BALTIMORE (August 31, 1999) - Jim Richmond, 35, of New Market, Frederick County, has been named Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) Employee of the Year.
"Jim's positive attitude about everything he does is infectious," said MDE Secretary Jane Nishida. "His unlimited enthusiasm alone would make him an exemplary employee, but the quality of his work and his initiative make him a model for all of us."
Richmond is the Western Maryland Regional Manager for MDE's Waste Management Administration and he serves as the liaison with elected officials and local government representatives, coordinates MDE projects, and manages the regional office in Hagerstown.
Richmond was recognized for his superior work on several projects in addition to his primary job. He developed, coordinated, and assembled the Waste Management Resource Guide, an outstanding, unique internal reference tool that will be a model for the rest of the department.
He managed the Governor's Scrap Tire Summer Youth Project, now in its third year, which was responsible for the clean up or recycling of more than 33,000 tires that had been dumped on public property throughout the state in 1998. Through close coordination with the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Maryland Environmental Service, and local governments, Richmond helped to provide summer jobs for about 60 Baltimore youths and 40 others from the DNR Maryland Conservation Corps. The 1998 project, in a joint effort with Sears/National Tire and Battery, provided crumb rubber to replenish the protective cover layer at three scrap tire playgrounds previously constructed.
Richmond is also one of the department's coordinators for environmental justice and was instrumental in educating the public on the importance of treating all segments of the population fairly when siting permitted facilities. In this capacity, he also developed recommendations on potential directions for Maryland's environmental justice policy.
Among all of these other functions, he also represented the administration on the department's Y2K Risk Management Workgroup and was MDE's regional office representative to the Employee Involvement Committee, an internal work group designed to address employee concerns.
Richmond said he was surprised by his selection. "I work with a lot of other people that are dedicated professionals, I see so many people that I think do a good job," he said. "I certainly didn't think that I would be Employee of the Year, but was certainly honored to be named."
Originally from Lonaconing in Allegany County, MD, Richmond has been an MDE employee since 1989 when he started as a sanitarian. He holds two Bachelor of Science degrees -- one from Frostburg State University in Biology from 1985 and one in Natural Science (Geology) from Towson State Uiversity in 1996.
Richmond is an outdoor enthusiast who likes all sorts of outdoor sports. He is married to the former Mary Corbett of Catonsville, and is the father of Morgan, 4, and Justin, 1. His parents, Bill and Judy Richmond, still reside in Lonaconing.
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