SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Corrections
and Rehabilitation (CDCR) honored 108 employees today during the annual
Medal of Valor Ceremony. The Medal of Valor is earned by employees who distinguish themselves —
whether on-duty or off — through bravery or heroism above and beyond the normal
demands
of correctional service. The Medal of Valor is the highest honor CDCR bestows
upon its employees.
“This ceremony gives us an opportunity to recognize and thank some of the men and women who work tirelessly each day to protect the public’s safety,” said CDCR Secretary Jeff Beard. “Each of today’s honorees is an example of the quality of our staff. I am truly honored to lead this department, and I am very proud of the employees we are recognizing today.”
Staff members from institutions, parole offices and various divisions received awards at the First Baptist Church of Elk Grove Community Center. In addition to the Medal of Valor, CDCR awarded Distinguished Service Medals, Unit Citations and Bronze, Silver and Gold Corrections Stars.
A complete list of 2014 award
winners follows:
Medal
of Valor
The Medal of Valor is CDCR’s
highest award, earned by employees distinguishing themselves by
conspicuous
bravery or heroism above and beyond the normal demands of correctional
service. The employee shall display great courage in the face of
immediate
life-threatening peril and with full knowledge of the risk involved.
The act should show professional judgment and
not jeopardize operations or the lives of others.
Correctional Sergeant Rafael Segovia, Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility (San
Diego)
Special Agent Scott Moore, Office of Correctional Safety Fugitive Apprehension
Team (Fresno)
Special Agent Dennis Reitz, Office of Correctional Safety Fugitive Apprehension
Team (Fresno)
Parole Agent I Joseph Basile, Office of Correctional Safety Fugitive Apprehension
Team (Fresno)
Parole Agent I Nate Castro, Office of Correctional Safety Fugitive Apprehension
Team (Fresno)
Correctional Officer Ney Vencer, California State Prison-Sacramento
Gold
Star Medal
The Corrections Star (Gold)
medal is the department’s second-highest award for heroic deeds under
extraordinary circumstances. The employee shall display courage in the
face of immediate peril in acting to save the life of another person.
Correctional Officer Richard McLeod, California State Prison-Sacramento
Correctional Officer Miguel Sanchez, California State Prison-Sacramento
Correctional Officer Jaime Ciudad-Real, California State Prison-Sacramento
Correctional Officer James Johnston, California State Prison-Sacramento
Correctional Officer Sandra Duran, Ironwood State Prison (Blythe)
Correctional Counselor II Specialist Daniel Godinez, Office of Audits and
Court Compliance (Sacramento)
Registered Dental Assistant Jennifer “Jeni” Vicini, Mule Creek
State Prison (Ione)
Registered Dental Assistant Angela Dunham, Mule Creek State Prison
(Ione)
Licensed Vocational Nurse Evangeline Baliton, Mule Creek State
Prison (Ione)
Correctional Sergeant Del Higgerson, Pelican Bay State Prison
Correctional Sergeant Andrew Barneburg, Pelican Bay State Prison
Correctional Officer Byron Gardner, Pelican Bay State Prison
Correctional Officer Charles Essex, Pelican Bay State Prison
Correctional Officer Donald M. “Mike” Wolf, Pelican Bay State Prison
Correctional Officer Chris Jackson, Pelican Bay State Prison
Silver
Star Medal
The Corrections Star (Silver)
medal is the department’s third-highest award for acts of bravery under
extraordinary or unusual circumstances. The employee shall display
courage in the face of potential peril while saving or attempting to save the
life of another person or distinguish himself/herself by performing in
stressful situations with exceptional tactics or judgment.
