The Governor’s Denali Peak Performance Award annually recognizes and rewards individuals and teams for excellence in service to the citizens of Alaska and to the State of Alaska Executive Branch. The awards are intended as acknowledgment of service that goes well beyond the norm and demonstrates a unique or significant contribution to the agency’s mission, goals, and objectives.
While DPA clearly rocks, nomination of an entire Division is outside of the scope of the Denali Awards. This year DPA staff submitted 12 nominations that included just over 100 nominees. With about 20% of our co-workers nominated, DPA has been well represented.
In the end, the Department only forwards 3 nominations in each category for consideration by the Office of the Governor. Division Directors are tasked with identifying one nomination in each category for the Commissioner’s consideration. Given the caliber of our co-workers and teams, this can be a very challenging assignment. In the end, the decision rests largely on the narrative explaining the reason for the nomination. It must describe the nature of the nominees’ service and how that service clearly rises above the nominees’ normal duties and responsibilities. Even in an agency like DPA, where excellence is the norm, the reason for the nomination has to be particularly compelling in order for it to be forwarded to the Governor’s Office by the Commissioner.
The Governor’s Office is expected to announce the Denali Peak Performance Award finalists in the coming weeks and I want to thank everyone who recognized the contribution of their coworkers and to congratulate all of you who were nominated! This year the individuals and teams nominated for the Denali Peak Performance Award by category are:
Individual Co-Worker Recognition
Jennifer Leffew
Tom Bybee
Dean Rogers
Team Customer Service Excellence
Mat-Su Pend Q&A Team
Long-Term Care
Individual Exceptional Performance
Susan Lash
Team Exceptional Performance
Mat-Su Maintenance Interview Team
Staff Development and Training
Northern Regional Office
Quality Assessment Unit
Leadership
Bob Rose
Mildred Twitchell