Employee Recognition Program

The purpose of this program is to provide a tool to recognize ongoing employee dedication, acknowledge exemplary contributions, and encourage employee commitment. 

Click the year below to view award recipients.

2012 Award Recipients

Outstanding Probation Office Support Staff (Jean Miller Memorial Award) recognizes exemplary performance by any probation support staff employee in the Nebraska Judicial System. 

Becky Smith, who is a Senior Secretary in Probation District 1 in Wilber, began her employment as a part-time secretary in the Nebraska Probation System in September 1985 in the Friend Probation office.  She served as the secretary in Friend until it was merged into the Wilber office the end of December 2000.  She also provides clerical support for the Probation office in Geneva which opened in 2011.  Ms. Smith is a diligent employee who can be counted on to get things done.  She manages many tasks above and beyond what is expected and is a silent leader in the district.  Becky has played a great role in the training and guidance of new probation officers in the rural offices which is both demanding and can be very difficult at times with the amount of work that needs to be accomplished.  Despite these things, Becky remains positive and keeps moving officers and her office forward.  The dedication and knowledge Becky possesses is unmatched by few and is respected by all. 

Outstanding Probation Officer (LaDonna Snell Memorial Award) recognizes exemplary performance by a Probation Officer.

Kathy Long, who is a Community-Based Intervention (CBI) probation officer in Probation District 2 in Papillion, has been with the Nebraska Probation System since January 1988 starting as a probation officer.  She currently is tasked with supervising the sex offender population in the Papillion Probation office.  She has sought training and has become the “state expert” on the subject of sex offender supervision.  In addition to her supervision of offenders, she also trains new officers in the area of investigations and supervision of this unique, and oftentimes unpopular, caseload. She is very professional yet manages to engage everyone she meets and does so in a way that others feel she cares about what happens to them.  She is trusted by the courts and her co-workers.  Kathy is a good person, a good employee, and a superb representative of the Nebraska Probation System.

Outstanding Court Supervisor/Administrative Employee recognizes exemplary performance by a supervisor or administrative employee in the Nebraska Judicial System.

Darrie Streeter has served the Phelps County Court as Clerk Magistrate for the past 12 years. In addition to her court duties, she has served on the Through the Eyes of a Child Team, coordinated a community coalition to provide services to children and families, and assists with the Family Drug Court in Phelps County.  Darrie played a major role in organizing a seminar, “Bridges Out of Poverty,” focusing again on improving services and outcomes for families and children in the community and the court system.  Darrie continues to lead her county court in the use of technology and innovative ways to enhance the performance of the court.

Outstanding Trial or Administrative Court Employee Award recognizes exemplary performance by an employee serving in any office of the Trial or Appellate Courts in the Nebraska Judicial System.

Sandi Peters began her employment with the Nebraska Supreme Court as an employee in the Reporter of Decision Office in 1990.  Since 1994, in addition to serving as Justice John Wright’s Administrative Assistant, Sandi has assisted with multiple administrative projects including answering questions for Mandatory Continuing Legal Education and Judicial Branch Education issues, assisting in fielding calls regarding court interpreters, and assisting with payroll and payable transactions.  Sandi is always willing to go above and beyond her official duties in a professional and competent manner.  She recently agreed to serve as Administrative Assistant for both Justice Wright and Justice Cassel.

Outstanding Probation Supervisor (Bob Keller Memorial Award) recognizes exemplary performance by a Probation Supervisor.

Patty Lyon is the Problem-Solving Court Coordinator in Probation District 6 in Fremont and has made an outstanding contribution to the Nebraska Probation System since she began her employment in September 2000.   Patty began her Probation career as a probation officer in the Blair office where she was the only officer (employee).  She quickly earned the respect of the courts, county attorney, law enforcement, and the schools and developed relationships with her clients and stakeholders.  Ms. Lyon was appointed to the position of Problem-Solving Court Coordinator in July 2008.  Again, when she took over, she was the only employee for the drug court and in addition to all of her coordinator responsibilities she supervised 30 drug court participants.   She is responsible for the drug court’s drug testing program and has been asked to revamp the drug testing program for the whole district.  Patty has helped to change the culture of the entire district to better understand that effective drug testing is essential in identifying substance abuse issues and providing more opportunities for effective interventions.  Patty has consistently demonstrated her leadership abilities for the entire district and went above and beyond when she agreed to take on the drug testing program for the district.

