February 2024 Honorees

Grant Williams, III 
On Friday, February 8, 2024 a vehicle accidentally ran into a commercially leased state facility, penetrating the façade and causing significant damages. Mr. Grant Williams, III, Lease Compliance Officer immediately responded to the scene to ensure appropriate safety control measures were implemented, provide support to the using agency, and promptly coordinated with landlord representation to begin clean-up and securing the facility.

Mr. Williams exercised great customer service and sound judgement throughout the response to this incident. Mr. Williams went further to ensure that no employees or public patrons were injured as a result of the accident. Mr. Williams prepared detailed notes and exhibits to ensure upper management was fully briefed and able to respond to any inquiries received concerning the incident. Mr. Williams will continue to handle the restoration process, coordinating with the landlord and using agency to ensure that service delivery is uninterrupted and the workspace is restored to its pre-event conditions.

Stephen Tapp 
Like many of the unsung heroes in our division, Stephen Tapp is a quiet champion in our department who goes beyond his job duties every day without a lot of fanfare, drama, or recognition. He is a conscientious Facilities Management Technician who has had numerous successes fixing challenges in one of the most iconic DGS buildings in Baltimore – the William Donald Schaefer Tower (WDST) at 6 Saint Paul Street in Baltimore. Stephen addresses tenant concerns by running work order requests, oversees contractors, participates in snow removal at various buildings and responds to after hour emergencies – whatever is necessary to keep our state buildings open and running smoothly. Stephen is expanding his knowledge by participating in training on the Building Automation System at WDST in order to better understand controls of the heating and ventilating system. Stephen also assists with flag duty at William Donald Shaeffer Tower which is no small task.

The United States flag and the Maryland State Flag on top of the William Donald Schaefer Tower are beautiful landmarks, but also a point of reference in the Baltimore City skyline; they are visible on the nightly news, during Orioles baseball games or Ravens’ home games. Although the flags may appear to be normal size from a distance, the U.S. flags is 20’ x 30’ and the Maryland flag is 12’ x 18’. In addition, the flags are 36 stories off the ground or 493 feet from the ground to the top of the pole. Raising and lowering the flags for incoming foul weather and to honor dignitaries and fallen heroes is a challenging effort, which can be hazardous and scary when the winds on the flag deck can be three times as strong as on the ground. Stephen is part of a team that handles this part of the job nearly every week. Stephen Tapp gets the job done. His skillset, responsiveness, diligence, and work ethic are inspirational.

Taiwan Harris
The last few months, Taiwan has stepped up her efforts with inputting finals and assisting project managers with MBE/VSBE compliance updates. Taiwan comes into the office every day with a pleasant smile and attitude ready for work. Anything you ask of her, she is willing and able to find you the answer and/or result.

Tyler Russell
Tyler was given the unenviable task of stepping into what may be the most complex procurement OSP has seen in its brief existence. The Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM) contract is a multi-billion dollar, extremely important contract. This contract will decide how our State workforce, retirees, and eligible dependents receive their pharmacy benefits. Because of recent legislation, PBM must be procured in a novel way, a “Reverse Auction” that has never before been undertaken in Maryland for a service of this scope and complexity.

Not only did Tyler have to take over this hyper-complex project just weeks before the procurement was published, but he had to learn the terminology of the pharmaceutical world, which is a dizzyingly confusing industry. Tyler has to lead a team of almost two dozen state stakeholders, consultants, subject matter experts, executive officials, and union representatives to conduct this Reverse Auction. The stakes could not be higher, and Tyler has not shied away from this monumental, high-pressure task.

Maryland Capitol Police (Night Shift) 
Officers Wilbert Pierce, Latrice Green, Jyerld Tolson; Security Officers James Forrester, Phillip Lockheed, Samuel Walker, and Frederic Caron make up the Maryland Capitol Police Night Shift. This Shift worked during inclement weather, shift shortages, and overtime mandates to accomplish the mission and goals of Maryland Capitol Police. The officers showed up with a great and will do attitude nightly, even though they knew that they would be mandated to stay past their regular shift to accomplish the mission and goal of Maryland Capitol Police. The officers exemplify the dedication and commitment required to be part of Maryland Capitol Police.