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December Honorees

Darrell Starks began his career with DGS in 1983 at a time when no office space, nor State vehicle, was available for inspectors tasked with inspecting DGS construction projects.  Working from home and driving his personal vehicle, Darrell was assigned to Southern Maryland and served as one of the State’s most competent inspectors for 17 years before being promoted to an Area Supervisor in 2000 and Regional Manager in 2006. For the last 20 years he has overseen the complete makeover of the State Capitol in Annapolis including the construction of Additions and Renovations to the House and Senate, renovations to the State House and Governor’s Mansion, and countless infrastructure projects that keep the State Capitol running.  Upon his retirement on 11/30/20, his colleagues in DGS will, for the first time in 37 years, face this daunting workload without the man with the pony tail at the helm.

Police Officer Mario Diaz began his career with DGS, Maryland Capitol Police in July 2020 after accepting his position as a lateral transfer from the Baltimore City Police Department. While employed with the City of Baltimore, Officer Diaz was assigned to the patrol section of the Northeast and the Southern Districts. During his tenure, Officer Diaz was also assigned to a specialized unit known as DAT (District Action Team), where he and other members would take proactive measures to combat criminal activity in high crime areas, with emphasis on narcotic eradication and fugitive apprehension. On 10/27/2020, Officer Diaz was on patrol in the area of the State Center, where he was monitoring the Baltimore City Central District radio, at which time the Baltimore City Police Aviation Unit broadcasted three suspects involved in a robbery, which occurred at the intersection of Martin Luther King Blvd and Howard St., were fleeing from the scene. Officer Diaz observed one of the three suspects involved walking in the 800 block of N. Eutaw St. where he attempted to stop him. The suspect then fled from Officer Diaz and after a brief foot chase the suspect was apprehended. The suspect was then detained until Baltimore City Police, Central District Detectives, took custody of the suspect to conduct their investigation. Officer Diaz’s actions and perseverance to assist the Baltimore City Police Department apprehend a known robbery suspect reflects highly upon himself and the agency. Interagency cooperation is a key factor for both agencies, in effort to combat criminal activity and to keep the Citizens of Baltimore City safe and the State of Maryland.

Tyler Kurtz & Shane Coburn are Maintenance Mechanic Seniors at the Catonsville District Court. Tyler has been with DGS since October 2019, and Shane since March 2020. Since joining the Multi-Service Center family, management has received several compliments from other State agencies on their work ethics, enthusiasm, and professionalism. They are both hardworking, eager to learn, and have great attitudes. Since January 2020, Tyler and Shane-better known as the Dynamic Duo- have gone above and beyond with their customer service skills by assisting multiple tenants with several moves. It began with the move of the Towson Courthouse to the New Catonsville Courthouse. Towson District Court had to be temporarily relocated for a major HVAC project that was completed mid- September. The next step was to move Towson District Court back to the Towson location, and begin the move of the Arbutus-Catonsville DC/MSC to the New Catonsville location which was completed October 2020. Arbutus-Catonsville DC/MSC, which is nearly 40-years old, is being emptied and cleaned out to prepare for UMBC to take possession, which completes this 11 month process. After all of this hustle & bustle of the moves, Tyler and Shane will settle into the New Catonsville Courthouse that they call home and continue Doing Great Service.

Kim White is nominated for her continuing COVID-19 response efforts, including the procurement of several new emergency license agreement and lease requests for the MD Dept. of Health. Kim has also been instrumental in the recent Space Reduction Review project on behalf of the Lt. Governor’s Office, reviewing current agency leased space totaling 4.8 million square feet, through an estimated 300 leases, and interviewing 25 State agencies with larger portfolios to determine how telework has impacted their space plans, and encouraging agencies to strive to meet the Administration established space reduction goals. In addition to these activities, Kim is working on a full audit of all leasing data with our State and broker teams and is overseeing the migration to a new state of the art Lease Management platform.

Jane Roger is nominated for her perseverance on several high-profile, multi-year projects including the recently approved transfer of property to Stevenson University following several years of close monitoring of the University’s environmental and other clean-up efforts on 117 acres of the former Rosewood Hospital Campus. Another ongoing project is the future disposal of the Pikesville Armory property. Jane has continued to work with legislators, local government staff, and other stakeholders to keep this project moving and help benefit the community.

Barry Powel is nominated for his dedication and firm resolve in completing the final construction over-sight for an agency headquarters location. This nearly 60,000 sf space was fit-out by the landlord and occupied by the agency in early January 2020. After another employee left the agency, Barry stepped in to monitor what he thought was a routine punch list of outstanding items. Unfortunately, upon closer inspection, the punch list grew and what transpired was nearly a year of continued back and forth with the landlord and the agency to resolve several errors made by their contractor. Barry has continually made DGS proud in his ongoing follow-up. His thorough review, diplomatic approach, and ongoing efforts to hold the landlord accountable have been greatly appreciated by his supervisors and by the agency personnel.

 

 


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