employee of the month

Employee of the Month for June is Shirley Dawson

by Eddy Luce | Jul 8, 2024 | News and Information

Shirley Dawson was hired as our main office front desk Administrative Assistant in May 2005 after serving as a volunteer for many months at our Eastside Family Resource Center, for a total of 20 years of service to the agency! She was honored as Employee of the Month on her second anniversary as a PEACE employee, and has consistently shown the same high level of professionalism and dedication in that role ever since.

We are pleased to honor Shirley Dawson once again, as our Employee of the Month for June 2024!

Photo: Executive Director Carolyn Brown with Employee of the Month Shirley Dawson.

Employee of the Month for May is Latasha Wilson

by Eddy Luce | May 23, 2024 | News and Information

Latasha Wilson was hired as a Community Based Mentor Manager in our Big Brothers Big Sisters program in November 2018, and was elevated to the Senior Mentor Manager role exactly one year later. One year ago this month, she took on the role of Assistant Program Director in addition to maintaining her caseload of volunteer matches as a Mentor Manager, and earlier this year she also maintained a second caseload for several months while another Mentor Manager position was vacant.

Latasha has sought and received greater responsibilities within her program by excelling at working with volunteer mentors and the families of enrolled children, planning special program events, seeking additional sponsors and community partners and donations, and promoting Big Brothers Big Sisters throughout the community. In recognition of all of her hard work and achievements, we are pleased to honor Latasha Wilson as our Employee of the Month for May!

Photo: Employee of the Month Latasha Wilson, with (L to R) Executive Director Carolyn Brown, BBBS Mentor Manager James Lawson, and BBBS Director John Bruzdzinski.

Employee of the Month for April is Stephanie Bingham

by peaceinc | May 3, 2024 | News and Information

We would like to present to you the newly minted and well-deserved…Employee of the Month – Stephanie Bingham!

Stephanie started at PEACE Inc. in 2018 as a member of the Big Brothers Big Sisters team. In 2019, she became the FRC Coordinator at Westside Family Resource Center. In 2021 she accepted her current role as an Associate Director of Family Services!

Steph continues to be a valuable member of the Family Services team. She has identified numerous areas for improvement in the GoEngage database, has trained staff, and has developed procedures to ensure database efficiencies as well as to assure data integrity. Stephanie readily accepts additional responsibilities in order to best aid her peers, clients, and the PEACE, Inc. brand overall.

Steph serves on several key teams, including the IT Committee, Community Data Group Racial Equity Committee, E. Adams Street Child Care Team, Community Action ’60 Years at the State’s team,..just to name a few.

In addition, Stephanie recently represented PEACE in Albany at the State’s Child Care Advocacy Day. We are very fortunate to have Stephanie as part of the FRC Team.

Please join us in congratulating Stephanie on her contributions to PEACE Inc. and for her overall positive outlook.

Photo: Employee of the Month Stephanie Bingham, with (left to right) Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Coordinator Gerri Reagan, Family Services Director Mary Beth Welch, and Executive Director Carolyn Brown.

Employee of the Month for March is Tieyonnia Brandon

by peaceinc | Apr 2, 2024 | News and Information

Tieyonnia Brandon began working in our Head Start program in February 2018 as a Teacher Aide, then became a Teacher Assistant later that year and a Family Worker in 2022, obtaining her Child Development Associate Credential and Family Development Credential.

Tieyonnia has been an anchor at our Merrick site, continuing to provide a great deal of classroom coverage throughout the building as well as support to families beyond her standard caseload due to continued staffing shortages. Meanwhile, she is attending college classes at night, and is on track to earn her Associate’s Degree in Human Services by December 2024.

Our Head Start Family Workers help clients to prepare their children for success in school and beyond, by meeting families where they are while providing support and encouragement toward forward movement at their pace. Tieyonnia has demonstrated through her work that she realizes the key to success and positive progress for families is based on developing healthy partnerships and being a valuable and encouraging resource, whether it is by supporting them through the complex challenges of homelessness, or by assisting them with the initial steps of scheduling a child’s first medical exam.

Recognizing her dedication, commitment, and hard work, we are pleased to honor Tieyonnia Brandon as our Employee of the Month for March!

Photo: Employee of the Month Tieyonnia Brandon, with Merrick Head Start Site Supervisor Sharon Bean and Executive Director Carolyn Brown.

Employee of the Month for February is Erin Hess!

by Community Engagement | Feb 27, 2024 | News and Information

Erin Hess has been a lead teacher at our Head Start site in Lafayette since September 2021. She was chosen for this month’s award because of the dedication to excellence that she consistently demonstrates as a child development professional, and for always being positive and helpful toward her co-workers.

Congratulations to Erin Hess, our Employee of the Month for February!

