Awards

Robert was nominated thanks to his help with the iTrack Reverification process. He took it upon himself to streamline the process, which had previously been a manual, laborious, time-consuming task. With Robert’s improvements to the system it is a matter of scheduling the process through a calendar type setting.

He was nominated by Sherri Holland for going above and beyond his normal duties in order to help our state team members. Robert saw a need for improvement and got to work. Instead of two I.C. staff going through multiple screens in iTrack, then timing and making sure it was successful, Robert made it so the department only has to schedule the reverification and click ‘Save’.

“I cannot thank Robert enough for empowering the I.C. staff in working more efficiently,” said Holland. “We now have an even better tool for this required process of iTrack Reverification leading into the annual 5 Year Refresh.”

Congratulations, Robert!

Jerome was nominated for his hard work, prompt response time, and knowledge of all things ITSD. Most recently, the printer for one of the DOC departments went out. This was a very important issue, as the department frequently uses the printer for several aspects of their daily work. The IT report for the printer had been turned in at 2:45, and by the time it was 3:30 Jerome had already solved the problem.

He was nominated by Libby Martin, Kim Cherry, and Donna Rick thanks to his willingness to always help others and his ability to lead by following the example of “excellent customer service, every time.”

“Jerome has always been helpful when needed,” said Cherry. “His work ethics has been impeccable and very professional.”

Congratulations, Jerome!

Morgan was nominated because of his excellent job knowledge, as well as his willingness to always help others. On 7/1/2022, Lauren Johns’ HR team was preparing for new hire orientation, but they were running into technical difficulties. One of the DOP team members contacted Morgan and he immediately showed up to address the situation. Part of the team member experience is having a good onboarding and orientation experience. The DOP team was worried that this technology issue would negatively affect our new team members’ experience, but Morgan kept that from happening.

He was nominated by Johns and an anonymous person thanks to his work ethic, and his ability to exemplify every single OA CARES core value: Communication, Adaptable, Reliable, Expert, and Solution-driven.

“I believe Morgan truly cares about getting the job done well and taking care of his fellow OA team members,” said the anonymous team member.

Congratulations, Morgan!

On October 7th, the Fletcher Daniels State Office Building had a water main break outside the building. FMDC Staff Gerald White and Sabrina Mack cleared the area of staff and tried to keep as much water out of the building as possible. ITSD team member, Dan Jones, ran through a few inches of water to grab a user’s laptop just before a window broke, flooding the office suite. FMDC staff Jamie Fergison starting making calls for repairs, while Fletcher Daniels Housekeeper Edward Nichols pushed gallons of water down the hall and stairs to a floor drain in the basement for hours to keep the water away from other suites.

Once the area was deemed safe to enter, ITSD staff Nicholas Ogbevoen, Pius Omeife and Daniel Jones arrived to remove all equipment from the area while FMDC staff Gerald White, Sabrina Mack and Matthew Hursman packed up staff member’s personal belongings so could begin cleanup. In a very short amount of time the area was emptied and demo started in this office suite. Over the holiday weekend, several FMDC team members onsite so Servpro could have access to the building to continue cleanup. By October 11, a temporary location was set up.

Thank you to Gerald White, Sabrina Mack, Dan Jones, Jamie Ferguson, Nicholas Ogbevoen, Pius Omeife, Matthew Hursman, Joe Cisewski, Tiffany Boyles, Steven Mahnken, and Nathan Ethridge!

Bailey was nominated for going above and beyond in her daily work. Recently, the State Recycling Program had a discrepancy with a contractor over a couple of invoices. The invoices had been paid, but the contractor’s records did not reflect that these had been paid. After going back and forth with the contractor, Rob Didriksen reached out to the Missouri Buys team for assistance. Bailey promptly responded with a clear explanation of the problem. Bailey then sent a separate email to the contractor explaining the problem and how they could fix it.

She was nominated by Didriksen for exemplifying the OA CARES core values of communication, adaptive, reliable, expert, and solution-driven.

“Bailey took ownership of the problem and quickly informed each of the stakeholders about the problem and how to fix it,” said Didriksen. “I appreciate the great customer service!”

Congratulations, Bailey!

Jennie was nominated for constantly being willing to provide solutions to ongoing problems, as well as new ones. With the pricing instability in the auto industry, General Services’ traditional vehicle contracting mechanisms are not working right now. State agencies need a reliable contract to acquire fleet vehicles. Jennie and her colleagues in the Division of Purchasing came through in a big way and offered up a solution to use a Qualified Vendor List that will give all state agencies the flexibility they need to acquire vehicles until such time that the auto industry stabilizes and General Services can return to regular annual contracts.

She was nominated by Cindy Dixon for her amazing attitude, excellent customer service, and the hard work she put in to finding a solution.

“Jennie exhibited all of the OA CARES core values to bring us a new solution and worked diligently until to get it done in a timely manner,” said Dixon. “The team in General Services greatly appreciates all of Jennie’s efforts. Thank you!”

Congratulations, Jennie!

Nathan was nominated for his hard work and reliability each and every day. Recently, Mental Health was working to bring in a cloud-based electronic health record system to transition away from paper charting. It was one of the largest transformative projects the agency has undertaken. To pave the way for the project, the team has been working to upgrade infrastructure. They are installing over 1100 wireless access points across 15 different campuses. Nate has worked tirelessly, often delaying other tasks, to make site visits, create predictive designs, provide expert advice, push through purchases, pivot to new facilities, and stay in constant communication to keep the project moving forward.

He was nominated by Mike Moran for the major help he has been on the project, as well as his excellent organizational skills.

“It’s not easy juggling all the tasks but Nate always does so with a smile,” said Moran. “He truly shows he cares every time he picks up a project.”

Congratulations, Nathan!

Casey was nominated because he is always quick to respond to others when they need his help. He is always prompt and polite while he works. But he also engages the people around him while he works, making them feel like humans. A number of times, MVDL Division office has needed something done in a hurry and was never able to get an answer on who was working on our tickets. They would call Casey for help and he was always able to either provide information or help with issues.

He was nominated by Felicite Plemmons, Amanda Morris, and Candace Buford of DOR thanks to his excellent work ethic.

“We just wanted to say thank you to Casey for always helping us out,” said Buford.

Congratulations, Casey!

Nathan was nominated for always going above and beyond in his work. Most recently, he worked to obtain cost-effective items for the Division of Personnel. This required talking to many different people, while trying to obtain everything on a tight budget. This is not only difficult, but time consuming.

He was nominated by Rebecca Bondurant due to his hard work and excellent attitude every single day.

“Nathan is the employee that represents the values of OA Cares,” said Bondurant.

Congratulations, Nathan!

Dipendra was nominated for his constant great attitude at work and his ability to always put a smile on everyone’s face. He is the person many people refer to as dependable and excellent at what they do. Dipendra has fully committed to ITSD-DESE this past year and learned the skills that a technical BA must have to support this large database workload, which shows he is adaptable. He took on learning this while still completing his regular duties, then trained other staff so that we had a bench of employees to be able to do the work.

