Erica Schwanbeck

In her role as a Senior Departmental Administrative Analyst, Erica’s dedicated and meticulous work has directly impacted each division within the Human Services Department as well as many community partners whose services are safety nets for our community members. When the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to staffing challenges, Erica stepped in to ensure that the Human Services Department’s contracts were executed and managed timely and efficiently, while continuing to collaborate with various stakeholders throughout the contract administration process. In addition to her exemplary work with managing departmental contracts, Erica went above and beyond in all areas of her work last year, providing training to new staff in her unit, communicating clearly and effectively with vendors and employees, and did all of this with a consistently positive and cheerful demeanor that inspired trust and confidence.

Juan Magaña

As a Senior Human Services Analyst in Home Support Services Public Authority, Juan Magaña is responsible for managing the enrollment of all In Home Support Services, which is typically done through in person orientations and enrollment appointments. Last year Juan worked closely with SEIU 2015 to create a hybrid registration model for providers that allowed for all enrollment steps to be completed online and by phone. This change not only kept providers and staff safe, but also expedited the enrollment timeline. Thanks to this new model, IHSS Public Authority was able to prevent an interruption of services to elderly and disabled community members who rely on caregivers to retain their independence and remain in their homes. This innovative idea has truly made a difference in the lives of IHSS providers and clients.

Referral Maker Developer Team

Carol LeVa, Gretchen Bronstein, Sean Kelly

In 2021, this team of App Developers created a new tool called Referral Maker that has streamlined the process for referring customers to services offered through partner agencies, such as employment resources, domestic abuse support, legal aid, childcare, as well as many other assistance programs. The Referral Maker tool has saved many hours of staff time and has eliminated the manual work of completing the referral form and sending it to partner agencies, thereby expediting the referral process so that customers can be connected to services when they need them the most. While this tool is used by staff and partner agencies, the real benefits are passed down to the customers that rely on these services.