Employee SPIRIT Awards RecognitionCity of Dubuque
City Council Meeting
Presentation(s) # 04.
Copyrighted
July 5, 2022
ITEM TITLE: Employee SPIRITAwards Recognition
SUMMARY: Assistant City Manager Cori Burbach will have a presentation on the City
of Dubuque SPIRITAwards.
Service: The Consider It Done Award: Sam Janecke (Fire Department)
People: The Highest of High Fives Award: Bill Gansen, Jim Herbst, Dan
Mayne, and Lenisha West (Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste
Agency)
Integrity: The Constant Contributor Award: Kelly Larson (Human
Resources Department)
Responsibility: The MacgyverAward: John Liphart (Engineering
Department)
Innovation: The Big Bang Award: Arielle Swift (Public Works
Department)
Teamwork: The Cloud 9 Collaborator Award: Temwa Phiri (Office of
Shared Prosperity & Neighborhood Support)
Circle of Excellence Award Winners:
Todd Dalsing and the entire Dubuque Airport Team
Kristen Dietz (Leisure Services Department)
SUGGESTED
DISPOSITION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
Employee SPIRITAwards-MVM Memo City Manager Memo
Staff Memo Staff Memo
Listing Supporting Documentation
Award Winner Letters Supporting Documentation
THE C
DUjIBQTE
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Transmittal of SPIRIT Award Winners
DATE: June 30, 2022
Dubuque
WAWca 914
ii
2007-2012.2013
2017*2019
Assistant City Manager Cori Burbach will have a presentation on the City of Dubuque
SPIRIT Awards.
v
Mic ael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:sv
Attachment
CC' Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager
THE CITY OF
DUB E
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO:
Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM:
Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager
DATE:
June 30, 2022
RE:
Transmittal of SPIRIT Award Winners
Dubuque
wnc�+.ucrvr.. i rxa,r
2007-2012-2013
2017*2019
At the July 5, 2022 City Council meeting, we will present the winners of the annual
SPIRIT awards. This memo provides information on the awards and recognition
luncheon.
Each year, the Employee Appreciation Committee hosts a luncheon to recognize
employees for their service to the Dubuque community. The luncheon is also an
opportunity for staff to build relationships with colleagues in other buildings and
departments that they normally would not interact with.
At the luncheon, awards are given that recognize years of service. The SPIRIT awards
are also presented. The awards recognize those employees that go beyond their job
descriptions to exemplify the SPIRIT statement, the values by which we do our jobs.
SPIRIT stands for:
• Service: We are responsive.
• People: We care.
• Integrity: We are honest.
• Responsibility: We are accountable
• Innovation: We look for better ways.
• Teamwork: We work together.
Throughout the year, employees nominate their colleagues for awards in each of these
categories.
I'd like to thank the members of the Employee Appreciation Committee, led by Jenny
Messerich (City Attorney's Office) who put together the event:
Luncheon Planning Subcommittee SPIRIT Awards Subcommittee
Trish Gleason, past chair (City Clerk's Office) Sarah Berna (Leisure Services)
Felicia Carner (Public Information) Kecia Dougherty (Human Resources)
Dawn DeMaio (Housing) Ben Pothoff (Housing)
Mark Meyer (Leisure Services)
Steve Sampson Brown (Engineering)
Cori Burbach (City Managers Office)
This year's luncheon was a celebration of nearly three years of work, as COVID has
caused us to cancel the 2020 and 2021 luncheon (although we've found other ways to
recognize staff during this time). Eighty-one SPIRIT nominations were received and
reviewed by the awards committee, recognizing over 100 individual employees. At the
July 5, 2022 Council meeting, we'll present this year's awards winners to the City
Council:
• Service: The Consider It Done Award:Sam Janecke (Fire)
• People: The Highest of High Fives Award: Bill Gansen, Jim Herbst, Dan Mayne,
and Lenisha West (Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency)
• Integrity: The Constant Contributor Award: Kelly Larson (Human Resources)
• Responsibility: The Macgyver Award: John Liphart (Engineering)
• Innovation: The Big Bang Award: Arielle Swift (Public Works)
• Teamwork: The Cloud 9 Collaborator Award: Temwa Phiri (Office of Shared
Prosperity & Neighborhood Support)
In addition to these awards, the committee recognizes Circle of Excellence winners.
