Hawaiʻi County Honors Exemplary Employees & Divisions at Awards Ceremony

The County of Hawai’i held its 57th annual Employee Recognition awards ceremony on Oct. 2 at Aunty Sally Kaleohano’s Lūʻau Hale in Hilo.

Twenty-three exemplary employees were nominated for the categories of Manager, Supervisor, and Employee of the Year. New this year, the County also recognized a departmental division as part of the inaugural Laulima Award.

“We have had an amazing year, and it is all because of our employees,” said Mayor Kimo Alameda. “They are the backbone of our County, and we appreciate their hard work and dedication for our residents. Teamwork is also important, which is why we chose to also introduce the Laulima Award to recognize an office, division or department that goes above and beyond the call of duty.”

Recipients
• Manager of the Year: Greg Goodale, Chief of Operations, Department of Water Supply.
• Supervisor of the Year: Maryam Palma, Planner V, Planning Department.
• Employee of the Year: Annaliese Wolf, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Office of The Prosecuting Attorney.
• Laulima Award: Department of Public Works – Highways Maintenance Division.

Nominees

Manager of the Year:
• Greg Goodale, Chief of Operations, Department of Water Supply
• Dawn Johnston, Administrative Services Officer I, Planning Department

Supervisor of the Year:
• Meredith Catalini, Aging & Disability Services Manager, Office of Aging
• Elizabeth Chun, Supervising Legal Clerk II, Office of The Prosecuting Attorney
• Bernadette Hashimoto, Accountant I, Department of Environmental Management
• Naomi Leialoha, Human Resources Technician, Department of Public Works
• Maryam Palma, Planner V, Planning Department
• Sharla Sugioka, Supervising Real Property Tax Clerk II, Department of Finance

Employee of the Year:
• Lorilei Andrade, Senior Account Clerk, Department of Public Works
• Lori Enomoto, Information & Assistance Clerk, Office of Aging
• Kelly Hartman, Environmental Management Planner, Department of Environmental Management
• Aaron Justo, Housing & Quality Standards Tech II, Office of Housing & Community Development
• Wyatt Kaili-Leong, Police Officer III, Hawai’i Police Department
• Ericksen Kohatsu, Fire/EMS Specialist II, Hawai’i Fire Department
• Rachelle Ley, Private Secretary, Planning Department
• Douglas McCormick, Safety Specialist II, Department of Human Resources
• Lori Okami, Economic Development Specialist III, Department of Research & Development
• James Riley, Water Plant Electrical Equipment Repairer I, Department of Water Supply
• Lisa Tada, Budget Specialist, Department of Finance
• Randall Tsue, Information Systems Analyst V, Department of Information & Technology
• Jessica Valdez, Special Assistant, Office of The County Clerk
• Stacie Ann Waltjen, Liquor Control Licensing Officer, Department of Liquor Control
• Annaliese Wolf, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Office of The Prosecuting Attorney

Laulima Award:
• Department of Finance – Property Tax Division
• Department of Parks and Recreation – Maintenance Division
• Department of Public Works – Highways Maintenance Division