Napa County Board honors staff and departments with 2025 recognition awards
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Summary
At its Nov. 18 meeting, the Napa County Board of Supervisors presented 2025 employee recognition awards honoring front-line staff and leaders across library services, IT, agriculture, finance and child support; the board highlighted service totals, innovations and a countywide focus on customer service.
The Napa County Board of Supervisors used part of its Nov. 18, 2025, meeting to present its 2025 employee recognition awards, honoring individual staff and whole teams for long service, innovation and leadership.
County CEO Ryan Alsop opened the presentation by calling the recognitions part of Employee Appreciation Week and saying the awards "acknowledge and honor members of our county's workforce whose hard work, achievement, dedication, and spirit has been noticed by others." He identified several special honorees and noted the program elevates employee contributions during a regular board meeting.
Supervisor Gallagher presented an Excellence in Public Service award to Mary Jo Canonis, a library associate II in the children's section of the Napa County Library. Gallagher described Canonis's 14 years of county service and her work leading STEAM programs such as robotics and Ozobot classes. Anthony Halstead, who spoke during the presentation, said Canonis "just intuitively knows what people need and is there to respond." Mary Jo Canonis, accepting the award, thanked coworkers and family and said the honor "reflects not just my individual effort, but also the collective dedication of the entire library team."
Chairperson Cottrell presented an Excellence in Public Service award to Lisa Claudino, an information specialist II in Information Technology Services. The board noted Claudino joined Napa County in 1998 and later served as supervisor of the records division before moving to ITS. Meg Reagan said Claudino is the department's "go-to contact for ITS support," citing her professionalism and problem-solving.
Amber Manfred presented an award to Deputy Agricultural Commissioner Andre Napolitano, praising his work since 2013 to improve pest detection through new technology and to broaden outreach to Spanish-, Portuguese- and Italian-speaking growers. Agricultural Commissioner Tracy Cleveland told the board Napolitano "consistently goes above and beyond," and Napolitano, accepting the award, quoted philosopher Immanuel Kant to underscore his department's service values.
The board recognized Gina Paganimen (listed in the record with variant spellings) with an Excellence in Public Service award for her leadership in the auditor-controller's office. The board credited her with managing the county's annual comprehensive financial report (ACFR), a document reviewed by credit agencies and required by law, and noted her 16 years of county service. Auditor-Controller Tracy Schultze said Paganimen helped the county earn awards from the Government Finance Officers Association and the state controller's office.
Alsop also announced the Outstanding Department Head award, chosen by peers, for Napa County District Attorney Lisonbee Haley; Assistant DA Paul Giro accepted on her behalf and praised her vision, community programs and statewide leadership. Chair Cottrell then presented the Chair's Award for Distinguished Achievement in Public Service to the Napa County Department of Child Support Services. Cottrell said the department assists more than 2,400 families annually and collected "nearly $11,000,000" in federal fiscal year 2025, noting the department ranked among the top agencies in California on federal performance measures. Director Doug Durward accepted on behalf of his team and emphasized their long tenure and commitment to innovation and partnership with courts and community partners.
The board invited recipients and their families to take photos at the end of the meeting. No formal motions or votes were taken during the awards presentations, which the board framed as recognition rather than action.
