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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2022)
sNok signflz OCTOBER 1, 2022 9 Years of Service awards honor 77 employees By Danielle Harrison Smoke Signals assistant editor/staff writer Seventy-seven employees with a combined 1,186 years of service to the Grand Ronde Tribe were honored during the third quarter of 2022. In a change of pace, honorees and other Tribal employees enjoyed to-go boxed lunches on Thursday, Sept. 15, instead of gathering at uyxat Powwow Grounds for a cer- emony. “For this quarter’s employee recognition we have decided to change things up a little bit to give you a full afternoon off to thank you for your continued service,” Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez said in an all-employee e-mail. “We will no longer be asking employees to go to the powwow grounds for the third-quarter ser- vice awards.” Additionally, there were raffle prizes given out with the lunches that ranged from $50 to $500, as well as additional days off. Leading those honored in em- ployment longevity are GED Co- ordinator Tracy Biery, General Manager’s Office Administrative Assistant Barbara Branson, Bene- fits Specialist Barbara Steere and Staff Accountant Melanie Hubbard, who all reached the 32-year mark in working for the Tribe. Joining them in the three de- cades or more club were Higher Education Manager Bryan Langley and Chinuk Immersion Preschool Teacher Jeff Mercier, who each notched 31 years of service, and Finance Officer Chris Leno, who reached 30 years of service. In the quarter-century or more club were Assistant Tribal Attor- ney Kim D’Aquila and Cultural Advisor Bobby Mercier, who both reached 26 years, Tribal Attorney Rob Greene at 28 years and Social Services Administrative Assistant Tammy Garrison with 29 years of service. Achieving 20 or more years of service were Cook Kevin Camp- bell and Firefighter-EMT Jennifer Colton with 20 years, Security Department Supervisor Roel Her- nandez, Purchase/Referred Care Health Care Payment Specialist Erica Mercier and Chachalu Man- Photo by Timothy J. Gonzalez Benefit & Risk Manager Tammy Gould hands a boxed lunch to Spirit Mountain Community Fund Program Coordinator Angela Schlappie during the drive- thru Employee Recognition event held outside the Community Center on Thursday, Sept. 15. The event honored 77 employees hired during the third quarter who have worked for the Grand Ronde Tribe five years or longer. ager Travis Stewart with 21 years while Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coordinator Matthew Bucknell and Facilities Manager Tyson Mercier hit 22 years of service. Procurement Supervisor Kevin Mueller and Cul- tural Resources Specialist Chris- topher Bailey reached 23 years. Family Services Assistant Elaine Lane Raven, Dental Hygienist Sheila Blacketer and Swing Shift Supervisor Ben Bishop reached the 24-year mark. Third-quarter award recipients were hired between July and Sep- tember. Employees received certificates and bonus checks in appreciation of their increasing tenure with the Tribe. In addition, those reaching the 10-year mark received a Tribal Pendleton blanket or an extra $100 in their bonus check. Other employees honored during the third quarter included: 19 years: Benefits Specialist Peggy Carpenter, Community Fund Program Coordinator Angela Schlappie and Nutrition Program Manager Kristy Criss-Lawson. 18 years: Health Information Technician Stephanie Simmons, Member Services Program Man- ager Shannon Simi, Finance Ex- ecutive Assistant Ken Trevino and Employment Specialist Brandy Hembree. 17 years: Health Information Technician Leanna Norwood and Housekeeper Susan Sabey. 15 years: Central Phones Recep- tionist Scarlett Holtz, Information Services Program Manager Alec Palanuk-Mercier, Smoke Signals Editor Dean Rhodes and Preschool Bus Driver/Aide Jennifer Jerabek. 13 years: Mail Room/Printing Clerk Anna White, Senior Help Desk Technician Spencer Olson and Maintenance Supervisor An- drew Freeman. 12 years: Maintenance Techni- cian Jason Bailey, TERO Admin- istrative Assistant Lori Sterling, Budget Manager Veronica Monta- no, Maintenance Technician Gary LaChance Jr., Early Childhood Education Department Manager Angie Blackwell, Housing Main- tenance Technician Michael Lane, Young Child Wellness Community Coordinator Keri Kimsey and Adult and Family Services Supervisor Amber Zimbrick. 11 years: Vocational Rehabilita- tion Trainee Amber Yates, Medical Technologist Staci Pemble, Family Support Services Specialist Joanna Brisbois, Maintenance Technician Daniel Mooney and Legal Secretary Susan June. 10 years: Child and Family Ser- vices Caseworker Tara Summers, Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez, 477 Employment and Training Specialist Angey Rideout, Senior Telecommunications Ad- ministrator Mark Scheelar, Parks and Recreation Specialist Jerry Bailey and Social Services Secre- tary Darla Patterson. 9 years: Cultural Education Co- ordinator Jordan Mercier. 8 years: Health & Wellness Clin- ic Medical Director Lance Loberg and Food Sustainability Program Assistant Patricia LeClaire. 7 years: Housekeeper Jonathan Baker, Help Desk Administrator Braden Ebensteiner, Lead Chem- ical Dependency Counselor Joe Martineau, Help Desk Technician Nathan Hoff, Employment Coor- dinator Shylo Williams and Tribal Police Officer Tokata Tehama. 6 years: Infant/Toddler Site Co- ordinator Star Weatherall and Staff Attorney Brooks Wakeland. 5 years: Health Information Technician Norma Reed, House- keeper Dorene Gillespie, Pharmacy Director Lincoln Wright, Dental Assistant Sam King, Pharmacist Timothy Wood, Security Officer Eugene Pribble, Smoke Signals As- sistant Editor/Staff Writer Danielle Harrison and Forestry Technician Nicholas Larsen.
