Sloan Public Service Awards Honor Seven NYC Employees
(June 1, 2016, New York, NY) The Fund for the City of New York (FCNY) today announced the recipients of the 2016 Sloan Public Service Awards, the leading independent honor for City employees given each year to those who have built long careers serving New Yorkers.
This year’s recipients—who have worked for the City for a combined 200 years—include longtime employees of the NYPD, MTA, Human Resources Administration, Department of Health and Hospitals, Department of Environmental Protection, and the Department for the Aging. The Sloan Awards were given out at each of the workplaces of the seven recipients Wednesday, and the day culminated with a celebration at The Great Hall at Cooper Union in front of friends, families, and colleagues.
“These seven individuals represent the best that New York City has to offer,” said FCNY President Mary McCormick. “From protecting our streets or our water supply, to taking care of our city’s most neglected adults, these public servants have worked with extraordinary integrity and commitment for a combined two centuries. Their work may not always make headlines, but these are truly the unsung heroes of New York City.”
“Every year the Sloan Awards honor a new set of individuals who raise the bar for what it means to serve the public with integrity, and this year’s group certainly embodies that spirit,” said Dr. Paul L. Joskow, President of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “Once again we are amazed at the commitment and ingenuity that these civil servants have brought to our city. They are stewards of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s mission to use the forces of nature and society to create a better world for all.”
The 2016 recipients are:
Althea Buckner, Pharm.D. Director of Pharmacy, Gouverneur Health, New York City Health + Hospitals – Althea Buckner, the Director of Pharmacy at Gouverneur Health, is an invaluable resource for doctors and patients. For many of her 36 years at Metropolitan Hospital and Gouverneur, Ms. Buckner has made it a point to attend daily medical rounds and offer a pharmacist’s expertise. “Her ability to decipher and disseminate complex drug-related issues for all of us is simply tremendous,” says one doctor.
Alexandra (Sasha) Fishman, Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Budget and Fiscal Operations, New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA) – The genius of Sasha Fishman is the ability to manage DFTA’s budget of $300 million, which has 30 thirty different revenue streams and is largely contracted to 400 nonprofit agencies, with a profound understanding of the implications of every funding source for the programs nonprofit agencies provide for the elderly.
Deborah Holt-Knight, Deputy Commissioner, Adult Protective Services (APS), New York City Human Resources Administration – Each year, APS provides skilled case management to, and coordinates with many nonprofit and City agencies for the benefit of, approximately 10,000 vulnerable adults in their care. Deborah Holt-Knight started her 31 year career as a front-line caseworker and, as Deputy Commissioner, “…takes an extremely complex program and, with a committed APS team, moves it forward despite the challenges.”
George Menduiña, Chief Facilities Officer, Department of Buses, New York City Transit –George Menduiña began his career operating boilers; 39 years later, he manages the City’s 26 bus depots where 5,700 buses are refueled, maintained and returned to their routes for 2.5 million New Yorkers daily. Universally recognized as an innovator, President of NYC Transit Veronique Hakim notes, “George excels at finding creative solutions. He has his eye on what New York’s transportation systems will need 20 years from now.”
Paul Rush, Deputy Commissioner, Bureau of Water Supply, New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) –Trained as an engineer at West Point, Paul Rush and his team manage NYC’s water supply system, the largest municipal water system in the U.S. providing a billion gallons each day to over 9 million people. Now with DEP for 24 years, Mr. Rush has led the Bureau with watershed conservation and technological innovations and has nurtured collaborative, productive and respectful relationships with the upstate communities that surround the City’s reservoir system.
Detective Thomas Troppmann and Officer Edwin Rodriguez, Neighborhood Coordinating Officers, 34th Police Precinct, Manhattan, New York City Police Department – Detective Troppmann and Officer Rodriguez are transforming the perception and role of police in Washington Heights through a new NYPD initiative. As Neighborhood Coordinating Officers, Troppmann and Rodriguez work as problem-solvers and community guardians who know their neighborhood intimately and work closely with residents and businesses as integral community partners to address public safety issues.