He was nominated by Angie Anderson for truly exemplifying the OA CARES values of Communication, Reliable, Expert, and Solution-Driven.

“Every month, I ask employees to submit Kudos for their team members for our monthly all staff meeting, and each month Dipendra’s name is on that list,” said Anderson.

Congratulations, Dipendra!

The Surplus Property Team was nominated for a variety of reasons, including excellent communication, knowledge of their job, and excellent work. Recently, Brenda Luadzers began to work with the computerized system of surplus property. Brenda worked with several team members to become familiarized. Not only was the team helpful, but they were quick to respond and always happy to help.

The Surplus Property Team was nominated by Luadzers for being great examples of the ideal OA team members.

“I am impressed with the staff. They got me started immediately, answered my questions right away, and the items they had on hand were organized and easily accessible,” said Luadzers. “They made this process simple and quick for me.”

Congratulations, Surplus Property Team!

Kelly was nominated thanks to her work with several complicated and somewhat “messy” procurements, and numerous simple ones, for the SOS Office. Besides an obviously cast-iron work ethic, she seems to have a genuine aptitude for the complex, and often frustrating, work of public procurement. Most importantly, she understands customer service.

She was nominated by John Stegmann for her professionalism and calmness under fire. Not only is she excellent at her job, but she is always patient with her customers.

“Any work can be learned, but a patient demeanor and a servant’s heart are innate and rare,” said Stegmann. “I believe if there is an individual deserving of an OA Cares award for excellent customer service, it is most certainly Kelly Miller of OA Purchasing.”

Congratulations, Kelly!

Amanda was nominated thanks to her hard work and dedication every single day. Recently, she directed and executed the first ever OA Supervisor foundations trainings for 380 supervisors. Using OA QPS data and focus groups, she identified specific leadership training supervisors were wanting. She created a leadership summit covering Coaching and Mentoring, Preventing Harassment, and Respecting Diversity, as well as curated content/coordinated speakers for several virtual trainings.

She was nominated by Alyssa Bish due to the tremendous effort she put in to this event. It was wildly successful and popular amongst many OA supervisors!

“Thank you Amanda for thinking outside the box on how to invest in our team, improve communication between supervisors and team members, and create a better working environment!” said Bish. “I couldn’t be more proud of Amanda for her above and beyond work and positive attitude. We are lucky to have her on team DOP!”

Congratulations, Amanda!

Bonita was nominated for her work ethic and knowledge when it comes to all aspects of her job. . If the team works late, she works late. When working on a project, Bonita takes charge. She is always willing to go above and beyond on a day-to-day basis.

She was nominated by Devon Christensen and Angela Anderson for giving 150 percent all the time. If a problem is detected in a project, Bonita can look back at her notes and point to the step that created the issue. She shares her notes with the team so they can also track the progress of the project, and they are on display at every meeting.

“Expert is an understatement when it comes to Bonita’s knowledge of DESE’s application. She has even taken on the role of putting together architecture documentation because it had to be done and she knows the most about the systems,” said Anderson. “What she doesn’t know she goes in search of and doesn’t stop until she gets there.”

Congratulations, Bonita!

Garrett Bommel was nominated because of his excellent dedication to always giving his customers a good experience. He often helps with setup of audio and visuals in a variety of rooms when people are presenting, and he and his team have always worked hard to do it in a precise and timely manner.

He was nominated by George Welling for being kind and easy to work with, while also always being efficient. Recently, he went above and beyond to help out with finding a solution for equipment during a weekly intern meeting when nothing worked – he tore it down and reworked everything!

“I appreciate him, and his willingness to find a resolution so I was then able to present it to ITSD’s Interns,” said Welling.

Congratulations, Garrett!

Chris was nominated thanks to everything he has done for the people of OA. Recently, he worked to make sure everyone had an excellent Team Member Appreciation Month. He planned and coordinated food truck opportunities, and found solutions so people outside of Jefferson City could enjoy many activities as well.

He was nominated by an anonymous person who wanted to show their support for someone who is often behind the scenes, but deserves recognition.

“He was vocal about showing appreciation to team members outside of Jefferson City and made it a priority to find ways to expand the activities. Because he is consistently behind the camera he is not often ‘seen,’ but behind the scenes stuff isn’t easy, and he does a great job executing events seamlessly.”

Congratulations, Chris!

Melissa was nominated for her hard work and dedication when it comes to helping others. Recently, she was helping Rob Didriksen to establish a contract to purchase recycling equipment. Throughout the entire process, she communicated regularly about the status of the contract.

She was nominated by Rob Didriksen for her excellent customer service and willingness to share her knowledge with others. She shared her procurement expertise to help determine the most efficient path to setting up a contract.

“We were able to utilize an existing contract through Sourcewell, which saved a great deal of time!” said Didriksen.

Congratulations, Melissa!

The OA Personnel/ITSD/B&P Cross-Divisional Team on the Pay plan was nominated for the hard work that went into making the historic supplemental pay plan happen. The effort of everyone involved lead to meaningful impact for all 50,000 state team members across all 16 executive branch departments, the six statewide elected officials’ offices, as well as the legislative and judicial branches of state government.

Weekends and late nights were worked to ensure everyone had timely feedback and didn’t have to troubleshoot issues themselves. Not only did this work impact all 50,000 state team members, but all involved exemplified the core OA values day-in and day-out.

“Communication was timely with all customers, individuals adapted their own schedules and work approach to accommodate the various needs of departments/branches, they were reliable where no balls were dropped in their regular duties in addition to pay plan implementation, they were experts doing something that had never been done before with no blue print, and they were solution focused when they hit obstacles.”

Congratulations OA Personnel/ITSD/B&P Cross-Divisional Team on the Pay Plan!

Carla was nominated for her reliability and expertise. She always responds in a timely manner and constantly exceeds expectations. Recently, she worked with DOLIR on a project that she assured could be done in about a week’s timeframe. She came to the DOLIR building to work with staff members and completed the project in the short time period.

She was nominated by Maura Browning for her hard work and efforts to help the DOLIR team on an important project.

“She came through in the clutch and I appreciated her great attitude and willingness to work with us,” said Browning.

Congratulations, Carla!

Chris was nominated for his expertise in all areas of his job. He is the go-to person for many people when they have questions concerning various aspects of the procurement process. He is always friendly and open to giving team members and customers the answers they seek.

He was nominated by Tiffanie Meyer for his willingness to always teach others. He never minds taking a moment to pause what he is doing, share his screen, and help someone learn.

“Chris will drop what he’s doing, share his screen, show you what you asked about, then show you even more options that you didn’t know about, and follow up with an email with the links he described to you,” said Meyer.

Congratulations, Chris!

Julie was nominated by multiple people for her outstanding work. Recently, she made the Governor’s Award for Quality and Productivity Ceremony look effortless, despite the very complicated process involved in putting it together. She also provides immense support for the Missouri Leadership Academy and the Governor’s Awards and Recognition Program.

