Contact Information:

Meg Matthews

Public Relations Manager

City of Little Rock

mmatthews@littlerock.gov

(501) 804-4822

(501) 371-4421

TRACY ROARK RECEIVES 2014 MAHLON A. MARTIN AWARD

Manager of Animal Services Named City of Little Rock Employee of the Year

(May 6, 2014) Tracy Roark, Manager of Animal Services for the City of Little Rock, was named the 2014 Mahlon A. Martin Employee of the Year. The announcement was made by City Manager Bruce T. Moore at a luncheon as a part of the City’s annual Employee Appreciation Week.

City Manager Moore praised Roark for his commitment to the citizens and animals of Little Rock.  Roark has been instrumental in creating one of the most progressive animal shelters in the region. The Animal Village has greatly increased the number of adoptions during Roark’s tenure. Also, under his direction, the Animal Village has heightened the awareness of the need for spaying and neutering, as well as the importance of compassionate care for animals. Moore also thanked Roark for his leadership in community outreach efforts by the department.

The Mahlon A. Martin Award was established in 2004 to acknowledge City of Little Rock employees who exhibit a high quality of job performance and significantly contribute to the quality of life within the City. The recognition begins at the department level and culminates with the selection of one person from the departmental nominees to be chosen as the recipient of the Mahlon A. Martin Award.

Mahlon A. Martin was the first African-American to serve as Little Rock City Manager, Director of the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, and Manager of Methods and Standards Departments of Systematics, Inc. Martin also served as President of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation until his death in 1995. Although Martin’s rise up through the ranks to become Little Rock’s first African-American City Manager is highly significant, Employee of Year Award is named in his memory as a testament to the type of person that he was and the integrity he maintained throughout his career in government.

The other two finalists were Robbie Hudson – an Urban Forester with the Parks & Recreation Department, and Roy Wayne, a Construction Worker with the Zoo.

Previous recipients of the Mahlon A. Martin Award were Modena Jardina, Human Resources Department, in 2004; Linda Baer, Finance Department, in 2005; Clay Waters, Finance Department, in 2006; Bill Mann, City Attorney’s Office, in 2007; Steve Kendricks, City Manager’s Office, in 2008; Gay Spencer, Police Department, in 2009; Emma Williams, Information Technology Department and Laurie Baehr, City Manager’s Office, both in 2010; Kevin Page, Parks and Recreation, in 2011; Travis Rumph, Public Works, in 2012, and Robert Kelly, Fleet Services in 2013.