Bureau of Reclamation Employees and Customer Service Teams Received 2016 Federal Customer Service Awards from Interior

Written by: Sarah Webster

Interior Sally Jewell and Reclamation Commissioner Estevan López with 2016 Customer Service Awards Initiative Award winners the Acquisition and Assistance Leadership Team.Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Estevan López recognized two Bureau of Reclamation employees and two customer service teams on July 4, 2016, during the Federal Customer Service Awards ceremony at the Main Interior Building, Washington, District of Columbia.

Jesus Reynoso and Rain Emerson, both from Reclamation offices in the Mid-Pacific Region, had received individual awards. Water Project Coordinators, a group of 18 employees within the Provo Area Office, Utah, and the Acquisition and Assistance Leadership Team, a group of 10 employees from various Reclamation offices, had received Customer Service Initiative Awards.

“Customer service positions are not easy because they require patience, empathy, knowledge of the organization, and consistency,” said Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Estevan López. “Our customer service employees and teams have direct interactions with our customers and our own people, so they are the ones whom people will think about when they think about Reclamation. They are the voices and the faces of this government agency.”

“That said, I am very proud of our customer service employees,” López said. “They care about the public and our people and receiving this award is a direct reflection of their commitment to excellence.”

Federal Customer Service Awards are non-monetary awards that highlight the efforts of individuals and initiatives that have direct engagement with the agency's customers or demonstrate a direct beneficial impact on customers as a result of their work. Recipients must demonstrate a strong commitment to public service through their work, be well regarded in terms of their general integrity, and display values appropriate as a role model.

Every year the Department of the Interior awards up to 50 individuals with this distinction and then nominates two winners for the President’s Customer Service Award.

The 2016 Customer Service Awards Individual Award winners from Reclamation:

• Jesus Reynoso was honored and recognized for working closely with project stakeholders to improve the process for setting water rates for the Central Valley Project (CVP), California. The CVP is the largest water project within the United States—delivering water to more than 250 project contractors and water districts. Reynoso has extensive knowledge of the CVP and has used his knowledge and cost accounting skills to develop and continually refine a process for setting water rates to recover the federal investment by 2030.
• Rain Emerson was honored and recognized for her part in finding solutions to customers’ project needs. She improved collaboration during the environmental review process, especially when faced with high-priority drought projects and expedited timelines. Emerson expedited projects that transferred and exchanged the limited amounts of water that were available in 2015 for the San Joaquin River Basin, California. She also collaborated with project proponents to complete multiple projects—often using her knowledge of environmental law, regulation, policy, and guidance to South Central California Area Office. She consistently listens to customer concerns and has improved internal coordination between regional offices and their personnel.

Customer Service Award initiatives are often the result of the contributions of many, but are driven by a limited number of dedicated individuals. As such, an Initiative Award is presented to a limited number of named recipients whose individual contributions are recognized as the most significant to the initiative's success.

The Initiative Award can also recognize the contributions of a broader set of teams and organizations that supported the initiative and contributed to its success. The named recipients should be those whose day-to-day work was most critical to the initiative, not necessarily the head of the office or organization.

The 2016 Customer Service Awards Initiative Award winners from Reclamation:

• Water Project Coordinators were honored for serving as the single point of contact for the 18 water projects within the jurisdiction of the Provo Area Office, Utah. Their accomplishments include monitoring tasks, projects and issues, coordinating efforts among personnel; resolving project issues, and ensuring the Provo Area Office received sufficient funding and other resources to meet future needs of an assigned water project. They also networked with stakeholders, developed a vision for how an assigned project could contribute to future water, environmental, power and recreational needs, and coordinated efforts between a water entity and Provo Area Office management.
• Acquisition and Assistance Leadership Team was honored for developing a process that improved service delivery. The team communicated with Reclamation customers to develop and issue an all-employee customer service survey. Once completed, the team analyzed the results to identify common areas for improvement, and then developed a three-year plan based on the analysis to improve service delivery. The plan resulted in a suite of improvements all across the regions.

The Department of the Interior uses guidance from the Federal Customer Service Awards program to recognize customer service excellence throughout the agency. This awards program supports the government-wide Customer Service Cross-Agency Priority Goal and the April 2011 Executive Order 13571 – Streamlining Service delivery and Improving Customer Service.

The Office of the Secretary administers Interior’s Federal Customer Service Awards, and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Capital oversees the selection and review of nominations for the Secretary of the Interior's Customer Service Awards. Reclamation would like to congratulate this year’s winners.

For more information on Interior's Federal Customer Service Awards ceremony visit https://www.doi.gov/employees/congratulations-interiors-customer-service-award-winners, or see more photographs on flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/doiphotog/

Interior Sally Jewell, Jesus Reynoso (middle), and Reclamation Commissioner Estevan López. Reynoso had received the 2016 Customer Service Awards Individual Award.

Interior Sally Jewell, Rain Emerson, and Reclamation Commissioner Estevan López. Emerson had received the 2016 Customer Service Awards Individual Award.

Interior Sally Jewell and Reclamation Commissioner Estevan López with 2016 Customer Service Awards Initiative Award winners the Water Project Coordinators.

Published on July 21, 2016