Missouri government thanked its employees Thursday for their continued dedication to public service with the annual State Employee Recognition Day ceremony on the Capitol's south lawn.
Several thousand people attended the event, which was part of the State Employee Recognition Week celebration.
This year's theme was "State Employees -Missouri's Pride."
"State employees work every day to preserve public safety and the health of our citizens," Commissioner of Administration Doug Nelson said in a news release. "They encourage economic development, build and maintain our highways, schools and other infrastructure, protect citizens' rights, help educate our children, and handle a host of other essential duties entrusted to them."
Nine Missouri state employees are receiving the annual Missouri State Employee Awards of Distinction, in various categories.
They include:
• Heroism - Highway Patrol Troopers Joseph Palmer, Brooks Pratt and Jeffry Leathers, honored for demonstrating exceptional judgment or courage in a potentially serious situation outside the scope of the workplace, or in a situation far above and beyond the duties and responsibilities of their positions.
• Human Relations - Jennifer Cook of the Social Services department's Family Support Division, for outstanding contributions toward enhancing the quality and morale of the workplace, or creating a better public image of state government.
• Innovative Suggestion of the Year - Jeff Hoffman, Social Services department's Family Support Division, for submitting a suggestion, via the state worker suggestion system, that best exemplifies how the ideas of state employees can serve to initiate and/or establish a new method, practice, plan, or design which provides an "added value" to state government, or creatively solves a unique problem.
• Leadership - Roy Niemeyer, Transportation department's Northeast District, and Paul Sanders, Social Services department's Family Support Division, for exemplifying and promoting outstanding leadership qualities and behaviors.
• Public Service - Patrick Hedges, Health and Senior Services department's Division of Senior and Disability Services, for outstanding dedication to the advancement of state service which enhances the quality of life to residents that is far and above the employee's normal job requirements.
• Safety - Christopher Doran, Conservation department's Protection Division, for creating and/or using innovative initiatives or approaches to protect and ensure the health and safety of state workers or customers.