Mayor to Present June 2023 Award of Excellence

Published on August 14, 2023

Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird today will present the Mayor’s Award of Excellence for June 2023 to City Controller Melinda Jones of the Finance Department. The award will be presented at 3 p.m. at the beginning of the City Council meeting at the County-City Building, 555 S. 10th Street. The awards recognize City employees who consistently provide exemplary service and work that demonstrates personal commitment to Lincoln.

Jones was nominated by Gae Miller, Finance Department Accounting Supervisor, in the category of productivity for her work to lead an extensive and intricate software conversion. In her nomination, Miller wrote that Jones consistently worked to ensure everyone involved remained motivated and informed of project progress.

“This was a hectic, sometimes overwhelming transition,” Miller wrote. “Her (Jones) efforts and motivation helped her team want to go above and beyond, to be ready with confidence and knowledge to help our contacts out in the field.”

The other categories in which employees can be nominated are safety, loss prevention, customer service, and valor. Consideration also may be given to nominations that demonstrate self-initiated accomplishments or those completed outside of the nominee’s job description. All City employees are eligible for the award except for elected and appointed officials. 

Individuals or teams can be nominated by supervisors, peers, subordinates, and the public.  Nomination forms are available at lincoln.ne.gov/awardofexcellence or from department heads, employee bulletin boards or the Human Resources Department, which oversees the awards program.

All nominations are considered by the Mayor’s Award of Excellence Committee, which includes a representative with each union and a non-union representative appointed by the Mayor. Award winners receive a $50 gift certificate, a day off with pay and a certificate. All monthly winners and nominees are eligible to receive the annual award, which comes with a $250 gift certificate, two days off with pay and a plaque.