Tulare County names Alejandro Rodriguez Perez employee of the year

Tulare County on Monday recognized Alejandro Rodriguez Perez, a behavioral health associate clinician I (unlicensed) with the county’s human services division, as the 2024 Tulare County employee of the year.

Human Resources Director Lupi Garza told the board the employee-recognition program received 127 nominations this year; six finalists were presented at the meeting. Garza read supervisory nominations describing the finalists’ work before the board presented certificates and time-off awards.

The file of nominations and the department summaries presented in the meeting highlighted specific instances of Rodriguez Perez’s service: volunteering for on-call shifts on short notice, transporting and supervising children and families in high-pressure situations, accompanying children overnight to a hospital setting and facilitating supervised visits, and locating and returning a dependent runaway. County presenters said those actions demonstrated compassion and continuity of care during emergencies and nonstandard hours.

Other finalists recognized by departments were Ruth Rangel (Sheriff’s Office), Angelica Bontrager (Library), Tamika Lewis (District Attorney’s Office), Jordan Rojas (Probation), and Aggie Martinez Romero (Human Services; not present). Garza said each departmental nominee receives an eight-hour vacation award and departmental certificate; the county-level employee-of-the-year recipient receives additional recognition by the board.

Rodriguez Perez thanked the board, county leadership and his family during brief remarks at the dais. Board members offered congratulations and remarks of appreciation for all nominees and county employees; supervisors noted the difficulty of selecting a single county-wide employee from more than 4,000 county employees and roughly 100 nominations.

The board said it would hold photo opportunities and continue with other agenda items after the presentation.