2015 Team Member of the Month Archives

January 2015

Jared Looser, Electronic Gaming Device Specialist within the Missouri Gaming Commission, has been selected as the January, 2015 Employee of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Jared was selected for this award for his involvement with the creation of the Electronic Gaming Device System (EGDS), which incorporated and organized 20 years of manual tasks into automated traceable records and processes. Jared’s skill sets and attention to detail enabled him to surpass the scope of daily required duties for the EGDS project, and took the initiative to accept additional duties, of which he demonstrated excellence in the areas of wireless assessment, casino product inventory, user application testing, and user manuals. Jared’s dedication to the agency and his commitment to the EGDS project speak volumes to its tremendous success. 

February 2015

Justin Newsome, Licensed Practical Nurse within the Missouri Veterans Commission - St. Louis Veterans Home, has been selected as the February, 2015 Employee of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Justin was selected for this award for his daily attitude and actions that he not only displays as a nurse, but in how he treats every Veteran. Justin makes it his priority every day to ensure that the Veterans receive the best care possible, and does so in a manner that is with the utmost respect and dignity to the Veterans.

March 2015

Sergeant Philip Hoffman, Missouri State Highway Patrol - Gaming Division, has been selected as the March, 2015 Employee of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Sgt. Hoffman was chosen as the Employee of the Month because of his tenacity and bravery when confronting a potentially catastrophic situation. While traveling to his duty assignment, Sgt. Hoffman recognized the seriousness of a vehicle’s excessive speed and acted quickly to ensure the vehicle was stopped. Sgt. Hoffman contacted local police, and conducted a traffic stop in the safest location possible. The vehicle registration revealed the vehicle was stolen and the driver was wanted for homicide, armed robbery, and carjacking. Thanks to Sgt. Hoffman’s resourcefulness and awareness, a violent felon was removed from Missouri’s highways and communities.

April 2015

Kylie Dickneite, Gaming Intelligence Analyst within the Missouri Gaming Commission, has been selected as the April, 2015 Employee of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Kylie was chosen as the Employee of the Month because of her significant contributions to a case which ultimately led to the arrest and indictment of four foreign nationals by federal authorities in St. Louis, MO for conspiring to travel from abroad to casinos across the United States to cheat at particular slot machines using electronic devices. Kylie’s outstanding attention to detail in facilitating and coordinating intelligence and investigative information between multiple state and federal agencies on this case was crucial to the outcome and was handled with the utmost professionalism.

May 2015

Trooper Darrin Haslag, Missouri State Highway Patrol, has been selected as the May, 2015 Employee of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Trooper Haslag was chosen as the Employee of the Month because of his tenacity throughout a two year investigation that resulted in the arrest of two county law enforcement officials who were illegally using their authority. Trooper Haslag continued to unilaterally pursue the truth in this investigation, even when confronted with witnesses who were distrustful of law enforcement due to the nature of the crime. Trooper Haslag was able to gain the trust and confidence of the victims, who eventually came forward to identify the suspects and what occurred to them, which was no small task.

June 2015

Sue Ince, Nurse III within the MO Veterans Commission - Mexico Veterans Home, has been selected as the June, 2015 Employee of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Sue was chosen as the Employee of the Month because of her extensive understanding and impeccable delivery of sound nursing processes during a potential crisis. Sue's aggressive intervention actions coupled with her excellent leadership abilities and initiative help minimized the number of actual negative outcomes of the infectious process. Sue's actions and advocacy for the veterans in her care serve as a shining example of her daily commitment to Veteran residents, staff, and the nursing profession.

July 2015

Darla Iven, Administrative Assistant within the Office of the Director, has been selected as the July, 2015 Employee of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Darla was chosen as the Employee of the Month because of her continual willingness to help where and when needed, many times unselfishly of her personal or professional time and needs, to provide impeccable customer service to the citizens and all Department employees. The primary responsibility of Darla’s position is to provide administrative support to the Department Director, yet often times she provides the same level of direct support to numerous staff within Administrative Services. No matter how much responsibility she is juggling for her position and in support of others, you can expect professionalism and thoroughness with everything that Darla takes on, without hesitation and in a cheerful and friendly demeanor.

August 2015

Josephine Rimson, Nursing Assistant I within the Missouri Veterans Commission - St. Louis Veterans Home, has been selected as the August, 2015 Employee of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Josephine was chosen as the Employee of the Month because of her dedication to and genuine regard of well-being for the Veterans. Josephine always goes above and beyond to ensure she shares a smile with the Veterans and is committed to ensure that their days are lived to the fullest.

September 2015

Tina Blyzes, Nursing Assistant II within the Missouri Veterans Commission - Cape Girardeau Veterans Home, has been selected as the September, 2015 Employee of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Tina was chosen as the Employee of the Month because of her dedication to and focus on the well-being of the Veterans she serves. Tina approaches each day with a positive, caring, compassionate attitude toward every Veteran and every staff member. As a strong advocate for the needs of the Veterans, Tina makes every effort possible to ensure that the Veterans have the highest level of care possible, while taking the time to accommodate the "little things" for the Veterans in her care.

October 2015

Jeff Smithee, Maintenance Worker II within Missouri Veterans Commission – Mexico Veterans Home, has been selected as the October, 2015 Employee of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Jeff was chosen as the Employee of the Month because of his quick assessment of and response to a situation involving a Veteran requiring immediate medical assistance. Without any hesitation, Jeff immediately responded, and as a result, redirected the outcome of what had quickly progressed into a dire moment. It was Jeff’s attention to his surroundings and to the Veterans themselves, while performing his routine maintenance responsibilities, which attributed to a life being saved that day.

November 2015

Shelley Lovell, Senior Office Support Assistant (Keyboarding) within Missouri Veterans Commission - Jacksonville Veterans Cemetery, has been selected as the November, 2015 Employee of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. During the interim period of the Cemetery Director position being vacant, Shelley was completely on her own at times to handle the duties of a seasoned Cemetery Director. Shelley's willingness to rise to the challenge gained her the respect of everyone she encountered because of her impressive initiative, organizational ability, knowledge, problem solving skills, and willingness to help any and all in need of assistance.

December 2015

Bryan Courtney, Interoperability Communications Director within the Office of the Director, has been selected as the December, 2015 Employee of the Month for the Department of Public Safety. Bryan was chosen as the Employee of the Month because of his ongoing dedication to and work on the Missouri Statewide Interoperable Network (MOSWIN). The nature of public safety communications requires a reliable, always ready system that first responders are able to depend upon. Bryan takes this charge very seriously and uses the resources at his disposal to assure both technical and operational support is provided to the extent those resources allow. Bryan is completely committed to delivering a first class radio experience to users and provides exceptional customer service to public safety agencies across the state and the many users.