If you’ve visited the library, you’ve likely been greeted by Marva’s warm smile and friendly hello. Marva has been an incredible addition to our team, assisting patrons in finding their next great read and crafting beautiful, thoughtful displays. Her creativity and dedication shine through in every project she undertakes.
“Marva is an invaluable team member,” said Youth Librarian Stacy Wells, when asked about Marva's contributions to the library. “Her creativity and exceptional customer service transform every library visit into a delightful experience. She makes our patrons feel truly welcome and inspired, pouring her heart into every interaction. This dedication extends to her impressive large-scale displays, such as those for Black History Month, as well as smaller book displays that not only inform but also spark curiosity and the imagination.”
Marva is also an active member of the Southlake Library staff matrix team, bringing fun treats and words of affirmation to her colleagues.
Next time you visit the library, be sure to say hello to Marva and compliment her on her hard work. Her creativity and enthusiasm create a magical world for everyone who walks through our doors to enjoy!
As a lifeline of our community, water demands careful stewardship – and no one understands that better than Madisson Dunn. Her careful guardianship over this precious resource, attention to detail, and commitment to aiming high above the standard of excellence earned her the prestigious Director’s Award for Public Works at the 2024 Employee Appreciation Awards.
“Madisson is a subject matter expert on regulatory requirements,” Public Works Director Rob Cohen said. “She’s worked diligently and certainly has been a force multiplier for the city. The doors are open for her and we’re excited to see what the future holds.”
Madisson began her career with the City of Southlake in 2019 as an Environmental Services Intern. Her passion for conservation and environmental stewardship was evident from the start, shaped by her earlier experiences as a Conservation and Community Engagement Intern at the Dallas Zoo and as a Camp Ambassador at the Elephant Habitat. These roles honed her ability to connect with the public, instilling in her the importance of educating others about conservation — a skill that has become a cornerstone of her work in Southlake.
In her current role, Madisson’s workdays are anything but ordinary. One moment, she might be deep in regulations, and the next, out in the field conducting inspections or sampling events. But regardless of the task, her dedication to keeping Southlake compliant with state and federal environmental regulations is unwavering. This work not only ensures the community’s health and safety, but it also fosters a deeper connection between residents and the environment they depend on.
“I love being able to provide the ‘why’ to the community’s questions,” Madisson explained. “Sometimes, regulations may not make sense inherently. Engaging with residents to provide the understanding for these mandates, or even to have them successfully self-reflect is a rewarding moment. Once we talk about the environmental repercussions of certain elements hitting our waterways, it can make more sense to the recipient.”
Madisson Dunn’s story is one of dedication and a genuine love for what she does. With her eyes on the future and a heart for service, she’s making waves — both in her division and in our community.
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At the 2024 Employee Appreciation Awards, Sara Villalobos shone brightly as she was honored with the prestigious Kristin Pitzinger External Customer Service Award. Known for her unwavering dedication and commitment, Sara’s work at the City of Southlake Municipal Court sets a shining example of the level of customer service the City aims to provide daily.
“Sara always has the customer’s perspective in mind,” Chief Financial Officer Sharen Jackson explained. “To better serve our Spanish-speaking customers, Sara took classes and is now the primary translator and interpreter. She did that to ensure everyone has a fair judicial process and can clearly understand what is going on.”
For over eight years, Sara has been a cornerstone of the Southlake municipal court, seamlessly managing financial transactions, court dockets, and the preparation of cases for warrants. Her meticulous attention to detail and her commitment to timely communication reflect her dedication to the court’s mission: to administer fair and impartial justice while fostering public trust.
“Integrity in customer service and in record management is a foundational principle for the court and is a major motivator for me,” Sara explained. “When I found out I won this award, I felt a lot of gratitude toward the people who trained me, to those who allowed me to ask a million questions, and to those who took a chance on me. Winning this award meant a lot because all those people who helped me along the way were able to celebrate that moment with me.”
Sara’s unwavering commitment to exceptional customer service, her dedication to continuous improvement, and her genuine care for the community have not only earned her this well-deserved recognition but have also set a benchmark for others to follow.
As Sara continues to serve with passion and integrity, she embodies the true spirit of public service, inspiring her colleagues and enhancing the lives of those she helps every day.
When it comes to City plans and project management Kevin Ferrer is your go to person.
He serves as the deputy city engineer for the Public Works Department where he leads and guides the engineering team on Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs).
The CIP is a five-year plan that the City has in place for construction of new or investing in the replacement of the City’s physical assets or infrastructure.
These projects ensure that the City will meet the demands for sewer, drainage, water, roadways and parks as Southlake continues to build-out.
To help the City accomplish this goal, Ferrer works with various departments, team members and consultants to address plans and concerns for projects and as well as other engineering related items.
He also analyzes, reviews and discuss studies, reports and plans with the team.
Although implementation and execution play a big part in his day-to-day activities, Ferrer understands that customer service is a high priority.
He is hands on when it comes to communicating and addressing concerns from citizens, contractors and external parties.
His role and dedication to Southlake Mobility Projects earned him the Southlake Values Award for Integrity during Employee Appreciation Week 2021.
When asked what makes Southlake a world class organization to work for, Ferrer said, “Collaboration with the Southlake team and seeing a project completed from the planning/design stage to completion of construction.”
Just weeks before graduation, City Manager’s Office (CMO) Intern Bora Sulollari was named this year’s Outstanding Master of Public Administration (MPA) Student for the University of North Texas (UNT).
