PowerPoint Presentation

Customer Service Award

Winners

2023

Angela oversees the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests for the

Department of Buildings. Angela was chosen for her stellar customer

service skills while interacting with individuals from private, corporate and

citizens.

Angela White

Department of Buildings

As an Assistant Examiner at the Manhattan Citywide Testing Center, Donet

administers all exam events for candidates seeking employment or

promotions. Some of her duties include processing applicants, answering

candidates' questions and providing instruction regarding testing process.

Donet is a professional in all aspect of her work. She is extremely

knowledgeable and provides customer service to each candidate with love!

Donet goes above and beyond to assist customers. Her colleagues consider

her to be a very patient and caring colleague. Donet is often recognized by

customers for providing exemplary service.

Donet Irving-Pryce

Department of Citywide Administrative Services

Cynthia Chaplin

Department of Correction

In an effort to recognize the Department of Correction members of staff for

their hard work and dedication, the Health Affairs Division, under the

purview of Deputy Commissioner James Saunders nominates the Americans

with Disabilities (ADA) team for all of their effortless commitment to the

persons in custody. The ADA team consists of three (3) members of staff

working primarily within the facilities. They are responsible for ensuring

compliance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act as it relates to

equality and non-discrimination against individuals within DOC's custody

who have disabilities of either a physical or mental nature.

Duties of the team include the following:

• Ensure disability policies, practices, and procedures are implemented

and enforced

• Handle disability-related complaints and reasonable accommodation

requests

• Visit persons in custody with disabilities

• Serve as a resource for DOC staff who have questions or concerns

regarding ADA-related issues

• Maintain an ADA database of persons in custody with disabilities to

ensure they are provided appropriate access

• Ensure staff are provided adequate information and training

Jean Townes

Department of Finance

Ms. Jean Townes is a Processing Specialist for the Parking Tax Exemption

Unit and Customer Service representative for the City Pay-by-Phone

Program. She handles all aspects of the Manhattan Parking Tax Exemption

Program, including customer inquiries via email and 311 transfer, and

provides direct customer service, walking taxpayers through the process of

making property tax payments.

Every week, DOF receives customer accolades for Jean. She truly enjoys

speaking with NYC taxpayers and her care, kindness, and professionalism

shines through. Jean is particularly fond aiding the senior population. One

senior called the City Pay-by-Phone line extremely nervous about getting

her property taxes paid. Jean patiently and calmly allayed her fears and

walked her through every step of the process. The woman cried tears of joy,

thanking Jean repeatedly for her patience, gentleness, and understanding.

This customer has subsequently called Jean many times to get help with the

process and tells Jean that she “feels her wonderful vibes and smile over the

phone all the time.” This is only one of many customers whom Jean has

helped.

Jean consistently shows sensitivity and compassion while shepherding NYC

taxpayers through what can be an intimidating process. She is a gem.

Eugene Massey

Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Eugene Massey’s role as Community Research Program Coordinator for the Air

Quality and Climate Health Programs in the Bureau of Environmental

Surveillance and Policy (BESP) included development of two networks of

community-based organizations (CBOs) during FY23. The Houses of Worship

(HOW) Heat Safety Initiative brought together faith-based organizations to train

and support them in responding to extreme heat events with their

congregants. The Climate Resilience Action Network (CRAN) is a new initiative

to bring community voices into DOHMH's climate health work from the onset

rather than at the conclusion of research, program and policy development

processes. Eugene led recruitment of organizations and creation of materials

and outreach for both networks and continues to act as CRAN coordinator.

Eugene demonstrates the standards of Respect, Trust, Empathy and

Accountability in their work through their clear enthusiasm for implementing

these networks in ways that meet the community where they are, optimizing the

benefits to participating community-and faith-based organizations. They

respect the time of the often over-burdened staff of our partners, making every

attempt to lessen the administrative load on them in order to encourage the

CBO's participation. In very practical customer service, Eugene has provided

hours of support to participating organizations in registering with the city and

invoicing for the deliverables on their projects, filling a significant gap in

VIPS/PIPS City system of reimbursement and providing actionable feedback

through DOHMH administration. Another example of their dedication was

Eugene's decision to visit each of the CBOs involved in CRAN at their offices to

get a better understanding of their work and community. Eugene also has

challenged the epidemiologists in BESP to identify opportunities for the CBOs

to have truly meaningful input to their work, thereby laying a solid foundation

for the long-term success of CRAN.

Jeanne Battista

Department of Parks and Recreation

Jeanne works in district operations. She keeps supervisors informed, follows

up on work orders, and follows through on task completion to ensure

borough office needs are met. She also helps POP workers with various

tasks like setting up their direct deposit.

Jeanne has a great rapport with the community. They all stop in and say

hello, most of them with their dogs. She keeps treats at the ready and a dog

bowl for water when they arrive after a long walk with their master around

Willow Brook Park trails and lake (Staten Island). Jeanne has been a

dedicated Parks employee for over 39 years!

Eleanor Prince

Department of Records and Information Services

The Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) nominates

Eleanor Prince, Grant Unit Supervisor, for the 2023 Customer Service Award.

