Parks Salutes Its Employees Of The Month

Photo by Malcolm Pinckney

Meghan Lalor is the Commissioner’s Employee of the Month for March.
Meghan started at Parks in 2007 as a correspondence writer in the Commissioner’s Office. After establishing herself as a strategic thinker and effective communicator with the public, she was hired as a Junior Press Officer in 2008 and promoted to her current position, Senior Press Officer, in 2009. Currently, Megan oversees all press for Brooklyn. She is the lead researcher, writer, and photo editor for all of the Commissioner's major presentations, including “NYC’s Sustainable Parks for the 21st Century,” which was presented at the Yale School of Architecture last month. She also oversees citywide press for Recreation, working daily with Assistant Commissioner Holder’s team to promote and inform the public about major public programs such as Learn to Swim, Swim for Life, Shape Up, and Walk NYC. She has also recently taken on the role as photo editor and Press liaison to New Media for our burgeoning Social Media outreach. Meghan is a creative leader with a great design sense for visual press, and for her work and contributions to Parks she has been nominated by Director of Public Affairs Vickie Karp.

Vivian Jett is the Public Programs Employee of the Month for March.
Vivian is a Recreation Director and has been with Parks since June 27, 1977. She became a recreation worker in 1980, a Recreation Specialist in 1990, and a Recreation Director in 2004. For the past 16 years Vivian has worked at Brownsville Recreation Center, developing an assortment and diversity of programming including Morning Basketball, Tai Chi, and Senior Water Aerobics. She also developed some of BRC’s most memorable special events such as Seniors International Day and Phenomenal Women’s Day, each attended by 200 people. Vivian manages all aspects of the Swim for Life program which is by far one of the best attended programs offered at BRC. Vivian’s outreach to local schools has resulted in more than 1,750 second graders having learned basic water safety skills at BRC alone. For her efforts, Vivian has been nominated by Chief of Brooklyn Recreation Leroy Temple, Deputy Chief of Brooklyn Recreation Jackie Brown, and Assistant Commissioner for Public Programs Annika Holder.

Partha Chandra is the Capital Projects Employee of the Month for March.
Partha is a Bronx Capital Budget Analyst and has been with Parks since February, 2007. Partha manages the Bronx team’s $127 million ten-year capital budget, reviews requests for all Bronx capital projects before submission to OMB and processes change orders and consultant work orders. Partha has tactfully managed the budgetary components of several high-profile complex projects, including 80 Croton mitigation projects and the entire Ferry Point Park Program (comprised of over 23 individual projects). Partha is a consummate professional who shows extraordinary dedication and commitment to his work through careful analysis. Over the past five years, Partha has emerged as a true leader amongst the capital budget staff and has quietly set an example for all to follow. For his efforts, he was nominated by Deputy Commissioner Therese Braddick and Director of Capital Budget Owen Davies.

Keith Cavaliere is an Operations Employee of the Month for February.
Keith is an Associate Park Service Worker and has been with Parks since March, 1997. Keith works at the Staten Island Garage where he operates the borough’s heavy duty equipment. Keith is a very skilled equipment operator and takes great pride in his work. He has been involved in numerous borough projects from clearing abandoned cars from undeveloped properties to removing an illegal cabin from Conference House Park Although there was a lack of snow this winter, Keith plays a key role in Winter Snow Operations and is a master of snow removal using the Front End Loader. For his enthusiasm and professionalism, he was nominated by First Deputy Commissioner Liam Kavanagh, Director of Conference House Park Bonnie Williams, Staten Island Garage PS 1 Jeff Asklof and Staten Island Deputy Chief of Operations Tom Russo.

Gustave M. Menocal is an Operations Employee of the Month for March.
Gustave or “Gus” is a Plumber at Queens Shops and has been with Parks since January, 2009. Gus is responsible for installing, repairing and troubleshooting plumbing systems at Parks facilities. Gus has distinguished himself as an outstanding employee not only for his technical expertise, but also his can-do attitude, and proactive approach to solving challenging (and often messy) problems. For example, last month while fixing a water main break in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Gus went above and beyond to design and install a long-term solution. With a great work ethic, Gus has earned the respect of fellow workers who look up to him as a leader in all aspects of work. Gus learned the trade from his father, also a plumber, while working for him during summers in high school. He became a Master Plumber at age 18 and has been in the industry since 1996. Gus is loyal and always keeps the best interest of Parks at heart and we are fortunate to have such an extraordinary tradesman. For his extraordinary work, Gus was nominated by Supervisor of Mechanics Greg Monaghan and First Deputy Commissioner Liam Kavanagh.

Ruben Rios is an Operations Employee of the Month for March.
Ruben is a Sergeant with the Urban Park Ranger Training Unit and has been with Parks since 1989. Since 2001 Sergeant Rios has been responsible for training and supervising PEP officers that are Job Training Participants (JTPs) in the Parks Opportunity Program (POP). Recently, Sgt. Rios has taken the lead in training our Work Experience Program trainees at the PEP Academy for work in Recreation centers and does an excellent job. In every interaction with both his staff and the public, Ruben always ensures that all parties are treated fairly and sets an example of customer service for all Parkies to follow. His training sessions are lively and he keeps his trainees engaged with his sense of humor. Outside of Parks, Sgt. Rios is a family man with a wife and two children. For his efforts, he was nominated by Brooklyn Deputy Chief of Operations Jeffrey Sigadel, Parks Security Service Captain Monifa Edmondson, and First Deputy Commissioner Liam Kavanagh.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“It is not enough to aim. You must hit.”

Italian Proverb

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