Employee of the Month

Each month Melwood recognizes our outstanding employees for their exemplary work and dedication to the organization. The following members of our staff were selected to be honored in April 2016 as Employee of the Month:

Direct Support Professional:  Charles Chase, Development Coach (Crossroads)

Charles Chase is a Development Coach at Crossroads, which is the largest of the Melwood day programs.  Charles works with the participants throughout the day to meet their individual goals and objectives and still manages to maintain his ratio.  When there are staff shortages, he steps up and keeps the participants thoroughly engaged and active, which can be challenging.  Charles is a dependable and reliable employee that stands out and leads by example. 

Custodial Employee:  Marvin Randle, Custodial Worker (FBI)

Marvin Randle continuously receives kudos from the FBI staff regarding the quality of his work.  The security officers and building tenants have witnessed Mr. Randle go above and beyond his duties inside and outside of the FBI building. His supervisor considers him to be a very diligent, remarking on the fact that he is always working, and takes great pride in the care he provides to his site.  Marvin Randle sets a great example for the other employees at Melwood and an excellent representation of the organization.

Grounds Maintenance Employee:  Harold Williams (BEP)

Harold Williams is a Lead Worker on Melwood’s Bureau of Engraving contract. Harold is a leader to the people with differing abilities we serve and dedicated to our mission. He fills in, when needed, as a floor worker on weekend and night shifts.  He took on additional responsibilities during a time when there wasn’t a full time site supervisor at USDA HQ.  He stepped right in to cover both sites, including the maintenance of the interior plants at USDA HQ, which starts at 6:00am. Harold managed to keep both contracts running with minimal disruption. He is truly a valuable asset to Melwood. 

Other Facilities Maintenance Employee/Contract Site Manager:  Diane Workman-Jones, Assistant Project Manager (HUD)

As the Assistant Project Manager for HUD, Diane has demonstrated expert managerial skills while fully utilizing her workforce to meet contract obligations.  Diane ensures the site is kept clean and assigns her staff job tasks that provide them with new training opportunities. She makes sure the night staff, including Leads, Utility Workers and the Foreman; take on cleaning tasks that complement their prescribed duties each night.  HUD employees witnessed her dedication and professionalism when a snowstorm hit our area in late December. Diane spent several days and nights at the building ensuring the grounds were clear for all occupants. Diane has developed a fantastic rapport with her staff as well as the building tenants; she is an asset to her team. 

Shared Services Employee/Management:  Ellie Rivas, HRIS Specialist (Human Resources)

Ellie is a hardworking and caring employee who works hard to ensure that Melwood’s internal and external clients’ needs are met.  She handles multiple tasks from setting up new hires in the Human Resources Information System, to regular reporting for managers, to answering a multitude of calls from employees and managers with questions. She is also one of the few bilingual HR professionals on staff and has provided aid to Melwood’s Spanish speaking employees and families.  Ellie is always willing to jump right in and learn new tasks and go the extra mile to get things done and meet deadlines.

In addition to Employee of the month, three employees were selected for Employee of the Quarter during the months of January, February and March. The following nominees were reviewed by our Awards Committee and chosen from our landscaping team:

Joshua Bey, Dennis Braden and Scott Painter, Seasonal Landscape Workers (Goddard)

Joshua, Dennis and Scott demonstrated their dedication to going beyond the call of duty and were recognized as Employee of the Month in March. Their work is applauded on a daily basis as their attention to detail goes well beyond requirement. And their quick response to an emergency incident earned them the Employee of the Quarter award. During their shift, their driver suffered a serious health incident that resulted in him being transported to the hospital.  These three men attended to their co-worker in a safe and efficient manner, which is a very large part of the reason he is still alive.  Their quick thinking to first attend to him and make sure that he was safe from further injury to himself and others and then call authorities to report the incident was the right thing to do and very courageous.