Not all DORIS “customers” are members of the public; the agency also

provides service to other city agencies. Eleanor Prince has served as the

Grant Unit Supervisor since May 2018. The Grant Unit is responsible for

administering $1 million annually in grant funds awarded by the New York

State Archives to New York City mayoral agencies to improve their records

management programs. The funding has been critical in helping agencies

modernize their records programs. As Supervisor of the Unit, Eleanor

Prince helps agencies identify records-related problems and propose

solutions. Ms. Prince assists mayoral agencies in preparing grant

applications to Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund

(LGRMIF) administered by the New York State Archives. She conducts

research, advises on compliance with mandated programs, edits, and

submits the final proposals. She acts as liaison with the LGRMIF staff in

Albany and provides guidance and assistance to agencies once they have

been notified of a grant award. Eleanor’s excellent work has brought more

than $5 million to the City during her tenure as Supervisor of the program.

In addition to her important work for the Grant Unit, Eleanor regularly

volunteers her time at an Asylum Seeker Respite Center operated by NYC

DOHMH. Eleanor has also volunteered to participate in the DOHMH-

sponsored Post Emergency Canvassing Operation (PECO) program. Eleanor

Prince is a valued member of the DORIS team and is a worthy recipient of

the Customer Service Award.

Pamela St. Francis

Fire Department of New York City

Pamela (Pam) Francis launched and manages the first Customer Service

Desk for the FDNY. The Customer Service Desk serves the 5 Boroughs of

NYC and the FDNY Bureau of Fire Prevention as well as FDNY Operations.

She strived for customer service excellence during the first year of

operation resulting in the Mayoral nomination for a Customer Service

Award. Pam is also the main point of contact between FDNY, DOB, 311,

HPD, and FDNY operations to name a few.

Pam provides instructions, maintenance and problem solving as necessary

to ensure optimal efficiency within the Customer Services Center (CSC). She

reviews the organizational functions and utilizes staff as necessary to devise

and ensure appropriate logistical controls. Lastly, she directs the daily front

end operations of the CSC, manages the CSC regarding assigned special

projects in coordination with field operations, Fire Prevention Units and

other NYC public safety agencies.

Lisa Spezio is a personnel representative. She handles the onboarding of

new hires and transfers from various divisions at the Law Department. She

also handles hiring pools and offboarding of staff. Her in-depth knowledge

of the civil service rules and regulations makes her a real asset to our

agency.

Lisa Spezio is a professional and dedicated personnel representative at the

NYC the Law Department. She consistently demonstrates the values that the

Law Department challenges its employees to embody. Her dedication to

understanding the unique needs of our agency and all the divisions see

oversees is amazing. The scope of her knowledge allows us to more easily

understand and navigate the often-complicated Civil Service rules. She

shows a deep respect for the confidential nature of her work and is ready to

teach those of us who are unfamiliar with the Civil Service rules and

regulations the correct paths to follow or pitfalls of which to be mindful.

Lisa creates a supportive work environment which encourages

communication between divisions and Human Resources which is key to

any successful relationship.

Lisa makes the onboarding process for new hires and transfers easy for all

divisions assigned to her. Her knowledge of conducting hiring pools is also

a plus for the agency. Lisa’s attitude is professional, but real. Her positivity is

impossible to overlook (and is truly admirable giving the crushing amount

of work that she has on her plate). She never rushes a conversation or

ignores a question. She is always very professional and courteous.

Lisa L. Spezio

Law Department

As Operations Manager, Jonelle coordinates staff orientations and technology platform

support office wide. She is also responsible for reporting and keeping leadership

informed via meetings and memos, the educational “lunch and learns” as well as team

building initiatives.

Jonelle is a dedicated public servant with an unwavering commitment to public service.

She has been an asset to the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice

(MOCEJ) and has been part of the city’s resiliency efforts post Superstorm Sandy. Over

the past year there have been many changes in the office and Jonelle has handled all of

them with grace and professionalism, making sure team needs are met. With a relatively

new staff team, Jonelle makes sure everyone on staff feels welcome and supported from

their very first day on the job. Jonelle consistently goes above and beyond to support the

policy teams with anything they may need. Despite the high-pressure work environment,

Jonelle is always stepping up, without being asked, to handle complex tasks and provide

guidance to everyone with courtesy and empathy. Jonelle’s initiative and leadership

skills are beyond comparison.

Jonelle is an unsung hero in the office and her often behind the scenes hard work

enables the office to deliver for New Yorkers on climate and environmental justice. No

matter the task, Jonelle can always be counted on to follow through, and we are lucky to

have her represent the City and MOCEJ.

Jonelle Hooper

Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice

Delicia Asencio (Dely) is the office manager for NYC Media, but her daily tasks and duties

unwaveringly extend to supporting four out of the five divisions within the Mayor’s Office of Media

and Entertainment (MOME.) She approaches her responsibilities with enthusiasm and a dedication

that truly exemplifies the essence of teamwork and collaboration within our agency. One of Dely's

most remarkable attributes is her outstanding customer service skills, which are highly appreciated by

not only her colleagues, but executives alike.

Her role goes beyond internal support as she takes on the pivotal responsibility of responding to

public inquiries on behalf of NYC Media. This includes addressing inquiries submitted through 311,

where she consistently provides accurate and concise information about the intricate operations of

MOME. Furthermore, Dely manages three distinct email accounts that serve as crucial communication

channels for the public to submit their questions, suggestions, comments, disapproval, and inquiries.

She handles these communications with exceptional professionalism, care, and attention to detail,

ensuring that each inquiry is routed to the appropriate division within MOME.