This award is the "ultimate" City employee award and recognizes the individual or group
of individuals who best represent what it means to be a City of Dubuque employee, and
the SPIRT statement above. The awardee(s) personifies the mission, vision, and values
of our organization and move us towards our goals of being an equitable, sustainable
and resilient community of choice.
This year's Circle of Excellence Award Winners: are Todd Dalsing and the entire
Dubuque Airport Team and Kristen Dietz (Leisure Services).
I am looking forward to publicly recognizing these staff at Tuesday's Council meeting.
Thank you.
Employee SPIRIT Awards
Service: The Consider It Done Award:
Sam Janecke (Fire Department)
People: The Highest of High Fives Award:
Bill Gansen, Jim Herbst, Dan Mayne, and Lenisha West (Dubuque Metropolitan
Area Solid Waste Agency)
Integrity: The Constant Contributor Award:
Kelly Larson (Human Resources Department)
Responsibility: The Macgyver Award:
John Liphart (Engineering Department)
Innovation: The Big Bang Award:
Arielle Swift (Public Works Department)
Teamwork: The Cloud 9 Collaborator Award:
Temwa Phiri (Office of Shared Prosperity & Neighborhood Support)
Circle of Excellence Award Winners:
Todd Dalsing and the entire Dubuque Airport Team.
Kristen Dietz (Leisure Services Department)
THE CITY OF
DUB TE
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Dear Sam,
Dubuque
MI-Anerin Cly
,A!I N'l i rix 11154 Y
!1
2007-2012.2013
2017*2019
June 23, 2022
City Managers Office
50 W 13'' St
Dubuque 1A 52001
Office (563) 589.4110
www.cityofdubuque.org
Congratulations on winning the Service: Consider it Done Award! The SPIRIT Awards
are a way to recognize the outstanding commitment and performance of our employees,
and you deserve recognition for the great work you do.
Your nominator had this to say about you:
EMS Supervisor Sam Janecke has tirelessly worked to improve every aspect of
EMS care delivered by the Dubuque Fire Department. Sam recently moved us to
a new billing service that will greatly increase our revenues. The transition from
the old billing service to a new billing service presented many challenges. Sam
was able to work through all of these challenges. We as a department and the
citizens of Dubuque are in a much better place because of Sam.
Sam was also able to have Doctor Edwards sign on as our Medical Director.
Sam's collaboration with Doctor Edwards has made a positive impact on EMS
education and the overall morale of the Dubuque Fire Department.
Sam has inspired everyone on the Dubuque Fire Department with his calm
professional approach to the many issues that he deals with each and every day.
I respectfully nominate EMS Supervisor Sam Janecke for this Spirit Award.
Congratulations on this nomination! That one of your colleagues took the time to share
their experience with us proves that you go above and beyond to make the City of
Dubuque a great place to work, and an organization that provides high -quality service to
all residents. I am thankful for your contribution to this organization, and to the
community.
As a thank you to you for your service, and recognition of your award, one additional
eight -hour day will be added to your vacation timebank.
Sincerely,
Michael C. Van
City Manager
MVM/clb
Miilligen
THE CITY OF
DUB TE
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Dear Bill,
Dubuque
MI-Anerin Cly
,A!I N'l i rix 11154 Y
!1
2007-2012.2013
2017*2019
June 23, 2022
City Managers Office
50 W 13'' St
Dubuque 1A 52001
Office (563) 589.4110
www.cityofdubuque.org
Congratulations on winning the People: The Highest of High Five Awards! The SPIRIT
Awards are a way to recognize the outstanding commitment and performance of our
employees, and you deserve recognition for the great work you do.
Your nominator had this to say about you:
At approx. 9:00 am on September 21 Landfill Foreman Dan Mayne received a
phone call from Landfill Operator Jim Herbst stating there was a unresponsive
customer at the working face of the landfill. Jim informed Dan that Donny Fagan
from Allied Waste had noticed the customer unloading next to him grab his chest
and lay back on his trailer unresponsive. Donny proceeded to call 911, and
flagged down Landfill Operator Billy Gansen who stopped his dozer, and
immediately started CPR while Donny stayed on the phone with dispatch. Dan
rushed to the scale house and retrieved the AED, returned to the fill where it was
applied to the customer, and proceeded to shock the customer. Dan then took
over CPR until the Fire Department arrived. Fire shocked the customer again
before loading him into the ambulance.