She was nominated by both Karen Miller and Alyssa Bish for all of her hard work, and excellent work ethic.

“In June alone Julie has orchestrated 2 classes of leadership academy, 2 statewide awards ceremonies, she will be presenting a live virtual training on recognition, and she oversaw the implementation of the MO Appreciation website,” said Bish. “Julie does all of her work with a smile and makes it all look effortless.”

Congratulations, Julie!

Roberta “Bobbie” burns was nominated for exemplifying the OA CARES core values on a daily basis. To name just a few, she has continued to communicate clearly and effectively with all of the janitorial contractors, had dealt impressively with an ever-changing schedule and adapting to it, and she is the epitome of expertise.

Bobbie was nominated by her supervisor Amber Willis for being a fantastic employee who is always willing to help others.

“Bobbie is by far the epitome of what a Custodial Supervisor should be,” said Willis. “She is an expert at her job and is highly valued as a mentor by her peers and supervisors.”

Congratulations, Bobbie!

Tim was nominated for his hard work and expertise in all areas of his job. Not only does he have excellent customer service, but he works hard to make sure that everything is completed in a timely manner.

He was nominated by George Welling, after Welling needed help with a ticket. Tim fulfilled it in a timely manner, as well as provided Welling with several backups for his lost item.

“I am not sure what Tim’s title was, but now it is Wizard,” Welling said. “He needs a purple wizard hat with moons on it now.”

Congratulations, Tim!

Tiffanie was nominated for her excellent customer service. Recently, Rob Didriksen reached out to her regarding an IT-related procurement. Not only did she respond quickly on a Friday afternoon, but she also spent thirty minutes on the phone to address Didriksen’s questions.

Didriksen nominated her thanks to her hard work and great attitude. She is always willing to help, even when it is close to the end of the day. She always puts others first and is incredibly knowledgeable.

“Her professionalism and helpful attitude exemplify the OA Cares spirit!” said Didriksen.

Congratulations, Tiffanie!

The Surplus Property Team was nominated for their constant hard work. The team helps out organization around the state every year. However, the team went beyond their regular duties this year in helping out the homeless in Springfield and St. Louis.

While operating the Federal Donation Program, MOSASP obtains property from around the country, which is then brought to Missouri and transferred for minimal fees. New Life Evangelistic Center, an organization that feeds and provides items for the homeless, is an organization that utilizes Surplus Property. When needing sleeping bags, coats, scarves, and tents, the team at Surplus was able to search around the United States for surplus items and bring them back so that New Life was able to use these items to help those less fortunate. Hundreds of people have benefited from this act as the team used their resources to help those most vulnerable. Furthermore, two team members went down to Springfield to help hand out these items, which were graciously and humbly received.

Congratulations, Surplus Property Team!

Melissa was nominated for her reliability and always going above and beyond to make herself available. Recently, she has even made herself available on vacation days and days where she has taken personal vacation.

She was nominated by Mike Zielinski for her hard work and willingness to always put others before herself.

“We recently had to let our staff work from home because of the odor from the epoxy on the flooring,” said Zielinski. “Melissa helped mitigate with the flooring provider to make sure the next bathroom didn’t release this odor. This allowed our staff to work in the office.”

Congratulations, Melissa!

Leann was nominated for being the go-to person for the Administrative Hearing Commission on all matters related to HR or Personnel. She has been incredibly knowledgeable and helpful, going above and beyond to teach others about how to do things in her area of expertise. She always acts professionally and responds in a timely manner.

She was nominated by Spencer Bartlett for exemplifying the OA CARES core values.

“I don’t know how we would have survived and operated efficiently without LeAnn’s support and guidance,” said Bartlett. “She is a trusted teammate and we appreciate all that she does for us.”

Congratulations, Leann!

Glynne was nominated for her help on a recent merger during a DOC reorganization project. It has been a major undertaking and Glynne has played a huge part in making sure everything runs smoothly. She has been the ITSD facilitator for all of the recent mergers. Each and every time, she walks the staff through the process and ensures everything is completed properly and in a timely manner.

She was nominated by John Mosley for her strong work ethic and excellent customer service.

“Ms. Strube’s dedication, attention to detail, and unwavering customer service through this journey has been more than we could ever have expected,” said Mosley. “It is my sincere hope Ms. Strube be recognized for her contributions and service.”

Congratulations, Glynne!

Lori was nominated for her excellent customer service. She is always friendly, responsive, and helpful when interacting with people. She is even patient when customers have questions. Recently, she helped migrate the MSECC website to WordPress.

She was nominated by Leah Strid for her help with the MSECC website and her patience and reliability while working on the project.

“Not only does she fix problems, but she always explains how they happened and how I can fix them myself in the future,” Strid said. “When I email Lori with a problem, I know I can rely on her to provide a solution quickly, no matter how small or large the issue is.”

Congratulations, Lori!

Mike was nominated for above and beyond work to reach out and help when needed. Recently, Jessica Farley took a position in B&P involving dealing with SAM II security forms. When she submitted a request for a new user for SAM II, Mike reached out and explained how the ID system works, as well as RACF IDs and what steps needed to be taken.

He was nominated by Farley for being the perfect example of the OA CARES core values of Communication, Adaptive, Reliable, Expert, and Solution-Driven. He was both incredibly knowledgeable and communication-driven while helping Farley.

“He gave me more information on security IDs in one day than I have gotten in 5 years,” said Farley. “He took time to not simply answer my questions but also look outside my question and help me clean up outstanding issues I was not aware of that existed for our agency. Because of the time he took with me, I feel much more confident in my role with SAMII security forms for our staff.”

Congratulations, Mike!

Anthony was nominated for demonstrating the core values of OA CARES: Communication, Adaptive, Reliable, Expert, and Solution-Driven. Though being a fairly new team member, he has continued to show his reliability. Most recently, he reached out to a vendor to verify information to change banking information. While in communication, he realized the request may have been fraudulent and reported it.

He was nominated by his supervisor Justina Brewer for his excellent communication and reliability when following OA protocol.

“Anthony’s reliability in following procedures, and his communication with the vendor to make sure we have correct information for that vendor, demonstrates he is a valuable member of our team,” said Brewer.

Congratulations, Anthony!

The ITSD video team was nominated for its constant high performance while serving all state agencies and the Governor’s Office. Despite being a small team, they work as if they are made up of dozens. They often get requests, including from the Governor’s Office with minimal notice. They quickly adapt their schedules and show up anywhere, anytime whether that’s days, nights, or weekends.

They were nominated by Sara Libbert for their reliability and constant quality work.

“They are truly experts in their area, providing quality expertise to not only the Governor’s Office but to all state agency requests,” said Libbert. “Their commitment to excellence is truly admirable. Internally, they often provide quality video expertise to OA and ITSD. We love having this team and their expertise to help us promote initiatives and new ideas.”

Congratulations, ITSD Video Team!

