per month. When those numbers greatly expanded due to the pandemic and increased application volume, they still came together as a team to do their very best to service the public. FIA customers are always at the forefront of the team's minds.; it is because of this that they are most deserving of this award.

• Angela  Johnson
• Ramon  Flores
• Richard Claudio
• Gregorio Morale

Group Awards

Administrative Staff at the NYC Family Justice Center

The ENDGBV/FJC Administrative Teams at the NYC Family Justice Centers (FJCs) exemplify outstanding customer service and professionalism as the operational leadership of the FJCs. Despite the significant shift in the way that the FJCs traditionally operate, caused by the global health pandemic, the Teams have continued to ensure that survivors of domestic and gender-based violence who sought services through the Centers were provided high quality care. The Teams worked diligently to create new operational systems so that survivors and families received assistance promptly and compassionately, developed strategies to enhance collaboration and support the self-care of partner agency staff who worked directly with survivors during this difficult time, and built new partnerships and resources to help better meet the unique safety and service needs of survivors during COVID-19. Specifically, over the last year, the ENDGBV/FJC Administrative Teams have operated the Centers' main telephone lines and served as the first point of contact for survivors in need, and successfully connected them to appropriate services, even when the service requested required an external connection and warm hand-off. Additionally, when posed with the decision to re-open the Centers for in-person services after being closed for months, the Administrative Teams mobilized and strategized collaboratively with their over 40 partner agencies the best and safest way to re-open, understanding the necessity for survivors to be provided a safe and secure location to receive in-person services when needed. As a result, survivors of domestic and gender-based violence can now choose to connect remotely virtually to FJC partner agencies or be seen in person at a Center via appointment if they cannot safely or effectively connect to remote services.

• Alice Hawks
• Amairis Pena-Chavez
• Carla Guy
• Charlotte Bednarsh
• Stefanie Keegan
• Susan Jacob
• Denise Cortes
• Jennypher Telesco
• Solanghely Raffo
• Olivia Wilson
• Indhira Castro
• Esmeralda Pena
• Dory Baez
• Jamal Alsarraj
• Sandra Mejia
• Marleni Crisostomo
• Janeira Bencosme-Gil
• Jessica Torres

Individual Awards

Jamie Maldonado

Jamie was selected for the Customer Service Award because of her exceptional customer service. Jamie is extremely knowledgeable of Citywide policies, as well as the intricacies of City Time, and is always willing to help MOCS staff. She demonstrates an especially high level of professionalism when managing employee leaves. As soon as she learns that an employee may need a leave, she promptly reaches out and provides them with the essential information. In addition, she schedules a meeting. Jamie takes the time to listen to the employee and answer any questions that they may have, as well as explain the process. One MOCS employee recently shared, "I really want to commend Jamie. I am truly appreciative of the time and patience Jamie extended to me. If not for her step-by-step guidance, I would not have been able to complete the process. Jamie is amazing--a true professional with a personal touch...and...so pleasant!

Individual Awards

Jeanie Cruz

Through her leadership, attention to detail, and passion for developing call center agents, Jeanie ensures 311 call center representatives deliver accurate and complete information to millions of New York City customers in a professional and courteous manner.  During the pandemic, Jeanie expanded her role to provide onsite support at five call centers to support the City's surge-staffing initiative.  Her hands-on approach and relentless commitment to quality service are legendary within the 311 team.

Individual Awards

Leila Miller

Leila Miller is diligent, timely and a dedicated employee who has worked daily during the pandemic without a backup. She is the only clerical assigned to the development and is a team player that is always putting NYCHA residents' concerns first to ensure that their issues are resolved in a timely and professional manner. Leila is always willing to volunteer and assist where needed and always goes beyond to ensure that the development is running smoothly and that residents are treated with professionalism and care. She always provides service with a smile and gets her colleagues to also understand the importance of great customer service.

Group Awards

Language Services Unit

Within the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Department of Communication, the Language Services Unity (LSU) works tirelessly to provide translation and interpretation services to NYCHA's 360,000 residents and thousands of other stakeholders. As part of this work, the LSU team ensures access to critical documents and information in English and four other covered languages: Spanish, Russian, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. In addition, the LSU team provides both in-person and remote interpretation services. In 2020 alone LSU translated at total of 2,285 documents.

