Each year, the City of Napa presents Outstanding Performers Awards to employees who go above and beyond their regular duties, exhibit exemplary attitudes and embody the values of their department and the City. Awards are distributed to both teams and individuals. The City is thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2022 Outstanding Performers Awards:
Individuals
• Sean Ulitin, Napa Police Department Lead Officer - Lead Officer Ulitin is the coordinator for the Napa Police Department Peer Support program. HIs duties include coordinating training, managing the counselors and assigning counselors to employees. He understands the importance of relationships and the key factors in a successful counselor/employee pairing. Lead Officer Ulitin leads by example, displaying traits consistent with Napa Police Department’s vision statement of excellence, initiative and integrity.
• Lorien Clark, Transportation Planner II - Lorien spearheaded the development and adoption of the City’s first Local Roadway Safety Plan, which provides data-driven recommendations for improving traffic safety. She also led the Public Works review efforts in the development of the transportation element of the General Plan and completed an update to the Bicycle Plan. In the past year, Lorien has secured more than $2.5 million in grant funds for traffic safety projects in the City, with more applications still pending. Through her technical expertise and dedication, she has created transportation plans that not only prioritize the well-being of the community but also contribute to the overall growth and development of the City.
Teams
• Enterprise Resource Planning Team for Financial Module Implementation - This project team represents the core staff responsible for building out the Financials Module in 2022. Many of the team members simultaneously worked on the implementation of the other modules in addition to their regular jobs. Together, this team will have collectively transformed and updated all of the City’s main business processing systems, making them more functional. This leads to greater accountability and efficiency throughout the organization.
o Prapti Aryal, Senior Accountant
o Linda Zvarcova, Management Analyst
o Morgan Simone, Administrative Assistant
o Claudia Chavez, Account Clerk II
o Ana Bejarano-Ramirez, Account Clerk Assistant
o Jessie Gooch, Budget Officer
o Seth Anderson, Senior Budget Analyst
o Jocelyn Ramirez, Budget Analyst
o Owen Hershey, Systems Administrator
o Donna Lee Lawrence, Account Technician
• Human Resources (HR) Team - Recovering from the pandemic hiring freeze resulted in significant workload for the HR team. The entire team was engaged in recruitment and hiring efforts, both with new hires and with internal promotions for all staff levels in each City department. All City departments have relied on the professionalism and rapid response of this small, but mighty team.
o MJ Tueros, Human Resources Manager
o Caitlin Saldanha, Management Analyst II
o Fernando Salinas, Human Resources Coordinator
• Childcare Heroes: Kelly Bullock and Hannah Ramirez, Parks & Recreation - During the summers of 2020, 2021 and 2022, Kelly and Hannah worked to navigate the changing dynamics of limited cohort sizes, new classroom and equipment protocols and daily health screenings for children and staff. They also rose to the occasion and implemented new policies, procedures and protocols in a thoughtful and creative manner to ensure that local families and essential service workers had access to vital childcare programs.
• Dynamic Daves: Dave Hummer and Dave Youdell, Parks and Recreation - Dave Hummer holds the position of full-time Park Ranger, which, in 2022, was assigned to directly support homeless services in the City. He was assigned to the daily patrol of the area around the South Napa Shelter, Kennedy Park and various public access trails and park spaces. During this assignment, he earned the accolades of the local business community and the numerous property managers who interacted with him on a daily basis. Dave Youdell is Dave Hummer’s supervisor and provided a strong support network for Dave Hummer as they navigated the challenges associated with merging Parks & Recreation services into the City’s homeless services team. He also personally spent time in the field assisting with encampment-related cleanup and Breakfast in the Park events.
