Angela Taylor-Colston (Community Services Board)
"Angela Taylor-Colston is the Accounts Payable Accounting Supervisor for the Norfolk Community Services Board. Her daily tasks may consist of generating reports, approving accounts payable documents, and liaising with City Finance and other departments, however, her leadership skills transcend her role as a supervisor. She consistently goes above and beyond to support and mentor her team, assuming additional roles and responsibilities when necessary, including taking a share of our team members' tasks to ensure we do not fall behind when someone is out.
Her hard work and dedication is evidenced by coming in early, working after hours, and her relentless pursuit of learning, which has truly made her a "Jill of all trades." Angela's leadership style provides a positive and collaborative atmosphere. Her warm spirit and generosity make her a pleasure to work with and to work for.
Her supportive and motivational managerial style greatly inspires our team to break out of our comfort zones, seek additional knowledge and skills, and excel in our positions. This is evidenced by the fact that 100% of her team are Agile Academy graduates, most of whom have joined her in the Data Certification Program cohort to deepen our knowledge and expand our skillsets with Power BI and coding. We are truly fortunate to have Angela. She is genuinely an asset to NCSB and the City as a whole."
Dean Cooper (City Planning)
"Dean has been with the city for over a decade, and he still continues to go above and beyond.
His vast knowledge of zoning regulations, permit requirements and planning due diligence makes him the ultimate candidate.
He extremely helpful to everyone he meets.
Dean is a jack of all trades and master to several.
He embodies what public service should look like and an example of what should be."
Keith Darrow (Transportation)
"Working with Keith Darrow is both fun and inspirational. He approaches problems with the notion that Norfolk citizens will be impacted and provides solutions to benefit and minimally impact their lives.
Keith keeps a positive demeanor when interacting with other Norfolk departments, citizens, and external partners. He shows consistent effort in meeting deadlines and providing his best efforts. Keith has a well-developed work routine, and others can always count on him to complete collaborative project tasks and goals. Keith’s consistent and regular effort is both professional and inspiring for others to strive for.
A portion of his professionalism that I have observed, and love is his ability to provide and take constructive criticism around the work and process in completing projects. I’ve observed this to improve both city process and service to Norfolk citizens primarily through the Granby Bike Lane expansion and the St. Paul’s Redevelopment. His motivation to improve the lives of Norfolk residents through his work with Transportation is certainly making waves. "
Shamekia Gordon (Housing and Community Development)
"Shamekia is currently working at the Department of Housing and Community Development, Neighborhood Transformation Division. Although she has been with the city for only six months, she has become an invaluable member of our team and department.
She manages the People First program that supports the Tidewater Gardens residents through the redevelopment of the community - St. Paul’s Transformation Area project. Within her first six months, she has collaborated relentlessly with our partners and contractors to keep the residents informed about the availability of two new buildings, Reunion and Origin at Kindred, ensuring that returning families receive the best support for the return of the redevelopment.
Moreover, Shamekia always goes above and beyond to ensure that families receive opportunities for housing stability, education, economic mobility, health, and wellness. In addition, when any member of our team needs support, she is always willing to help the team to have the best outcomes.
Overall, Shamekia is truly a team Norfolk public servant with her dedication and passion. Hope this can help acknowledge her outstanding service!"
Heather Tierney (Communications)
"As a FOIA officer, she has constant, voluminous requests from the public. My department frequently works with her as well, and I have had the pleasure of working with her on a few matters. There have also been times where I had inquiries about things that she was not currently handling and asked if she could help or point me in the right direction.
Heather has always been extremely responsive, detailed, professional, and very amicable. I never have a feeling of hesitation if I need to reach out to her for something, which is honestly refreshing. Heather is welcoming, smart, and a hard worker. She definitely deserves to be publicly recognized for her demeanor and work ethic!"