LSU is being recognized for their unyielding dedication to serving the residents of NYCHA and providing around-the-clock support to all divisions of the Authority pertaining to the preparation and dissemination of critical communications by translation and providing interpretation services.

• Katherine Tan-Li
• Millie Molina
• Catalina Blanco
• Victor Kuznetsoff
• Yongshu Wu
• Gianna  Tavarez
• Iryna Baranska

Individual Awards

Ceola Ryals

Ceola Ryals is a Customer Information Representative. Ms. Ryals consistently takes initiative to ensure that as a team everyone has the support necessary to get the job done. Whenever Ms. Ryals finds herself with down time when the office is open, she consistently comes to co-workers or her supervisor to see if there is any way that she can assist. This drive to go above and beyond her expected duties is not limited to back office duties. This drive is exhibited in her interactions with customers and has continued during these uncharted times. Ms. Ryals often tries to provide clarification and direction to respondents who reach out to her despite being assigned to a unit which does not require this level of communication.

Group Awards

Pandemic Response Team

The Pandemic Response Team is comprised of the Center for Creative Conflict Resolution, Clerk's Office, Commissioner's Office, Help Center, Legislative Affairs, Operations and Public Affairs. Each of these divisions at OATH have worked hard at keeping the agency running smoothly and allowed OATH to provide innovative OATH public event programming and help the public get access to justice and obtain important COVID resources during this pandemic.

Karin McAvoy, and Kimberly Guzman, were highly instrumental in guiding the Center team on using various virtual platforms early in the pandemic.  With their help, the Center was able to continue providing all services remotely citywide, within a matter of weeks, while maintaining good lines of communication with former and new partners.  They also helped implement a new citywide remote group support service for those in need of connection and struggling with the impact of COVID and social unrest.  Kim and Karin also assisted with the implementation of the Social Distance Ambassador's webinar by coordinating practice runs of the presentation, by providing needed resources for a live video recording, and, offered real-time feedback on design, audio and video to ensure a final quality product.  They have also played a role in supporting the MEND mediation program by tracking referrals and updating case information on the MEND and the Center's spreadsheet, by participating in meetings and providing information on MEND referrals, and, in sending relevant notifications to MEND participants about their scheduled mediation.   

They've created new calendar and service procedures to ensure consistency in the Center's operations during the many changes occurring at a time of uncertainty.  They've continued to manage their administrative duties with care, while also creating new calendar and service procedures to ensure consistency in the Center's operations and flow of information with partnering agencies.  Their nurturing and direct approach, their reliability and calm demeanor, have been invaluable to the collective spirit and emotional wellbeing of the Center team and partnering officers.

• Karin McAvoy
• Kimberly Guzman 

The Clerk's office plays an important role with the Pandemic Response Team by responding quickly to help center requests that come in from Procedural Justice Coordinators at the Help Center because of the public events held. The Clerk's office staff that help include the following:

• Keri-Ann Crawford  
• Eddie Edwards
• Jon Goldstein 
• Vivian Harper 
• Lezlye Rivandeneira
• Rashaan Willerforde

The Commissioner's office, Legislative Affairs and the Public Affairs division worked diligently at creating and executing public in person events that the Pandemic Response Team supported.

Operations work hard at making sure our agency operates during this pandemic.

Operations worked with Legislative and Public Affairs at helping prepare for public in-person events city wide to inform the public of OATH's remote hearing process during the pandemic (while our offices were closed to in-person hearings), the new MEND mediation program, along with ways to protect yourself from COVID with testing, vaccination, masking, hand sanitizer and social distancing.

Operations has gone above and beyond the call of duty in ensuring that the workspace was prepared, and is maintained, in accordance with the DCAS Return to Office Guidance for staff to re-enter the office and work safely. They also ordered and prepared and delivered the PPE kits for distribution to the staff upon their return and maintain the PPE inventory and replenish supplies as they are needed by the staff. They have assumed the role of the on-site health and safety coordinators to ensure that staff are complying with the face covering wearing and physical distancing guidelines. They also assumed the responsibility of the agency's front-line staff and interacted with the visitors to OATH's locations when many other staff were working 100% remotely. The Operations staff were coming into the office when many staff were working 100% remotely to maintain the facilities, collect mail from the post office and distribute the mail, often scanning documents and emailing them to staff working 100% remotely. During the pandemic, the Operations staff have taken on additional responsibilities such as getting PPE, test and trace and vaccine lit for public events and loading the vehicles to help with public events. They performed these additional duties with professionalism and pride.