The Student of the Year award is given annually by the Department of Public Administration to the outstanding MPA student. The Outstanding Student Award includes a plaque recognizing the student's achievements. In addition, the recipient of the Outstanding Master of Public Administration Student award receives the E. Ray Griffin Scholarship including a $1,500 award.
“Bora was an excellent student in the MPA program,” said Dr. Hee Soun Jang, associate professor and MPA program Coordinator of UNT adding that Sulollari had an “exceptional academic performance.”
“She managed exceptionally high grade-point average (GPA) during the course work in the rigorous MPA program and her performance was a direct result of her hard work and strong focus,” said Dr. Jang. “She has consistently demonstrated an ability to rise to any challenge that she must face. Her leadership and outstanding performance were evidence by the Outstanding MPA Student Award of 2021.”
Serving as an intern for the City since September 2020, Sulollari has played an integral part in the success of many projects during her time with Southlake.
“We are especially proud of Bora for receiving this award,” said Assistant City Manager Alison Ortowski, who is a former recipient of UNT’s Outstanding MPA Student Award. “She exemplifies excellence in all she does here for the City of Southlake, and there is no doubt that she displayed that same excellence during her academic career.”
The City of Southlake has a long-standing relationship with UNT’s MPA program, often selecting student interns from the school.
“We are fortunate to have student interns like Bora join our staff. It’s a great opportunity for them to get some experience working in a City Manager’s Office and we also benefit from their knowledge and skills to assist our team in accomplishing our City’s goals,” Ortowski said. “With her determination and tenacity, Bora has shown her ample abilities as part of our team. There is no doubt that she has a bright future ahead in public administration.”
Sulollari completed her MPA degree earlier this month with a 3.94 GPA. During her time at UNT, she served as president of the Public Administration Students Association.
Dr. Jang said Sulollari was “such a dedicated leader in Public Administration Student Association (PASA) during the testing time of the pandemic. She had shown a strong commitment to public service and outstanding organizational skills in leading student organization activities.”
In addition, Sulollari served as chair of Pi Alpha Alpha (PAA), the national honor society for public affairs and administration, in 2020-2021; and as a member of PAA, UMANT, ICMA and TCMA. Sulollari earned her bachelor's degree from UNT in 2019.
As you drive through Southlake, you may notice signs about events, projects and upcoming meetings posted throughout the City.
The person responsible for those public notifications is Seantay Carpenter.
Carpenter is the landscape and zoning inspector for Planning and Development Services, where he assists developers, contractors and the general public with zoning, signage and code compliance.
He also performs zoning, landscaping and tree preservation inspections.
With customer service and serving a world class community being one of the City’s many top priorities, Carpenter has always been known for his friendly interactions with customers and staff members.
Recently, he assisted the Economic Development and Tourism Department in delivering PPE packages and a Safe Pledge Kit to businesses that signed up for Southlake Safe.
In 2017, he received the City’s Kristin Pitzinger Customer Service Award for his ability to provide exceptional customer service.
“One of the best parts about my job is having the chance to interact with internal and external customers,” Carpenter said. “I get to collaborate with other City departments and work with outside clients.”
He has been employed by the City for over nine years and is looking forward to more years to come.
“Working for the City of Southlake has allowed me to change and grow in my professional career while being able to learn and develop new skills,” he said. “It’s a great place to work and meet new people. Southlake feels like home.”
If you happen to see or work with Carpenter, the latest anime films and video games are a great conversation starter.
In Southlake, we strive for perfection and to exceed expectations by delivering world class experiences. That’s why we hire world class employees to deliver services with a smile!
Meet Arianna Esparza. She is a recreation attendant with the Community Services Department.
Esparza has been working for the City of Southlake for about a year in the Recreation Division of Community Services, specifically with Athletics and Programs.
She assists and helps to facilitate premiere programs such as Camp Mania Kids, Club Metro and the athletic leagues.
Working with kids and seniors during COVID-19 has its challenges, but Esparza is up for the task.
She helps to enforce safety measures, so everyone is safe.
“We clean all the chairs, we make sure everybody is good to go. They have hand sanitizer, make sure referees get them and make sure all the parents have masks on before they’re sitting down and spread out,” Esparza said.
While safety is her main priority, her most valuable contribution to her job is brightening up someone’s day.
“The one thing that I enjoy most about my job is coming into work and knowing that if a kid is having a bad day, I can make that day completely different than what they had at school or at home. They can be open with me and talk to me about anything they would like to talk to me about,” she said.
Like many jobs, rewards are often given in different formats. For Esparza, it’s the opportunities.
“I love all the opportunities I get. I can be in different things like Club Metro. It’s probably one of the most amazing things because you get to see all of their smiling faces. I remember the first day they came back, they were all so excited to be here and that’s a joy that makes you happy to be there too,” Esparza said.
Throughout the year, the City of Southlake highlights staff members who have shown dedication and provided exceptional service to our customers.
Meet Alphonse Wilson. He is a recreation attendant at the Community Services Parks and Recreation Department.
He has been working for the City since 2013 in Athletics and Programs sector of Champions Club specializing in camps and sporting events. When asked what he loves about working for the City, Wilson points out the opportunities to grow as a person and learning about business and programming.
He is currently attending school to become a music therapist and writes and performs music with his band Panoramic Duo.
If you happen to see Alphonse anytime soon, tell him thanks for being a World Class Employee!
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