Brandon was nominated for his quick and reliable work. He is always responsive when requests are submitted, and always makes sure his work is accurate and precise. He exemplifies the OA CARES values, specifically “reliable” and “expert.”

He was nominated by Liz McDermit, AJ Womack, and the ITSD admin team for his excellent customer service.

“Brandon is timely, reliable and accurate,” said one of his nominators. “I am given a multitude of request from leadership across all state agencies to be given access to the many dashboards that Personnel generates. Leaders are expecting quick turnaround and I know if I ask Brandon for help he will quickly and reliably grant access.”

Congratulations, Brandon!

Michael was nominated for exemplifying the OA CARES core values of Communication, Adaptive, Reliable, Expert, and Solution-Driven. He is always in constant communication with those he is working with and is flexible to accommodate others’ needs. Not only is he well-versed in all of the tasks he does, but he goes above and beyond to reach solutions when needed.

He was nominated by Tynesha Hardin for his excellent communication and customer service.

“Not only does he find solutions to our issues quickly, he even teaches us while doing it,” said Hardin. “He explains how he will fix our issue, what he needs from me to get it done, and explains a little more in detail to me—knowing I was interested.”

Congratulations, Michael!

Betty was nominated for going above and beyond her normal duties to help others. Recently, she has helped with the Stoddard County Probation Office merger, aiding in computer issues and other tech issues that came up. She has also helped team members with phone issues when they needed to work from home during inclement weather.

She was nominated by Roxanne Cook and Tcheanina Watkins for her excellent customer service and timely responses.

“I called our IT Help Desk and they attempted to help me, but said they couldn’t do anything unless I went to the office,” said one of the nominators. “Our supervisor sent an email to Betty asking her to call my personal cell phone to see if she could help me. She called in a very timely manner and was so helpful. She went through all the possibilities and was so nice. She never once made me feel like it was my lack of knowledge and broke things down simple so I could do what needed to be done.”

Congratulations, Betty!

Nicole was nominated for her willingness to always go above and beyond to provide excellent customer service. She is always the first to jump in when it comes to projects, specifically hiccups involving getting new employees set up. She finds the solutions quickly and accurately.

She was nominated by Nikki Roark for all of her help. Nikki is a member of the admin team for ITSD, which has taken over the new team member set up process. Because of the new hiring changes, there has been frequent issues that Nicole always helps with.

“She doesn’t ever seem to be overwhelmed by the constant chaos of our demanding needs for things to happen ‘right now’ and she does it with a smile every single time!” said Roark. “Our team is very grateful for her positive attitude and all of her hard work!”

Congratulations, Nicole!

Mike was nominated for his constant hard work and problem solving. He never stops when there is a problem to be fixed. Recently, there was a hiccup with the Time Clock Plus, causing SAM II to reject 80% of the DMH Facilities CPER file. This meant staff would not get paid if the issue was not resolved before SAM II went down for monthly payroll processing. Mike quickly researched the issue and found that TCP included three days from the prior payroll period on the current file, so SAM II rejected those transactions. He ended up manually updating the files.

He was nominated by Cynthia Hassler for exemplifying the OA CARES values every day.

“When it comes to serving DMH, Mike Moran’s middle name is CARES. He repeatedly works to make sure that DMH staff have what they need and that their processes work,” said Hassler.

Congratulations, Mike!

Donna was nominated for her excellent customer service. She is always ready to help when needed, and always has a smile on her face. Recently, she worked on a critical payroll issue that had occurred. In the matter of an hour of learning about the problem, she had details and ideas to help remedy the situation.

Donna was nominated by both Lee Hogue and George Welling for her constant availability, hard work, and great attitude.

“Donna is always willing to help in any way she can. She is a great example of more than one core value. Off the top of my head, C communication, always responding as quickly as she can. A adaptive by always being flexible to help her customers and tying to always improve. R reliable, knowing if and when I have an issue needing HR’s help i can go to her and she will figure out a solution. Those are just a few.”

Congratulations, Donna!

Lisa was nominated for her reliability. She is always available when needed, and constantly goes above and beyond what is asked of her. She exemplifies the OA CARES values of reliable and expert, as well as being solution-driven when needed.

She was nominated by Shelley Hughey for being the perfect example of OA CARES.

“She provides outstanding customer service!” said Hughey. “She always goes above and beyond to find the answer to my SAMII questions. Lisa is what all employees should strive to become.”

Congratulations, Lisa!

Andrew was nominated for his exceptional customer service. He has continued to excel in his customer service since OA CARES was even a thought. Recently, he helped an employee that had been approved to work remotely. He was contacted to help with finding a charger for the employee’s computer, and had solved the problem within an hour.

He was nominated by Aaron Stalter for his hard work and reliability.

“Andrew doesn’t provide exceptional customer service for recognition or expecting a favor in return,” said Stalter. “He does this because he is just a flat-out good dude.”

Congratulations, Andrew!

Robert was nominated for his constant hard work and taking the initiative. Rob Didriksen was on the way to the Truman cafeteria and saw Robert digging through a paper recycling container in the fourth floor conference room area. Robert had taken the initiative to remove a large amount of nasty food waste from a luncheon that was hosted the day before. He noted there was food waste in the recycling container and then he did something about it.

Robert was nominated by Didriksen for taking the initiative and making sure the “buck stops here.”
“Contamination of recyclable materials is one of the top challenges we face with recycling and Robert solved this problem on the spot,” Said Didriksen. “His actions likely prevented over 200 pounds of paper from going to the landfill.”

Congratulations, Robert!

The ITSD-Unified Communications Team was nominated for being a vital part of the DHSS hotline. Recently, the hotline has seen a large call volume after opening up vaccine registration. The team has helped to create an outbound caller and creative prompt system to help route callers to the correct region based on zip code.

The team was nominated by Lee Pearson for their vital work and constant willingness to help.

“They are vital assets to Missouri,” said Pearson.

Congratulations, ITSD-Unified Communications Team!

Beth was nominated for her hard work and reliability. When Alyssa Bish called two minutes before 5 p.m., Beth picked up and stayed on for about 45 minutes to help. This was all done on her personal time, as Beth’s shift was over. However, she continued to help until the problem was resolved despite not needing to.

She was nominated by Bish for the help given when it was needed and going above and beyond to do so.

“Beth was kind, made me feel as if I was the only person in the world who mattered, and was patient through the entire process,” said Bish. “I would not have been able to complete my work for the week without her help.”

Congratulations, Beth!

Robert was nominated for exemplifying the OA CARES core values of expert and reliable, as well as his constant great attitude when helping others. He approaches every day with an attitude befitting of an OA CARES award winner. His customers not only love him, but he has constantly shown that he can adapt to the needs of others.

He was nominated by several people: Angie Anderson, Brenda Kissenger and Brenda Hentges.