• Charles Anderson 
• Jason Bryson 
• DeAndre Darrisaw-Williams
• Vincent Giordano 
• Herbert Holley 
• Tristan Madramootoo 
• Crystal Morales 
• Sheeneca Owens 
• Thomas Porcelli 
• Michael Ragolia 
• Christopher Schmidt 
• Terrence Strickland 
• Tirent Vick
• Donni Villaruel 
• Andrew Zammitto 

The Procedural Justice Coordinators from the Help Center have helped the public throughout this pandemic by working with Public Affairs and Legislative Affairs at getting swift responses back to the public every day and especially on days when OATH conducts public events.

As Procedural Justice Coordinators (PJCs), they are responsible with interacting with the pro se respondents who appear before OATH's Hearings Division. They ensure that respondents understand our policies and procedures, as well as the rules and regulations that they are issued summonses for. They assist pro se respondents and small businesses prepare for their hearings, vacate defaults, file appeals and a host of other functions that such respondents may need as they navigate the agency to resolve their summonses. PJCs also assist respondents who have received CJRA summonses. For those respondents, often, they elect to perform community service in lieu of paying a civil penalty for those summonses. PJCs, at times, administer the community service for those respondents opting not to use our online module. The PJCs have also been instrumental in assisting those elderly respondents who do not have home computing, or who are challenged by computing, by helping them to complete electronic forms for reschedules, motions to vacate, hearing requests, etc., and submitting the forms on their behalf.

Recently, the PJCs have also been tasked with aiding pro se respondents who appear before OATH's Trials Division. They provide help sessions to taxi drivers who have received a TLC petition seeking to have their TLC licenses revoked or suspended by proactively reaching out to these respondents to go over their rights and to answer their questions in their quest to reinstate their licenses as soon as possible.

In sum, OATH's PJCs are a vital organ of the agency and are the guiding light for the many pro se respondents who may not be familiar with OATH, who may not be comfortable understanding English or who , otherwise, need a helping hand to navigate the complexities of the administrative adjudicatory and compliance process. The PJCs are professional, empathetic and go above and beyond the call of duty while they interact with the public. As a group, they exemplify quality customer service worthy of this award. These four PJC's provided exceptional services this year:

• Shada Baker 
• Jaurez Davis 
• Nazrul Islam 
• Perla Rosario

Public Affairs has taken on added responsibilities due to the pandemic related to OATH's new program, MEND NYC, which allows New Yorkers to mediate conflicts on quality-of-life issues between residents and neighbors which have been exacerbated by the pandemic with outdoor dining and people staying at home more often. In this capacity, Maggie Nieves does one-on-one intake including lengthy conversations with New Yorkers who are experiencing quality of life issues in their neighborhoods. She speaks to residents and small business owners to explain the program, the benefits of mediation and she conducts detailed intake regarding the issues faced by both parties and the parties availability for mediation, before passing the case on to the Center for Creative Conflict Resolution for mediation.

Additionally, Mavis Szeto has rapidly produced public fliers to alert the public to OATH events happening city-wide to educate the public on how we are operating during the pandemic.

Staff being awarded:

• Maggie Nieves 
• Mavis Szeto 

Individual Awards

Annie Gurvis

Annie Gurvis is a Senior Policy Analyst on the Project and Performance Management Team at the Mayor's Office of Operations. In her role, she tracks, manages, and implements programs and mayoral initiatives across City agencies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Annie went above and beyond to use these skills as a member of the COVID-19 Business Inspection Program. In addition to her regular portfolio work, Annie was able to recruit and train business inspectors from City agencies, a task that required a high level of flexibility to address changing policies and procedures. This endeavor required 24/7 attention, and Annie dedicated much of her own time to make sure businesses were complying and to keep New Yorkers safe.

Annie excels at interagency coordination and is a strong project manager. She is very committed to her work and holds herself to high standards. Annie is also a thoughtful colleague and worked diligently to make sure her peers and colleagues were supported throughout their COVID-19 work. At times this work was extremely challenging, but Annie was able to overcome obstacles with her positive attitude and discipline.