Scale Operator Lenisha West supported staff at the working face by holding all
inbound traffic at the scale until the Fire Department had left the facility and
assured those customers waiting that service would resume as soon as possible.
Both Dan and Bill had previously received CPR/AED training through Dubuque
Fire at one of the Agency's EMS training dinners and thankfully were able to call
on their training during this critical moment.
1 cannot thank staff enough for compassion and commitment to a customer at
such a critical moment. They truly went above and beyond their job descriptions,
but 1 would expect nothing less from these dedicated individuals.
Congratulations on this nomination! That one of your colleagues took the time to share
their experience with us proves that you go above and beyond to make the City of
Dubuque a great place to work, and an organization that provides high -quality service to
all residents. I am thankful for your contribution to this organization, and to the
community.
As a thank you to you for your service, and recognition of your award, one additional
eight -hour day will be added to your vacation timebank.
Sincerely,
oj_"� k�4
Michael C. Van Milligen
City Manager
MVM/clb
THE CITY OF
DUB TE
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Dear Jim,
Dubuque
MI-Anerin Cly
,A!I N'l i rix 11154 Y
!1
2007-2012.2013
2017*2019
June 23, 2022
City Managers Office
50 W 13'' St
Dubuque 1A 52001
Office (563) 589.4110
www.cityofdubuque.org
Congratulations on winning the People: The Highest of High Five Awards! The SPIRIT
Awards are a way to recognize the outstanding commitment and performance of our
employees, and you deserve recognition for the great work you do.
Your nominator had this to say about you:
At approx. 9:00 am on September 21 Landfill Foreman Dan Mayne received a
phone call from Landfill Operator Jim Herbst stating there was a unresponsive
customer at the working face of the landfill. Jim informed Dan that Donny Fagan
from Allied Waste had noticed the customer unloading next to him grab his chest
and lay back on his trailer unresponsive. Donny proceeded to call 911, and
flagged down Landfill Operator Billy Gansen who stopped his dozer, and
immediately started CPR while Donny stayed on the phone with dispatch. Dan
rushed to the scale house and retrieved the AED, returned to the fill where it was
applied to the customer, and proceeded to shock the customer. Dan then took
over CPR until the Fire Department arrived. Fire shocked the customer again
before loading him into the ambulance.
Scale Operator Lenisha West supported staff at the working face by holding all
inbound traffic at the scale until the Fire Department had left the facility and
assured those customers waiting that service would resume as soon as possible.
Both Dan and Bill had previously received CPR/AED training through Dubuque
Fire at one of the Agency's EMS training dinners and thankfully were able to call
on their training during this critical moment.
1 cannot thank staff enough for compassion and commitment to a customer at
such a critical moment. They truly went above and beyond their job descriptions,
but 1 would expect nothing less from these dedicated individuals.
Congratulations on this nomination! That one of your colleagues took the time to share
their experience with us proves that you go above and beyond to make the City of
Dubuque a great place to work, and an organization that provides high -quality service to
all residents. I am thankful for your contribution to this organization, and to the
community.
As a thank you to you for your service, and recognition of your award, one additional
eight -hour day will be added to your vacation timebank.
Sincerely,
oj_"� k�4
Michael C. Van Milligen
City Manager
MVM/clb
THE CITY OF
DUB TE
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Dear Dan,
Dubuque
MI-Anerin Cly
,A!I N'l i rix 11154 Y
!1
2007-2012.2013
2017*2019
June 23, 2022
City Managers Office
50 W 13'' St
Dubuque 1A 52001
Office (563) 589.4110
www.cityofdubuque.org
Congratulations on winning the People: The Highest of High Five Awards! The SPIRIT
Awards are a way to recognize the outstanding commitment and performance of our
employees, and you deserve recognition for the great work you do.
Your nominator had this to say about you:
At approx. 9:00 am on September 21 Landfill Foreman Dan Mayne received a
phone call from Landfill Operator Jim Herbst stating there was a unresponsive
customer at the working face of the landfill. Jim informed Dan that Donny Fagan
from Allied Waste had noticed the customer unloading next to him grab his chest
and lay back on his trailer unresponsive. Donny proceeded to call 911, and
flagged down Landfill Operator Billy Gansen who stopped his dozer, and
immediately started CPR while Donny stayed on the phone with dispatch. Dan
rushed to the scale house and retrieved the AED, returned to the fill where it was
applied to the customer, and proceeded to shock the customer. Dan then took
over CPR until the Fire Department arrived. Fire shocked the customer again
before loading him into the ambulance.