“Robert’s customers love him and for good reason,” said Anderson. “OA CARES is his everyday approach to interacting with them. With Microsoft Access’s exit from existence coming very soon and the very intricate applications that Division of Labor Standards had built for them using Access databases years ago by a skilled coder and the very small budget that they work with, Robert has to be very adaptive and solution-driven to begin to move DLS off of access and to maintain what is already there while we work to move them off.”

Congratulations, Robert!

Amanda was nominated for her hard work and constantly being in good spirits. In addition to her primary duties, Amanda has been asked to provide backup support to other programs in the division. She has consistently provided outstanding support to numerous programs within the division. Teammates know when Amanda is asked to do something, she will get it done.

She was nominated by Rob Didriksen for her reliability.

“I know when I ask Amanda for assistance that it will get done and not require any follow up. When managing numerous projects it is really helpful to have this level of reliability,” said Didriksen. “Another of Amanda’s great qualities is that she is not afraid to ask questions when she doesn’t understand something. Asking questions is such an important part of communication that often gets overlooked.”

Congratulations, Amanda!

Russell was nominated for his hard work and perseverance while trying to help customers and solving issues. Recently, he helped when various people were having their mainframe sessions drop after coming back from a break. He exhausted all of his troubleshooting steps and persevered to work with agency staff members to finally determine the issue.

Russell was nominated by David Statler for his excellent customer service.

“Russell has demonstrated time and again of going beyond his sphere of duty in order to help customers and solve issues,” said Statler.

Congratulations, Russell!

Lindsey was nominated for her positive attitude and her knowledge at all things job-related. She is the perfect candidate for OA CARES. Her work is often detailed and requires a significant amount of coordination with different parties, all while completing it in a timely manner. A recent example is with the Kofax upgrades. Lindsey coordinated the build of the new server with SDC and worked with them to get the DB2 connections set up and tested, while also working with several others on the project.

She was nominated by Angie Anderson for her reliability and hard work on all projects she completes.

“Lindsey is the kind of team member that makes people happy to come to work. She knows her job so well,” said Anderson. “She is always happy to help and does her work so efficiently and quietly in the background it makes it look easy. It’s not easy.”

Congratulations, Lindsey!

Nicoshia was nominated for being a primary support in planning an on-sire hiring event for the Division of Youth Services. Her job in aiding DSS has been instrumental, and she has consistently displayed OA CARES core values during her work. Not only has she been patient, professional, approachable and efficient, but she has quickly and accurately continued to address questions and needs.

She was nominated by both Courtney hall and Beverly Struemph for her hard work.

“While she has almost solely worked with Courtney Hall, I have heard Courtney share many positive remarks about Nicoshia’s help,” said Struemph. “I had the opportunity to work directly with Nicoshia this week and could immediately identify what a wonderful asset she is. She was approachable, professional, helpful, and her focus was on addressing any challenges we faced. Nice work, nice reflection on OA and thank you for making our work easier.”

Congratulations, Nicoshia!

Grayson was nominated for his hard work, reliability, and vast knowledge when working with team members. He has been working to develop a dashboard for Leah Strid’s agency coordinators to use throughout the MSECC campaign to track pledges from the agency employees. He has had great knowledge when using Tableau software, but has also continuously explored new options to find what is best suited for the campaign and its dashboards.

He was nominated by Strid for his excellent work and reliability.

“When he tells me an update will be made, I never have to worry, as he is reliable and dependable to a fault,” said Strid. “He has exceeded my expectations in terms of the services we are able to offer, and has been instrumental in assisting the MSECC continue to adapt to changing conditions.”

Congratulations, Grayson!

John was nominated for going above and beyond to help Jessica Farley’s agency when they were scheduled for a computer refresh. Each laptop had specific software used within the office, as well as different uses. This was a project Farley had been dreading, as each laptop would have to be separately worked on. However, John took the time to make sure each laptop contained the software and apps that were individually needed.

He was nominated by Farley for his help with the laptop project, as well as his excellent communication during the project.

“We communicated daily for nearly 2 weeks on what the plan was for the next day, the next week, the next laptop,” said Farley. “I know firsthand how hard it can be to be assigned to a comprehensive project while still maintaining daily issues that arise. John communicated when things were being delayed because of his other commitments. He made expert recommendations as needed. He maintained friendliness and courtesy at all times.”

Congratulations, John!

Sharon was nominated for her constant dedication to her work and always going above and beyond to provide the best services possible. She first showed her outstanding service in 2017 while helping with MOPlants. She worked with third-party vendors and kept everything running smoothly. She has also continued to deliver functionality, which has helped to better serve citizens and businesses.

She was nominated by John Brunnert for her reliability and constant availability to help with anything thrown Brunnert’s way.

“Sharon is an essential part of our Plant Industries team and deserves recognition for the success she brings,” said Brunnert. “We are grateful.”

Congratulations, Sharon!

The OA Insider team was nominated for exemplifying the meaning of OA CARES: Communications, Adaptive, Reliable, and Solution-Driven. The newsletter and coinciding newscast were developed around the time of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when communication needs were at an all-time high. Thanks to the Insider, team members now get monthly updated information about what has happened in the department, milestones, and celebrations.

The OA Insider Team was nominated by Karen Enlow for helping everyone stay informed.

“The articles are well written and informative,” said Enlow. “I especially love the variety of articles and that all divisions are featured. I was pleased to see my B&P colleague Matt Hesser featured in the March newsletter. I know how hard Matt and his team works, but now so does everyone else.”

Congratulations OA Insider Team!

Jeff was nominated for his unrelenting commitment to the OA-FMDC mission and the OA CARES core values. One year ago, the Specialized Trades Supervisor assigned to the School for the Deaf retired. Jeff accepted the responsibility as the supervisor within the maintenance department, always seeking extra responsibility and taking on the hardest task. He constantly displays strong technical knowledge and excellent support daily, using his knowledge to solve complex problems and maximizing resources.

He was nominated by Mitch Rogge for his strong work ethic and being a pillar of support for others.

“Jeff is an inspiring motivator and trainer always willing to support others within the department,” said Rogge. “He is a superb organizer, always planning and prioritizing wisely and with great foresight he constantly develops and processes improvements and efficiencies.”

Congratulations, Jeff!

Amanda was nominated for her reliability and constantly stepping up when needed. She stepped into the ENGAGE Change Champion meeting facilitator role following Becca Baylor’s departure, and she has continued to set a comfortable and conversational tone for meetings despite being new to the role. She has encouraged productive dialogue and continues to work hard to get better and make others better along with her.

She was nominated by Darlene Fritz for her hard work and reliability.

“I admire her incredible knowledge and spirit of customer service in supporting both MO Learning and TMTP,” said Fritz. “She has added a new layer of admiration for the great job she is doing supporting the ENGAGE Change Champions!”

Congratulations, Amanda!

