Gov. John Carney signed a proclamation Monday announcing May 1–7 as Public Service Recognition Week.

The week has been celebrated since 1985 to honor the contributions of federal, state, county and local government employees. Gov. Carney, cabinet members and the business community will introduce a series of videos highlighting their work.

During Public Service Recognition Week, employees who identified innovative ways to deliver state services and those who demonstrated acts of heroism will be honored.
Awards will be presented in the following categories:

• Tuesday — Delaware Award for Excellence and Commitment in State Service.
• Wednesday — Governor’s Team Excellence Award (Champions Award, Commitment Award).
• Thursday — GEAR P3 Innovation & Efficiency Award and GEAR P3 Trailblazer Award.
• Friday — Delaware Award for Heroism.

Recognition videos will premiere each day at 11 a.m. here.

The Delaware Award for Excellence and Commitment in State Service Award is presented to up to five state employees or small groups of up to five employees who exemplify the highest standards of excellence and commitment in state service. In addition, the GEAR P3 Trailblazer Award provides recognition for those whose accomplishments demonstrate leadership in application of continuous-improvement best practices.

Recipients of the 2021 award are Amber Clendaniel of the Department of Human Resources; Cynthia Coleman of Superior Court; Anne Fenimore, Gloria Henry and Vertie Lee (with Sakinaa Rock) of the Department of State; and Casey Kim of the Department of Technology and Information. Holly Reynolds of the Department of Finance was honored with the GEAR P3 Trailblazer Award.

The Governor’s Team Excellence Awards category includes the GEAR P3 Innovation & Efficiency Award, the Champions Award and the Commitment Award. These honors, presented to a team of six to 20 state employees, encourage teamwork by recognizing groups for their efforts to use continuous quality-improvement tools to excel in leadership, team dynamics and communication.

The GEAR P3 Innovation & Efficiency Award is awarded to the Delaware Overdose and Police Diversion Program Team of the Delaware State Police, the Department of Health and Social Services and the Department of Justice.

The Champions Award was won by the Department of Transportation’s Vaccination Site Coordination Team; and the Office of Unclaimed Property’s Money Match Team of the Department of Finance, the Office of State Treasurer and the Department of Technology and Information.

The Commitment Award will be given to the iLEAD Delaware Leadership Program Team of the Department of Human Resources; the DART Connect Micro-Transit Pilot Program Team of the Department of Transportation/Delaware Transit Corp.; and the Port of Wilmington Expansion Project Permitting Team of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.

The Delaware Award for Heroism, established in 2013, recognizes state employees for acts of courage. The 2021 recipients are:

• Barbara Bell, Yvette Fenn, Isaac Harris, Alethea Miller and Diane Penland (with Elena Dill, Amy Fierro, Debra Remner, Melissa Sangare and Glenroy Warner) of DHSS.
• Manuel Carlis and Sabrina Ellerbe of the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families.
• Deanna Carnevale and Shane Russell of DSCYF.
• Donald Deputy (with Eric Jensen) of DelDOT.
• Travis Schirmer of DelDOT.
• Jonathan Simmons and Richard Wyatt of DelDOT.