County honors employees: EPIC Shining Stars named; local public defender recognized with statewide award

El Paso County commissioners on June 30 recognized four employees with the county’s EPIC Shining Stars awards and heard a presentation honoring Rebecca Spencer Tavitas of the Public Defender’s Office, who received a statewide executive award in pretrial services.

Betsy Keller, chief administrator, presented the EPIC awards—an internal program recognizing employees who demonstrate excellence, professionalism, integrity and creativity. Honorees included: Francisco Triste, road maintenance foreman in Public Works; Adrian (last name not specified in the record), an animal‑welfare officer; Emmanuel (last name not specified), a public safety IT specialist; and Lydia Adias, capital planning project manager. Keller described the employees’ achievements and noted certificates, a portrait and a courthouse flag would accompany the recognition.

In a separate presentation, Joel Bishop of County Administration announced that Rebecca Spencer Tavitas had been recognized by the Texas Association of Pretrial Services for “steadfast commitment to evidence‑based bail advocacy” and for work that reduced unnecessary pretrial detention. Kelly Childress, chief public defender, and members of the public‑defender leadership team praised Tavitas’s long service and devotion to pretrial fairness. Tavitas declined to seek the spotlight but accepted the award and thanked her colleagues.

Why it matters: the presentations highlighted ongoing county efforts to recognize public‑servant performance and to spotlight criminal‑justice reforms at the local level, including efforts to reduce money‑based pretrial detention.

Ending: Commissioners congratulated the honorees and posed for photos; no formal votes were required for the recognitions.