Beth Ann Seale was recognized as DETCOG Employee of the Year and Cynthia Trowbridge was honored as Program Director of the Year at the Annual Christmas Luncheon of the Deep East Texas Council of Governments held December 19 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Jasper.
Ms. Seale is a 29-year employee of DETCOG, working in the Regional 9-1-1 Program. In announcing the award, Executive Director Lonnie Hunt noted that she is “dependable, loyal, and trustworthy, and always willing to help her teammates in her department and the COG staff in general.” He also noted that she is fluent in both English and Spanish which has been a huge asset to the organization. 9-1-1 Program Director Van Bush echoed those sentiments and added that “she has kept me straight and on target for the past 20 years.”
Ms. Trowbridge has been employed at DETCOG since 2001. She was soon promoted to Personnel Officer and served as Director of Administration from 2010 until recently when she elected to transfer to a new position in the Aging and Disabilities Resource Center. “Her knowledge, plus her work ethic and dedication to the staff and the Board of Directors, make her very deserving of our Program Director of the Year,” Hunt said.
Nine other DETCOG staff members were presented with Employee Service Awards for achieving milestones ranging from five to 40 years. These include:
- Dora Wilmore (STAR Program) with 40 years of service.
- Holly Anderson (Assistant Executive Director and Area Agency on Aging Director) with 35 years of service.
- Van Bush (9-1-1 Program Director) with 30 years of service.
- CaTina Boykin (Assistant Controller) with 20 years of service.
- Scherita McCray (Housing Specialist) with 20 years of service.
- Larry Alaniz (IT Director) with 10 years of service.
- Erin Hollis (RSVP Program) with 10 years of service.
- Pam Irvin (Aging & Disabilities Resource Center) with five years of service.
- Betty Mitchell (211 Area Information Center) with five years of service.
“We are blessed to have a dedicated staff with a lot of experience,” said Hunt. “Their commitment to the people of Deep East Texas and our member local governments is really something special.
The December DETCOG meeting also featured a program presented by Eddie Hopkins, Executive Director of the Jasper Economic Development Corporation. Hopkins entertained the crowd with special holiday music and delivered an inspiring message about the importance of working together to help people and improve the region. He challenged the audience to be inclusive and look for opportunities to help those most in need.