Outstanding Customer Service Award recognizes employees who have implemented creative and effective programs that improve customer service to external or internal court/probation customers.  The employee’s individual skills in providing excellent customer service are also considered.

Jodi Kielian  is a Records Clerk in the Platte County Court.  Jodi ‘s patience with customers at the counter or on the phone is extraordinary.  She makes sure the customers understand that the court is willing to work with them to avoid duplicated court appearances.  She has a firm but polite manner in efforts to collect fines and court costs.  She serves as a great example that a public servant can treat people with respect and dignity.

Innovation Award recognizes employees for their contribution of effectiveness, efficiency or economy to the Nebraska Judicial System operations.

Linda Smith and Deborah League, Clerk Magistrates in the 11th Judicial District, have gone above and beyond to help improve the court system.  Linda and Deborah donated their time in efforts to facilitate a pilot project for the collection of fines and costs.  They have worked with the National Center for State Courts staff, judges, and JUSTICE staff learning new texting and email features and monitoring payments of fines, costs, and fee for all the courts in the 11th district.  Linda also serves on the Through the Eyes of the Child team and Debora helps in many other courts in the district.

Outstanding Team Award recognizes exemplary performance by a team in any judicial office in the Nebraska judicial System.

The Behavioral-Based Case and Caseload Management Training Team with members Deb Minardi, Deputy Probation Administrator; Julie Scott, Justice Treatment Systems Specialist; Kari Rumbaugh, Deputy Compact Administrator/Compliance Officer; Amy Latshaw, Juvenile Justice Programs Specialist; andToni Jensen, Domestic Violence Programs Service Specialist, all from the Office of Probation Administration, worked together in the past year to create, write, and implement a week-long training curriculum as a response to training needs expressed. This curriculum includes innovative ideas and training strategies and is being implemented statewide in the Nebraska Probation System.  The training includes components specific for managers to improve their leadership and coaching ability, and gives real opportunities to practice this within the training setting.  It also provides tools and approaches to case and caseload management for probation officers who supervise high-risk caseloads. These approaches, already implemented in some areas, have proven to not only improve work processes, but also have improved morale in the Probation system as well.

Employee of the Year Award recognizes one employee for his or her performance, professionalism, loyalty and other accomplishments that exemplify the values and professional standards of the Judicial Branch in his or her daily work. 

Ellen Faltys is the Clerk Magistrate in the Colfax County Court. The contributions Ellen Faltys has made to the Nebraska Judicial Branch are multiple.  Ellen has helped in the Douglas County Juvenile Court with the implementation of DOCKET as well as helping with the JUSTICE conversion in the district and juvenile courts in Douglas County. She has piloted JUSTICE enhancement and applications in her court, including DOCKET; Remote Case Processing, and Criminal E-Filing. Ellen was an integral part of the effort to develop the use of remote interpreters in the Spanish language. She is serving as the MOVI/JABBER resource person. She has volunteered to participate in the effort to convert the Justice Monthly Reports to PDF documents to eliminate the need for printing. She installed a scanned document distribution system from JUSTICE to the Colfax County Court.  Each lawyer has a password protected folder accessible via the internet and all journals and orders are automatically distributed to counsel of record resulting in an annual savings of approximately $5,000 in postage expense to the county.  Ellen quickly adapted the text messaging used in the 11th district for Colfax County reminding persons with time payments when a payment is due. Since 2000, Ellen has participated with other hard working Clerk Magistrates on the comprehensive procedures manual for county court.  This is a never ending effort. In addition, Ellen continues to perform her Clerk Magistrate duties with a high degree of efficiency and professionalism.

2011 Award Recipients

Outstanding Probation Office Support Staff (Jean Miller Memorial Award) recognizes exemplary performance by any probation support staff employee in the Nebraska Judicial System. 

Connie Beal, a drug technician in Probation District 3A in Lincoln, began her employment in the adult probation office in Lincoln in 2008.  Connie has streamlined the drug testing process in the Lincoln office where they test upwards of 250 probationers a day.  Connie develops personal relationships with her probationers and helps them overcome many obstacles they may encounter.  This is way above what a drug technician is required to do. Probation is all about changing lives and Connie is often the positive person to help motivate and encourage probationers in their life-changing endeavors.