The City of Napa also recognized several staff members for milestones in their longtime commitment to public service with the City through this year’s Service Awards. Join Napa in congratulating the following City staff for their unwavering dedication to public service excellence:
Celebrating 35 Years of Service
• Danny Casey, Park Maintenance Worker II
Celebrating 25 Years of Service
• Casey Jones, Assistant City Attorney
• Joy Riesenberg, Deputy City Manager
• Kevin Miller, Materials Diversion Administrator
Celebrating 20 Years of Service
• Ty Becerra, Fire Battalion Chief
• Darlene Elia, Police Officer
• Sean Ulitin, Police Officer
• Erin Kebbas, Water Quality Manager,
• Carlyce Banayat, Imaging Clerk
• Lori Borg, Public Safety Dispatcher II
• Joe Gallegos, Fleet Shop Supervisor
• Bob Barnes, Street Maintenance Worker II
• Jeff Taylor, Electrician II
• Jeramy Nelson, Firefighter/Paramedic
• Ray Fields, Firefighter/Paramedic
• Joe Zapata, Park Maintenance Worker II
• Steve Bradley, Park Maintenance Worker
Celebrating 15 Years of Service
• Omar Salem, Police Sergeant
• Sasha Payaslian, Systems Analyst
• Jason Barnes, Heavy Equipment Operator
• Heather Vieau, Public Safety Dispatcher II
• Denise Davis, Public Safety Dispatcher II
• Bryan Mui, Street Maintenance Worker
• Anthony Kaluza, Equipment Mechanic - Journey
• Kenneth Hurst, Supervising Water Service Worker
• Dean Hanna, Water Distribution Manager
• Corey Johst, Water Distribution Equipment Operator
• Brandon Abernathy, Water Distribution Operation II
Celebrating 10 Years of Service
• Jose Peralez, Police Officer
• Jeffrey Jacques, Police Officer
• Stephanie Gaul, Housing Manager
• Lorien Clark, Transportation Planner II
• Teresa Amaral, Public Safety Dispatcher II
• Bret Leuthold, Construction Inspector I
• Ryan Aimar, Fire Captain
• Benjamin Langford, Fire Captain
• Brian Davis, Fire Captain
• Kurt Nylander, Firefighter/Paramedic
• Ricardo Farias, Park Maintenance Worker III
• Alexander Isler, Park Maintenance Worker III
• Woody Hedderman, Parks, Trees & Facilities Supervisor
• Travis Taylor, Water Treatment Operator
Celebrating 5 Years of Service
• Tony Martignoni, Police Officer
• Gabby Swanson, Management Analyst II
• Kelly Pennington, Control Systems Analyst
• Vincent Caballero, Building Inspector II
• Antonio Mejia, Housing Rehabilitation Specialist
• Ana Bejarano-Ramirez, Accounting Technician
• Paulette Cooper, Office Assistant II
• Adri Newberry, Secretary
• Donna Whitney, Administrative Secretary
• Norma Gabellini, Maintenance Laborer
• Kevin Phillips, Maintenance Laborer
• Karla Ceja, Public Safety Dispatcher II
• Sarah Harcrow, Police Property Technician
• Jacob Vavricka, Water Services Worker
• Gabriel Angel, Firefighter
• Joe Russo, Firefighter
• Michael Nikol, Firefighter
• Kyle Franzoia, Firefighter/Paramedic
• Hattie Hamilton, Firefighter/Paramedic
• Jeremie Hannon, Firefighter/Paramedic
• Zaira Aceves, Police Records Specialist II
• Crystal Brandt, Police Records Specialist II
• Efren Sotelo, Park Maintenance Worker I
• Glen Grimstad, Park Maintenance Worker II
• Vincent Wildeman, Water Plant Maintenance Superintendent
• Jacob Roscoe, Water Distribution Operator Lead
• Candice McKenzie, Water Laboratory Analyst
• Frankie Mesta, Water Treatment Operator
• Casey Martin, Water Treatment Operator
• David Gill, Water Treatment Operator
“We are proud to honor the recipients of the Outstanding Performers and Service Awards for their dedication to serving our wonderful community,” said City Manager Steve Potter. “Napa remains a thriving City because of the resilience of these exceptional individuals, and the many other staff working diligently to serve the needs of our community.”
As the City of Napa continues to advance its hiring and retention efforts, the Outstanding Performers Awards and Service Awards serve as a reminder of the City’s incredible staff and the impact they have on the local community. To learn more about current job opportunities, visit www.cityofnapa.org/careers.