Scale Operator Lenisha West supported staff at the working face by holding all
inbound traffic at the scale until the Fire Department had left the facility and
assured those customers waiting that service would resume as soon as possible.
Both Dan and Bill had previously received CPR/AED training through Dubuque
Fire at one of the Agency's EMS training dinners and thankfully were able to call
on their training during this critical moment.
1 cannot thank staff enough for compassion and commitment to a customer at
such a critical moment. They truly went above and beyond their job descriptions,
but 1 would expect nothing less from these dedicated individuals.
Congratulations on this nomination! That one of your colleagues took the time to share
their experience with us proves that you go above and beyond to make the City of
Dubuque a great place to work, and an organization that provides high -quality service to
all residents. I am thankful for your contribution to this organization, and to the
community.
As a thank you to you for your service, and recognition of your award, one additional
eight -hour day will be added to your vacation timebank.
Sincerely,
oj_"� k�4
Michael C. Van Milligen
City Manager
MVM/clb
THE CITY OF
DUB TE
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Dear Lenisha,
Dubuque
MI-Anerin Cly
,A!I N'l i rix 11154 Y
!1
2007-2012.2013
2017*2019
June 23, 2022
City Managers Office
50 W 13'' St
Dubuque 1A 52001
Office (563) 589.4110
www.cityofdubuque.org
Congratulations on winning the People: The Highest of High Five Awards! The SPIRIT
Awards are a way to recognize the outstanding commitment and performance of our
employees, and you deserve recognition for the great work you do.
Your nominator had this to say about you:
At approx. 9:00 am on September 21 Landfill Foreman Dan Mayne received a
phone call from Landfill Operator Jim Herbst stating there was a unresponsive
customer at the working face of the landfill. Jim informed Dan that Donny Fagan
from Allied Waste had noticed the customer unloading next to him grab his chest
and lay back on his trailer unresponsive. Donny proceeded to call 911, and
flagged down Landfill Operator Billy Gansen who stopped his dozer, and
immediately started CPR while Donny stayed on the phone with dispatch. Dan
rushed to the scale house and retrieved the AED, returned to the fill where it was
applied to the customer, and proceeded to shock the customer. Dan then took
over CPR until the Fire Department arrived. Fire shocked the customer again
before loading him into the ambulance.
Scale Operator Lenisha West supported staff at the working face by holding all
inbound traffic at the scale until the Fire Department had left the facility and
assured those customers waiting that service would resume as soon as possible.
Both Dan and Bill had previously received CPR/AED training through Dubuque
Fire at one of the Agency's EMS training dinners and thankfully were able to call
on their training during this critical moment.
1 cannot thank staff enough for compassion and commitment to a customer at
such a critical moment. They truly went above and beyond their job descriptions,
but 1 would expect nothing less from these dedicated individuals.
Congratulations on this nomination! That one of your colleagues took the time to share
their experience with us proves that you go above and beyond to make the City of
Dubuque a great place to work, and an organization that provides high -quality service to
all residents. I am thankful for your contribution to this organization, and to the
community.
As a thank you to you for your service, and recognition of your award, one additional
eight -hour day will be added to your vacation timebank.
Sincerely,
oj_"� k�4
Michael C. Van Milligen
City Manager
MVM/clb
THE CITY OF
Ur B TE
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Dear Kelly,
Dubuque
MI-Aneein Wy
rvnir�r:ni � nx: i ca r �
2007-2012.2013
2017*2019
June 23, 2022
City Managers Office
50 W 13" St
Dubuque 1A 52001
Office (563) 589.4110
www.cityofdubuque.org
Congratulations on winning the Integrity: The Constant Contributor Award! The SPIRIT
Awards are a way to recognize the outstanding commitment and performance of our
employees, and you deserve recognition for the great work you do.
Your nominator had this to say about you:
Kelly continues to inspire others in how to treat others with the utmost respect,
while maintaining the highest integrity and ethical standards. No matter her role,
you can count on her to provide open, honest and respectful communications.
