Mayor Keith Sydnor is pleased to announce the winners from the Annual City of Laurel Employee Awards and Luncheon that was held on Friday May 11, 2024.   

At the ceremony, the City recognized the following employees for their years of service to the City: 

• 5 Years of Service – Tim Moses, Shermon Willis, Israella Layne, Maria Zarcone, Danny Selby, Lamar Gayle, India Said, Timothy Jumbelick, and Dean Barham.
• 10 Years of Service – Kris Phipps, Alfie Acol, Kevin Fillinich, Courtney Clardy, and Taylor Seibert.
• 15 Years of Service – Daniel Miller, Mahapara Sartaj, Christian Pulley, Jesse Conyngham, Adam Cheek, Sean Fabel, and Clayton Ammerman.
• 20 Years of Service – Michele Blair, Carreen Koubek, Thomas Slater, Erik Lynn, Stephen Ivory, and Gerald Wolfe.
• 25 Years of Service – John Szalankiewicz, Harold McCall, and Jennifer Carmen.
• 30 Years of Service – Tim Van Der Vossen.

 The City’s Team Achievement Award was established to recognize those employee teams who have made significant contributions to their department or to the City. This year, the following employees were recognized for their dedication: 

• Team #1 – Owen DePriest, Yasir Syed, Adam Novak, Frank Ramirez, and Dean Barham.  During late spring of 2023, the Granville Gude Park stage experienced a complete loss of connectivity of its IT equipment, taking down networking and camera coverage within the area. With several high-profile events approaching, employees from the City’s Information Technology and Parks and Recreation departments quickly created a temporary solution then continued to work tirelessly for several days and evenings through multiple obstacles to diagnose the issues and eventually completely replaced the entire IT infrastructure at the stage. 
• Team #2 – Kriss Phipps and Adrian Lacey.  During late 2023, the Department of Fire Marshal and Permit Services were faced with two particularly challenging issues. One of which was an uninhabitable home concerning several of our citizens. The other was an unfortunate rodent issue exacerbated by two back-to-back power outages. Ms. Phipps and Mr. Lacey worked to rectify both situations while maintaining a professional and compassionate demeanor resulting in multiple commendations from citizens praising their dedication to helping the community.

 The Meritorious Service Award goes to employees who have distinguished themselves by making a significant contribution to their department, to the City or to co-workers during the year. This year four employees were recognized: 

• Divina St. Peter, Parks & Recreation - This past year, Ms. St. Peter has made major strides in enhancing the Department’s current programs and events while adding additional programs to our lineup. The Music at the Mansion and Community Culture Day are two of the new impactful events that Ms. St. Peter has successfully implemented. Additionally, Ms. St. Peter often takes the initiative on new projects to include the promotion of the Gude Mansion, partnering with the City’s IT department to create a new website for the mansion, and promoting the first Gude Mansion Open House.
• Shante Taylor, Budget and Personnel Services - Ms. Taylor has been an excellent addition to the BAPS team. She is always willing to tackle new responsibilities. In 2023, she was tasked with maintaining the Tax Credit Programs for Elderly Veterans and Public Safety Officers. Ms. Taylor has taken on this task during our busiest time, year-end and summer season, with no interruption to her current responsibilities. Additionally, Ms. Taylor has a great heart and volunteers her time to many City organizations to include the Fourth of July Committee and other services to help those in need.

 The Employee of the Year Award recognizes those employees that promote excellence in public service and have displayed the highest standards of performance and conduct. This year the following five employees were honored for their hard work: 

• Mike Eichorn, Public Works - Mr. Eichorn’s technical proficiency in handling various types of machinery combined with a solid commitment to safety, has significantly enhanced the efficiency of the Department of Public Work’s operations. His collaborative spirit and willingness to support DPW as well as other departments make him an asset to the City of Laurel.  
• Anna ReWalt, Public Works - Ms. ReWalt is an indispensable member of the Department of Public Works team. Ms. ReWalt consistently goes above and beyond in her administrative duties. She is always willing to tackle new responsibilities whenever asked. Her proactive problem solving, and organizational skills have assisted in streamlining departmental operations. 
• Kris Phipps, Fire Marshal and Permit Services - Ms. Phipps has remained a valuable asset to the City throughout her career, obtaining certifications for IPMC and Fire Inspector I & II, qualifying her as a designated Special Assistant State Fire Marshal. Ms. Phipps takes a personal interest in each case she is assigned, paying keen attention to detail, issuing stop work orders as needed, retrieving shopping carts, signs, delivering citations, and assisting the Fire Marshal with annual safety inspections.   
• Melissa Klinger, Budget and Personnel Services - Ms. Klinger has been instrumental in streamlining and updating several City HR policies.  She stays abreast of human resources issues that have an impact on city employees. She has researched and broadened ways for City job opportunities to be advertised to the public that has significantly increased the number of applicants for posted positions. This also includes creating an online application process. With the legalization of Marijuana in the state, Ms. Klinger was on the forefront and had to conduct extensive research on the matter to ensure that the City’s policy was sufficient.  The City’s new Drug and Alcohol Policy has become a model policy for many other municipal agencies across the state.  
• CPL Clayton Ammerman, Laurel Police Department - Cpl. Ammerman is assigned to LPD’s Community Action Team (CAT). Cpl. Ammerman maintains his own caseload and functions as a supervisor in this unit, managing confidential documentation, approving all CAT warrants, and general supervision of the CAT detectives. Additionally, Cpl. Ammerman is a member of LPD’s Emergency Response Team and an instructor for the Department; teaching de-escalation and use of force and participating in the Use of Force Review Committee. 

The Kristie M. Mills Leadership Award was awarded to Christina Cornwell, the Director of Community Resource and Emergency Management (CREM). This award was established to recognize a member of the Management Staff who exemplifies and exhibits the highest standard of leadership, which includes supervisory, management and administrative functions, as well as serving the public.  

The City’s highest honor, the Mayor’s Award, went to Joanne Barr, Deputy Director City Administrator - Last year Ms. Barr worked to revise over a dozen City policies, revitalized the organizational structure for multiple Departments, and continuously pushed the City towards new initiatives and programs. Ms. Barr served as Chair for the Craig A. Moe Laurel Multiservice Center Board, playing an integral role in the upcoming opening of the trailblazing Laurel Multiservice Center.  She contributes to many committees including the Maryland Municipal League's Parks and Recreation Association; the Liaison for Laurel Arts Council and Parks & Recreation Citizens Advisory Committee; and she is a member of the Hometown Emergency Preparedness Committee.  She is a trusted problem-solver and reliable coach and mentor to numerous City of Laurel personnel.

Congratulations to all the winners and the City of Laurel employees for all they do to enrich the lives of Laurel’s residents, businesses, and visitors.