State Department of Agriculture Honors Employees with Long Service Awards; MDA Employees of the Year also Recognized

Assistant Secretary Pat McMillan, Assistant State Veterinarian Thomas Jacobs, Deputy Secretary Mary Ellen Setting, Salisbury Animal Health Lab Director Claudia Osorio representing Team of the Year, Employee of the Year Dr. Allen Ingling of the Frederick Animal Health Lab, Employee of the Quarter Rona Flagle of Resource Conservation, and Secretary Buddy Hance

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) today honored 51 employees for their years of dedicated service to the department. Sally Terry, who works in Executive Direction, and Sandra Mills, who works in the State Chemist Section, received special recognition for 40 outstanding years of public service. Six MDA employees were recognized for 35 years of service; 10 employees for 30 years of service; seven employees for 25 years; three for serving 20 years; 19 employees for 15 years; and four for serving 10 years.

“For 40 years, MDA has been serving the agricultural industry, protecting consumers and helping to ensure fairness in the marketplace. Many of our employees have been doing so since our earliest years,” said Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance. “The deep sense of mission that the employees of this agency have for the work they do on behalf of the citizens of Maryland and the agriculture industry is demonstrated, I think, by how long such talented employees stay with us.”

Sally Terry (second from left) and Sandra Mills (second from right) were honored for 40 years of service to MDA by Deputy Secretary Mary Ellen Setting and Secretary Buddy Hance.

In addition to recognizing long-time employees, MDA also presented awards to certain employees.

Allen Ingling, a maintenance and electrical engineer at the MDA Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory in Frederick, was honored as Employees of the Year for Innovation. Dr. Ingling developed a cost effective conveyer and barrel machine to load and transport large animal carcasses, effectively eliminating employee injury and excessive physical effort in loading large animals. The winch in the system is an original design he developed after all commercial winches failed during demonstrations.

Dr. Claudia Osorio, director of the MDA Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory in Salisbury, and Dr. Virginia Pierce, director of the MDA Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory in Frederick were recognized as Team of the Year. The two directors worked together to acquire ISO 17025 OIE Accreditation Standard, which is recognized by Maryland’s national and international trading partners and verifies that the labs perform important diagnostic tests according to international protocols and procedures. Obtaining the accreditation required intense focus and effort over three years and makes the labs eligible for federal grants they were not eligible for before. Both labs are now recognized by USDA, FDA and neighboring state animal health labs, other accredited labs and academia. For more information about the accreditation, see here.

Rona Flagle, communication specialist for the Office of Resource Conservation, was recognized as Employee of the Quarter for Customer Service for going above and beyond in editing and producing the department’s Maryland Professional Lawncare Manual and developing an extensive publicity campaign to educate the public about lawncare requirements taking effect due to the new Fertilizer Use Act. The Manual is of particular importance to lawn care professionals who are now required to follow all aspects of the Lawn Fertilizer Law, including individual certification and licensing. In addition to using her writing and design skill to make it a readable and attractive publication that MDA is proud of, Rona also checked every citation, conferred with subject matter experts and worked diligently to ensure it is an accurate and highly informative document that will serve the department and the industry for several years. View it here.

The following is a listing by county of the MDA employees who were recognized with long-service awards.

Allegany County

• Charlotta S. Winebrenner, Forest Pest Management, 25 years

Anne Arundel County

• Deanna L. Baldwin, Food Quality Assurance, 35 years
• Richard A. Bean, Plant Protection and Weed Management, 35 years
• Bonita F. Brown, Fiscal Services, 15 years
• Francisca M. De Castro, Human Resources, 15 years
• Beverly H. Edwards, Resource Conservation, 30 years
• Darlene C. Hallett, Plant Industries, 20 years
• Joseph M. Harrington, Central Services, 35 years
• Shelley D. Hicks, Plant Protection and Weed Management, 30 years
• Elizabeth A. Horsey, Resource Conservation, 20 years
• Sandra G. Mills, State Chemist Section, 40 years
• Patricia C. Ray, State Chemist, 20 years
• Sally S. Terry, Executive Direction, 40 years

Baltimore City

• Thomas C. Fagan Jr., Weights and Measures, 30 years
• William L. Jones, Central Services, 10 years
• Zenon M. Waclawiw, Weights and Measures, 15 years

Baltimore County

• Stephen C. Malan, Plant Protection and Weed Management, 35 years
• Kenneth R. Ramsburg, Weights and Measures, 30 years
• Lee Venables, Forest Pest Management, 30 years
• James P. Wallace, Administration. 30 years

Calvert County

• Julianne Oberg, Executive Direction, 10 years

Caroline County

• Dexter C. Crotts, Animal Health, 15 years
• Mark S. Powell, Marketing Services, 10 years

Carroll County

• Melissa S. Edmonds, Resource Conservation, 15 years
• Glenn G. Krout, Pesticide Regulation, 15 years
• Marla J. Stevens, Animal Health, 10 years

Cecil County

• Norman E. Astle, Jr., Maryland Agricultural Cost Share Program, 15 years
• Anthony J. Calao, Plant Protection and Weed Management, 15 years

Dorchester County

• Richard B. Corkran, Resource Conservation, 15 years

Frederick County

• Mark Freese, Resource Conservation, 15 years
• Elizabeth G. Warner, Forest Pest Management, 25 years

Harford County

• Brian R. Galbreath, Resource Conservation, 15 years

Howard County

• Dale A. Morris, Turf and Seed, 35 years

Prince George’s

• Shelley L. Bello, Weights and Measures, 25 years
• Ethan A. Halpern, Weights and Measures, 30 years

Queen Anne’s County

• Kathy A. Myers, Maryland Agricultural Cost Share Program, 15 years
• Matthew D. Yoash, Resource Conservation, 25 years

St. Mary’s County

• George B. Beavan, Resource Conservation, 15 years
• Ralf R. Johnson, State Chemist, 25 years
• Thomas A. Koviak, Jr., Resource Conservation, 15 years

Talbot County

• Thomas F. Filbert, Attorney General, 30 years
• Gerald F. Skipper, Resource Conservation, 25 years

Wicomico County

• Arthur Meilhammer Jr., Mosquito Control, 30 years
• David J. Mister, Resource Conservation, 25 years
• Robert L. Robison II, Animal Health, 35 years

Other

• Anthony Riggi, Resource Conservation, 15 years (Delaware)
• Richard J. Shepard, Jr. Resource Conservation, 15 years (Delaware)
• Matthew McMahon, Resource Conservation, 15 years (Pennsylvania)
• Daniel L. Polite, Resource Conservation, 15 years (Pennsylvania)
• Keith E. Potter, Nutrient Management, 15 years (Pennsylvania)
• Sarah H. Cannon, Forest Pest Management, 30 years (West Virginia)

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For photos of Long Service Award winners, see our Flickr set.