DOVER — Gov. John Carney hosted his annual awards ceremony Monday to honor state employees as part of Public Service Recognition Week.

The event celebrates the dedication of government employees who play a crucial role in both the operations and welfare of Delaware.

This year’s gathering returned to an in-person format, held at the Modern Maturity Center. The governor was joined by members of his Cabinet and the business community.

The following individuals and teams were recognized for their commitment during 2023:

• The recipients of the Delaware Award for Excellence and Commitment in State Service were Caleb Bontrager of the Department of Technology & Information; Jason Gingerich and Jessica Jason-Torres of the Department of Health and Social Services; Rebecca Salmon of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control; and Charlotte Walsh of the Justice of the Peace Court.
• The recipients of the  Governor’s Team Excellence Commitment Award were the Claymont Transportation Center team of the Department of Transportation and the Peer Support in Long-Term Care team of the Department of Health and Social Services.
• The recipients of the Governor’s Team Excellence Champions Award were the FOCUS team of the Department of Services for Children, Youth & Their Families; the Delaware State Police Aviation Section of the Department of Safety and Homeland Security; the Unifier Migration team of the Department of Transportation; and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Stolen Benefit Replacement Workgroup of the Department of Health and Social Services.
• The recipients of the GEAR P3 Innovation and Efficiency Award were the Agile Workspace Project team of the departments of Human Resources and Technology & Information; and the Division of Social Services’ Unwinding team and the Continuous Quality Improvement Initiative team of the Department of Health and Social Services.
• The recipients of the GEAR P3 Trailblazer Award were Ashley Kavanagh of the Department of Human Resources; Ashley Lebo, Alex LeClaire and James Robinson of the Digitization Project team in the departments of Human Resources and Technology & Information; Jerrica Boyer and Tina Selby Ware of the Comprehensive Review Tool Project team in the Department of Services for Children, Youth & Their Families; and Ke’Andra Hackett, Nicole Jingozian, Barnabas Kerkula and Melissa Winters of the Connect Community Project team in the Department of Health and Social Services.
• The recipients of the Delaware Award for Heroism were Juan Arroyo-Camacho, Adam DeLucia, Matthew Downes, Matthew Sampson, Matthew Lichtenstein and John Walker of the Department of Transportation; Thomas Catalfamo of the Delaware State Police; and Sara Miller, Tracy Purnell and Sasha Rampersad of the Department of Labor.

To view the ceremony, visit youtube.com/johncarneyde.