Photo: Employee of the Month Erin Hess, with Lafayette Head Start Site Supervisor Kelly Tucciarone and Executive Director Carolyn Brown.

Teresa Piedmonte is our 2023 Employee of the Year!

by peaceinc | Feb 18, 2024 | News and Information

Teresa Piedmonte has been our Facilities Office Manager since October 2020, and she has made a huge impact on the department right from her first day on the job, channeling her can-do attitude and infectious positive energy to do great things. Her notable achievements include improving the purchase order process, finding and implementing a new and highly effective online work order system, and earning the title of “Queen of Inventory” by overseeing the clean-up, renovation, and reorganization of the warehouse into an efficient operation ensuring the documentation and loss-prevention of all agency supplies and maintenance equipment.

Thank you, Teresa, for everything you do, and congratulations for being named our Employee of the Year for 2023!

Photo: 2023 Employee of the Year Teresa Piedmonte, with (L to R) Recruiter Jamie Colucci, Facilities Director Jerry Barker, Executive Director Carolyn Brown, Custodian Shawn Rhines, Maintenance Supply Manager Ben Binyard, and Maintenance Manager Ned Owens.

Employee of the Month for January is Ryan Leach!

by peaceinc | Jan 17, 2024 | News and Information

Ryan Leach has been a nurse with our Head Start / Early Head Start program since 2005. She has worked throughout every part of the program, and currently covers several of our classroom sites as well as other daycare programs with whom we collaborate. In addition to her regular duties involving medical and dental screenings, addressing illnesses and injuries, and health education and advocacy, Ryan has been an American Red Cross CPR and First Aid instructor for over 10 years and has trained over 100 of our staff. She has also been instrumental in promoting the Cavity Free Kids and Stop the Bleed initiatives. We should also note that Ryan was previously honored for her exemplary work as Employee of the Month in December of 2010!

Congratulations to Ryan Leach for receiving our Employee of the Month award a second time, and for being our first honoree of 2024!

Photo: Employee of the Month Ryan Leach, with (clockwise) HS/EHS Health Coordinator Tammi Hatch, James Street Site Supervisor Laurie Whittico, HS/EHS Assistant Health Coordinator Toni Parkhurst, and Executive Director Carolyn Brown.

November 2023 – Employee of the Month: Ralph Lyke

by peaceinc | Nov 17, 2023 | News and Information

Ralph Lyke was hired as the seasonal coordinator of our free tax services program in the fall of 2014 after serving the program as a volunteer. He then became a full-time tax specialist in the program when it transitioned from a seasonal to a year-round operation in the fall of 2020. While everyone can imagine how hectic this work gets between January and April, what sets Ralph apart during what would normally be thought of as the “off-season” is his tireless pursuit of additional tax credits for our clients, which require a high degree of diligence and research and the kind of knowledge and expertise that have earned him the informal title of Tax Guru.

Through his hard work, Ralph Lyke takes advantage of every opportunity to give back to the community in a very literal and impactful way, and that is why he has been named our Employee of the Month!

Photo: Employee of the Month Ralph Lyke, with (left to right) VP of Operations & Strategy Todd Goehle, Free Tax Prep Program Manager Sharon Thompson, and Executive Director Carolyn Brown.

October 2023 – Employee of the Month: Karen Morano

by peaceinc | Oct 19, 2023 | News and Information

Karen Morano, RN worked for Head Start based at the Liverpool site from November 2014 until August 2016, then returned to the program at the St. Brigid’s site in August 2017. For most of this time she has been assigned to more than one location, and currently she covers the Genesee and Liverpool sites.

Karen is known for always demonstrating kindness, a positive attitude, a refreshingly off-beat sense of humor, and support for her co-workers and for the preschoolers she serves, in a role that frequently pivots from the dull routine of maintaining medical records to the urgency of an injured child. She is particularly adept at making the children laugh, or helping to keep them calm, and she even quits and crochets blankets to contribute to their families.

Thank you, Karen, for everything you do, and congratulations on being named as our Employee of the Month!

August 2023 – Employee of the Month: Shang-Ning (Shenny) Chien

by peaceinc | Aug 1, 2023 | News and Information

Shang-Ning (Shenny) Chien joined our Head Start / Early Head Start program as an Intake Worker in November 2021, and has earned her reputation for being very efficient and positive in performing her work, and for being very conscientious about helping the rest of the Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, & Attendance (ERSEA) team. An illustrative example provided by one of her co-workers occurred when a parent went to Shenny’s site by mistake, and instead of having that parent reschedule the appointment for a later date at the correct location, Shenny rearranged her busy schedule in order to perform that intake herself.

Thank you, Shenny, for everything you do, and congratulations on being named our Employee of the Month for August!

Photo: Employee of the Month Shenny Chien (center), with Executive Director Carolyn Brown (L) and HS/EHS ERSEA Coordinator Katy Hollins (R).