Her comprehensive responses and commitment to addressing the public's concerns fully reflect her

dedication to enhancing the experience of every New Yorker she serves.

One of the greatest achievements of Dely Asencio's tenure is her consistent track record of excellence

in customer service. She embodies the values of our agency and the City itself by representing New

York City with dignity, respect, and a wealth of institutional knowledge accrued over her 30+ years of

dedicated service with the City. Dely Asencio’s dedication, passion, and professionalism make her a

deserving candidate for the Excellence in Customer Service award and we, her colleagues, are proud

to work alongside her.

Delicia (Dely) Asencio

Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment

Karl is part of the Street Condition Observation Unit (SCOUT) and is an

inspector for the Customer Observation Research Experience (CORE.)

Karl Brown has 15+ years of city service, eight with DOT (Department of

Transportation) as a HIQA Inspector and six at the Mayor Office’s SCOUT

program where he, along with a team of field inspectors, conduct regular

assessments of commonly report “quality of life” conditions throughout the

boroughs. Karl’s experience at DOT and SCOUT over the years has played a

huge role within the CORE program where SCOUT inspectors make

unannounced visits to 250+ agency walk in facilities reporting on physical

conditions, customer wait time and Language Access. Karl takes a

meticulous approach to reporting conditions and consistently maintains a

high level of detail to projects.

Karl Brown

Mayor’s Office of Operations

Rebekah is a Content Analyst who maintains and curates content in the 311

system. She is responsible for the strategic design of content architecture.

Aside from Rebekah's day-to-day content management work, she is also the

point of contact for a bulk of overlapping, at times months-long, project

work requiring content analysis. This includes Mobile App Redesign,

Production Support Releases and the Service Request (SR) Messaging

project.

Rebekah overhauled the 311 Mobile App content to set standardized

language, while taking into consideration feedback from Customer

Experience and User Interface teams. This enables a more consistent 311

Mobile customer experience. Rebekah supports multi-channel, production

support releases impacting multiple city agencies, including a major release

for Dept of Consumer and Worker Protection. A new initiative was

launched and led by Deputy Mayor Banks, Mayor's Office of Operations,

Chief Efficiency Office and OTI to improve 311's customer experience by

improving 311 SR resolution descriptions. The intent is to make them more

customer friendly and accurately describe the steps agencies take to serve

New Yorkers. Agencies could not begin this effort without having baseline

spreadsheets of their existing SR resolutions. Rebekah worked for weeks

with multiple iterations of data and multiple data sources to sort hundreds

of SR problem types in a way that simplified the starting point for the 13

Mayoral Agencies impacted.

Rebekah Rose

NYC311

Ruby is responsible for ensuring the timely and efficient processing of

personnel actions consisting of the onboarding of discretionary placements,

many in very high volume. These staff are the front-line employees that

provide direct service to our residents, as well as the numerous other

support staff across various functional departments.

Ruby exemplifies “customer service.” Simply put, she puts the “Human” in

Human Resources, as she understands and puts into action the fact that

behind every number and every personnel action there is a person. A

human being, who is affected by the transaction and whose livelihood

depends in some way large or small on the action to be handled timely and

accurately and with respect. Ruby cares. She puts in the extra hours and

effort to ensure that items move through the process and are not

bottlenecked. She troubleshoots problem cases and pays attention to

details, because large or small, they all matter. At the same time, she fully

embraces the NYCHA mission: “To provide quality housing for New Yorkers

that is sustainable, inclusive and safe, while fostering opportunities for

economic mobility.” Ruby ensures that all candidates are carefully and

properly screened, and is respectful of rights so that the best quality talent

that can be sourced, is hired by NYCHA and placed where needed most.

Ruby is approachable and friendly, which complements her high

competence.

Our team, and indeed all of NYCHA, its employees and its residents, benefit

daily by the fine work done by Ruby.

Ruby Davis

New York City Housing Authority

Police Officer Familia is the Community Affairs Bureau Disability Liaison and

trains members of the NYPD on how to engage the deaf community.

Officer Familia works in the Community Affairs Bureau where he is the

bridge between the deaf community and the NYPD.

Officer Familia was essential in creating an internship program this summer;

at NYPD for deaf young people to work with police officers. His mother and

father are both deaf. His first language is “sign language.” Officer Familia

had to learn how to speak English- everyone thought he was deaf. He

approaches his job with an energy and enthusiasm which makes you think

that everyday is his first day on the job, but he employs wisdom when

needed which also makes you think he is a veteran.

Angel Familia

New York Police Department

Mediating Establishment and Neighborhood Disputes (MEND) was launched as a partnership

between OATH and the Office of Nightlife in the summer of 2020. Maggie took on the role of

Intake Specialist and has been an integral part of MENDs success since day one. MEND is a

citywide initiative that provides free and voluntary mediation and conflict resolution services for

quality of life issues that impact neighborhoods and businesses. Many MEND disputes center

around noise/sound, loitering outside of establishments, outdoor dining, lights, littering, and

more. Since its inception, MEND has serviced 850 inquiries and Maggie is the first point of

contact for each inquiry. Maggie explains the MEND program by email and by phone to each

party. If she receives an interest in mediation from the initiating party, she then reaches out to the

second party to inform them that a neighbor or a business would like to mediate with them.

