|
Editor’s Note: Each month the Illinois EPA recognizes outstanding
employees for their efforts to make quality part of every job they do. Three
recent honorees are listed here.
 Hernando
Albarracin, Bureau of Land, leaking underground storage tank section, was
the EOM for December. Hernando, who speaks fluent Spanish, has volunteered to
translate both oral and written material, including fact sheets on state remedial
projects in Chicago, and a public hearing for a permit in Dolton, Ill. His translation
of documents for the Office of Chemical Safety earned him a Certificate of Appreciation,
and his work for the BoL's permit section in areas with large Hispanic populations
made several situations less stressful for all concerned. Much of this work
is done on his own time. Hernando also participated actively in the Agency Web
Workgroup, the LUST Responsiveness Workgroup and the Word Processing Workgroup.
 Terri
Blake Myers was the EOM for January 2000. Terri works for the Bureau of
Land, permit section, groundwater assistance unit. She was recognized for stepping
in as lead worker for Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) groundwater
issues in a difficult situation after both the Groundwater Unit manager and
the RCRA groundwater lead worker left the unit. Carrying a full load of projects,
Terri assumed training new staff, reviewing the outgoing RCRA unit work, and
coordinating workloads. Terri was a key team member in developing a RCRA permit
that saved millions in clean- up costs and shaved years off the project completion
time. She serves on an intergovernmental team addressing contamination at Argonne
National Laboratories that received national recognition.
 Bob
Brown was named EOM for February. Bob works for the Division of Laboratories
in the Springfield organics lab. For two years he worked with PC software updates,
upgrades to the laboratory-wide data analysis system, new computer installation
on existing equipment and coordination with Agency-wide efforts to ensure Y2K
compliance. The laboratory experienced a smooth transition with no Y2K problems.
The laboratory has become one of the premier labs in the nation for centralized
data analysis through Bob's work with the ChemServer laboratory-wide data analysis
system. The system replaced multiple data systems, interfaces with all analytical
equipment in the laboratory, and is accessible by analysts anywhere in the laboratory.
He is frequently consulted as an analytical problems troubleshooter.
|
