DPS Employee of the Month
February 2020
Non-Sworn Employee of the Month
Sheila Huddleston
Training Technician III
State Emergency Management Agency
Sheila Huddleston has been chosen as the Department of Public Safety February 2020 Non-Sworn Employee of the Month for her outstanding work organizing a multi-agency, full-scale exercise involving the response to the discovery of a suspicious package containing hazardous materials inside the Missouri Capitol building.
Sheila, of the State Emergency Management Agency, was the lead planner – exercise officer for the exercise, which was critically important for preparing local, state and federal response agencies for how they would respond to a similar real-life emergency at the Capitol.
Sheila is a 19-year veteran of SEMA, where she is a Training Technician III. She previously worked at the Department of Economic Development and has been a state employee since 1999.
Sheila spent almost a year researching, planning and coordinating the exercise to maximize the participation and benefits to all the agencies involved, which included the Department of Public Safety, Missouri Capitol Police, Jefferson City Police, Cole County Sheriff’s Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri National Guard 7th Weapons of Mass Destruction – Civil Support Team, Department of Natural Resources, Cole County Emergency Management, Cole County Emergency Medical Services, Cole County Emergency Response Team, Jefferson City Fire Department, SEMA and the FBI.
This large undertaking was not within Sheila’s main duties since she is a local exercise planner, not a state exercise planner. Despite handling her normal duties with her usual high level of skill and care, Sheila created a well-coordinated and highly beneficial exercise that got strong reviews from participants.
Congratulations, Sheila! You’ve set a tremendous example for your fellow team members throughout the Department of Public Safety.
The Missouri Department of Public Safety. Many Missions. One Team