Once she receives consent from both parties to the program, she sends that referral to the Center

for Creative Conflict Resolution for a mediation session. There have been 76 mediations sent

over to the Center to date, each one of them directly because of Maggie’s contact with the

parties. Beginning in 2021, MEND began taking interns and externs to support the program.

Maggie has been the point of contact for the intake process and has been their go-to support for

instruction and troubleshooting. She has overseen the work of 3 interns to date and is

responsible for their success and the program’s ability to expand.

Maggie’s customer service traits are exemplary. She treats each person with respect, kindness,

courtesy, and empathy. Each person that she speaks with is someone in conflict, who needs

support to help address issues that are negatively impacting their quality of life. Maggie is the

face of the MEND program; she is the person whose professionalism and credibility is why the

parties say “yes” to mediation and move forward with the process. With each person, neighbor or

business, Maggie offers them understanding, patience, and information about the mediation

process. Maggie is timely with her responses, which is even more important because oftentimes

Maggie is the first human being these people have encountered that can directly help their

situation. The MEND program would simply not exist without Maggie’s critical work. Her

organization, professionalism, kindness, and integrity for her work is what makes her excellent in

customer service.

Migdalia (Maggie) Nieves

Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings

Nicholas Schultz is the Deputy Director of Forensic Investigations. He

oversees the Medicolegal Investigation and Communications Units in the

Forensic Investigations Dept. Since joining the OCME in 2015, Nicholas

Schultz has been an instrumental voice and leader in improving the OCME’s

customer experience.

Overseeing critical 24/7 operations, Deputy Director Schultz works long

hours and consistently goes above and beyond, without hesitation, to

ensure that families, external partners, colleagues, and the public are

provided the answers they needed in a prompt, professional and dignified

manner. His dedication and commitment to service is evident through his

exemplary work and we are lucky to have him serving the City of New York.

Nicholas Schultz

Office of the City Medical Examiner

Captain Devon Williams has proudly served the City of New York for over 17 years, exemplifying

professionalism and an enthusiasm to always exceed expectations. As the Captain of Training for the

Safety and Emissions division within the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission, he has undertaken the

overwhelming task of managing the division’s training requirements, pilot programs and new

inspection criteria implementation. Captain Devon Williams is assigned to oversee the SHL Pilot

process at S&E from its inception. He trained staff in all aspects of inspection, including identifying the

specific vehicles; inspecting; and the new process of applying specialized decals. He has provided

feedback to senior staff about the process and improvements implemented such as using different

tools and methods to apply the decals. He worked hand in hand with the Automated Inspection

System (AIS) vendor during the testing period and his work was beneficial in getting the process up

and running even when the IT systems had not yet been in place. He is patient, understanding and

able to communicate exceptionally with staff, the AIS vendor and senior management. When the SHL

Pilot cars came for inspection, he treated the licensees with respect and courteousness. He

meticulously explained the process to the licensees, especially the last stage when the decal was

applied, which for some was concerning. Based on his experience and interactions, he realized that

many of the questions asked which were already answered on the TLC website particularly the FAQs.

He created a document with a QR code that linked to the FAQs. He gave that sheet and posted it by

the inspection waiting and intake areas so licensees can use their mobile device to access the FAQs.

This either provided the answers for the licensees or was a guide to reference as he provided

explanation. If a licensee’s preferred language wasn’t English, he would bring an inspector who was

fluent or utilized tools for translation. He also worked with staff for knowledge transfer to ensure that

they would provide the same level of expertise and empathy to the licensees.

Captain Williams provides excellent customer service both to internal and external stakeholders. His

exceptional customer service allows him to demonstrate and train staff so that Safety and Emissions

provides the best possible customer experience. His talent and emphasis on excellence and

timeliness continues to enhance the operations at the Safety and Emissions facility. He is a

representation of the dedication of the civil servants’ pledge to serve the public with respect and

quality work.

Devon Williams

Taxi and Limousine Commission

Administration for Children's Services

Cross-Agency Family Support Team

This cross-agency team, comprised of three units, goes above and beyond

the call of duty each and every day to provide concrete supports to families

and children.

Whether it’s delivering exceptional customer service and teamwork needed

to process thousands of childcare vouchers and enrollments each week;

fulfil service requests to ACS’ borough offices, detention centers or

Children’s Center; or provide youth with new suits, dresses, shoes, bikes,

books, computers, baby formula - even turkeys at Thanksgiving for families-

this team consistently ensures that children and families have a little more

hope and positivity in their lives.

We salute this group of public servants dedicated to supporting children

and families when they need it the most.

Team members:

Adeniyi Alabi

Jason Crouthers

Norman Duffy

Sonia Galarza

Frank Hasfal

Selena Hamilton

Cassandra Hendricks

Erica Layne

Pateena Long

Sandra Marcelino

Ronald Massiah

Jennifer Mena

Charles Newton

Tyrone Peters

Arnesha Porter

Joanna Querrard

Denisse Robles

Oscar Rojas

Bonnie Sanders

Over the past year, the BIC Violations Unit has worked to

implement a more efficient process through numerous system

improvements, greater internal communication, and increased

outreach to resolve outstanding matters.

The unit has prioritized communication to ensure clear

information is provided when the public has questions about

BIC rules. They interface with the public daily on the process of

settling their violations, scheduling/rescheduling hearing dates,

answering questions, and ensuring companies come into

compliance with BIC requirements and avoid future penalties.