Correctional Officer Henri Philoctete, Ironwood State Prison (Blythe)
Stationary Engineer Steven Stalie, Avenal State Prison
Correctional Officer Alfonso Din Jr., Centinela State Prison
Correctional Officer Ruben Rosales Jr., Centinela State Prison
Fire Captain Gary Simoes, California Institution for Men (Chino
Correctional Sergeant Jason Taber, California State Prison-Corcoran)
Correctional Lieutenant Jacob Guzman, Valley State Prison (Chowchilla)
Correctional Officer Lydia Galvan, Valley State Prison (Chowchilla)
Bronze
Star Medal
The Corrections Star (Bronze) is
the department’s award for saving a life without placing oneself in peril.
The employee shall have used proper training and tactics in a
professional manner to save, or clearly contribute to saving, the life of
another person.
Correctional Officer Adrian Suarez, Calipatria State Prison
Correctional Officer Christian Herrero, Centinela State Prison
Correctional Officer Juan Ramirez, Centinela State Prison
Registered Nurse Angel Gomez, Centinela State Prison
Correctional Sgt. Nathaniel P. Arsenault, California Men’s Colony (San Luis Obispo)
Correctional Officer Randall L. Bullock, California Men’s Colony (San Luis Obispo)
Correctional Officer Mona J. Schafer, California Men’s Colony (San Luis Obispo)
Correctional Officer Kenneth Hestich, Ironwood State Prison
Registered Nurse Lisa Soliz, California State Prison-Los Angeles County
Registered Nurse Michell Acosta, California State Prison-Los Angeles County
Correctional Officer Raul Morales, California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and
State Prison-Corcoran
Licensed Vocational Nurse Nicholas Mannion, Salinas Valley State
Prison (Soledad)
Correctional Sgt. Mark Drew, California Health Care Facility (Stockton)
Correctional Officer Salvador Hernandez, California Medical Facility (Vacaville)
Correctional Lieutenant Jeffrey Fecht, California State Prison-Solano (Vacaville)
Correctional Officer Sidney Borjas, Deuel Vocational Institution (Tracy)
Correctional Officer Casey Templeton, High Desert State Prison (Susanville)
Correctional Officer Jamica Alexander, Folsom State Prison
Correctional Officer Eric R. Baker, Folsom State Prison
Correctional Sgt. Mary Fraker, Folsom State Prison
Correctional Officer Christopher McElroy, California State Prison-Sacramento
Correctional Officer David Leininger, California State Prison-Sacramento
Correctional Officer Kenneth Mercado, California State Prison-Sacramento
Correctional Officer Adrian Yerby, California State Prison-Sacramento
Correctional Officer Daryl Mills, California State Prison-Sacramento
Youth Correctional Counselor Bee Vang, N.A. Chaderjian Youth Correctional
Facility (Stockton)
Parole Agent I Claudia Chavez, O.H. Close Youth Correctional Facility (Stockton)
Parole Agent I Michael D. Williams, Oakland Parole Unit No. 2
Parole Agent II-Unit Supervisor Frank Hurtado, Ukiah Parole Unit
Parole Agent I Joseph Giglio, Ukiah Parole Unit
Parole Agent I David Johns, Ukiah Parole Unit
Unit
Citation
The Unit Citation is for great courage displayed by a departmental
unit in the face of immediate life-threatening circumstances
Correctional
Officer Magdaleno Arredondo, Salinas
Valley State Prison (Soledad)
Correctional
Officer Leanna Reck, Salinas Valley
State Prison (Soledad)
Correctional
Officer Hector Gasca, Salinas Valley
State Prison (Soledad)
Correctional
Sergeant Emilio Perez, Salinas
Valley State Prison (Soledad)
Fire Captain Paul Rivera, Salinas Valley State
Prison (Soledad)
Correctional
Officer Robert Yamamoto, Folsom
State Prison
Correctional
Officer Sandra Stone, Folsom State
Prison
Correctional
Officer James Farris, Folsom State
Prison
Correctional
Officer Jack Hamblin, Folsom State
Prison
Correctional
