Employees of the Month
Each month the Illinois EPA recognizes outstanding employees for making quality part
of every job they do. Agency-wide Employees of the Month for the most recent quarter.are
identified here. Congratulations to each of them for a quality job well done!
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Chris Dinardo, Division of Laboratories, Springfield Organics Lab, is
the Agency’s Employee of the Month for September. An equipment specialist for his
Division, Chris’s expertise in equipment diagnosis and repair has repeatedly
"saved the day" as well as saving time and money by getting a malfunctioning
critical piece of equipment back on line promptly. He has fabricated needed parts,
avoiding long delays waiting for replacements to be shipped. Chris also coordinates the
disposal of sample waste at the Springfield lab, a job requiring careful identification of
samples and wide knowledge of disposal procedures. He has also trained many of the
analysts in instrumental troubleshooting and maintenance. |
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Sherrilyn (Sherry) Otto, Bureau of Land, was named October
Employee of the Month. Active in the Agency’s Total Quality Management (TQM) program,
she is one of the Illinois EPA’s Master Facilitators, conducting TQM training at all
levels for staff and management, and thoroughly integrating Quality proceedures into her
own job. She is particularly good as a facilitator of workgroups, keeping the Quality
Action Team members focused to ensure prompt completion of the task at hand. Her
"contagious" enthusiasm for her job consistently inspires those who work with
her. |
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Rich Nichols, Division of Laboratories, Champaign, is the Employee
of the Month for November. Supervisor of the microbiological group in the Champaign lab,
he serves on a customer relations team designed to expedite communication between the
laboratories and the Division of Public Water Supplies, to enhance services the Agency can
provide to Illinois public water supply operators. Rich was a key player in establishing
a cost-saving computerized shipping and sample tracking system. During last fall’s
UPS strike, he developed alternate shipping plans to keep delivery and return of water
sample bottles on schedule. |
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