The Violations Unit has demonstrated outstanding customer

service skills through their interactions with the public by

improved internal communication and their commitment to

becoming a cohesive team.

Business Integrity Commission

Violations Unit

Team members:

Marisol Almonte-Almanzar

Celena L. Ditchev

Rachel Montanez-Reyna

Denisse Ovalle

The Office of IT has consistently demonstrated exceptional customer

service by promptly addressing technical issue and providing effective

solutions to all employees.

Their dedication to resolving problems with a positive and helpful

attitude has significantly improved overall productivity and efficiency

within the agency. Moreover, their commitment to providing on-going

training and support has empowered employees and has not gone

unnoticed throughout the agency.

City Commission on Human Rights

Office of Information Technology

Team members:

Yelena Bezugly

Anthony Castro

Christopher Gomez

Evelyn Cuautle Suarez

Carlos Taveras

Department of Design and Construction

Humanitarian Emergency Relief and Respite Centers

During a period of unprecedented need, these team members

have risen above and beyond their everyday roles here at DDC to

spearhead and guide the development of facilities dedicated to

bettering the conditions that Asylum Seekers in the City of New

York face.

They have delivered short-term solutions in the form of tent

accommodations and longer-term purpose-built shelter facilities

that have required expedited design and delivery. This task has

required unprecedented coordination of designers, builders,

DOB, FDNY, H+H, and HPD along with in some instances private

landlords to deliver these facilities in a period of months.

It has meant days, nights, and weekends answering calls and

emails, early morning site visits, shepherding consultants and

landlords through government protocol and procedures,

negotiating inspections and walk-throughs, and countless

coordination meetings. All done without giving up on their

normal responsibilities here at DDC.

Team members:

Austen Ariniello

Joseph Castaneda

John Coppola

James Hancock

Kristina Kessler

Frank Kugler

Mandy LeBoeuf

Elizabeth Lowery

Fatima Murillo

Kenia Peralta

Wasmiya Tan

Department of Buildings

Crane and Parking Garage Collapse Responders

DOB’s Emergency Response and Cranes and Derricks inspectorial staff

responded to both the crane collapse and parking garage collapse. in 2023.

During both incidents, the team provided prompt, professional, technical.

skills and knowledge on site.

Team members:

Temidayo Adegboyega

Xhevdet Celo

Frank Cosimano

Frank Ddamiani

Marco Frias

Nyasha Gambrell

Ignazio Giacalone

Joseph Guirgis

Irving Haynes

Ramsarran Hoobraj

Mourad Houmita

Leslie James

Pashk Kalaba

Philip Ng

Marcus Peacock

Noel Powell

Jay Rubinstein

Randolph Scott

Kuang Shih

Zoey Tham

NSD’s Director of Compliance, Wing Tat Tsui “Danny” is dedicated to

resolving detainee complaints quickly and thoroughly among his other

duties. Danny resolves any disconnects by investigating and producing

permanent solutions for the prevention of recurring detainee 311 calls.

Geevarughese Mathews works expeditiously towards remedies whenever he

launches any of his various investigations. Mohammed Bhuiyan skillfully

detects which process or procedure has somehow gone wrong and makes

the appropriate recommendations to responsible staff member for cure.

These three individuals make everyday life better, safer for the detainees, and

staff alike, by protection, prevention, and being vigilante while performing

their roles at the Department of Correction, Nutritional Services Division.

Department of Correction

Nutritional Service Division

Team members:

Mohammed Bhuiyan

Geevarughese Matthews

Wing Tat Tsui

Department of Environmental Protection

Bureau of Water and Sewer Operations – Field Operations Queens Repair Crew

This crew laid down approximately 233 feet of new 8” diameter ductile iron

pipe along Dumont between Emerald and Amber streets to better drain the

two intersections that chronically flooded. They completed the storm sewer

extensions in the Jewel Street neighborhood. The residents in this

neighborhood had been suffering from chronic flooding during rainstorms.

A targeted investment by the City has increased drainage capacity and

helps to better manage stormwater. New storm sewers and catch basins at

problematic intersections identified by the community and DEP engineers

have significantly reduced chronic flooding caused by the area’s low

elevation, which creates a bowl that collects rainwater. As DEP continues to

work on long-term solutions, these short-term quick fixes have provided

much-needed immediate relief.

Team members:

Neron Banks

Sean Cochrane

Christopher Cruckshank

Miguel Garcia Tzul

Efthinios Georgeiou

Francesco Gioffre

Christian Paredes

Jorch Torres

Diego Velez

Harold Weidmeyer

Barrington G. Wendell

Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Office of Vital Record Services (OVRS) - Front Facing Customer Service Staff

The Bureau of Vital Statistics Office of Vital Records Services provides in person

customer support to New Yorkers who request a NYC birth or death certificate or

who need to make changes to these records. Customers use these certificates to

obtain essential services, such as housing, employment, health insurance, a driver’s

license and enrolling a child in school. Amendments to birth certificates include

name changes, adding a parent, adoptions and changing the gender marker.

