State of Indiana

The Indiana Department of Health's Family Health Data and Fatality Prevention Team works to avoid preventable deaths among mothers, infants, and more. With their statewide fatality review teams, they’ve identified prevention opportunities and worked to form new initiatives like the Fetal Infant Mortality Review, which identifies gaps and recommendations to improve health outcomes. Their new Lactation After Loss program also supports grieving families by providing lactation guidance and bereavement kits. Their incredible efforts with this program in 2023-2024 earned them a Governor's Public Service Achievement Award. Well done and congratulations to Linzi Horsley, Ann Marie Neeley, and Cameron Willett, MPH!

The Indiana Department of Correction's Wabash Valley Community Garden Team has worked tirelessly to expand their garden from a small patch to 2 acres. The garden produces nearly 25,000 pounds of vegetables annually and has donated over 81,000 pounds in four years to local food banks and soup kitchens. It also empowers maximum security individuals with skills for successful re-entry and fosters a sense of purpose and community engagement. Their outstanding efforts earned them a Governor's Public Service Achievement Award last month—excellent work!

Nominated by the Indiana Department of Correction, James Chruszczyk received a Governor's Public Service Achievement Award last month for his excellent work.?He serves as the Operations Manager at Indiana Correctional Industries and has transformed the Industries Metal Shop at Indiana State Prison through exceptional leadership and innovative strategies. Under his guidance, production of grease cans doubled from 25 to 50 daily, while optimizing their transport for significant cost savings and decreased shipping traffic. Jim also implemented small but impactful changes, such as switching from spools to drums for welding wire, saving 5 hours of production weekly. His initiatives have improved productivity, reduced costs, and enhanced job training for incarcerated workers. Fantastic job, James!

Indiana Department of Correction employee Elliot Anderson has focused on job equity, workspace improvements, aligning pay with responsibilities, and enhancing staff morale in his role as Chief of Staff. He initiated vital facility upgrades that included micro-markets with healthy choices for employees and developed a new pay structure for custody staff. His efforts have helped to improve employee retention and create a positive workplace that embodies exceptional government service. These efforts also earned him a Governor's Public Service Achievement Award last month—congratulations, Elliot!

Last month, Carl Brown from the Indiana Department of Administration was awarded a Governor's Public Service Achievement Award for his excellent work with the Department of Natural Resources. His leadership was pivotal in addressing 134 maintenance projects with $100 million in funding from Governor Eric J. Holcomb’s Next Level Agenda. Carl’s efforts enhanced safety and accessibility at state parks, resulting in improved public experiences and positive feedback from both visitors and staff. His exceptional work has made Indiana’s natural assets more enjoyable for residents and visitors alike. Great work, Carl!

The Indiana Civil Rights Commission's Intake Division Team was awarded a Governor's Public Service Achievement Award last month for their excellent work. The team acts as the frontline for individuals facing discrimination and under Director Christiana Afuwape, the division has had great success in improving retention and efficiency. They’ve managed approximately 10,000 calls in 2023—doubling the previous year’s volume. The team also formalized 980 complaints in 2023 and they’re on track to formalize over 1,000 for 2024. This team’s exceptional service not only aids individual Hoosiers but also secured over $1 million in federal funding, advancing ICRC’s mission to combat discrimination in Indiana. Congratulations and excellent work!

The BMV Branch Hours Team is next in our Governor's Public Service Achievement Awards series! Nominated by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the Branch Hours Team successfully implemented new branch hours across the state after conducting a pilot program that gathered customer feedback and analyzed transaction patterns. Their work resulted in branches being open an additional 1.5 hours weekly and a 13% increase in knowledge testing capacity. The team prioritized employee input, ensuring the changes met community needs while enhancing work-life balance for staff. Great work!

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is hosting their Urban Forestry photo contest with tree planting as their theme! Submissions are due November 30 and you can find more information here: https://loom.ly/ece2EjY

Next up in our Governor's Public Service Achievement Awards series are Amy Christiansen and Madison Young from the County/Local Records & Information Management Team. They were nominated by the Indiana Archives and Records Administration. Amy and Madison implemented new Records and Information Management Task Forces to improve county records management, collaborating with local experts to overhaul six records retention schedules. Their initiative emphasized teamwork, project management, and user education through webinars that equipped all government employees to manage data effectively. Great work and congratulations!

Last month, exceptional State of Indiana employees were celebrated at the 2024 Governor's Public Service Achievement Awards for going above and beyond in their roles. In the coming weeks, we'll be celebrating some of the teams and individuals that were honored with this award, starting with Angela Droeger: Nominated by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Angela has been a dedicated BMV team member for 27 years and currently serves as Director of Central Processing. Her collaborative approach has resulted in improvements like increasing title production by over 50,000 titles in 2023. She also fosters a supportive environment, implementing an incentive program that promoted five team members and shows appreciation for the hardworking employees of the BMV. Excellent work, Angela!