At the Mayor and City Council meeting on Monday, July 3, 2023, Custodian/Maintenance Worker Maria (Chilo) Membreno and the Opioid Abatement Team will be recognized with EmployeeRecognition Awards for the first quarter of calendar year 2023.
Made up of peers from each department, Gaithersburg’s Employee Recognition Committee (ERC) reviews nominations for individuals and teams on a quarterly basis. Each individual and team has been nominated by their peers based on criteria reflecting the City’s five values under the strategic plan – accountability, caring, excellence, integrity, and teamwork, or “ACE IT!.” These winners are then eligible for the annual Employee and Team of the Year Awards.
Maria (Chilo) Membreno, Kentlands Mansion Custodian/Maintenance Worker with the Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture, was named Employee of the First Quarter for effectively serving as the heart of the Mansion in many ways. Chilo is usually the first person to greet those entering the building, making sure the Mansion is well maintained and spotless, and making sure everyone has what they need. She has served for 28 years, loves her job and shares that with everyone who works at or visits Kentlands Mansion.
The Opioid Abatement Team, comprised of Maureen Herndon, Mary Armbruster, and Jimmy Frazier-Bey (Community Services); Tim (Smitty) Smith, Jennyfer Lazo and Maura Dinwiddie (Parks, Recreation, and Culture); Janice Hartman, Penny Crawley and Nate Bassett (Finance and Administration); Cpl. Dan Lane (Police) and Erick Perla and Lynn Board (City Attorney’s Office), was named Team of the First Quarter.
The team was nominated for its work in establishing an Opioid Abatement Fund, implementing education, prevention and treatment programs to combat opioid addiction in the community, and working together to evaluate programs and to connect with community partners to effectively leverage fund expenditures.
The Opioid Abatement Team was created in the fall of 2022 after national opioid litigation settlements provided funds for programs to the City. With limited turnaround time, the Team collaborated with Montgomery County Goes Purple, the Montgomery County Department of Health, and Montgomery County Public Schools to bring Tony Hoffman, a dynamic speaker who was a former BMX racer, U.S. Olympic Coach and person in long term recovery, to speak at City-served middle and high schools on teen mental health and substance abuse issues. Hoffman was also the featured speaker at the March 8 parent and community talk focused on Opioid prevention. The Team also arranged for speakers on Opioid prevention at the City Youth Summit on March 15, which was hosted by the City’s Youth Services Division and the Gaithersburg Youth Opportunities Coalition.
These programs reached thousands of City youth and received extremely positive feedback from school principals. The Team’s collaborative work allowed for brainstorming ideas that turned into programming and contracts approved in record speed, providing education and prevention training to City youth.
Per the City of Gaithersburg