Outstanding Probation Officer (LaDonna Snell Memorial Award) recognizes exemplary performance by a Probation Officer.

Bob Blanchard is the Problem-Solving Court Coordinator for Probation District 4A in Omaha.  Bob participates in a special Young Adult Court which is a collaborative effort between the Douglas County Attorney, a district court judge, and the Douglas County Day Reporting Center.  This Court screens young adult offenders who are first-time non-violent felony offenders.  Bob supervises these young adults and helps them successfully complete the program.  Bob also started a mentoring program and assigns each offender to a mentor to serve as additional support. He treats each offender as an individual working with their strengths and offering resources to ensure their success. He continues to serve as a role model to all his co-workers with his passion to help young adults.

Outstanding Court Supervisor/Administrative Employee recognizes exemplary performance by a supervisor or administrative employee in the Nebraska Judicial System.

Patricia Veburg, a Division Manager in the Hall County Court, goes above and beyond her duties as a supervisor/division manager. This year she also filled in as division manager for the Criminal/Traffic/Juvenile division when a vacancy occurred.  She has also been instrumental in encouraging scanning and e-filing in Hall County Court.  Pat has been with the Hall County Court for 28 years and continues to put her employees ahead of herself and works one-on-one with each employee to make sure they understand the procedures of the civil division.

The Trial Court Employee Award recognizes exemplary performance by an employee serving in any office of the Trial or Appellate Courts in the Nebraska Judicial System.

Pat Laukaitis is an official court reporter in the Lancaster County District Court and past president of the Nebraska Court Reporters Association.  Pat has trained extensively in real-time transcription and impresses her judge with how accurately she transcribes courtroom activity, particularly when things get confusing and fast-paced. She is often the first courtroom personnel litigants meet and she sets the tone for the courtroom making people feel welcome even though they are often engaged in very stressful circumstances.  She continues to demonstrate loyalty and dedication to the court system.

Outstanding Probation Supervisor (Bob Keller Memorial Award) recognizes exemplary performance by a Probation Supervisor.

Julie Micek is the Reporting Center Coordinator in Probation District #2 in Bellevue and has made an extraordinary contribution to the Nebraska Probation system since her arrival in 2007.The past year, Ms. Micek’s leadership ability was most evident when she assumed additional responsibilities assisting Probation’s Division of Community-Based Programs and Services in the development and implementation of a mental health service delivery system in the Probation districts where reporting centers are located As a licensed mental health professional (LMHP), Coordinator Julie Micek was particularly qualified to see to fruition the creation of a strong delivery system of mental health services for high-risk probationers.  Her contribution remains significant in terms of training staff and continual coordination of services.

Outstanding Customer Service Award recognizes employees who have implemented creative and effective programs that improve customer service to external or internal court/probation customers.  The employee’s individual skills in providing excellent customer service are also considered.

Phyllis Gaspers has been an employee in the Madison County Court for 13 years.  Phyllis has continually had a positive attitude toward all she comes in contact with - lawyers, judges, court staff and the public.  She adjusts to all the changes throughout the court system, including JUSTICE and more recently the Docket system for traffic court and juvenile court. Phyllis has a positive attitude and helps out at the counter when things get busy in addition to helping callers on the phone.  She goes above and beyond in her work.  She has a way to calm the angry person at the counter and often before they leave they will be smiling and even laughing.

Innovation Award recognizes employees for their contrition of effectiveness, efficiency or economy to the Nebraska Judicial System operations.

Pat Hoffman receives this award for her role in the development and implementation of the Nebraska Court of Appeals SharePoint case management system.  Pat has provided essential support services to the Court of Appeals since its inception nearly 20 years ago.  Primarily through Pat’s work above and beyond her normal duties, the court has recently implemented this electronic internal system for case processing.  SharePoint has enabled the court to achieve efficiencies unsurpassed by any other intermediate appellate court.

Outstanding Team Award recognizes exemplary performance by a team in any judicial office in the Nebraska judicial System.