Gloria was nominated for continuously demonstrating OA CARES values. During the past year, Gloria took on additional workload due to staff departures, applying her wealth of knowledge and expertise to a number of additional projects. ITSD is in the middle of a multi-year software project for DOC’s MOCIS application. Gloria has taken ownership of additional modules, helping with documentation and software testing beyond her primary responsibilities. She has identified and provided documentation for dozens of software issues that need to be completed, communicating the business needs, details of test case failures, and in many cases potential solutions for the developers to pursue.

She was nominated by Kurt Brewer for always being around when needed, and for exemplifying what it means to follow OA CARES values: communication, adaptive, reliable, expert, and solution-driven.

“Gloria’s reliability and adaptability is critical to keeping the MOCIS project and the ongoing application support tasks on track,” said Brewer. “She has taken on numerous additional duties.”

Congratulations, Gloria!

Olawale was nominated for going above and beyond his daily duties, both in the office and outside of the office. Specifically, he was nominated for his recent act of good will. Olawale had a friend who was concerned about getting the COVID-19 vaccine, but Olawale helped his friend ease that concern. At the time, Olawale was wearing an “I’ve Been Vaccinated” shirt provided by DMH. DMD Director, Mark Stringer, went on to give Olawale as many shirts as he needed to help aid in getting others vaccinated.

Olawale was nominated by Phil Reed for his caring nature and willingness to always help others, no matter the situation.

“Wale is a remarkable person,” said Reed. “He also sponsors children from his home country Nigeria who are in need. He brings them to United States and pays for food/housing/clothing/education so they can have a better life.”

Congratulations, Olawale!

Craig was nominated for his sheer ingenuity and determination to provide the best possible service and get the job done. A decision was made the first of May for the Department of Social Services to move out of a leased building in New Madrid to a vacant, state-owned building that had been a residential facility. The site had only accommodated a few offices and needed to be prepared for staff to move in by June 30th – barely six weeks for a total remodel. Through sheer ingenuity and dogged determination, Craig came up with a plan, set up a second data room and found a way to cross that vaulted ceiling to connect the network.

He was nominated by Betty Skelton for the large role he played in aiding DSS with their move to a new office space.

“This job should have taken several months to complete, but leases and money were involved so there was an urgent need to make this happen,” said Skelton. “We went from feeling that the structure of the building made this impossible – to having the work completed and staff moved in less than six weeks.”

Congratulations, Craig!

Teresa was nominated for her constant hard work and going above and beyond her required responsibilities. On June 25th, CARO received a large stipulation for compromised settlement for an injured employee. This was the last day that payments could be made for the current fiscal year. Vendor input forms were send over on June 23rd to have the injured employee and their attorney added to SAM II, but no one had heard anything back. Teresa went out of her way to locate the documents that had been sent and to expedite the process so the parties would be in SAM II.

She was nominated by Heather McClure for the help she gave to expedite the process so that the settlement could be processed that afternoon.

“She very easily could have said it would be processed in the order it was received or that it was in someone else’s work queue, but she took the time to find it and saved the day,” said McClure.

Congratulations, Teresa!

Kelsey was nominated for exemplifying the values of OA CARES, specifically when working on an RFP for recycling services. Kelsey was able to quickly grasp a rather involved bid and make suggestions that simplified and cleaned-up language in the RFP. At each step through the process, she clearly communicated what she needed.

She was nominated by Rob Didrikson for her clear communication, hard work, and outstanding teamwork.

“When I posed a question I knew I would get an answer,” said Didrikson. “Strangely, Kelsey made a sometimes-not-fun process… fun!”

Congratulations, Kelsey!

Paula was nominated for going above and beyond when helping Jessica Farley when her laptop had a problem. Paula took the time to carefully review the programs Jessica used to be sure she had everything she would need on a different laptop, as well as inform Jessica of shortcuts to help with various computer programs as well as helping to recover information.

She was nominated by Jessica Farley for exemplifying the OA CARES values when it came to helping her.

“Paula invited me to call her directly if I ran into additional problems or if any software I might need was missing,” said Farley.

Congratulations, Paula!

Danielle was nominated for her ability to provide help to not only her teammates, but also those outside of the state workforce. Steven Meyer overheard a citizen asking Danielle for directions to a certain state agency. Most people are helpful enough to tell someone what floor they should be on, and maybe even point them toward the elevators, but Danielle went the extra mile. She guided the lady to the elevator and rode it with her. They then got off together and Danielle walked her to the front door of her desired destination.

Danielle was nominated by Stephen Meyer due to her constant willingness to be helpful and go above and beyond for not just state workers, but citizens as well.

“For this citizen, Dani was adaptable, expert, and solution-driven,” said Meyer. “I know this seems to be a small thing, but I was impressed by the care Dani showed to a visitor needing help finding services in the Truman Building.”

Congratulations, Danielle!

The ITSD Onboarding Team just wrapped up the first year of the division’s onboarding program, ITSD-U Launch, by graduating 29 new team members that successfully completed the program in their first year. The team developed a robust onboarding program with the mission to retain an engaged and thriving workforce for the State of Missouri. It provides a standardized platform for every new employee to launch their career for the future, while establishing the culture and re-enforcing the ITSD core values. The program also pairs new team members up with mentors to help them thrive and make valuable connections in their first year of employment.

The team was nominated for being solution driven in identifying the need for this program and taking incredible initiative to implement and successfully carry it out. It has made a tremendous impact on new team members, which will have lasting impacts on ITSD as a whole. The team was also incredibly adaptive in the first year of the program.

Congratulations!

Jason was nominated for helping create MOStopsdCovid.com from the ground up. Since then, he’s helped to maintain the website as needed as a reliable back-up developer. He has also continued to make himself available 24/7 without complaint.

He was nominated by Lisa Cox and Sami Jo Freeman for his hard work and dedication to public service.

“He’s truly one of the most talented web developers in state government and deeply valued by our team,” said Cox.

Congratulations, Jason!

Kelli was nominated for the essential role she played during the COVID-19 challenge. Throughout the COVID-19 response, she stepped in to create graphics for the Governor’s Office, DHSS, and all other state departments. Ongoing, she creates 15 or so graphics for community testing efforts every week, in addition to her normal work and projects for the Governor’s Office.

Kelli was nominated by Megan Hopkins for her continued reliability and drive to continue to produce excellent work.

“Her assistance has saved the DHSS Communications Team a lot of time as she has helped to prep many of our pieces throughout the past year,” said Hopkins.

Congratulations, Kelli!

James was nominated for his constant above and beyond work ethic. James began his employment 2 years ago with OA ITSD. In that time frame, he has taken off very few days due to his dedication to the team and staffing constraints, in part due to COVID-19. James is always pleasant to the customers even under times of very heavy workloads insuring ITSD, Revenue, and DSS print deadlines are met.

He was nominated by Craig Kolb for his positive attitude and constant willingness to help out.

“There is never a complaint when he is asked to fill a role outside of his area of expertise, only a cooperative effort,” said Kolb. “He has also created innovative ways to streamline day to day task to make the print area more productive.”

Congratulations, James!