She models the behavior and standards in a manner that is trustworthy, and
provides solid advice to anyone who is wondering what to do in any
circumstance. 1 often go to Kelly to talk through scenarios and get her
perspective, as well as potential perspective of others as she is able to see
where someone else may be coming from and why they are raising concerns or
behaving in a certain manner. You don't easily find someone so unwavering and
honest in handling some of the situations that others would probably run away
from talking about. We are fortunate to have Kelly in our organization.
Congratulations on this nomination! That one of your colleagues took the time to share
their experience with us proves that you go above and beyond to make the City of
Dubuque a great place to work, and an organization that provides high -quality service to
all residents. I am thankful for your contribution to this organization, and to the
community.
As a thank you to you for your service, and recognition of your award, one additional
eight -hour day will be added to your vacation timebank.
Sincerely,
kw4
Michael C. Van Milligen
City Manager
MVM/clb
THE CITY OF
DUB TE
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Dear John,
Dubuque
MI-Anerin Cly
,A!I N'l i rix 11154 Y
!1
2007-2012.2013
2017*2019
June 23, 2022
City Managers Office
50 W 13'' St
Dubuque 1A 52001
Office (563) 589.4110
www.cityofdubuque.org
Congratulations on winning the Responsibility: The Macgyver Award! The SPIRIT
Awards are a way to recognize the outstanding commitment and performance of our
employees, and you deserve recognition for the great work you do.
Your nominator had this to say about you:
Many staff don't interact with John regularly, as he is the man behind the scenes
making sure many City facilities keep running. But John's influence on our work
environment, problem -solving ability, and commitment to fix any problem at any
hour are truly exemplary.
In March 2020, 1 was appointed Acting Building Services Manager for what I
thought would be a few months. Then, COVID hit, there was a hiring freeze, and
a few months quickly turned into a year. I didn't know what I was doing with
regard to managing City facilities to begin with, and the amount of other things
that were thrown on my plate had me wondering how in the world I was going to
do it. But John showed up and I quickly knew, I had nothing to worry about.
John not only knows our facilities inside and out, but he was the compassionate,
caring coworker who called and assured me I had nothing to worry about - he
would handle whatever came up. John is the one who gets the phone calls at 2
am when an alarm goes off at City Hall, is troubleshooting the HVAC in the
middle of a Council meeting, identified new protocols to make our buildings safe
for staff and the public during the pandemic, and has the best smile on his face
all the while he's working. He is also absolutely fearless when a certain Assistant
City Manager locks herself in her office and refuses to come out until the bat in
City Hall is caught, which by itself is deserving of the MacgyverAward!
John, we couldn't do what we all do if you didn't do what you do so well. Thank
you!
Congratulations on this nomination! That one of your colleagues took the time to share
their experience with us proves that you go above and beyond to make the City of
Dubuque a great place to work, and an organization that provides high -quality service to
all residents. I am thankful for your contribution to this organization, and to the
community.
As a thank you to you for your service, and recognition of your award, one additional
eight -hour day will be added to your vacation timebank.
Sincerely,
oj_"� k�4
Michael C. Van Milligen
City Manager
MVM/clb
THE CITY OF
DUB TE
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Dear Arielle,
Dubuque
MI-Anerin Cly
,A!I N'l i rix 11154 Y
!1
2007-2012.2013
2017*2019
June 23, 2022
City Managers Office
50 W 13'' St
Dubuque 1A 52001
Office (563) 589.4110
www.cityofdubuque.org
Congratulations on winning the Innovation: The Big Bang Award! The SPIRIT Awards
are a way to recognize the outstanding commitment and performance of our employees,
and you deserve recognition for the great work you do.
Your nominator had this to say about you:
When you need a new process, or a creative and efficient way to take care of
service and needs in a department - Arielle is the person you want to go to.
There have been many times that I have mentioned that something is taking me
a long time to do, and she has offered to look at a way to streamline things for
me. She doesn't even have to have a specialized program for her to be able to
figure out how to make things work better for employees at all levels of the
organization. In coming up with new processes and even using programs we
have in place now, Arielle is the one that I go to as a trusted source to make sure
that I am choosing the best options, and to double check my thought process.
She isn't afraid to bring forth new ideas and techniques - and to ask for input and
for people to try a plan to test effectiveness. She is willing to keep trying until the
final process flows smoothly and works well. If we had a position for creating
innovative processes and procedures, I'd recommend Arielle for such a position
in a heartbeat.