The County Court Procedures Manual Committee with members Tammie Duensing, Donna Fink, Ellen Faltys, Gretchen Wiebe, Paula Crouse and Sheryl Connolly has been meeting for 10 years and at least 100 times.  The County Court Procedures Manual covers every facet of the county courts and is used statewide for training and for day-to-day problem solving. This committee has also worked with separate juvenile court and district court employees to complete the Juvenile Court Procedures Manual in 2011.  These manuals have increased the consistent use of recommended procedures statewide, which improves the efficiency of court staff and the accuracy of statistics derived from appropriate handling of cases and data entry.

Employee of the Year Award recognizes one employee for his or her performance, professionalism, loyalty and other accomplishments that exemplify the values and professional standards of the Judicial Branch in his or her daily work. 

Linda Mitchell, Assistant Clerk I in the Antelope County Court, has been with the county court system since 1986. From the beginning of her employment it was evident that she loved a challenge and approached each assignment with a zest for learning and a passion for getting things done correctly and efficiently. Linda currently has the responsibility for distributing county court transcriptions throughout the state to private contracted transcribing firms. Linda’s loyalty and dedication has improved not only the Antelope County Court but the entire state court system.

2010 Award Recipients

Outstanding Probation Office Support Staff (Jean Miller Memorial Award) recognizes exemplary performance by any probation support staff employee in the Nebraska Judicial System. 

Debi Hazy, Senior Secretary, District 12 Probation in Sidney .  Ms. Hazy began working for Nebraska State Probation in 1998 in the Sidney office. Over the years she has spent hours attempting to help ferret out the issues or inconsistencies throughout the installation of the new information management system (NPACS).  She continues to play an integral part in clerical meetings to help establish processes that are vital to the efficiency of her district.  Her exceptional knowledge with reference to old information management system (NPMIS) and her ability to “think out of the box” are very useful to the district as well as the State. 

Outstanding Probation Officer (LaDonna Snell Memorial Award) recognizes exemplary performance by a Probation Officer. 

Rick DeKlotz, Senior Probation Officer, District 1 Probation in Falls City.  Rick is a veteran probation officer with thirty years of experience.  Rick has served for many years as a Case Management Classification trainer, and is currently a member of the District Evidence-Based Practices Implementation Team.  He also serves as the resident specialist in the areas of Interstate Compact matters and Case Management of Sex Offenders. Rick is described as one of those rare individuals who always gives constructive and valuable input on ways to improve the overall work product at both the district and state levels.  He is a team player and has a genuine concern for the future of the Nebraska State Probation system.

Outstanding Court Supervisor/Administrative Employee recognizes exemplary performance by a supervisor or administrative employee in the Nebraska Judicial System. 

Lori Miskimins, Clerk Magistrate, Dawes County Court.  As a committed, hard-working employee, she is methodical in performing her tasks and is always available to assist her staff in all areas.  Her staff describes her as honest, dependable, knowledgeable and an excellent role model.  Lori has been instrumental in coordinating the scheduling of one courtroom between the district judge and the county judge, has established a very efficient filing system and has successfully moved the office recently. Lori Miskimins is an asset to the Dawes County Court and the Nebraska County Court system. 

The Trial Court Employee Award recognizes exemplary performance by an employee serving in any office of the Trial or Appellate Courts in the Nebraska Judicial System. 

Kris Riekenberg, Official Court Reporter for Judge Korslund.  In addition to her regular court schedule, she has voluntarily taken on additional duties.  She has assisted Judge Johnson after the resignation of the judge’s reporter and has covered for Judge Korslund’s bailiff during her illness.  Kris consistently is willing to go above and beyond her duties. She is always professional, personable, and is a genuine asset to the court system. 

Outstanding Probation Supervisor (Bob Keller Memorial Award) recognizes exemplary performance by a Probation Supervisor. 

Shane Stutzman, Chief Deputy Probation Officer, District 5 Probation in York.   Ms. Stutzman has been a long-time dedicated probation employee.  She has served on several committee positions and has volunteered for special projects. She serves on the Training Committee and the Blended Officer Subcommittee. She is a Nebraska Adult Probation Trainer, Colors Trainer and Sex Offender Specialist.  In addition to her Chief Deputy duties, she is District #5’s “go to” person for Evidence-Based Practices presentations. Shane Stutzman is a leader, trainer, coach, mentor, and friend to her staff and to the system.