Josh was nominated for his unparalleled customer service and his hard work ethic. He is often working behind the scenes to “make the magic happen” with in-depth business and technical knowledge. Thanks to this, he is often called upon by DESE for help discussing requirements and system problems directly with DESE business users.

Josh was nominated by Cherece Moe for being one of the “unsung heroes” of ITSD.

“Josh is always so gracious when communicating with customers and does a great job of explaining the technical challenges of a situation in terms that they can understand,” said Cherece. “He’s patient and listens to their point of view to collaborate on a solution.”

Congratulations, Josh!

Melissa was nominated for the hard work she did when helping the Department of Public Safety with a complicated budget-related request from the legislature. Melissa Theis spent a lot of time after hours on Friday and Saturday working with DPS on pulling data for this request. She then went the extra mile and built a database query to easily allow DPS to pull the data when technical issues prevented DPS from connecting to the SAMII data warehouse.

She was nominated by Bryan Hug for her hard work and constant strive to help others.

“The above is not the first instance of Melissa lending her assistance to me,” said Bryan. “Melissa was, and continues to be, an excellent source of knowledge as I continue to grow in my role as DPS Human Resources Director.”

Congratulations, Melissa!

Will was nominated for his brilliant work and going above and beyond what was asked of him. He built out MOStopsCovid.com, which now has more than 2 million unique users. Not only has he aided in maintaining the content, but he has also helped to provide new, innovative ideas for consideration.

He was nominated by Sami Jo Freeman and Lisa Cox for his creativity, constant positive attitude, and willingness to always help out.

“We greatly appreciate his commitment to the site and consistently being accessible to our team 24/7 without complaint,” said Sami and Lisa. “We truly believe that this website has provided critical public health information to Missourians and has helped provide a one-stop shop for straightforward information.”

Congratulations, Will!

Amber was nominated for always being willing to go the extra mile to make sure things are done correctly. She is a constant example of OA’s core values, practicing them every day. Often, she takes the time to listen to issues, and takes even more time coming up with a well-executed solution.

Amber was nominated by Tim Collins for her hard work and positive attitude.

“She is always a joy to talk to on the phone and in person,” said Collins. “She has the patience of Job when we call her about an issue. She is very deserving of this award.”

Congratulations, Amber!

Sherri was nominated for her constant hard work and meticulous work ethic. She is always digging through old purchase orders and documents to go back and double check information, as well as put the “puzzle” of her work together. She never makes mistakes in her work due to her double and triple checking everything.

Sherri was nominated by Michael Moran for the constant excellent work she provides every day.

“With no exaggeration, Sherri’s attention to detail has saved me several hours of work,” said Moran.

Congratulations, Sherri!

Holly was nominated for playing a huge part in GIS team mapping and coordinating elements of the DHSS response to COVID-19. She has worked to build the original data dashboard, as well as build a dashboard of long-term care facility open beds for hospitals.

She was nominated by Megan Hopkins for her invaluable work, as well as her constant positive attitude during the entire process.

“During the time the GIS dashboard was in place, Holly worked weekends to make the daily updates happen so Missourians could access and visualize the data about the status of the pandemic in the state,” said Hopkins.

Congratulations, Holly!

The Black History Month Steering Committee was nominated for the amazing Black History Month celebration they pulled off this year. The event featured Governor Mike Parson, Chief Gary Hill, and Representative Ashely Bland-Manlove. The celebration was full of the diversity in Missouri and our country.

The team represented the OA CARES values of Communication, Adaptive, Reliable, Expert, and Solution-Driven.

Congratulations to the Black History Month Steering Committee!

Renee was nominated for being adaptive and responsive consistently, two of the major core values of OA CARES. Renee helped set up the OA system that tracks positive COVID-19 cases in Missouri government. As issues arise with the system, she is quick to identify possible solutions and is extremely responsive to state agency contacts that have questions.

Renee was nominated by Cindy Dixon for her outstanding customer service.

“I appreciate all of her hard work on the system,” said Dixon. “She is the glue that keeps it going!”

Congratulations, Renee!

Nikki was nominated for constantly being willing to help others, even when she is busy. She has taken on the responsibility of maintaining and updating the COVID-19 dashboard, Nikki has been instrumental to others’ success by consistently and patiently sharing her time and Tableau knowledge. She has helped with troubleshooting multiple issues with the dashboard, as well as offered up her time to continue improving the project.

Nikki was nominated by AJ Womack for her willingness to always help others.

“Nikki always quickly responds to my questions with accurate information and useful solutions,” said Womack. “Furthermore, if she did not have the solution, she knew someone who did. Nikki is a treasure to the state.”

Congratulations, Nikki!

Greg was nominated for going above and beyond to help others. Pam Vicker was having trouble with the temperatures in her office. Greg came, investigated the issue, and found that one vent was open full force and another was completely shut off. He fixed the heating issue in her office and then came by the next day to make sure everything was still working.

He was nominated by Vicker because of his greatly appreciated work to help improve Vicker’s work environment.

“I appreciate Greg for investigating the issue to identify the source of the problem, addressing the problem, and following up to make sure it was fixed, or as fixed as it can be,” said Vicker.

Congratulations, Greg!

Nick was nominated for his reliability and willingness to always help others. He has has been a long-standing end-user support and has consistently been a problem-solver to this program. ITSD is a very diverse program with a broad spectrum of IT needs and requirements. Nick is able to constantly support the myriad of needs with a positive can-do attitude and the ability to resolve whatever issue.

He was nominated by Brian Allen for his dependability and hard work.

“We so appreciate and recognize his value to our program’s operational functionality and success,” said Allen. “He embodies what I suspect OA strives for in its service to agencies.”

Congratulations, Nick!

Jennifer was nominated for her great customer service through direct interactions, assisting team members, and supporting management. Jennifer interacts daily with OA team members by providing timely assistance on human resources matters. She partners with her coworkers to ensure new initiatives are properly implemented. Jennifer also actively participates on divisional work teams to improve the services we deliver.

Jennifer was nominated by Paul Buckley and Marian Buschjost for her positive attitude and strong work ethic.

“Regardless of her role in the service to our customers, she always asks appropriate questions to understand concerns or needs and is capable of problem solving on her own,” said her nominators. “She utilizes resources to deliver a thoughtful, accurate response, product, or service.”

Congratulations, Jennifer!

Carolyn was nominated for her work with SAM II. Working with SAM II Financial you have to be adaptive as you never know what the system might throw. The most recent example of her dedication and hard work to providing excellent customer service came when the IRS implemented a new 1099-NEC, which required changes to the 1099-MISC along with creating the new 1099-NEC. This also required job and program changes in SAM II. ITSD ran into some issues and Carolyn did not hesitate one time to put in the extra hours.

She was nominated by Jocelyn Oligschlaeger for her adaptability and expertise.

“Carolyn and I communicate and work on issues daily together and I am thankful and beyond appreciative for all that she brings to the table,” said Oligschlaeger. “She would tell you she was just doing her job, but it means so much more to the people she works with than she will ever realize.”

