NEW ORLEANS – The Bureau of Governmental Research (BGR) Excellence in Government Awards 2020 honorees will be featured in a one-hour broadcast on WYES-TV airing at 8:30 p.m. Sept. 18 and at 10 a.m. Sept. 20.
Created by BGR in 1994, Excellence in Government is a biennial program that honors dedicated public employees and private citizens who have significantly improved government in the New Orleans area. BGR selects the honorees from nominations submitted by citizens throughout the community. BGR announced the selection of the honorees earlier this month.
“We are pleased to present the BGR Excellence in Government Awards program in a televised format for the first time,” said Amy L. Glovinsky, BGR president and CEO. “We are thankful to WYES-TV and event sponsor Canal Barge Company Inc. for making possible a community-wide broadcast that will shine a light on extraordinary public employees and private citizens who actively work for efficient and effective government. This televised event is a first for BGR and an exciting evolution of our awards program. We are excited to unveil this new Excellence in Government tradition.”
Program viewers will learn about the honorees and the accomplishments that led to their selection. In a series of interviews, honorees will discuss their work as individuals or members of a team to improve local government. They will talk about challenges they faced and what it took to overcome them. In addition, the program includes interviews with representatives of BGR, who will discuss the history and purpose of the Excellence in Government program.
By category, the BGR Excellence in Government Awards 2020 honorees are:
- Merit, recognizing outstanding performance by public sector employees:
- A team of City of New Orleans employees including John Pourciau, Monika Gerhart, Liana Elliott, Art Walton, Tara Richard, Josh Zuckerman, Beau Tidwell, Ray Bolling, Sunni LeBeouf, Jonathan Harris, Joshua Cox and Deborah Vivien.
- A team of Jefferson Parish Juvenile Services employees including Roy L. Juncker, Jr., Joan Ruiz, Matt Villio, Colleen Conley, Lashaunda Thomas, Luis Bustamante, Trista Duplessis and Erin Ronquille.
- John White, Former Louisiana Superintendent of Education.
- Innovation, recognizing public sector employees who have used innovative solutions to address pressing problems:
- Patty Glaser, CEO/Head of School for Kenner Discovery Health Sciences Academy and Dr. John Ochsner Discovery Health Sciences Academy.
- Lifetime Achievement, recognizing sustained performance over a career in public service:
- Cynthia “Cindy” Connick, CEO, New Orleans Building Corporation.
- Ernest Gethers, Director of Business Services, City of New Orleans Office of Economic Development (retired).
- Citizenship, recognizing a private citizen who has worked to improve the quality of government:
- Melanie Bronfin, Early Childhood Care and Education Advocate and Founder, Louisiana Policy Institute for Children.
