Henrico County employee Ralph W. Cooke, a member of the Planning Department staff for more than 28 years, has won the sixth annual Excellence in Public Service Award. County Manager Virgil R. Hazelett, P.E. presented the award during a ceremony Tuesday.

The Excellence in Public Service Award recognizes a general government employee who consistently demonstrates and exemplifies outstanding public service. Nominees are chosen by their co-workers; only one of Henrico’s more than 3,600 general government employees receives the award each year.

Cooke, who currently serves as a senior planning technician, maintains the county’s addressing system, ensuring that all properties and street names are properly addressed and comply with E-911 requirements. He also researches zoning lines and assists zoning case notifications. Cooke played a key role in the installation of the county’s E-911 system in the late 1980s, driving every county street over a three-year period and single-handedly converting the old rural route boxes to permanent addresses – more than 14,000 total. The grid network he developed is still used today.

“Ralph has a well-earned reputation among Henrico residents, the development community and his fellow employees for his knowledge, integrity and expertise,” said Planning Director Randy Silber. “He takes great pride in his work and serves the public with tremendous dedication and enthusiasm.”

Cooke enjoys the opportunity to assist a variety of people each day.

“Iwork with residents, engineers, developers, postal service employees and others – and every situation is different,” he said. “I really enjoy being able to provide a service and help people. I love what I’m doing.”

A total of twenty- two County employees were honored by the County Manager and their respective agencies for excellence in the performance of their duties.

DEPARTMENT	OUTSTANDING EMPLOYEE	TITLE
Department of Building Construction & Inspections	Debra Gonsuron	Office Supervisor
CATC	James Bishop	CATC Vocational Specialist
Circuit Court Clerk’s Office	Gwendolyn Roney	Deputy Clerk Supervisor
Community Revitalization	Robert Kinsey	Deputy Zoning Conformance Officer
Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney	Deborah Schurz	Secretary
Community Corrections Program	Anthony Jackson	Registered Nurse
County Attorney ’s Office	James Moore	Assistant County Attorney III
County Manager 's Office	Veta Herbaugh	Executive Assistant
Department of Finance	John Vithoulkas	Division Director
Division of Fire	Cornelius Jones	Fire/Captain
General Services	Sandra Corcoran	Senior Management Specialist I
Department of Human Resources	Diane Oaks	Technology Support Specialist II
Juvenile Detention	Jerry Jackson	Detention Supervisor
Mental Health/Mental Retardation	Sara Tolentino	Case Manager
Planning Office	Ralph Cooke	Senior Planning Technician
Division of Police	Kevin Howdyshell	Police Officer CDP Senior
Public Library	Suzanne Miller	Technology Support Specialist I
Public Relations and Media Services	Ryan Eubank	Senior Television Producer/ Director
Department of Public Utiltities	Allison Buschy	Assistant Chief Utilities Operations Engineer
Recreation & Parks	Karen Perkins	Recreation Programs Supervisor
Sheriff's Office	Jerry Robinson	Correctional Lieutenant
Department of Social Services	Wayne Johnson	Senior Social Services Aide

Read about our 2004 Excellence in Public Service Award winners