David Y. Ige

One winner is helping young people overcome a troubled past. Another believes that school children need an inspiring place to learn. And one dedicated 15-member team protected Hawai‘i’s consumer interests in the proposed NextEra-Hawaiian Electric merger.

They were among the top winners at the Governor’s Award Ceremony May 18, recognizing 19 teams, 18 managers and 19 individual employees nominated by their departments. The top overall winners are:

• State Manager of the Year Mark Patterson, Corrections Manager, Department of Human Services –  Mark Patterson, administrator of the Hawai‘i Youth Correctional Facility, “has worked tirelessly to create a pu‘uhonua, a sanctuary of healing for troubled youth” and provide a place for transformation. Employee of the Year Lowell Spencer, head custodian, Honowai Elementary School, Department of Education – Lowell Spencer has “transformed this 50-year-old school campus into a well-manicured area, filled with native Hawaiian plants.” He has been praised for working with his staff to repair items in innovative ways to keep the buildings in excellent condition.
• State Team of the Year – NextEra-Hawaiian Electric Merger Evaluation Team, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs – This DCCA 15-member team “worked tirelessly to analyze more than 100,000 pages of information related to the proposed $4.3 billion merger between NextEra and the  Hawaiian Electric Companies to protect the interests of Hawai‘i’s consumers.”