Mayor's Office

We gathered to celebrate 5 outstanding City of Madison employees in 5 award categories for the hard work they do to serve our community at our first in-person #TeamCity ceremony to be held in the Madison Municipal Building since our award program was inaugurated in February 2020. And for the first time we honored all of our veteran employees with 30-35 years of service to our City. All of these individuals are true examples of #TeamCity.

These employees and teams were selected from a large pool of candidates that were nominated by their peers from within or outside their own division. I’m inspired by these nominations and learned a great deal about the range and quality of work that we all do as a unified City operation. It makes me grateful to work alongside all of them.

Awardees:

The #TeamCity Administration Award goes to Sara Carrizal. Sara is Office Administrator at Monona Terrace and has been with the agency for 15 years. During the pandemic, Sara was instrumental in helping staff stay connected and was an important resource for those working remotely. She also supports our Board and Board Committees, coordinating all of the meeting logistics and documents. Sara helps keep spirits up with her signature thoughtful and beautiful homemade cards, and she even sewed masks for staff. She’s positive, fun, energetic and always willing to lend a hand in big and small ways, whether it’s spearheading a large project like our GBAC and LEED certifications, dealing with a difficult customer issue, scheduling Zooms and troubleshooting computer issues, helping with the combined charitable campaign or coordinating staff celebrations and recognitions. Sara lives the Monona Terrace mission and is an inspirational member of our team. Sara was nominated for going above and beyond the call by Community and Public Relations Manager Kristen Durst.

The #TeamCity Community Service & Support Award goes to Renee Callaway. Renee is Pedestrian-Bicycle Administrator for Traffic Engineering. Renee is responsible for the development, coordination, management and implementation of Traffic Engineering’s pedestrian and bicycle program that promotes pedestrian and bicycle mobility safety. She supervises subordinate staff and is responsible for media contacts and public information campaigns. She also assists Traffic Engineering’s safety education efforts, co-leads the Vision Zero and the Complete Green Streets projects and assists in grant writing activities. Together with another co-worker, Renee manages the Safe Streets Madison project list, which takes in hundreds of public requests this year. She is one of the faces of Madison’s Vision Zero. She also oversees the crossing guard program beloved by our residents. Dedicated, energetic and highly motivated, Renee was nominated by Jose Barros, Pedestrian Bicycle Outreach Specialist, and Traffic Engineer Yang Tao.

The #TeamCity Public Health & Safety Award goes to Melinda Dessert. Melinda or “Mindy” is a Community Paramedic with Madison Fire Department. She has been a vital member of the Community Paramedic program since its inception, overseeing the CP office and working directly with at-risk patients. The team routinely provides coaching and support to patients in need, with the goal of educating and empowering them to improve their overall health and reduce their reliance on the 911 system and emergency rooms. Mindy is a talented and knowledgeable paramedic, but her exceptional bedside manner is what really sets her apart and makes her ideal for this position. This isn’t her first award, as in 2021 she was recognized as First Responder of the Year. For positively touching the lives of countless residents, Mindy was nominated by Community Paramedic Raena Glauvitz.

The #TeamCity Public Works & Land Use Award goes to Corey King. Corey is a Radio Technician 1, and works in the Radio Shop on Nakoosa Trail. Corey is a knowledgeable and highly skilled tech who completes complex installations of mobile radio systems and servers on vehicles for Madison Police Department, Madison Fire Department, Dane County Sheriff’s Office and other client departments. In particular, without this equipment being in perfect working order, dispatchers cannot reach staff in the field including for all-important 911 routing. Radio Shop staff work long hours as needed to make sure the system is in top working order. For his dependability under pressure time and again, Corey was nominated by Madison Fire Department Assistant Chief Scott Bavery.

The #TeamCity Mayor’s Choice Award goes to Sherri Amos. Sherri is a Confidential Program Assistant at Employee Assistance Program (EAP). She leads support for all office operations to deliver EAP services for any employees who require their vital services. She is the first point of contact for all employees and family members. With each contact she inevitably shows kindness, compassion and professionalism in every unique situation. Sherri’s leadership skills also shine as she oversees and coordinates the EAP Facilitator Network of employees, compiles the monthly EAP Newsletter and chairs the EAP Equity Team. A common refrain in the office is “Everyone needs a Sherri!” Detailed, organized, caring, creative and reliable, Sherri was nominated by EAP Manager Tresa Martinez and EAP Specialist Arlyn Gonzalez.

Veterans with 30-35 years of service to the City are listed below. Special thanks to all of them for their long and productive careers in public service, reaching a milestone that only a tiny fraction of City employees will ever achieve. That takes dedication and sticking it out through all the ups and downs I’m sure they’ve witnessed over the years in their agencies--along with plenty of changes in management, personnel and technology.