These ten Traeger Award winners represent everything that’s good in local government.
Join ELGL in celebrating their accomplishments, and connect with them on Twitter and LinkedIn to learn from their expertise. ELGL and Zencity are proud to honor these ten leaders with a Traeger Award!
Martha Bennett
City Manager, City of Lake Oswego, Oregon
Three words to describe Martha: Leader. Open. Thoughtful
Why Martha is on the Traeger List: Martha is one of the best people I have met in local government. She recently accepted a new job and was really open about what it’s like to start as a leader in a new organization.
More kind words: Martha appeared on the GovLove podcast this year.
Stephanie Deitrick
Enterprise GIS Manager, CIty of Tempe, AZ
Three words to describe Stephanie : Thoughtful, passionate, honest
Why Stephanie is on the Traeger List: Stephanie has really emerged as a leader in bringing data-driven practices to the city, with an intense focus on making sure that these practices are executed thoughtfully and correctly – – and are not just a box to be checked off.
Tiphanie Galvez
Senior Administrative Specialist/Personnel, Cincinnati Police Department
Three words to describe Tiphanie: Accountability, Diversity, Professionalism
Why Tiphanie is on the Traeger List: Tiphanie has served the citizens and employees of the City of Cincinnati for 19 years. She began her career in the Police Communication Section taking 911 calls, dispatching patrol, and finaly supervising an entire shift. She transitioned to the Personnel section and there completed her Masters of Public Administration degree with a focus in Domestic Preparedness. In her role she assists officers and their familes with a multitude of Human Resource tasks. Aboce and beyond that role, she has worked diligently over the past several years to reawaken the CPD’s Peer Support Program which provides training to officers in wellness and mental health so that they may serve as a resource to the force in times of need. She not only brought this program back to life, she expanded it to include our Cincinnati Fire Department and local jurisdictions. She researched diligently to bring needed resources and training to the area’s first responders. She collaborated with a local mental health provider to create the Hope for Heroes program which focuses on PTSD and related issues in an atmosphere dedicated to first responders and military. It is the first time a program like this has been available to the area departments and many have already sought assistance from their counselors. Tiphanie spread the word on these programs by creating and publishing a Newsletter, which shares important information about wellness and provides resources. She is an ardent advocate for increased funding and attention to all matters of health and wellness and partners collaboratively with the Police and Fire Administrations and Unions to include all members, ideas, and needs. The work with Peer Support is 24/7 and Tiphanie is always available to answer the call and route those in need of a resource to the appropriate person so that everyone is aware that help is one call away. The culture in the first responder (police, fire, dispatcher) community is slowly starting to shift under Tiphanie’s leadership and many now see the availability of a confidential and professional resource as a benefit that had previously been lacking. She took on this project without being asked, as she strongly and passionately beleives in the subject matter. This work has reached far and wide in the greater Cincinnati community. First responders from the entire state now reach out to her for her resources and seek help from the professionals with whom she has culured relationships. She has also implemented a Civilian leadership program for the first time in the Cincinnati Police Department’s Civilian Leadership training series. This program seeks to develop civilian leaders in an environment that is often difficult to manage. The program recently completed its 5th session and is receiving high reviews. Tiphanie’s role in personnel reaches far beyond her excellence in streamlining and improving processes and assisting officers. She has personally taken the initiative to better her workplace, the community of first responders, and by extensioni the greater community as well.
More kind words: Tiphanie is more than deserving of this award. Her actions have created the opportunity for first responders to seek mental wellness while avoiding the stigma historically associated with asking for help. Tiphanie is working so hard to ensure that no one goes without the help they need and that our first responders are healthy and well.
Josh Sorin
Program Director, City Innovation, Centre for Public Impact
Three words to describe Josh: Inspiring, Supportive, Leader
Why Josh is on the Traeger List: Josh eats, sleeps, and breathes city innovation. He has an infectious passion for local government and is constantly challenging his team and networks to push their thinking on how bold we can be and how much impact we can have. As a leader, he creates a supportive environment for his team to grow. He is a champion for local government change makers everywhere and has big dreams for the future of government.
More kind words: A couple research initiatives he has spearheaded worth highlighting include the Future of Cities, and Failing Forward.
Julia Novak
President, The Novak Consulting Group
Three words to describe Julia: Tireless. Hard working. Passionate.
Why Julia is on the Traeger List: Julia is peerless in the local government profession, her expertise and passion are uncommon. She goes around the country providing her expertise and perspective to local governments, taking on tough projects and delicate situations with the goal of improving the organization she’s serving.
More kind words: Julia assisted the ELGL Board of Directors in a roles and strategy conversation as well as helping with the preparation for the Board Retreat.
Maggie Jones
Assistant Director, Community Development, Tarrant County
Three words to describe Maggie: Enthusiastic, optimistic, innovative
Why Maggie is on the Traeger List: Maggie brings an infectious energy to everything she does. She’s an effortless connector, bringing together people who share common interests and values to get stuff done. And perhaps most importantly, she consistently challenges the “that’s the way we’ve always done it” mantra – fighting for bold ideas and change to make a difference in her community.
Jenny Kosek
Communications Strategist, City of West Allis, WI
Three words to describe Jenny: Enthusiastic, Dedicated, Creative
Why Jenny is on the Traeger List: Jenny is a forward thinking individual who brings great perspective to local government. She isn’t afraid to try new approaches to old problems.
Rebecca Fleury
City Manager, City of Battle Creek
Three words to describe Rebecca: Dedicated, passionate, genuine.
Why Rebecca is on the Traeger List: The City of Battle Creek has a team of more than 500, and a City Commission of nine, and Rebecca is committed to meeting with every one of them regularly. She has attended staff meetings across the organization for several years, to give every teammate the opportunity to hear from her in person, ask questions, and offer feedback. She meets with each of our commissioners monthly, and provides them with weekly, detailed updates of her activities, and other important city updates. Rebecca engages with everyone, and is incredibly diplomatic and genuine in doing so. If a neighbor comes to City Hall and is angry about an issue, if she is available, she will meet with the person immediately, and I have heard some great conversations. Not everyone leaves satisfied, but all were heard. Rebecca is loyal to her team, listens to them, and trusts them to make decisions where possible. Rebecca is supportive of team participation in professional development opportunities, quick to celebrate team achievements, and regularly thanks and praises the team for the work they do. She is honest, in good times and challenging, and provides immense leadership to the organization and our community in a variety of ways.
More kind words: Rebecca is part of our Michigan Municipal League’s 16/50 Project to increase the number of women in local government leadership positions. Several of our own teammates have participated in the training offered through this program, and I am proud that our senior staff team is half women.
Christina Coniglio
Manager, Strategic Planning and Corporate Performance Measures, City of Vaughan, ON
Three words to describe Christina: exceptional, genuine, humble
Why Christina is on the Traeger List: Christina’s entry into local government occurred a little over four years ago when she joined the City of Vaughan, ON. A professional accountant with a green belt in Lean Six Sigma, Christina has a passion for process improvement and it shows! Christina currently serves as the city’s Manager of Strategic Planning and Corporate Performance Measures where she led the development of Vaughan Vision. Christina also designed and manages their strategic planning framework and leads the City’s corporate business plan process.
David Graham
Chief Innovation Officer, City of Carlsbad, CA
Three words to describe David: Innovative, change maker, unafraid
Why David is on the Traeger List: His five priorities included mobility, sustainability, government services, civic engagement and a connected economy. Likes change but has also said “Silo busting where you’re sort of shaking things up in this CIO role an interesting approach is looking at this silos understanding their value and I would say creating windows, doors and doormats between them”