Employee of the Year

On this webpage:

  • Veronica Prince, Deputy City Clerk, 2021 Employee of the Year
  • Joe Carter, Emergency Manager, 2020 Employee of the Year
  • Nominations Open for 2022 Employee of the Year

Veronica Prince is the 2021 Employee of the Year

Deputy City Clerk Veronica Prince is the 2021 City Employee of the Year. The community-led Employee Review Board selected Prince for implementing open meeting procedures and best practices that allowed City Council, boards, and commissions to operate during the pandemic.

Prince was selected for going above and beyond her job description by coordinating and tracking over 500 City virtual board and commission meetings to comply with state law and ensuring boards and commissions work was accessible to the community.

Prince is the main point of contact for staff liaisons to the City's 21 advisory boards and commissions. During the pandemic, she provided training every time laws changed regarding open meetings. She ensured meeting notices, agendas, materials, and videos were posted for the public. After each meeting, she also posted videos and relevant documents for each meeting to a public access portal. Through it all, Prince provided ongoing support to staff liaisons and worked directly with board and commission members to help them understand open meeting laws and purpose.

Her nomination essay reads, in part, “The additional training and interaction precipitated by the pandemic allowed Veronica to emphasize, with staff and volunteers alike, the importance for our democracy that government proceedings remain transparent and easy for the public to access. Veronica performed this additional work (training, monitoring and posting, keeping track of 500+ meeting videos and agenda materials, and answering daily questions about open meetings) while continuing to excel at her regular duties. Veronica is the backup for all City Clerk duties, including FOIA coordination, records management, and legislative administration."

The community-led Employee Review Board selects an Employee of the Year each year from nominations submitted by City employees and citizens. The other nominees this year were Matt Brown (Public Works) and Joe Carter (Emergency Management).

Employee of the Year Veronica Prince

Joe Carter is the 2020 Employee of the Year

Emergency Manager Joe Carter is the 2020 City Employee of the Year. The community-led Employee Review Board selected Carter for leading the City's response to the pandemic.

Carter exhibited extraordinary leadership, ingenuity, and dedication in planning, preparing, and responding to an emergency that changed the posture of the City’s business and public service communities. The pandemic forced the community to reinvent its way of life and realign its priorities, and Carter was considered the “tip of the spear” in the City’s response.

The nomination reads, in part, “Throughout the pandemic, Joe demonstrated selfless leadership and exceptional courage, putting others’ well-being first to serve and support the City community. He approaches each day with grit, compassion, and grace - and it’s his persistent grace that truly left City employees and residents feeling safe, informed, and empowered by his service. He has never wavered from his mission in keeping the lives and livelihood of City residents and employees healthy and safe.”

The community-led Employee Review Board selects an Employee of the Year each year from nominations submitted by City employees and citizens. The other 2020 nominees were Akida Rouzi (Community Planning and Economic Development) and Steve Helfer (Community Planning and Economic Development). 

Employee of the Year Joe Carter

About the Award

The “Employee of the Year” Award was established in 1987 to grant recognition to a City employee for accomplishments of outstanding worth in advancing and improving public service in the City of Falls Church General Government.

Accomplishments that are eligible for consideration will vary widely in form and substance due to the many different jobs City Employees perform. They will be evaluated against criteria that examine gains achieved, overall impact of the accomplishment, and the environment in which the achievement took place. The recipient receives a cash award.

Eligibility

Eligibility for the award is open to all permanent full or part-time employees in the City’s personnel system and employees of Constitutional offices, provided the initial probationary period has successfully concluded. Appointed officials, elected officials, and department directors are not eligible.

Criteria 

The criteria used in judging are:

  1. The achievement on which the nomination is based must have occurred between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022
  2. There should be evidence of direct identification of the employee with the achievement.
  3. Evidence presented will be evaluated for the extent to which it shows the worth of the accomplishment in terms of results received. Relevant evidence, for example, might be higher employee morale, more effective operations, lower costs, leadership in departmental or community activities, exceptional contributions to the department’s goals or the goals of the City as a whole, performance of assigned tasks in such an exemplary manner as to set a record of achievement, or acts of heroism beyond the call of duty.
  4. The evidence presented must show in detail how the achievement was either a remarkable or unusual performance of the nominee’s assigned duties or above and beyond normally assigned duties. A copy of the nominee’s position description may be obtained by calling Human Resources at 703-248-5128 (TTY 711).

Who May Submit a Nomination

  • Any City employee of the City government
  • Individuals who live in the City
  • Civic organizations or groups
  • Business and professional groups

Nominations may not be submitted by a member of the immediate family of the nominee or the nominee themselves.

Nomination Process

  1. Complete the pages 3 and 4 of this PDF
  2. Gather photos, articles, or any other supporting documentation (optional but encouraged). If you would like the materials returned, please make a note of it.
  3. Submit the complete package by 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 28, 2022:
    • In-person or via mail: Human Resources, 300 Park Ave., Falls Church, VA, 22046 
    • Email Shari Davidson (Human Resources), sdavidson@fallschurchva.gov

Previous Employee of the Year Winners

YearWinnerDepartment
2021Veronica PrinceCity Clerk's Office
2020Joe CarterEmergency Management
2019Jeremy EdwardsDepartment of Public Works
2018Carly AubreyPlanning Department
2017Ibby AcostaFinance Department
2016Joe DowlingPublic Works
2015Missy ElliottPolice Department
2014Megan GrahamCourt Services
2013Leslyn BarrowHousing and Human Services
2012Cary FrostickMary Riley Styles Public Library
2011Susan RichterHousing and Human Services
2010Kathy AllanEnvironmental Services
2009Rachel KindellAurora House
2008Ed LancasterPolice Department
2007Marshall WebsterMary Riley Styles Public Library
2006Beverly ReichHuman Resources
2005Debralee WoodburyRecreation and Parks
2004Jill Anne SpencePlanning Department
2003Dan EllisPolice Department
2002Ali KhanEnvironmental Services
2001Deborah TaylorRegistrar
2000Butch GoffRecreation and Parks
1999Linda WeikleRecreation and Parks
1998Danny SchlittRecreation and Parks
1997Robert GoffEnvironmental Services
1996Dagmar McGillMary Riley Styles Public Library
1995Donna AhartAurora House
1994Debra GeePlanning Department
1993Bruce TaylorPolice Department
1992Ralph LewisEnvironmental Services
1991Annette MillsEnvironmental Services
1990Melodie BaronHousing and Human Services
1989Sue SpikerCity Attorney's Office
1989Lieutenant Greg KingPolice Department
1988Howard HermanRecreation and Parks
1987Robert CompherEnvironmental Services