Exceptional Employees

Merced Irrigation District Salutes Its Outstanding Employees

Quarterly, the District honors one of its exceptional employees with the Employee of the Quarter Award and annually, we salute the Employee and Supervisor of the Year.

2007 Supervisor of the Year

Ramiro Ceja - Distribution Planner

Mr. Ceja joined the District in October 2006 after working ten years at Pacific Gas and Electric Company. He was hired as the Planning Engineer for the Electric Department with responsibilities of supervising three electrical technicians. Mr. Ceja joined the District at a time when the electrical tech staff had recently undergone an almost complete turnover. He did an excellent job of reorganizing and focusing the group to regain momentum and work through the design of ongoing jobs along with bringing the mapping system and other records up to date. Additionally, he instituted an update of our design standards which involved reviewing our standards drawing library and modifying the drawings to assure compliance with changing National Electric Safety Code Standards and our construction practices as they have evolved. Our standards play a crucial part in the construction process, avoiding surprises and misunderstandings for the developer's contractor that can result in additional costs to the construction process.

Mr. Ceja personally handled several difficult projects, such as the Downtown Hotel Project with its myriad difficulties, and brought them to a successful conclusion. He is an excellent supervisor demonstrating fairness and leadership, and is constantly looking for ways to improve processes and minimize costs for the District. He does an excellent job of dealing with other agencies and developers, always keeping the best interests of the District in mind.

Mr. Ceja has been a valuable addition to the Energy Resources staff. He was the ideal candidate to help bring the department through one of the most difficult periods it has faced.

2007 Employee of the Year

Cheyene Yip - Accountant I

Ms. Yip has been a District employee since August 2005. She is a professional-level accountant, having received her degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from Saint Mary's College in 2000 and an Associates Degree in Information Systems in 2007. She came to the District with several years of accounting experience in both public and corporate business environments. Her core knowledge has been invaluable on numerous occasions. Ms. Yip continues to demonstrate her expertise in accounting and accounting information systems on a daily basis.

She is often involved in report development for the accounting department as well as ad-hoc reports on behalf of District management. For the last two years she has been the core resource for the continued development and enhancement of the electronic budget process the District now utilizes. She is also a key player with other large projects such as the audit and quarterly and monthly reporting. She accepts every challenge placed before her and always has a positive attitude towards solving problems.

Ms. Yip interacts with a wide array of District employees and vendors. Her pleasant personal and professional demeanor serves her well, and she is well-liked within the department and throughout the District.

	2007 First Quarter - Joaquin Mancebo Equipment Mechanic Joaquin Mancebo began working for the District during July of 1997. Over the years, Mr. Mancebo has demonstrated exceptional skills ranging from everyday mechanical work to auto body repair, as well as design and fabrication of items unique to the District's operations. Mr. Mancebo is a self-starter, has a good attendance record and is always willing to see any job through to its finish, at times working late into the evening. Mr. Mancebo has the ability to identify, design and fabricate modifications to existing equipment that provide improved efficiency and safety.

	2007 Third Quarter - Kristine Morris Customer Service Clerk 1 Kristine Morris has been a dedicated and hardworking District employee since April 2003. She began her career at the District as a temporary Irrigation Order Clerk. Ms. Morris moved to Administrative Services and then became a permanent District employee in October 2005 as a Customer Service Clerk. She has acquired excellent knowledge in the Irrigation Operations, Administrative Services and Water Utility Billing areas of the District. She exhibits good work ethics, patience and the ability to simplify projects so they are easily understood by her co-workers and District customers. Ms. Morris is the first person customers speak with regarding their bill and her friendly demeanor, professional and positive attitude helps customers have a pleasant and productive experience with the District. She has been very instrumental in providing all current billing and operations procedures needed to assist in the implementation of the District's new water billing system. The District is very fortunate to have an employee with Ms. Morris' business skills and positive attitude.

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Joaquin Mancebo earns safety award

At the recent Association of California Water Agencies conference it was announced that Merced Irrigation District employee Joaquin Mancebo was selected for an award from the Joint Powers Insurance Agency's (JPIA) Workers' Compensation Award Program in the amount of $675. Mr. Mancebo was recognized for his design and fabrication of a support system to aid in the mounting of the extended arm for the District's new excavator. Prior to Mr. Mancebo's work, the mounting of the extended arm was performed manually by several men, which created a potential safety risk. This accomplishment reflects Mr. Mancebo's skill and foresight. The District is very pleased the JPIA program recognized the importance of his work.