These documents are necessary to obtain key services and fundamental to

ensuring health and equity. The OVRS customer service team assists more than

100,000 New Yorkers every year with their in-person requests. Every day, staff

embody and implement the agency’s core customer service principles of respect,

trust, empathy and accountability. As an essential service, staff ensure that the

customer lobbies are staffed and open during challenges such as blizzards,

rainstorms, and they maintained in person support for the NYC public throughout

darkest days of COVID. Staff are driven by their desire to help customers. They

provide courteous service, troubleshoot issues and patiently explain agency

requirements in ways that help customers understand what documents are needed

to complete a request. Customers often share their appreciation, via email and in

person. Some even send pictures of themselves proudly holding their birth

certificate after a life affirming event, such as changing their gender, seeing their

pre-adoption birth certificate for the first time, or making their family vacation after

obtaining an emergency appointment for their birth certificate.

As a customer recently emailed, “I had a wonderful experience there with my birth

certificate appointment. Ms. Liang was very helpful and patient with me and others.

Supervisor Ms. Broomes was extremely helpful as well as patient in showing me

how to fill out my application. I am very pleased and greatly appreciative of the

service they provided. Thank you, they made my day.”

Team members:

Jeanette Broomes

Joe Cordero

Tisha Brown-Daniels

Tanyelle Farrison

Bria Glen

Katherine Lee

Lucy Liang

Anita Martinez

Melanie McDonald

Genaea Miller

Mervyn Miller

Mickie Mitchell

Esther Moreno

Amril Ogiste

Pranshanta O’Neal

Diana Quiñones

John Rudy

Ian Simmons

Lillian White

Lee Wilks

Department of Finance

Office of The Taxpayer Advocate & Parking Summons Advocate

The Office of the Taxpayer Advocate (OTA) and Parking Summons Advocate (OPSA) have

joined to provide quality customer service and help New York City taxpayers resolve their NYC

tax issues with the Department of Finance. OTA case advocates provide hands on assistance

with property and business tax problems after taxpayers have tried to resolve their issues on

their own. Additionally, the rent freeze ombudspersons provide assistance and guidance to

older and disabled NYC renters who wish to receive or maintain their Rent Freeze benefits. By

solving cases brought to the office by the public, OTA identifies systemic issues affecting New

Yorkers and recommends policy changes to the Department of Finance. Similarly, parking

summons advocates assist motorists and members of the public with parking and camera

violation issues and complaints that cannot be resolved through normal Department of

Finance channels. Parking summons advocates guide motorists through the parking summons

adjudications process, educate the public on parking regulations, and serve as an

intermediary between the public and government agencies in the parking summons process.

From their in-person and virtual assistance, parking summons advocates identify and help

solve systemic issues impacting New York City motorists.

Case advocates provide immediate customer service with taxpayers who call our office and to

taxpayers who attend outreach events across the city. Additionally, parking summons

advocate provide in-person support every day in Department of Finance business centers

across all five boroughs, no appointment needed, as well as virtual assistance to motorists who

are unable to visit advocates in person. Across both teams, advocates provide problem-

solving services with professionalism and the highest level of customer service in property and

business tax, rent freeze, and parking summons issues.

Team members:

Abraham Buls

Erjon Ceco

Jung Hwan Choi

Edwin Elias

Alex Kolodka

Tara Kreiger

Alfonso Lopez

Inie Park

Grace Perry

Anthony Tse

Seung Hoo “Mike” Yon

Team Members:

Alaibi Abel Omar Barrios Nia Belfon Maria Cruz

Elvis De La Rosa Barbara Elie-Anderson Pilar Peralta-Guzman Cheryl L. Johnson

Angela Lumpkin Rodney Mitchell Eric Miu Cassandra Payne

Joan Renesca Deanna Spencer Cynthia Sweeney Alejandra George-Warren

Steven Waters

The Safety Education & Outreach Team works hard under the Vision Zero Program to

address the leading cause of serious injury and death: dangerous driver choices. This is

the cause or contributing factor in 70 percent of collisions. The SEO Team conducts Safety

Education & Outreach throughout the five boroughs of New York City targeting school

children in all grades from K -12 in all public and charter schools. They oversee the

Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program which target drivers who disobey traffic lights and

school zones driving limit laws. In addition, they have an outreach team that conducts

daily outreach to older adults at senior centers across the city. Their Outreach Team works

daily in the field talking to all New Yorkers across the city about the choices of drivers and

sharing the road, working directly with deliveristas to educate on fire safety and what legal

to ride in NYC. The team also conducts helmet fittings and bike light giveaways in all five

boroughs. They provide important safety education to students at NYC public and

independent schools. They have staff of experienced educators that will lead a class in

learning, discussion, and hands-on activities, giving students the confidence and

knowledge to get around safely. They conduct education in all five borough of New York

City targeting students in high-risk communities. In addition to the above, they conduct

parent workshops in schools and health care facilities and senior workshops to older

adults in senior centers across the city.

This group deserves recognition as they encounter New Yorkers every day. We must have

patience and be able to conduct ourselves with professionalism even when confronted by

the public. This group deals with many Children, Older Adults, drivers and Cyclists/

Deliveristas and diverse groups daily. This can be challenging work talking with people.

All staff get bombarded with all types of questions regarding DOT related issues and bike

related information.

Department of Transportation

Safety Education and Outreach

Department of Parks and Recreation

The Parks Enforcement Patrol Honor Guard Unit

The Team attends sporting events, award ceremonies, parades, and

funerals, among others. They represent, not only the Urban Park

Service, but also Parks as a whole. Their origin dates back to 1990 and

they are called upon for many internal and external events.

