NEW ORLEANS – Winners of the 59th Annual Charles E. Dunbar, Jr., Career Service Award, were announced today by Daniel E. Sullivan, Executive Vice President of the Louisiana Civil Service League.
This award is presented by the Louisiana Civil Service League and is named for the founder of the League and co-author of the original Civil Service Law in Louisiana.
NOPD Deputy Superintendent Paul Noel is one of this year’s honorees.
The honor is presented to employees in a classified merit system who have distinguished themselves by service over and above the call of duty.
Chairman of this year’s judging committee is Mrs. Kay Hoffpauir, of Baton Rouge.
Additional judges, who are 2017 former Dunbar Award winners, include:
- Amy Hernandez – Zachary
- J. Ruth Kennedy – Hammond
- Carol Ledoux – Rayne
- Michael Varnado – Zachary
- Lesha C. Woods, CGFM – Baton Rouge
The annual luncheon will be held on Thursday, Jan. 25 at noon, at the Double Tree Hotel by Hilton New Orleans.
Over 800 state and local classified civil service employees have been honored with this prestigious award for their distinguished service since its inception in 1958.
The 12 2017 honorees (in alphabetical order) are:
- Nannette Alford – of Bogalusa, Human Resources Supervisor, B. B. “Sixty” Rayburn Correctional Center, La. Department of Public Safety and Corrections.
- Karrel Lane Ardoin – of Baton Rouge, Deputy General Counsel, Department of Family Services.
- Roland J. Babin – of St. Martinville, Engineer Tech 7, La. Department of Transportation and Development.
- Kathy J. Baker – of Pride, HR Program Consultant Specialist, Baton Rouge Information and Testing Office, La. State Civil Service.
- Eli Jackson – of Baker, Master Locksmith, LSU Residential Life.
- Dr. Sylvia Callier Melancon – of Baton Rouge, Program Manager 1A, Office of Citizens with Developmental Disabilities, LA Department of Health
- Paul M. Noel – of New Orleans, Deputy Superintendent, New Orleans Police Department.
- Chantilly Reddmann – of Baton Rouge, Agriculture Meat Program Coordinator, Office of Animal Health and Food Safety, La. Department of Agriculture and Forestry.
- Verdie Richburg – of Metairie, Assistant Director, Jefferson Parish Library.
- William (Bill) Roberts – of Ville Platte, District II Manager, State Parks, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.
- Milton Schleismann – of LaPlace Agricultural & Environmental Specialist Manager, La. Department of Agriculture and Forestry.
- Lillian C. Smith – of Alexandria. DCFS Regional Administrator, DSFS / Child Welfare.
There are 12 Honorable Mentions that will also be cited this year, because of the closeness of their scores to the winners.
Certificates of Merit will be presented by Brandy Bolton to the following:
- Pamela Bentivegna – of Hammond, Administrative Assistant 4, Enrollment Management, Southeastern Louisiana University.
- Bradley R Brandt – of Prairieville, Director of Aviation, Office of Multimodal Commerce, La. Department of Transportation and Development.
- Dena Ginn – of Haughton, Regional Administrator, La. Department of Agriculture and Forestry.
- Richard Harbor – of Baton Rouge, Accountant Manager 3, La. Department of Transportation and Development.
- Shanda R. Jones – of Baton Rouge, Accountant Administrator 3, La Secretary of State.
- Brenda Lebeau-Jones – of New Orleans, Principal Office Support Specialist, New Orleans Recreation Development Commission.
- John Montagnino – of Baton Rouge, Training and Development Specialist 3, Education & Training / Eastern LA Mental Health System / LDH.
- Vincent Noil – of Ponchatoula, Farm Assistant II, LSU AgCenter, Hammond Research Station.
- Darlene M. Regan – of Iota, Administrative Program Specialist A, LSU AgCenter – Southwest Region.
- Faye Ritchie – of St. Francisville, Administrative Coordinator 3, West Feliciana Parish, LSU AgCenter.
- Viacheslav “Slava” Sereda – of Baton Rouge, Information Technology Director 2, Ethics Administration Program, La. Department of Civil Service.
- Jere Townsend – of Greenwell Springs, Administrative Program Specialist A, School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences, LSU AgCenter.