Congratulations on this nomination! That one of your colleagues took the time to share
their experience with us proves that you go above and beyond to make the City of
Dubuque a great place to work, and an organization that provides high -quality service to
all residents. I am thankful for your contribution to this organization, and to the
community.
As a thank you to you for your service, and recognition of your award, one additional
eight -hour day will be added to your vacation timebank.
Sincerely,
Michael C. Van
City Manager
MVM/clb
Miilligen
THE CITY OF
Ur B TE
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Dear Temwa,
Dubuque
MI-Aneein Ny
2007-2012.2013
2017*2019
June 23, 2022
City Managers Office
50 W 13" St
Dubuque IA 52001
Office (563) 589.4110
www.cityofdubuque.org
Congratulations on winning the Teamwork: The Cloud 9 Collaborator Award! The
SPIRIT Awards are a way to recognize the outstanding commitment and performance of
our employees, and you deserve recognition for the great work you do.
Your nominator had this to say about you:
Temwa fully embodies the mission and goals of a Community Engagement
Coordinator, and a City of Dubuque employee. I've observed this when we've
worked together as ICC Facilitators, and during his work with City Life, Civic
Leaders, and engaging Hempstead IJAG students. His passion for connecting
with participants and the support/empowerment he provides is genuine and
impactful.
I'm nominating him for the Teamwork: Cloud 9 Collaborator Award because he
recently recruited two young community members to serve on the Community
Development Advisory Commission. For brief context: I helped facilitate an ICC
activity on a Saturday morning for one of his City Life/Civic Leaders groups,
during which I gave a shameless plug for joining CDAC since we had openings.
He connected me with one of his participants immediately and facilitated us
exchanging contact information. He then guided and empowered her through the
process of applying to be a Commissioner. Without my ever knowing, he
engaged another community member in the same process and I now have two
more seats filled with eager, engaged, fist -time Commission members.
I mention this last, not secondarily, but because the feat of recruiting two
Commission members is enough in itself. the two new CDAC members are
African American female college students. Voices that were missing and needed.
I am excited to work with Sasha and Dominique and for their knowledge,
expertise, and perspectives help shape our programs and decisions. I'm grateful
for Temwa's commitment to engagement and collaboration!
Congratulations on this nomination! That one of your colleagues took the time to share
their experience with us proves that you go above and beyond to make the City of
Dubuque a great place to work, and an organization that provides high -quality service to
all residents. I am thankful for your contribution to this organization, and to the
community.
As a thank you to you for your service, and recognition of your award, one additional
eight -hour day will be added to your vacation timebank.
Sincerely,
oj_"� k�4
Michael C. Van Milligen
City Manager
MVM/clb
THE CITY OF
Ur B TE
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Dear Todd,
Dubuque
MI-Aneein Wy
rvnir�r:ni � nx: i ca r �
2007-2012.2013
2017*2019
June 23, 2022
City Managers Office
50 W 13" St
Dubuque 1A 52001
Office (563) 589.4110
www.cityofdubuque.org
Congratulations on winning the Circle of Excellence Award! The SPIRIT Awards are a
way to recognize the outstanding commitment and performance of our employees, and
you deserve recognition for the great work you do.
Your nominator had this to say about you:
We were contacted by a citizen who would be flying with their parent. The parent
does have some mental and physical issues and the daughter was concerned about
flying and travel. Sometimes the parent could be combative and daughter was
concerned. Todd Dalsing and the team at American Airlines personally did a test
run for the family through the airport- making sure the parent felt comfortable in the
airport, going through screening and the boarding process.
When the actual day came for the flight, again Airport Director Dalsing and the team
at American Airlines were there making sure everything went smoothly.
Here is the comment from the family member after the flight took place:
1/he/we made it! No aggression on flights. (police only required later on land).
Needed help to find walker but found. Getting him on board initially in Dbq was key
so your words, approach, (all)help with that part, esp. Ashley too, was vital! My
compliments/appreciation to you/Ashley cannot be said enough. Thank you for being
kind, empathetic. 1 likely will need help again with my mom, Virginia. Will let you
know as I work on this. Thank you, thank you, so much for being a good, decent
person, choosing to help me the way you did. Please share this text, my gratitude
w/Ashley too. So glad to have found 2 manager reps able to use their position to
aid. Much gratitude, -Stacie Neldaughter
Airport Director Dalsing went above and beyond making sure this family knew we
cared about them, we aware of their situation and made it as smooth as possible for
the family.