Since October 2021, the unit and Bronx Parks Enforcement Patrol took

over the gravesite visits on Hart Island. Families who board the

Cosgrove ferry twice a month are greeted by the team and escorted to

their loved one's grave. Graves are plotted by the Honor Guard unit

prior to the visits to ensure the team knows where the families

scheduled should be taken upon arrival to the island.

Sadly, the team lost one of their beloved members - Sgt. Mariano De

Los Santos in June 2023, a nominee for the Excellence in Customer

Service Awards. The Honor Guard was involved in all aspects of his

funeral and came together to honor their coworker and friend.

Team members:

Jasmine Brooks

Washington Cardenas

Oscar Marrero

Johnpaul Rivera

Domingo Sanchez

Mariano De Los Santos

Jessica Torres

Department of Transportation

Safety Education & Outreach

The Safety Education & Outreach Team works hard under the Vision Zero Program

to address the leading cause of serious injury and death: dangerous driver choices.

This is the cause or contributing factor in 70 percent of collisions. The SEO Team

conducts Safety Education & Outreach throughout the five boroughs of New York

City targeting school children in all grades from K -12 in all public and charter

schools. They oversee the Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program which target

drivers who disobey traffic lights and school zones driving limit laws. In addition,

they have an outreach team that conducts daily outreach to older adults at senior

centers across the city. Their Outreach Team works daily in the field talking to all

New Yorkers across the city about the choices of drivers and sharing the road,

working directly with deliveristas to educate on fire safety and what legal to ride in

NYC. The team also conducts helmet fittings and bike light giveaways in all five

boroughs. They provide important safety education to students at NYC public and

independent schools. They have staff of experienced educators that will lead a

class in learning, discussion, and hands-on activities, giving students the

confidence and knowledge to get around safely. They conduct education in all five

borough of New York City targeting students in high-risk communities. In addition

to the above, they conduct parent workshops in schools and health care facilities

and senior workshops to older adults in senior centers across the city.

This group deserves recognition as they encounter New Yorkers every day. We

must have patience and be able to conduct ourselves with professionalism even

when confronted by the public. This group deals with many Children, Older Adults,

drivers and Cyclists/ Deliveristas and diverse groups daily. This can be challenging

work talking with people. All staff get bombarded with all types of questions

regarding DOT related issues and bike related information.

Team members:

Alaibi Abel

Omar Barrios

Nia Belfon

Elvis De La Rosa

Barbara Elie-Anderson

Alejandra George-Warren

Pilar Peralta-Guzman

Cheryl L. Johnson

Angela Lumpkin

Rodney Mitchell

Eric Miu

Cassandra Payne

Joan Renesca

Deanna Spencer

Cynthia Sweeney

Steven Waters

Department of Veterans Services

Constituents Service Team

The Constituents Service Team, fulfills the mission by providing New

York City's Veterans with essential services and programs focused on

pivotal areas such as economic empowerment, housing security,

benefits, health and wellness, and culture.

DVS wholeheartedly endorses the Constituent Service Team for the

2023 Annual Excellence in Customer Service Award. This

recommendation is due to one of their standout qualities, the ability to

connect with people—some might even call their superpower. They

excel at transforming the lives of Veterans, guiding them from

potential victimhood to a triumphant stance against unexpected

obstacles. Their commitment to reshaping narratives aligns seamlessly

with the Agency's hands-on approach to enhancing the lives of New

York City’s Veterans and their families.

Team members:

Horng Chou

John Fowler

Jessica Jackson

Hon. Patti L. Jacobs

Joseph Liss

Sabine Phineus

Donee’ Smalls

Tanya Thomas

Stephen Turney

Every day our CAU Constituent Service team takes on constituents from all over

the city whether its by email, telephone calls, walk ins, or referred from City Hall.

The team puts care, concern, and understanding in handling each case

professionally and in a timely manner. Not only does the team have constituent

cases addressed by related municipalities, it also compiled a database on

resources that can efficiently assist the constituents appropriately in resolving

their issues.

Mayor’s Office Community Affairs Unit

Constituent Service Team

Team members:

Yvette Bermudez

Malcolm McDaniel

Charmaine Parrish

Simone Zito

The Legal Unit of MOME plays an indispensable role in the organization, providing

comprehensive legal and support services to all five divisions. Their responsibilities are

vast and encompass drafting contracts, processing Freedom of Information Law (FOIL)

requests, ensuring the legal compliance of our television and radio programs,

promoting legal adherence across our operations, offering counseling, preparing vital

reports, and providing answers to a wide array of legal inquiries.

Their expertise is the cornerstone upon which we build our partnerships and

collaborations with external partners, ensuring that every contract they draft is legally

accurate and aligned with the City's goals. Their meticulous handling of FOIL requests

promotes transparency and accountability, reinforcing the City's commitment to open

governance. What sets the Legal Unit apart is not only their expertise but also their

remarkable friendliness and supportiveness. Colleagues and stakeholders alike have

repeatedly commented on the approachability and willingness of these attorneys to

offer guidance and counsel. Their warm demeanor fosters a positive work environment

and embodies the ethos of customer service excellence.

The Legal Unit of MOME exemplifies dedication, commitment, and professionalism in

their service to the City of New York. Their contributions are invaluable, ensuring that

MOME operates seamlessly and remains in compliance with the law. I wholeheartedly

endorse their nomination for the Excellence in Customer Service award, and I believe

that their unwavering commitment to New York City deserves to be celebrated.

