Calvin Cafritz, president and CEO of The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, presents an award for exemplary public service to Sgt. Gene Ryan of the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department. Ryan — whose partner, Kylie, is a cadaver dog he rescued from an animal shelter — created the agency's canine division. (Photo by Jessica Yurinko Photography)

Guests tear up as standout DC government workers get recognition at 18th annual Cafritz Awards event

By Andria Moore On Jun 26, 2019 Last updated Jul 4, 2019

With standing ovations and teary eyes, guests at the 18th annual Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Awards Ceremony last week celebrated “everyday heroes” in the DC government, including a fire sergeant and his cadaver dog. Honored for their exemplary public service, five individual awardees each received $7,500 while one team winner earned $15,000.

“Those honored tonight represent truly outstanding District professionalism — all while demonstrating the best in public service,” said Calvin Cafritz, president and CEO of The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.

The foundation partners with the George Washington University Center for Excellence in Public Leadership for the awards, which were presented June 20 at the Cloyd Heck Marvin Center.

Honoring exemplary public service in the DC government, the 18th annual Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Awards Ceremony took place last week at George Washington University’s Marvin Center. Awards went to five individuals and one team. (Photo by Jessica Yurinko Photography)

“These everyday heroes are people just like us, who made it their cause to serve others,” said Kateryna Pyatybratova, director of marketing and development for The George Washington University and director of the awards.

The winners are chosen through a screening process that scrutinizes applications and reference letters from the people making the nominations. A panel of community leaders, GWU faculty and national public administration professionals chooses the winners from a list of finalists.

Imhotep Newsome, the language access program manager for the Metropolitan Police Department, was the first to take the podium at this year’s event. Newsome received a Cafritz Award for going above and beyond his job description by not only providing DC residents, visitors and employees with ways to access language access services and programs, but by improving upon existing services to make them more user-friendly.

“First, I want to thank God,” Newsome said. “Language access to me is a bridge to learn about a culture.”

Sgt. Gene Ryan of the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department gave the second speech of the night. “I was at a career day with my daughter and I overheard my 7-year-old say to someone, ‘My daddy just won a Cafritz Award,’” he said. “There’s something funny about hearing a 7-year-old say ‘Cafritz.’”

Ryan shares his award with his best friend and partner, Kylie — a rambunctious cadaver dog, who has been instrumental in finding the bodies of many missing people this year. Ryan, who created his department’s cadaver canine division, rescued Kylie from an animal shelter.

Jose Santos is a boiler plant operator with the District’s Department of General Services. “In my line of work, if I’m doing my job well, then all systems are operating — and therefore nobody notices my work,” Santos said, to a chuckling audience. Thanks to Santos’ many hours of effort, the heating and cooling systems at both Woodrow Wilson High School and Columbia Heights Educational Campus operate more efficiently and effectively. Santos cut energy bills and improved building safety at the two schools.

Gloria Torrento-Del Cid is an administrative officer for Seaton Elementary School on 10th Street NW who ensures that students and parents — particularly those from immigrant families — feel supported academically. Among the students and faculty at Seaton, she is known by her middle name, “Miss Daisy,” and is credited with providing a more inclusive, welcoming environment for immigrant students and parents. “I tell the students every day, ‘This is not my school, this is my home,’” said Del Cid, a Salvadoran immigrant who also won recognition from DC Public Schools this year as School Staff Member of the Year.

Circe Torruellas is the reason DC has effective, clean Circulator buses. As deputy associate director for bus transit operations for the District Department of Transportation, Torruellas is responsible for the comfort and safety of riders on DC Circulator buses. “Thank you to my friends and family who are here and care nothing about transportation, but care about me,” Torruellas joked in her acceptance speech.

The last award of the night was presented to the staff of My School DC, a program created in 2014 to assist parents in placing their children in DC public schools outside their neighborhoods and public charter schools through the District’s lottery system. The program has helped to simplify this process for parents in DC, and to ensure students are placed in schools to their liking. “It’s a gift to work with people you enjoy, doing work for the greater good,” said Catherine Peretti, executive director of My School DC.

The awards program’s organizers relish the chance to honor individual employees at the annual event but also have a broader goal in mind.

“By shedding light on government leaders that are innovative, who go above and beyond the call of duty, we are changing the conversation about the work of District government public servants, and hope to inspire the next generation of leaders to make a positive difference in our nation’s capital and around the world,” Pyatybratova said.

This post has been updated to clarify that DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department Sgt. Gene Ryan launched the cadaver canine division, not the canine division.

Read more about each Cafritz Award winner in The DC Line’s upcoming spotlight series. You can also learn about last year’s honorees in our 2018 profiles.