Outstanding Customer Service Award recognizes employees who have implemented creative and effective programs that improve customer service to external or internal court/probation customers.  The employee’s individual skills in providing excellent customer service are also considered. 

Darla Schiefelbein, Clerk Magistrate, Platte County, and Kathleen Hein, Records Clerk, Platte County (co-recipients).  The Platte County Court has received many compliments regarding the helpfulness and sensitivity of Darla Schiefelbein and Kathleen Hein.  Most recently, Kathleen and Darla took it upon themselves to develop a better method for their court to ensure that funds held by conservators are protected.  They recognized the lack of timely filing of required reports.  They made suggestions and implemented changes that now give them the opportunity to better examine the reports and to clarify any problem areas.  To assist with the implementation process, Darla and Kathleen arranged to meet with local attorneys to get their input and explain why the changes were being suggested.  All of these attorneys agreed that the changes were a good idea.

Darla and Kathleen have been observed frequently with customers showing exceptional patience, sometimes answering the same question three or four times.  Together they work to improve customer service in the Platte County Court.

Innovation Award recognizes employees for their contribution of effectiveness, efficiency, or economy to the Nebraska Judicial System operations. 

Sheryl Connolly, Trial Court Services Director, Administrative Office of the Courts. Sheryl receives this award for her work in developing and implementing the on-call interpreter program.  Interpreter expenses are a major expense in the judicial branch.  The on-call program has been a significant factor in the reduction of interpreter expenditures during FY- 09-10. Many favorable comments have been received regarding this program.

Outstanding Team Award recognizes exemplary performance by a team in any judicial office in the Nebraska Judicial System. 

JUSTICE Team, Administrative Office of the Courts (members include JUSTICE Senior Business Analysts Sherri Dennis, Kristi Kreuscher, Paula Crouse,  and Gretchen Wiebe; Business Analysts Sue Nieto, Laurayne Hall and Leigh Thomas; Deputy Administrator Bill Miller). The JUSTICE Team provides support for the JUSTICE system used in 185 Nebraska trial courts. They are the voices of the help desk providing assistance daily to court staff and judges across the state. The magnitude of the JUSTICE system’s contribution to court efficiency is enormous.  In addition to their help desk work, the business analysts provide training to court users, participate in Webinars and ReadyTalk presentations and provide written updates to the courts when changes to JUSTICE are made. They also review new legislation to determine how it will be integrated in to JUSTICE, work with programmers to design and test updates, contribute to development of procedural manuals and install and support digital recording systems.  In addition to the ongoing support duties, the team has taken on several major projects. A few of these include:  the conversion of Douglas County District Court to the JUSTICE system, payment of judgments and fines through the internet, developing electronic filing which is now available in all county courts and all but one district court, and the creation of a virtual “signing desk” which allows judges to review, sign and process default judgments online. In the first six months, 30,000 motions for default judgment were processed using this application.  These accomplishments and ongoing work of this team speak for themselves.

Employee of the Year Award recognizes one employee for his or her performance, professionalism, loyalty and other accomplishments that exemplify the values and professional standards of the Judicial Branch in his or her daily work. 

Dave Cote, Drug Technician, District 2 Probation in Papillion. Mr. Cote has been in his position for almost four years.  Drug technicians have one of the toughest jobs in the probation system.   In addition to his regular duties, Dave agreed to help streamline Probation’s drug testing labs from nine in the state to one.  As a result, Dave is now responsible for not only the testing in his district, but is also responsible for retesting drug samples for the entire state when requested to do so.  Dave also agreed to expand his workload when a new type of drug test was discovered that would be better at detecting past alcohol abuse.  Dave accepted the entire workload of this expanded program without hesitation.  Dave is always coming up with ideas of how probationers can be better served in the drug testing world and innovative ways to save money.

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2009 Award Recipients

Outstanding Probation Office Support Staff (Jean Miller Memorial Award) recognizes exemplary performance by any probation support staff employee in the Nebraska Judicial System. 

