Twenty-Two State Employees Earn Pennsylvania Governor's Awards for Excellence

HARRISBURG, Pa., May 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced the recipients of the fourth annual Governor's Awards for Excellence and praised all state employees for their dedication to service during national Public Employee Recognition Week.

"It is my honor to recognize these dedicated men and women," said Governor Rendell. "Their commitment, creativity, initiative, and leadership inspire excellence, particularly in light of this year's unparalleled personal and economic challenges. I am delighted to celebrate them and share news of their great work.

"In a very real way, these award recipients represent all of the commonwealth's hard-working public servants," the Governor continued. "It is impossible to overstate the value of their efforts in every aspect of our lives, from helping families receive high quality medical care and educating our children to making sure our food supply is safe and our infrastructure is secure."

Governor's Awards for Excellence recognize state employees who best promote the good of the commonwealth's citizens or advance state government. The following employees received this prestigious award for 2010:

• A patrolman for the Capitol Police, Justin Chortanoff, Dauphin County, of the Department of General Services was the first to arrive at the scene of a multi-story building fire in Harrisburg.  He gathered information from residents outside about the location of the fire and other possible occupants.  As the fire engulfed part of the structure's second floor, Chortanoff ensured that all 14 residents were evacuated safely, including an elderly woman he carried from the third floor.
• Thomas Crofcheck, Luzerne County, of the Department of Public Welfare initiated an audit into a juvenile detention center lease. Among other outcomes, the audit resulted in a criminal case that drew national attention of gross abuse of the legal system that victimized unprotected juveniles.  Demonstrating courage and leadership despite being personally sued by the owners of the facility, he pursued a complex investigation against powerful vested interests and under a national spotlight. Based on a federal investigation and subsequent lawsuits, thousands of former juvenile defendants had tainted sentences vacated.  Advocates describe this as "one of the most serious judicial scandals in the history of the United States." The case came to light, in part, because of Thomas' unwavering integrity.
• Brian De Angelis, Lehigh County, of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board manages a Pennsylvania Wine and Spirits Store. When one of his employees was diagnosed with a hereditary kidney disease, two other employees volunteered to be tested as potential donors. Neither was a viable match. Brian also volunteered to be tested and was found to be a match.  Going well beyond expectations of a colleague and with a full understanding of the risks involved, he donated a kidney to a fellow public servant. Brian's act epitomizes generosity and personal sacrifice. His former employee is now in good health and has been promoted to a position in another store.
• Julie Rutledge, Franklin County, of the Department of Education created a streamlined credit transfer system for college students.  The system—created in less than six months for less than $45,000—demystifies the transfer process and allows students to complete degrees more quickly without costs associated with re-taking required courses.  It has already realized savings for students and taxpayers, with 42 percent of the state's college students more easily transferring credits between institutions.  Julie also crafted an extensive marketing plan to increase awareness of the new system and expanded the number of participating schools by collaborating directly with higher education institutions.
• David Azzato, Dauphin County, Gary Kleist and Brian Thompson, Cumberland County, from the Department of Transportation created an accelerated program to design and reconstruct a record number of aging state-owned bridges. Work began on 470 bridges the first year with another 403 projected to start in the second year. The team made significant changes to improve the design, letting, advertising and award processes for construction projects, shattering the previous high mark by 40 percent or $800 million. The previous duration between advertising a project and start of construction was reduced from an average of 109 days to just 77 days.  As a result, Pennsylvania ranks second in the nation for speed of delivery of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) road and bridge projects.
• Robert Barnham, Mifflin County, Troy Bathurst, Dauphin County, David Forster, Cumberland County, Clint Heiser, Juniata County, Charles Leto Dauphin County, John Nally, Dauphin County, Teresa Nelson Cumberland County, and J. Mark Wrightstone, Cumberland County, of the Office of Administration and Kevin Campbell, Perry County, from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency developed and implemented a complex communications interoperability plan for first responders to support the G-20 summit of world leaders in Pittsburgh. Work involved adding new public safety radio infrastructure, expanding transmission frequencies, and mitigating interference.  In addition to keeping world leaders safe, the team showcased the most robust interoperable communications ever exhibited by state and local partners.
• Richard Cardamone, Cumberland County, and Danny Novak, Dauphin County, of the Office of the Budget and Samuel Fields, Cumberland County, Michael Hershour, York County, Rosa Lara, Dauphin County, and Christian Soura, Dauphin County, of the Office of Administration developed a multi-agency approach to prepare and submit federally mandated reports of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), despite an array of shifting federal instructions.  These leaders significantly improved data integrity and transmitted 276 reports accurately and on time. As a result of the processes and information technology systems they developed, citizens have unprecedented visibility into the impact of their tax dollars.  Pennsylvania was the first to comply with this federal mandate.

To learn more about the Governor's Awards for Excellence program, visit www.awards4excellence.state.pa.us.

Media contact: Mia DeVane, 717-783-1116

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor