Environmental Progress - Summer 2004

Employees of the Month

Editor's Note: Each month the Illinois EPA recognizes outstanding employees for making quality part of every job they do. Three recent honorees are listed below.

Eliana Brown was the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency's Employee of the Month for March 2004. Eliana works for the Bureau of Water in the Champaign Regional Office and is the regional expert and inspector for the majority of storm water construction within the region. She recently accepted responsibility for the region's Operators Assistance Program (known as the 104 (g) 1 Program).

Her award recognizes her reinforcement of the Agency's proactive approach to compliance with state and federal rules and regulations. Additionally, Eliana willingly aided Champaign office staff by responding to citizen concerns and conducting inspections of approximately 12 minor facilities in order to give the Agency timely information regarding the operation of wastewater treatment plants.

Her work toward coordinating efforts with the Department of Natural Resources in the investigation of numerous fish kills within the area that resulted in enforcement cases was also acknowledged.

Eliana is actively involved in several professional organizations including the Illinois Water Environment Association where she has been the editor of the quarterly newsletter for the past several years.

Linda Ray was the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency's Employee of the Month for April 2004. Linda works as the Operations Supervisor for the Division of Technical Services, supervising five employees working three shifts. Her award recognizes an excellent knowledge of mainframe and network users' needs at the Agency and her tireless support of the users. Additionally, Linda makes herself available to her employees day and night and makes time to help other areas in the division as needed.

She was the main IT project leader for the recent Ethics training exercise, a very complicated project. The project involved researching network user ids, coordinating the activities of several technicians, working with the Agency Ethics Coordinator and Central Management Services to ensure that the appropriate staff was notified and trained, training and supporting Agency help desk staff to provide support for the users, and assisting individual users who had system problems.

Linda also developed a process where mainframe printouts can be routed to an electronic format (PDF) in addition to working with all the Information Technology and with bureau staff to compile an extensive inventory list covered by the IBM master hardware and software maintenance contract, ensuring that the minimum amount is spent on this annual contract.

Linda Ray is an excellent asset to the Agency, not only for the support provided and projects completed, but also for saving the state over $50,000 this year alone.

Mindy Brandt was the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency's Employee of the Month for May 2004. Mindy works for the Division of Legal Counsel (DLC), Bureau of Land (BOL) Section, and serves on both the State Fair and Agency Recognition Committees. The award recognizes her flair for completing work with minimal oversight and direction, anticipating deadlines or problems and addressing them so that DLC or BOL Section operations are not disrupted.

Mindy updates the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act database with information provided by Agency attorneys, BOL personnel and several other databases. She has also instituted changes to the process for tracking workloads for her section in order to improve document tracking and speed document distribution. In addition to her regular duties, she recently took control of the DLC office space reorganization, ensuring that the move went smoothly and without incident.

Additionally, Mindy has been able to accomplish her normal workload, the reorganization, other unexpected demands and still complete important time critical tasks necessary for the Leaking Underground Storage Tank and Permit Appeal processes. She always has a positive "can do" attitude toward any assignment, big or small, and can find the fun in every task, which motives those who work with her to get the job done.