Recognizing Employee Excellence
This year, four employees have been selected to receive the 2024 Community Care Employee Excellence Award. The annual award recognizes contributions the employees made to the organization throughout the past year.
Deb Gordon, Alexia Ludtke, Dan Martin, and Matt Moen were selected from more than 50 nominees for this year’s award.
Each year, Excellence Awards are given to employees based on a variety of criteria including: excellence in customer service; exemplary achievement and performance; and, initiative and innovation.
Winners receive a $1,000 prize and a framed award. Thank you to everyone who took time to recognize a deserving employee by nominating them for an award. We are proud of each employee who received a nomination.
Congratulations to this year’s Community Care Employee Excellence Award winners:
Deb Gordon, Residential Team Supervisor, Sacred Heart Convent
Deb Gordon has done an excellent job supervising and directing the staff that provide personal care for the School Sisters of St. Francis at Sacred Heart Convent. The majority of sisters are PACE members on the long-term care unit and assisted living floors, but she also works with Sacred Heart Nurse Advocates to provide needed care for non-PACE sisters who need essential personal care assistance. Deb goes above and beyond for each sister to show they are valued as individuals, while protecting their privacy and dignity at this tender time in their life. She is always looking for ways to provide the best care by drawing on her experience at other Community Care sites. She is hands-on whenever needed and is always willing to help or provide information or direction when called upon. Deb’s role here is vital to the overall care provided by Community Care at Sacred Heart. Best of all, she has an excellent singing voice and loves to contribute during special activities for the sisters.
Alexia Ludtke, Care Manager Mentor, Kenosha County
There is no one I can think of who is more deserving of recognition than Alexia. As an employee, I have been fortunate to have Alexia has my mentor, but she far exceeds any job title or job expectations. Alexia’s ability to teach, train, and organize the volume of information and tasks that are thrown at her is invaluable. In addition to making the information understandable, she also makes it feel manageable. Alexia is always available and always in teaching mode. She is constantly sending out information and assistance and is always checking on everyone. To watch her interact with members is to take a master class in listening and knowledge. She has an amazing ability to cultivate positive relationships with members as well as her peers. Alexia takes time to work with all employees at the Kenosha office and focuses on work tasks and new items, but she also boosts morale, and encourages working together and maintaining a work/life balance. She has made me feel confident in my position, but even more so she makes me feel confident that I have the support I need. Making others feel supported, seen, and heard is by far her greatest accomplishment.
Dan Martin, Senior Financial Analyst, Bishops Woods
The role of senior financial analyst is not a highly visible one. However, if you had been in a budget meeting in the past 10 years, chances are you've had the pleasure of working with Dan Martin. Dan has led annual budget meetings with patience, grace, and often a good dose of humor. He is never too busy to explain complex and often confusing accounting terms and budgeting principles. Budget meetings can be long and challenging, but you can be assured that Dan will do his best to make the meetings efficient and helpful. Another major component of Dan’s role is submitting required statutory filings to the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) and the fiscal division of the Department of Health Services (DHS). Dan has done an outstanding job in preparing and submitting these reports, thereby assuring Community Care remains in compliance with myriad regulations. Dan is viewed as a resource in this area not only for Community Care but our regulators as well. He has received compliments on the accurate and thorough preparation of these very complex reports. Dan has been known to find errors in financial templates, which have been overlooked by many others. His dedication to his role at Community Care, along with a thorough knowledge and attention to detail, combined with a patient attitude have all made Dan an asset, not only to the finance department, but to Community Care as a whole.
Matt has been in his current position at Community Care for 16 years. Given the responsibilities of his department, the workload has always been challenging to manage and his strong leadership has ensured his department is one of Community Care’s key strengths, driving past successes. Matt is responsible for contracting with and managing relationships with thousands of providers who provide the hands on care received by members. Matt has a long history of producing exceptional outcomes. In 2024, the short-term workload for provider management increased dramatically due to the state’s Minimum Fee Schedule mandate. What should have been a 12- to 18-month project was compressed to a 3- to 6-month timeline. With the stakes never higher, Matt led his department through this time sensitive project, which required precision in determining new rates for thousands of provider sites. Working nights, weekends, and dreaming about the project in his sleep, Matt never wavered in his commitment to delivering the required results within the mandated timelines. He has done the detailed work himself and he has motivated and supported his staff in designing and implementing solutions that are ensuring outcomes are achieved. Matt's willingness and positive attitude have been key to leadership within Community Care and across the statewide implementation. Community Care is very fortunate to have Matt’s leadership.