Congratulations on this nomination! That one of your colleagues took the time to share
their experience with us proves that you go above and beyond to make the City of
Dubuque a great place to work, and an organization that provides high -quality service to
all residents. I am thankful for your contribution to this organization, and to the
community.
As a thank you to you for your service, and recognition of your award, one additional
eight -hour day will be added to your vacation timebank.
Sincerely,
k�4 A4- X"_'
Michael C. Van Milligen
City Manager
MVM/clb
THE CITY OF
Ur B TE
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Dear Airport Team,
Dubuque
MI-Aneein Wy
rvnir�r:ni � nx: i ca r �
2007-2012.2013
2017*2019
June 23, 2022
City Managers Office
50 W 13" St
Dubuque 1A 52001
Office (563) 589.4110
www.cityofdubuque.org
Congratulations on winning the Circle of Excellence Award! The SPIRIT Awards are a
way to recognize the outstanding commitment and performance of our employees, and
you deserve recognition for the great work you do.
Your nominator had this to say about you:
The Dubuque Regional Airport Operations and Maintenance Team deserve the High
Fives Award. This team works hard during operations all times of the year, but
particularly with winter operations out at the Dubuque Airport. Dubuque Airport
Operations team was recognized in a letter to the editor in the Telegraph Herald on
February 21, 2021 from an appreciative customer.
"After returning to the Dubuque Regional Airport on a frigid Saturday evening, my
vehicle wouldn't start. After contacting someone inside, a very courteous and helpful
employee was there within minutes to help me start it and made sure we were safe
in the extremely cold temperatures. Kudos to our Dubuque airport and staff. This is
jus another reason to consider using our local airport whenever possible. "
Your department also had several individual nominations for your great work. These
nominations show that in in different combinations, you work so well together as a team
to meet the needs of the community!
Congratulations on this nomination! That one of your colleagues took the time to share
their experience with us proves that you go above and beyond to make the City of
Dubuque a great place to work, and an organization that provides high -quality service to
all residents. I am thankful for your contribution to this organization, and to the
community.
As a thank you to you for your service, and recognition of your award, one additional
eight -hour day will be added to your vacation timebank.
Sincerely,
oj_"� k�4
Michael C. Van Milligen
City Manager
MVM/clb
THE CITY OF
DUB TE
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Dear Kristen
Dubuque
MI-Anerin Cly
,A!I N,I i rix 11154 Y
!1
2007-2012.2013
2017*2019
June 23, 2022
City Managers Office
50 W 13'' St
Dubuque 1A 52001
Office (563) 589.4110
www.cityofdubuque.org
Congratulations on winning the Circle of Excellence Award! The SPIRIT Awards are a
way to recognize the outstanding commitment and performance of our employees, and
you deserve recognition for the great work you do.
Your nominator had this to say about you:
Nomination 1: Kristen Dietz, is the epitome of the "Consider it Done" Award.
Whenever anyone from any department or in any position needs anything or
approaches her with a request or an idea she immediately moves forward with
helping them or getting the resources needed to bring their idea to fruition or to fulfill
their request. She is always helpful and willing to support those who need it. She is
always looking at situations and challenges from multiple perspectives with a
customer -service mindset focus regardless if it's the public or if it's a city employee.
Whenever a procedure needs to be implemented, she receives the information
immediately, and disseminates it quickly to where it seems like the whole team or
department has read your mind and the work is truly done without you having to ask.
She has had her team and herself help with the Multicultural Family Center food
pantry and always is asking, "how can I help?" and she does this because she truly
does want to help. The most recent April food pantry the MFC needed help with
volunteers and staffing to go purchase additional food items and not only did she do
that but she also coordinated help to unload the food pantry delivery (which she has
done unprompted most months) and she helped to coordinate a city truck and
personnel to go help purchase additional food items from Sam's Club. With the
limited staffing at the MFC this was a huge help, and she needed little direction and
just a budget and short list in order to fulfill this request for assistance to help the
MFC staff and the public that they serve. This is only one example of the amazing
qualities and abilities that Kristen brings to her job and to all the departments she
helps to serve. She's always looking for a way to innovate and problem solve and to
get the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Nomination 2: When I reflected upon someone that exemplifies the values in our
SPIRIT statement there is one person that immediately can to mind. The challenge
of writing this award nomination is to decide what is the best category for
nomination. I am just going to start writing and this will determine by the end what
box I should check.
