Employee of the Month

Each month Melwood recognizes our outstanding employees for their exemplary work and dedication to the organization. The following Melwood employees were selected as our May Employees of the Month:

Shared Services:Breya Threatt, Payroll Specialist (DHR)

When the General Counsel’s Office needed a significant amount of help to pull financial documents together for a deadline, Breya made herself available to pitch in even though the work being asked of her was outside of her usual duties.  Breya quickly learned how to use UltiPro with limited training and was able to run the reports needed by General Counsel efficiently and accurately.  Breya stayed late that day (a Friday), even though the rest of the office had cleared out, to make sure the General Counsel had everything needed for the project.Breya is always positive, good natured and pleasant to work with.  When asked for assistance, it’s always accomplished effectively and in a timely manner.

Direct Support Professional:Brenda Brown, Vocational Support Specialist (DHR)

Brenda has gone above and beyond to help complete several projects that support the people with differing abilities we serve at Melwood. Brenda is at work at 7:30 am almost every day and works very late to provide support to our contract workers who are on the night shift. She works side-by-side with our talent acquisition and security teams in HR to provide assistance to their projects. Brenda is a strong advocate and fights for our employees with differing abilities.

Other Facilities Maintenance Employee/Contract Site Manager: Michael Franklin, Recycling Laborer (Ft. Meade)

Michael Franklin, Recycling Laborer, has been with Melwood since the beginning of the contract and has worked in the roads, grounds, carpentry, and now recycling sections during his tenure. Michael is an asset to the R&G Department as he uses his repair skills to keep the recycling center running when small breakdowns occur, especially with repairs to the Hazmat Response Equipment. Michael is a “Jack of All Trades” and always willing to go above and beyond to complete the mission. Michael is our own in-house recycling mechanic without an actual mechanic position.

Custodial Employee: Anthony Jamison, Custodial Employee (Potomac Annex)

Anthony Jamison’s supervisor describes him as a superb employee who sets an example for his colleagues at Potomac Annex.  Given the size of the site, he always pitches in to assist; including tasks that are not assigned to him.   Anthony is never idle and is always available to help out. He has the respect of his fellow employees as well as a very good rapport with the tenants.

Grounds Maintenance Employee: Ralph Eriksen, Site Supervisor (USDA)

Ralph Eriksen is recognized for his on-site supervisor and leadership role at USDA HQ’s.  He came on board well before the spring season and managed to evaluate the property and put together a plan of action to begin addressing a number of site-related issues.  Ralph’s knowledge and guidance has turned the site around.  The team is now able to stay on top of the daily/weekly grounds maintenance tasks in a productive manner ensuring a clean and well-maintained appearance.

Ralph also takes extra steps with his team by starting their day with stretching exercises, regularly holding safety related meetings and teaching new skills.  At the end of each day he sits down with his staff to discuss their daily task(s), accomplishments, and what they have learned or would do differently to further improve their work at the site.  As a result, his crew has taken a stronger interest in their jobs due to their continued learning, discussion of daily accomplishments and enjoying compliments from USDA employees and DC tourists in passing.

In addition to our Employee of the month awards, three employees were recognized as our Employee of the Quarter for the months of January, February and March. The following employees were 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.