Candace Downey, Office Manager of Probation District Two.  Candace was nominated by Chief Probation Officer Kathryn Liebers, who stated in her nomination letter, “although some may consider her career with probation brief, she has exemplified professionalism, exceptional levels of productivity and efficiency, and diligently worked and streamlined office practices, policies and procedures.  Candace is a leader in the office and a champion of staff and offenders alike.  Candace does not hesitate to provide well considered input.  She does not hesitate to congratulate probation clients on “jobs well done,” or successes they have experienced.  She treats all offenders and staff with respect, recognizing and appreciating diversity.”   On behalf of the Nebraska Supreme Court Awards Committee, we congratulate Candace Downey as the recipient of the 2009 Jean Miller Memorial Award.  In addition to a lunch with the Supreme Court Chief Justice and the State Probation Administrator, Candace will receive a $250 cash award.

Outstanding Probation Officer (LaDonna Snell Memorial Award) recognizes exemplary performance by a Probation Officer. 

Tina Luz, Senior Probation Officer of Probation District Seven.  Tina was nominated by Carol Boysen, Senior Secretary, and Jolene Ritterbush, Probation Officer.  Carol Boysen stated in her nomination letter, “I have typed many letters which I felt were giving the probationers a second chance at completing their probation requirements.  She is always working with them to help them better their lives and leave probation with a better sense of direction for their future.  And yet, she is firm in letting each probationer know what is expected from them and answer the consequences if they choose not to abide by the terms of their probation order.”  Jolene Ritterbush states, “Since I have been a probation officer, Tina has continued to be a role model for me and is willing to help me with all my questions.  She is a dedicated probation officer to her clients and her job responsibilities, as Tina is willing to do whatever it takes to get her job done in an efficient, timely, and professional manner.  As there have been changes in probation over the last few years, Tina has had a willingness to adapt to the new ways of probation and has continued to be dedicated to her work, have exceptional efficiency, and superior performance.”  On behalf of the Nebraska Supreme Court Awards Committee, we congratulate Tina Luz as the recipient of the 2009 LaDonna Snell Memorial Award.   In addition to a lunch with the Supreme Court Chief Justice and the State Probation Administrator, Tina will receive a $250 cash award.    

Outstanding Court Supervisor/Administrative Employee recognizes exemplary performance by a supervisor or administrative employee in the Nebraska Judicial System. 

Kathy J. Jones, Red Willow County Court Clerk Magistrate in Judicial District Eleven.  Kathy was nominated by Anne Paine, County Judge.  According to Judge Paine, “Kathy has built a team of people in our office who are friendly, dedicated, and efficient.  This is in large part to her leadership skills.  Kathy tackles every obstacle with a calm reasoning to find a workable solution.  She arranges meetings with the staff and myself to discuss where the strengths and weaknesses are in the office and tailors the skills of individual staff members to maximize their particular strengths and interests.  She spends time working with new staff members to make sure that they not only know how to perform their job but also that they feel comfortable with their tasks.  Members of the staff have described Kathy as being ‘awesome” at training.’” On behalf of the Nebraska Supreme Court Awards Committee, we congratulate Kathy J. Jones as the recipient of the 2009 Outstanding Court Supervisor/Administrative Employee.  In addition to a lunch with the Supreme Court Chief Justice and the State Court Administrator, Kathy will receive a $250 cash award.     

Outstanding Probation Supervisor (Bob Keller Memorial Award) recognizes exemplary performance by a Probation Supervisor. 

Cliff Wolf, Chief Deputy Probation Officer of Probation District One.  Cliff was nominated by Steve Rowoldt, Acting Deputy Probation Administrator.  Steve states in his nomination letter that “specifically Cliff demonstrates leadership in attitude and action by embracing probation’s new evidence-based principles and incorporating them into his daily activities.  Cliff could easily maintain his position with thoughts of retirement in the not too distant future.  However, rather than focusing on retirement Cliff stepped up and stepped out of his everyday duties to be at the forefront of Probation’s statewide initiatives for quality assurance, re-design of the management information system and field services programming.  Cliff’s work has been instrumental in the initial designs of quality measurements for presentence investigations and probation supervision practices which will ultimately be utilized statewide.”  On behalf of the Nebraska Supreme Court Awards Committee, we congratulate Cliff Wolf as the 2009 recipient of the Bob Keller Memorial Award.  In addition to a lunch with the Supreme Court Chief Justice and the State Probation Administrator, Cliff will receive a $250 cash award.    

Outstanding Customer Service Award recognizes employees who have implemented creative and effective programs that improve customer service to external or internal court/probation customers.  The employee’s individual skills in providing excellent customer service are also considered. 

