EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH – MAY 2010

CONGRATULATIONS to Joella Horstman, Administrative Technician for the Parks & Recreation Department, on her recent selection as Employee of the Month for May.

Joella is one of those “above-and-beyond” types of City employees, always there when needed. She has the “City first, Department second, herself last” attitude that exemplifies her as the outstanding employee she is. Joella has stepped up to fill the huge gaps that were left with key staff retirements and hiring of new Director, Creighton Wright. In addition to her full schedule of responsibilities as Administrative Technician, Joella has taken on additional duties developing the administrative area of the department.

The “Employee Recognition” program that she has created for the department has been very important to the department staff morale. She is always looking for new and innovative ways to increase teamwork, breakdown silos, help motivate and recognize the full, part-time and seasonal staff.

Joella has been instrumental in the success of the City’s annual Arbor Day ceremony, which is held at a local school on the third Friday in April. The City of Pueblo has been named “TREE CITY USA” for 30 consecutive years. The past four years, Joella has been given the responsibility for organizing the community event to coincide with Colorado’s Arbor Day. Joella had the assistance of Maria Hughes for this year’s program.

Joella understands that some programs are always in need of volunteers. She volunteers on a regular basis with the NFL/Punt, Pass, and Kick Local and Sectional competitions as well as the Denver Nugget Basketball Skills Challenge Local and Sectional competitions. She has also volunteered to chair numerous committees within the department and has served as the City’s representative on the “Event Worker” committee (volunteer recruitment) for the annual YMCA Corporate Cup Challenge the past two years.

The City of Pueblo Parks and Recreation Department is very fortunate to have such a dedicated employee as Joella. She is instrumental to the operation and success of the department.

At this time, we would like to thank Joella for the sincere dedication she routinely displays on the job, and it is with great pride that we present her with a special Certificate of Recognition for outstanding performance. We extend our most sincere appreciation for her representation of the City of Pueblo in a professional and competent manner, and we wish her continued success in the years to come.

###