Sergeant Jeffrey Winn, Folsom State
Prison
Licensed
Vocational Nurse Eddie Isip, Folsom
State Prison
Senior Special
Agent Harvey Casillas, Fugitive
Apprehension Team-Sacramento
Parole Agent I Erick Halverson, Office of Correctional
Safety Fugitive Apprehension Team-Sacramento
Parole Agent I William Terrell, Office of Correctional
Safety Fugitive Apprehension Team-Sacramento
Parole Agent I Lisa La Porta, Office of Correctional
Safety Fugitive Apprehension Team-Sacramento
Parole Agent I Christopher Johnson, Office of
Correctional Safety Fugitive Apprehension Team-Sacramento
Special Agent James Bottge, Office of Correctional
Safety Fugitive Apprehension Team-Sacramento
Senior Special
Agent (A) Michael Brodie, Office of
Correctional Safety Special Service Unit-Rancho Cordova
Special Agent Matt Buechner, Office of Correctional
Safety Special Service Unit-Rancho Cordova
Special Agent David Jakabosky, Office of Correctional
Safety Special Service Unit-Rancho Cordova
Special Agent Christopher Paris, Office of Correctional Safety Special Service Unit-Rancho
Cordova
Special Agent Charles Rogers, Office of Correctional Safety Special Service Unit-Rancho
Cordova
Senior Special
Agent Russ Pettis, Office of Correctional Safety Criminal Intelligence and
Analysis Unit
Special Agent Richard Bishop, Office of Correctional Safety Criminal Intelligence and
Analysis Unit
Intelligence
Analyst Monica Montanez, Office of Correctional Safety Criminal Intelligence and
Analysis Unit
Intelligence
Analyst Marissa Castilone, Office of Correctional Safety Criminal Intelligence and
Analysis Unit
Gang Specialist Kenneth Kukrall, Office of Correctional Safety Criminal Intelligence and
Analysis Unit
Gang Specialist Jim Bales, Office of Correctional Safety Criminal Intelligence and
Analysis Unit
Correctional
Counselor I Daniel A. Kirk, Sierra
Conservation Center (Jamestown)
Correctional
Sergeant Michael Bullock, Sierra
Conservation Center (Jamestown)
Correctional
Sergeant Matthew Gilmore, Sierra Conservation Center
(Jamestown)
Correctional
Officer Justin Ellis, Sierra
Conservation Center (Jamestown)
Distinguished
Service Medal
The Distinguished Service Medal
is for an employee’s exemplary work conduct with the department for a period of
months or years, or involvement in a specific assignment of unusual benefit to
the department.
Gang Institution
Coordinator Michael Miranda, N.A.
Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility (Stockton)
Parole Agent
II/Re-entry Coordinator Chuck Supple, Northern California Youth
Correctional Center (Stockton)
Parole Agent
II/Re-entry Coordinator Dainette Bowens, Northern California Youth
Correctional Center (Stockton)
Correctional
Officer Simon Ramirez, California State Prison-Sacramento Investigative Services
Unit
Psychologist William Foreman, Ph.D., California State Prison-Solano (Vacaville)
Employee
Recognition
Administrator of the Year: Russ Nichols, Chief of Strategic Offender Management
System, Enterprise Information Services
Mental Health
Professional of the Year: Dr. Laura
Ceballos
Dental Health Professional of
the Year: Dr. Michael Barks
Division of Juvenile Justice
Officer of the Year: Youth Correctional Officer Robert
Lofton, Northern California Youth Correctional Center (Stockton)
Rehabilitation Professional of
the Year: Staff Services Manager II Tina Bayles, Division of
Rehabilitative Programs
Division of Adult Parole
Operations Employee of the Year: Guillermo
Viera Rosa
Correctional Officer of the Year:
Correctional
Officer Macaria Orgazan, California State
Prison-Solano (Vacaville)
Correctional Supervisor of the
Year: Correctional
Lieutenant Tony Thompson, High Desert
State Prison (Susanville)
Executive of the Year: Deputy
Director Rodger Meier, Division of
Rehabilitative Programs