Congratulations, Carolyn!

Kim Spiedel and Zach Russell were nominated thanks to their work with implementing the new eBuilder program. The countless hours they have spent on working through the processes, troubleshooting, countless meetings/WebEx sessions and creating new processes/reports to provide the entire FMDC-Capital Improvements team a solid foundation within this new program. OA Project managers, construction administrators and outside contractors now have a smooth transition into working in eBuilder though all the work and continuous work they both put into this program.

They were nominated for their countless hours of hard work.

“They have exceeded in everything that the OA Cares core values represents; communication, adaptive, reliable, expert and solution driven,” said their nominators.

Congratulations, Kim and Zach!

Debbie was nominated for her knowledge in all things GIS. She has been a GIS go-to person for many years and is routinely handed tasks when other people may not know where to begin. One recent example is the Team Health report. When state employees first had to begin teleworking, there was an immediate need for metrics. OA had a plan to create survey. What they did not have was a way to report that information back to Department management, or the Governor’s Office. Debbie was able to figure out a way to use GIS tools to generate a dashboard of the status of every employee.

She was nominated by Tracy Schloss for all of her hard work and dependability.

“Debbie has worked tirelessly throughout this pandemic to provide this sort of behind the scenes support,” said Schloss.

Congratulations, Debbie!

Matt was nominated for his excellent work with REDCap. The project has saved the DHSS Home Visiting program a substantial amount of money. Previously, DHSS paid the University of Missouri – Columbia over $100,000 annually to host the REDCap database. Thanks to Matt’s work to build us a REDCap server within ITSD, it now costs DHSS about $1,500 a year instead.

He was nominated by Karen Harbert for his strong work ethic and dedication to the job.

“The program has used these cost savings to expand our service into a new county and serve many more families each year. Additionally, his efforts have made the system available to other programs within DHSS,” said Harbert.

Congratulations, Matt!

Chenoa was nominated for her extremely fast, detail-oriented work. With COVID-19 hitting our nation, Accounting has had an influx of vendor input forms to enter into SAM II. Chenoa was offered a position that would be split between Accounting’s Financial section and the HR Payroll side. She has been successful splitting her time between these two different sets of duties; however, with the influx of vendor input forms, Accounting asked Chenoa if she would be willing to transition back to entering vendor input forms full-time. She was more than willing to help out where it was needed.

She was nominated by Britni Buechter for her flexibility, work ethic, and all around great work.
“Since Chenoa has been back to entering vendor input forms full-time, she has processed 1,232 forms to date,” said Buechter. “Chenoa works really hard to beat her previous days numbers and does so accurately.”

Congratulations, Chenoa!

Paul was nominated for his aid in Budget and Planning’s navigation through acquiring two office spaces for two special projects this year: the Statewide Redistricting Office and space for any potential statewide elected official transitions. Both projects required unique set-ups and special needs and both had to be completed within a truncated timeframe. These combinations made securing adequate space very challenging.

Paul was nominated by Tony Roberts for his constant availability and professionalism.

“Throughout the process, Paul was a model of professionalism, calm, and good humor while he helped us navigate through the twists and turns in the process,” said Roberts. “He was unflappable with every unforeseen change, provided options in response, and kept us grounded as we continued to move forward. “

Congratulations, Paul!

Justina was nominated for her hard work and being an excellent source of knowledge. She constantly demonstrates leadership, as well as excellent time management skills. She was promoted this year to a new position, all while training another employee for her former position. MissouriBUYS registrations have sky-rocketed since COVID-19 hit our nation. Her knowledge and ability to manage her time has also given her the chance to lead our team in getting MissouriBUYS vendors entered more quickly & efficiently, making the State of Missouri vendors, agencies, and management very happy. 

She was nominated by Britni Buechter for her hard work and dedication.

“Justina cares about the work she does, her teammates, and the agencies she assists. She is a great asset to our team!” Buechter said.

Congratulations, Justina!

Pete was nominated for his outstanding work with making complicated changes to the OCA database. He exemplified the core OA CARES values of communication, adaptive, reliable, expert and solution-driven through his work. He constantly made himself available, as well as met the department’s needs in a timely manner.

Pete was nominated by Kelly Schultz and Courtney Davis because he was easy to work with, responsive and attentive.

“I really appreciate all he has done to make our database function in the best way possible!” his nominators said.

Congratulations, Pete!

Chris was nominated for his outstanding assistance with ushering MSECC from physical fundraising platform into a virtual fundraising machine. Chris helped by sending test emails, updated based on feedback, and then also graciously provided the analytics to track how successful the email campaigns were. His actions made it possible for OA to deliver a premier customer experience.

Chris was nominated by Leah Strid from General services for his constant willingness to always make himself available to help out, as well as his continued strong work ethic.

“Chris was instrumental in transitioning the MSECC into an online-based campaign this year in a short two-week turnout is phenomenal,” said Strid. “I don’t know what I would have done without him!”

Congratulations, Chris!

Matthew was nominated for his above and beyond work to get the job done. While the ITSD CES staff were working from home until their work space was cleaned due to COVID-19 cases on the floor at the Fletcher Daniels State Office Building, Matt was contacted by the Vocation Rehabilitation staff that the back-up power supply in their office was beeping. Matt helped replacing the malfunctioning backup power supply with a spare one. This meant Vocational Rehabilitation would no longer have to hear repetitive beeping from the backup power supply alarm. 

Matt was nominated by Robert Curren for his help.

“Matt could have just contacted ITSD-CES, which would have required driving a distance to complete the work, since the CES team had to work remote. Thank you, Matt, for all you do.” Curren said.

Congratulations, Matt!

Jacob was nominated for his leadership role during the implementation of a new fiscal note database named “MOLIS.” Numerous State of Missouri team members recognized that the fiscal note request & response process had become tedious and needed to be updated. Throughout the updating process, Jacob took it upon himself to make sure that the department team members involved in the process were able to contribute. Working as a bridge between the departments and developers, he orchestrated the training and made sure everyone was comfortable throughout. In the end, this team created something that will improve state government operations.

Nominated by Jessica Farley from B&P, Jacob was beyond accommodating at keeping everyone informed. “The thought, dedication, and patience Jacob has shown is tremendous! His tenacity will make a huge difference in this process and will be felt throughout all MO State Departments. He is a great representation of OA CARES.”

Congratulations, Jacob!

Nancy was nominated for her customer service when it comes to any accounting questions. No matter what she was working on at the time, Nancy has always made herself available to help – whether it involved purchasing, MissouriBUYS, or vendors and is always prompt and reliable when it comes to answering any questions.

Nominated Ashley Mazza from FMDC, Nancy’s knowledge has made her a wonderful asset to the Office of Administration. “I worked with Nancy when she worked with FMDC and I still work with her daily on accounting issues. She has a lot of knowledge when it comes to Fixed Assets and accounting. She has a great attitude and always goes above and beyond. She deserves to be recognized.”

Congratulations, Nancy!