A Season of Thanks: Recognizing Your Contributions to Gainesville

Community Builders,

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude. Your hard work, dedication, and unwavering commitment to the City of Gainesville make our community stronger, more vibrant and a better place for all neighbors. 

Looking back over Fiscal Year 2024, our work is impressive. Gainesville Fire Rescue responded to more than 28,000 calls. GCRA followed the direction of our City Commission to create a Downtown Events Program, a Downtown Advisory Board and a Downtown Ambassador Program. Housing & Community Development completed the rehabilitation or replacement of 31 homes. For the first time in six years, the Department of Financial Services presented a fiscal year audit with no new or repeat findings. The Gainesville Police Department seized or recovered 204 firearms. Public Works completed the Southwest 62nd Boulevard Connector and improved sidewalk accessibility downtown. Our One Nation One Project initiative, designed to reduce youth gun violence through exposure to culture and the arts, reached 3,605 young participants. I am pleased to share the full list of Fiscal Year 2024 accomplishments, with contributions from all departments.

These are only a few examples of the daily effort that keeps our city running smoothly. I asked the Workplace Stewardship Committee to help our organization recognize some of those outstanding achievements. The honors were given on November 14. Please join me in congratulating the winners of the 2024 City of Gainesville Employee Awards and enjoying the photos from that evening:

The recipients are as follows:

The Office of Equity and Inclusion Awards

Todd Tuzzolino, Department of Financial Services

Cynthia W. Curry, City Manager

Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area Team (Daniel Blumberg, William Dorman, Monica "Mo" Deel, David Roque, Rick Smith)

The Unsung Hero Awards 

Stephanie Pridgen, Gainesville Police Department

Crystal White, City Attorney's Office

Russ Stiriz, Department of Financial Services

Margaret Thomas, Housing & Community Development

Visionary Award

Cintya Ramos, Office of the City Manager

Excellence in Action Awards

Noemi Celpa-Morris, Department of Financial Services

Jamahl Rawls, Government Affairs and Community Relations

Kenneth Wright, Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs

Above the Call Awards

Sarah Reeves, Gainesville Police Department

Kijofa Kirkland, Regional Transit System

Pam Harris-Barber, Human Resources Department

Bridge Builder Awards 

Jessica Krauszer, Transportation Department

Dan Zhu, Office of Climate Change

Power DMS Team (Suzette Bennett, Alicia Cochrane, Kimberly Harris, Laura Graetz, Jaime Kurnick, Lindsay Lowery, Laura Rawson, Donna Sutton, Neysa Walkin-Boothe)

ADU Team (Vian Cockerham-Guinyard, John Freeland, Corey Harris, Linda Maze, Sarit Sela)

Memory Maker Award

Carol Velasques, Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs

Office of Communications Team (Charles Ely, Patrick Fleming, LaShundra Hale, Scott Littler, Raul Merlo, Rossana Passaniti, Laura Rawson, Jennifer Smart, Dustin Walsh)

Lifetime Achievement Award 

Kathlene Steidley, Gainesville Fire Rescue

Shaneka Young, Office of the City Clerk

I also want to thank those who nominated colleagues for this honor. It is clear we are an organization of dedicated community builders who work well together.



If you are among our public safety community builders who will continue to work over the Thanksgiving holiday, I offer my deepest gratitude. To those who will enjoy time off with loved ones, I wish you a happy and restful Thanksgiving holiday.

With gratitude,

Cynthia W. Curry

Gainesville City Manager

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