Ever since Kristen Dietz joined the Leisure Services team she has progressively
learned each and every task that was required of her job but then has continued to
take her learning to the next step. What sets her a part from others is that she takes
each task on with gusto and learns what she needs to do it better in the future.
In the last couple weeks when catching up she was talking about just finishing with a
very difficult citizen interaction. She generally shared that she knows it is weird but
she really like working through those with the customer going away happy and
apologizing for their beginning interaction. I can honestly say in my career no one
has ever said that. It is wonderful to have someone that is not afraid of these
interactions.
Her customer service skills are second to none. I gave the guidance in the
beginning of her employment that we need to do the right thing when it comes to our
customer interactions. She independently does this each and every day. That
independent judgement with the many, many phone calls and in person interactions
helps our customers to see that government isna€TMt so bureaucratic when it comes
to looking for common sense solutions without having to be referred to other staff
members. Her judgements are sound. This assists her fellow employees,
supervisors, division manager and the department head as business just gets taken
care of vs return calls and follow ups that delay the needs of the customer and take
time of the fellow staff members. This means that our customers come first. She
greets them with a happy voice, listens to what they need or the question(s) they
have. She is patient with them and makes suggestions as needed. She goes the
extra mile in the interaction. Her upbeat nature and personality make it so that
customers remember her and appreciate how quickly she can take care of their
needs.
Kristen is one to volunteer to assist with other city initiatives and brings the front line
view to anything she is involved in. She is not afraid to share how it will affect those
on the front line. It also assists in developing tools that are applicable to those on
the front line. She participated in the equity toolkit development and during COVID
became a tech buddy. She has continued helping people with technology ever
since. These projects and service to fellow employees are not only in the
department but throughout the city. Tech is something that comes easy to her and
she shares her time and talent generously with others to help get the job done.
Often this is in an emergency because we need it right now or the meeting is
supposed to start and something isna€TMt working. She is unflappable and just
works until she gets it going and working for them and that is typically before the
meeting is to start or the presentation is to begin.
She has consistently trained those she supervises to understand how important this
principle of helping our customers is and that is their primary concern. She came to
the department with limited supervisory skills. Through her tenure she has learned
how to be a great coach to them assisting in lifting them up in their skills and in their
position.
As a department we developed a newsletter for our employees to keep them
informed. Kristen works with me on this project. We had to amp the newsletter up
during COVID and have the regular newsletter and a special for all the COVID news.
This newsletter is a labor of love that really helps keep staff informed of what is
going on in the department as well as the city. In the beginning I was much more
involved. Now we have a Teams site when information is dropped and this allows
her to do much of it independently. This newsletter serves our employees well so
they are informed and can share information with the public on topics they may not
have been aware of as they happen in another division of the department or the city.
This continues to be an important tool for our internal and external customers.
I am so proud of Kristen because I asked her early on what her goals would be and
where she would like to go with her career. She was not real sure but she said she
might like to go to school and get an associates degree. She did determine that this
would assist her in her work and was a goal she wanted to go after. She walked and
got her diploma a couple weeks ago and now has her sights set on a bachelors.
AWESOME! She has used skills learned in her schooling and I again was so proud
that she used skills from her public speaking class and did two of the readings at
Mark Dalsing's funeral mass. She did an amazing job with a huge audience.
Kristen is an asset for the department and the city. She serves people: coworkers,
supervisors, department heads, and more. This service extends to excellent
customer service for our customers. She is a people person. There is not an
assignment she turns down, even when they are ones that are not her favorites. So
as I finish this nomination for Kristen Dietz, it is for her outstanding service Spirit
Award.
Congratulations on this nomination! That one of your colleagues took the time to share
their experience with us proves that you go above and beyond to make the City of
Dubuque a great place to work, and an organization that provides high -quality service to
all residents. I am thankful for your contribution to this organization, and to the
community.
As a thank you to you for your service, and recognition of your award, one additional
eight -hour day will be added to your vacation timebank.
Sincerely,
k�4 A4- X"_'
Michael C. Van Milligen
City Manager
MVM/clb