FCCA FOUNDATION DWIGHT D. OPPERMAN PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD
At the 1999 FCCA Conference in Miami, the FCCA Foundation awarded the first FCCA Public Service Award. This award recognizes and rewards Deputy Clerks who consistently render extraordinary service to the public, thereby enhancing the image of the Clerk's Office and the Court. To date, the Foundation has made twelve awards of $1,500 to deserving Deputy Clerks. The name of the award has been changed to recognize the generous donation by the Dwight D. Opperman Foundation of sufficient funds to endow the Public Service Award. Mr Opperman was the Chairman and CEO of West Publishing Company. This award will be granted whenever there is a worthy recipient and will not necessarily be made annually. The recipient will be determined by a committee consisting of the Chairpersons of the FCCA Clerks' Council and Deputy Clerks'Council and a member of the Board of Directors of the FCCA Foundation.
Nominees must be front-line employees who regularly interact with the public and consistently do so in an exemplary manner so as to enhance the image of the Clerk's Office and the Courts. Such service to the public must have been over a sustained period of time (for at least a year). Nominees must be recommended by their supervisor and/or peers and endorsed by the Clerk. A nominee's last performance rating must have been at least above average, and he or she must have received the highest rating possible for that part of the rating that covered dealing with the public. Finally, a nominee must have been a member of FCCA for at least one year.
Nominations are to be submitted to the President of FCCA no later than April 15th of each year. The nomination, not to exceed two pages of narrative, must include specific examples of exemplary performance and must clearly establish that the nominee meets all eligibility criteria. The President will hold all nominations and submit them in a batch to the Screening Committee by April 30th. By May 15, the Screening Committee will decide whether an award will be made and will notify the Awards Chair. The presentation of the award will be announced at the FCCA's Annual Conference. For more information about the award contact the President of the FCCA or the FCCA Awards Chair.
