October 2023 Commitment Award For Service
Congratulations to Public Information Specialist Zach Ribert on receiving our October 2023 Commitment Award for Service.
Program Manager Monica Lester had this to say in nominating Zach for this award:
“Zach Ribert is the first of our Engagement & Development Services Division staff members to work out of the Plattsburgh office. Despite the fact that he is a solo practitioner in a remote region of New York state, Zach has done an outstanding job of building relationships, demonstrating excellence and regularly going above and beyond in his daily work.
To start, Zach serves five different school districts as clients, which is not a small feat. While these clients do not purchase full-time service, he goes beyond in his day-to-day to provide diligent and thoughtful attention to each one. Not only does he have to process a significant amount of information related to the unique nuances of each district, he maintains relationships with the central office administrators in each as well. Five clients means five budgets to understand and five social media presences to monitor, which he navigates with seeming ease.
Zach has a vision for overall communications goals and strives for excellence in every aspect of his work. Zach truly listens to his clients to understand their needs, and he confidently articulates and executes the small steps required to propel each of his districts toward more strategic and thoughtful communications.
Zach is not easily ruffled and is extremely easy to work with in a crisis situation. He has become the sounding board for several superintendents—as well as his colleagues—in the North Country region with his calm, steadfast presence.
Throughout the North Country, Zach has helped schools with staff recruitment, building informed consent for voters around budget and capital project votes, and rolling out ParentSquare as a mass notification platform. In addition, he has taken the initiative to send weekly updates to his clients, which over the course of last year included more than 50 different communication suggestions. Throughout the state, Zach has worked on many different video projects (one of his areas of expertise) to showcase and tell stories about everything from capital projects to student activities.
Zach has grown annual service in at least one of his clients from 150 hours to Tier 1 Enhanced service (which is equivalent to one day per week), and he led Harrisville CSD through a website redesign and launch – the first in the St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES Region.
Zach has been called “incredible” by one of his client superintendents, and “incredibly professional and a team player” by one of his EDS colleagues. His colleagues and clients view him as reliable and responsive, and he continually looks for ways to grow his skills and knowledge of school public relations in order to better serve his clients and support his teammates.”
In addition to his work for clients, Zach serves on the EDS’ Recruitment and Retention Task Force, and as a mentor for students in the Plattsburgh City School District.
The Commitment Awards were established to recognize employees who embody each commitment to a significant degree, and is one part of a three-tiered recognition program to build a culture of gratitude through acknowledgment and appreciation. Our Commitments — SERVICE, VALUE, EXCELLENCE, IMPROVEMENT, LEADERSHIP — embody what we do and who we are.