Tacoma Community College, in cooperation with the Washington State Productivity Board and the national Public Employees Roundtable, is hosting the first-ever Puget Sound Public Service Recognition Ceremony from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. May 2 in the TCC Opgaard Student Center. The public is invited to attend.

The Opgaard Student Center is located in Building 11 on TCC’s main campus, 6501 S. 19th St., Tacoma.

Sam Reed, Washington secretary of state, will be the keynote speaker. Brian Sonntag, Washington state auditor, will also be present to recognize outstanding state public servants from the Puget Sound area.

Eight individual employees from TCC are nominees for the state’s Extra Mile Award. They are: Bill Ballard, Leanne Foster, Kathryn Held, Lita Kuaea, Dave Moffat, Karen Munson, Sandra Townley and Heather Urschel-Speir. TCC’s Counseling Center team was also nominated. More than 125 state employees from the Tacoma area were nominated for recognition this year.

The event will also honor the dedicated years of service of several long-time TCC employees with state awards.

Each year, the Washington State Productivity Board administers Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW), which is celebrated the first full week of May. This year’s theme is Going Above and Beyond.

The week-long observance informs the public about the broad variety of services provided by government, and how government services make life better for all. The week is also an opportunity to honor the public employees who work to make government services – whether at the county, federal, state or local levels – the highest quality possible.