RCAP recognizes outstanding field staff at national conference

Nine RCAP staff members were honored for exceptional service in their positions during RCAP’s national conference Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 in Washington, D.C.

The staff were honored at a lunchtime banquet held during the conference, which was a training event for RCAP technical assistance providers and other staff from all of RCAP’s six regions. Honorees, who are staff of four of RCAP’s regions, were each presented with a glass award etched with his/her name and a framed certificate.

RCAP staff across the country were invited to nominate their fellow staff members in five award categories. Technical Assistance Providers and State/Regional coordinators were eligible. The honorees were chosen by a panel of RCAP board members and the RCAP Executive Director, Robert Stewart.

Following are the awards and the recipients:

Outstanding Service Award

Michael Murray
Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project,
the Southeast RCAP

Jay Mashburn
Rural Community Assistance Corporation,
the Western RCAP

(accepting his award on his behalf were George Schlender and Stan Keasling of Rural Community Assistance Corporation)

This award is given to an RCAP staff member who repeatedly goes above and beyond the call of duty in serving his/her communities, building their capacity and helping them achieve the outcomes that are critical to their future health and development. The recipient should be a staff member who gives more than 100 percent in the service of his/her communities and whose commitment and dedication to RCAP’s mission is obvious to all.

Bill French Bridge-builder Award

John Rauch
WSOS Community Action Commission,
the Great Lakes RCAP

This award is given to an RCAP staff member who has been successful in building his/her state RCAP program, whether in reputation and credibility or in funding. He/she has advanced his/her state program to a higher level of operations through new and enhanced relationships with funding and/or primacy agencies or other partners, new services offered to communities, and/or new grants or contracts obtained. This award is named for Bill French, one of RCAP’s founding members who leveraged the RCAP program to build a strong and well-respected agency, and is given to a recipient who has successfully advanced his/her state program to a higher level of operations. The recipient has, in the sense of being a bridge, enabled a program to cross over barriers, led a program along a road to realize a vision, and brought a plan to fruition. The person has been a true connector and has led programs to success.

Outstanding Rookie Award

Marshall Yandle
Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project,
the Southeast RCAP

This award is given to a staff member who has been with the RCAP program for two years or less, but who has made contributions over and above what would be expected for a new staff member. Nominees for this award have adapted to their jobs quickly, have made positive suggestions and contributions for program improvement, and shown outstanding initiative.

Outstanding Mentor Award

Kurtis Strickland WSOS Community Action Commission, the Great Lakes RCAP
Dennis Siders Midwest Assistance Program, the Midwest RCAP

Few jobs are as important, yet often receive as little credit, as teaching and mentoring new TAPs and helping them become productive members of the RCAP team. This award is given to a TAP or State/Regional Coordinator who has made a difference in the program through his/her expert guidance and valuable knowledge and being a nurturing, fostering leader.

2010 Inductees into RCAP's Hall of Fame

Blanca Surgeon Rural Community Assistance Corporation, the Western RCAP
H.B. Calvert Midwest Assistance Program, the Midwest RCAP
Julie Ward WSOS Community Action Commission, the Great Lakes RCAP

Inductees into the Hall of Fame have made significant positive contributions to RCAP in the course of their work over the years. Most likely they are a long-term TAP or State/Regional coordinator who works directly with communities.

In addition to the above RCAP staff awards, Stan Keasling, CEO of the Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC; the Western RCAP) and chair of RCAP's national board of directors, won an award from the Housing Assistance Council (HAC). RCAP held its national training conference in conjunction with HAC's 2010 National Rural Housing Conference.

On the final evening of HAC’s portion of the joint conference, Keasling was presented with the Skip Jason Community Service Award from HAC. This award recognizes people whose efforts have improved the housing conditions of the rural poor in their communities. The award acknowledges people who work “in the trenches” and usually go unrecognized outside their communities. Winners of this award were nominated by their peers and selected by HAC’s board of directors.

RCAC provides water and wastewater technical assistance under the banner of the national RCAP network. In addition, it has a separate but extensive housing-assistance program in its region of the western United States, and this work falls under the direction of Keasling as RCAC’s CEO. Keasling is a regular attendee at HAC's conferences.

Stan Keasling of RCAC (left), pictured with Tom Carew (right), another HAC award winner.