Pictured are Employee of the Year Kristin White with Academic Manager John Noel, Academy Director Ann Anderson, and Career Technical Training Manager Vicki Yonkers.

CASSADAGA — The staff of the Cassadaga Job Corps Academy are a dedicated group of professionals committed to training, educating, and helping their students succeed. Once a year, a group of these individuals receive special recognition for going above and beyond or for reaching a milestone in their own career. The staff gathered recently to honor the service of their co-workers at the annual Employee Recognition Dinner held at the Cassadaga Country Club.

Several staff service awards were given out to employees who will be reaching employment milestones. Those achieving five years of service were Cynthia Schnelzer and Emilia Lineman, 10 years were Mike Pietrkiewicz and Martha Fitzer, 15 years was Adam Dolce, and 20 years was Dayna Schultz.

Safety on and around the campus is paramount. Several staff members had exceptional safety records throughout the last year. The center’s fleet of drivers is responsible for shuttling students to work, appointments, and off-center classes across Western New York. Recognized for their safety records were Troy Barry and James Knoop. Also recognized for their safety records were Career Transition Services staff members Leah Chase, Jacob Brock, Zach Agett, and Jessica Bens. The CTS department assists recent Job Corps graduates from the Cassadaga area, Buffalo, Rochester, and beyond. Like the safe drivers, none has a recorded accident or incident involving one of the vehicles throughout the year.

This year’s banquet marked the retirement of two longtime Job Corps employees. Austin Ginley spent more than 20 years at the Academy, where he worked as a security officer, security manager, and driver. Now in retirement, Ginley has remained available as an on-call employee to help out when needed. Also announcing his retirement is Jerry Near, a 30-year employee who worked in the maintenance department. Near was revered for his ability to repair the seemingly unrepairable, his willingness to help others, and institutional memory.

Also recognized were the employees of the month, including Chris Rissel, Joe Eckstrom, Kristin White, Jacob Brock, Kyle Dawley, Martha Fitzer, Charlene Burch, and Larry Steward.

Kristin White was selected as the 2016 Employee of the Year. An Academy employee since 2014, White serves as the Career Development assistant, responsible for aiding the management team in the Academic and Training program. She is a regular substitute in the classrooms, provides clerical assistance, helps manage student behavior, and is available to aid the teaching staff with whatever they may need. White has become a favorite among Job Corps students, recognized for her compassion and ability to provide an ear whenever needed.

Academy Director Ann Anderson stated, “Kristin is such an important part of our team, and is so loved by our students. Her constant presence in the school and always fair approach have helped so many young men and women who have passed through our halls.”

Upon receiving the award, White proclaimed, “I am honored to be selected as Employee of the Year for Cassadaga Job Corps Academy. I would like to express my gratitude to the employees and management team who chose me for this award. Their hard work and dedication make Job Corps such a fulfilling and rewarding place to work. Being able to support the young men and women who attend Cassadaga Job Corps as they achieve their academic and vocational goals makes me look forward to coming to work every day. Watching a student grow and accomplish things that they never dreamed were possible is the most satisfying part of my job.”

Job Corps, a U.S. Dept. of Labor program, provides young people ages 16 through 24 with tuition-free career technical and academic training in high-demand industries to ensure they are prepared to compete in the workforce upon graduation. For more information about employment opportunities available at Cassadaga Job Corps, you may call the Human Resources Department at 595-4218, or contact Randall Golden at 595-4200 or golden.randall@jobcorps.org.