Janet (Jan) Malone, Administrative Secretary with the State Court Administrator.  Jan was nominated by Janet Bancroft, Eileen Janssen, Kathy Moore and Catherine Corbet of the Administrative Offices of the Court and Probation (AOCP).  In their nomination letter, they write “Jan played a leading role in seeing the AOCP/Publications form was effectively automated providing immediate online ordering for court staff.  She stuck with the project, despite the numerous setbacks caused by false emails, bad orders and unknown quirks.  The project is the first of its kind developed through Nebraska.gov.  It has proved to be a successful venture in every sense of the word.”  On behalf of the Nebraska Supreme Court Awards Committee, we congratulate Janet Malone as the 2009 recipient of the Outstanding Customer Service Award.  In addition to a lunch with the Supreme Court Chief Justice and the State Court Administrator, Janet will receive a $250 cash award.    

Innovation Award recognizes employees for their contribution of effectiveness, efficiency, or economy to the Nebraska Judicial System operations. 

Tenth Judicial District Clerk Magistrates (Members are Thomas Hawes, Julie Bergen, Jolene Duffy, Cindy Carrigan, Christine Gilpin, Sandy Medinger, Randell Eckhoff, Diane Wehrman and Darrie Streeter.) They were nominated by Jolene Duffy, Clerk Magistrate.  In her nomination letter, Magistrate Duffy writes, “I believe the Magistrates are deserving due to two amazing technology opportunities that we bestowed upon the Tenth Judicial District in the form of a virtual web site called Wiki and web cams.”  She adds that “better communication within promotes better service to our public.”  On behalf of the Nebraska Supreme Court Awards Committee, we congratulate the Tenth Judicial District Magistrates as the 2009 recipient of the Innovation Award.  In addition to a lunch with the Supreme Court Chief Justice and the State Court Administrator, the Tenth Judicial District Magistrates will share a $750 cash award.  

Outstanding Team Award recognizes exemplary performance by a team in any judicial office in the Nebraska Judicial System. 

Nebraska Probation Officer Safety Trainers – Omaha Metro Area Team. (Members are Darci Poland, Ryan Mahnke, Tammy Peterson, Eric Theisen, Abby Kossow, Cortney Dail, DaVann Hallman, Julie McKinney, and Kyle Estes.)  They were nominated by Mary Visek, Chief Deputy Probation Officer of Probation District Four.  In her nomination letter, Chief Deputy Visek writes, “These officer safety trainers were trained at the Grand Island Law Enforcement Training Academy, then prepared, scheduled and facilitated training at the Omaha Police and Fire training facility for all area staff (about 175 people).  After the training sessions were completed, the trainers then evaluated their process and assessed results from participants' surveys.  This was a huge undertaking, and required hours of time in addition to their regular duties.  The trainers accommodated differences in employee job duties, physical abilities and levels of experience.  The quality of training, according to participants, was the best safety training that has ever been provided.”  On behalf of the Nebraska Supreme Court Awards Committee, we congratulate the Nebraska Probation Officer Safety Trainers – Omaha Metro Area Team as the 2009 recipient of the Innovation Award.  In addition to a lunch with the Supreme Court Chief Justice and the State Probation Administrator, the team will share a $1000 cash award.  

Employee of the Year Award recognizes one employee for his or her performance, professionalism, loyalty and other accomplishments that exemplify the values and professional standards of the Judicial Branch in his or her daily work. 

Jan Culver, Deputy Clerk of the Supreme Court/Court of Appeals Clerk’s Office.  Jan was nominated by Lanet Asmussen of the Supreme Court, who stated in her nomination letter, “Jan exhibits the characteristics and skills of an outstanding employee each day she comes to work.  She is punctual, loyal, and devoted to her work and the court system.  Her interaction with the rest of the staff is positive and she helps keep morale high while performing her assigned supervisory duties.  Jan treats her fellow professionals and public equally.  All are shown courtesy and respect.  The patience and understanding she exhibits when dealing with stressful situations is something all should strive to achieve.”  On behalf of the Nebraska Supreme Court Awards Committee, we congratulate Jan Culver as the 2009 recipient of the Employee of the Year Award.  In addition to a lunch with the Supreme Court Chief Justice and the State Court Administrator, Jan will receive a $500 cash award.    

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