The legal unit goes out of their way to help staff solve legal and business problems.

Because our agency operates on a 24/7 schedule, they often must work very quickly to

make sure the programs can be broadcast on the City's radio and TV stations, and they

have other time-sensitive work. The legal unit exudes positivity and a "we can get it

done" attitude, while also balancing their duty to make sure we comply with the law.

They explain law in plain language to make it relatively easy for our clients to

understand. They approach many projects as a supportive partner.

Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment

The Legal Unit

Team members:

Jonathan Ling

Stanislav Skarbo

Chisom Ananaba

Jake Dore

311 Tech Services team assists in the management of 311 Call Center technical

services, risk management and systems analysis for 24/7 contact operations

across multiple contact center channels. They coordinate tasks with multiple IT

and business teams and serve as 311 environment/business subject matter

experts for review, prioritization and resolution of technical changes and incidents

including, but not limited to, software and hardware deployment, upgrade,

implementation, and quality control. The 311 Tech Services team also reviews

technical documentation and business requirements to support new technology

projects and initiatives for call center modernization.

Although the 311 Tech Services team is scheduled during business hours, they

make themselves available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for

planned or unplanned outages/maintenance, in which call center operations

requires additional support. This allows Operations to focus on customer needs

while the team handles change and incident management. For Citywide remote

work allowances, the team equips and trains 311 support staff, and provides in-

person support as needed. This allows for a more personal, customized, and

efficient approach to address the different remote site needs for each person.

To improve quality control standards, the team increased 311 IVR QA weekly

testing coverage by 80% resulting in proactively finding NLU IVR discrepancies

and improving 311 phone channel customer experience. The team leverages OTI

partnerships to serve as unofficial liaisons between the OTI IT world, and 311

business to work towards satisfactory outcomes for both parties. Examples

include managing new security processes, Service Desk ticket mediation and

request and incident escalations.

NYC311

311 Technical Services Team

Team members:

Chee Liang

Anthony DeMagistris

Gerald Shaw

New York City Housing Authority

Pest Management Exclusion Team

The Pest Management Exclusion team is responsible for the eradication of

rodent infestation at NYCHA developments. The team is charged with

closing off entry points on basements of NYCHA developments, grounds

and surrounding areas throughout the five boroughs.

The NYCHA Pest Management Exclusion Team is dedicated to the health

and safety of NYCHA residents. So much so that when they are trying to

eradicate the rodents, they do not use pesticides. Moreover, they also work

with residents to get them to understand the importance of various things

that they can do to prevent rodent infestations on their own.

Team members:

Rodney Brown

David Clark

Kevin Farrel

Hamza Abdul Karim

Richard Lane

Ilebor Lucky

Steven Glover

Bertel Matthews

Dolis Selby

Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings

Reaching the People

Starting in 2015, several OATH Divisions took on the additional responsibility of

creating outreach programs and public events to help educate the public and

increase awareness of OATH's services and its role in NYC government. In doing so,

the team would be helping to promote access to justice for NYC businesses and

residents in all five boroughs no matter their income or background. Each month

(and sometimes each week), OATH staff are in the field meeting with New Yorkers to

help them understand how they can approach OATH if they receive a civil summons.

Today, the team has expanded to include members of different OATH units to

maximize the services provided to the public. This program also developed from the

passage of the Criminal Justice Reform Act. It is the first outreach program for an

Administrative Law Court in the country.

OATH’s outreach team reaches the people in neighborhoods across the city so they

can meet New Yorkers where they are. The team brings information that is easy to

understand and is translated into multiple languages. More importantly, the team

engages one-on-one with individuals and businesses to explain OATH and to help

them navigate city processes. When people have more complex issues, the outreach

team follows-up and connects people with staff who can assist further.

Lastly, it is a multi-disciplinary effort that pulls on skills from across the agency,

including support from our Legislative Affairs staff, our Public Affairs staff, our Help

Center, our Clerk’s Office, our Facilities staff, our Data Analysis, and IT staff, and more.

Everyone that participates serves the public with knowledge and professionalism.

Team members:

Rachel Amar

Prabal Bhowmick

John Castelli

Brian Connell

Joseph Hughes

LaMarque Marc

Maria Marchiano

James Moore

Ashford Morgan

Issah Musah

Michael Ragolia

Chris Schmidt

Marisa Senigo

Mavis Szeto

Peter Tumminelli

Mohammad Jamal Uddin

Donni Villaruel

Jean C. Wesh

Melody Williams

Andrew Zammitto

Mark Zhuravsky

Office of Chief Medical Examiner

The Forensic Pathology Coordinators

The Forensic Pathology Coordinators (FPC) work tirelessly in the service

of both external and internal customers. They are on our front line of

communication with members of the community and support multiple

departments with their efforts.

The FPCs work tirelessly in the service of both external and internal

customers. They are constantly on the phone with family members,

health care providers, and other members of the community, answering

questions and relaying information. Their efforts support various

departments throughout the agency, managing office supplies, mortuary

inventory, and medical record requests. They are OCME’s liaisons with

numerous government agencies, including the Administration for

Children’s Services and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Team members:

Victoria Andre

Trishita DeySarkar

Christopher Gomez

Mishah Jahangir

Natalie Medders

Haley Moore

Fransheska Oliveras-Perez

Nicole Romero