Education Commissioner Dr. La Verne Terry has announced the selection of the 2011 Public Employees of the Year: Sharmila Richardson, a personnel assistant in the St. Thomas-St. John District Human Resource Office, and Sheryl Finch, a guidance counselor at the Charles H. Emanuel Elementary School on St. Croix.“It gives me great pleasure on behalf of the leadership and staff of this department to congratulate these ladies on this very important recognition in their professional careers. Public and civil service employees are the backbone of our workforce and communities. The duties performed by these individuals are the oil that keep the wheels of government and our democratic system moving,” said Dr. Terry. In offering her congratulations to the honorees, she further said, “To be recognized as an outstanding employee is exemplary and I am exceedingly proud to have both of these ladies, who are hard working, proactive, committed and who possess great character, as members of the V.I. Education Department’s team.”
St. Thomas –St. John District honoree Sharmila Richardson said, “In my capacity as a personnel assistant, I have been given the opportunity to interact with some of the most learned professionals in the U.S. Virgin Islands. And as a result, I am ever reminded that here at the Department of Education diversity is our strength.” Richardson further shared that in her duties she captures her strengths and combines them with those of her colleagues toward fulfilling the mission of her division. “We are a family in the HR office. We collaborate and assist each other consistently as that is the only way the office will move forward. The relationships that I have established with clients and my colleagues in the office also go with me into my personal life, where I can safely and honestly say that I have the best of both worlds, I love them all! To be recognized as one of the brightest and best of the Virgin Islands Government is awesome, and I am truly honored.”
Trained to assist and work alongside teaching professionals,Sheryl Finch maintains the philosophy, “Every child has the potential to achieve greatness with social, emotional, academic and physical guidance.” With a counseling career preceded by teaching secondary math, she is well known as a problem-solver who works diligently with parents, administrators, teachers and students to address and solve problems that may be negatively impacting a child’s social and academic lives. The commissioner said, “In addition to dedicating her life to the betterment of the children that she works with on a daily basis, Ms. Finch also extends her time outside of the school day to coach volleyball, football and basketball, facilitate students at the Charles H. Emanuel School Learn to Swim Program as well as serve on the School Wide Discipline Team and the Anti-Litter and Beautification Team.”
Terry said, “We are extremely proud of our Employees of the Year and wholeheartedly support their success.”
