City Recognizes 2025 Yuma Way Star Award Recipients

The City of Yuma recognized its 2025 Yuma Way Star Award nominees and winners at its annual award ceremony on Tuesday, January 6, 2026. The Yuma Way Star Awards honor employees and teams who exemplify our core values of - Professionalism, Accountability, Integrity, and Responsiveness.

This program highlights excellence in public service and recognizes those who go above and beyond to serve their colleagues, the organization, and the Yuma community. This year's ceremony featured nominees across five award categories: Star Performer, Guiding Leader, Safety Excellence, Dream Team, and the highly esteemed City Administrator's Star Award.

The 2025 Yuma Way Star Award Winners

• Star Performer: Edna Cordova, Administrative Assistant, Human Resources
• Guiding Leader: Steve Wilson, Assistant Director of Engineering
• Safety Excellence: Dennis Gasrow, Fire Captain
• Dream Team: Yuma Regional Communications System (YRCS)
• City Administrator's Star Award: Jon Ursuery, Senior Equipment Mechanic, Public Works

"Congratulations to this year's Yuma Way Star nominees and award recipients," said Jay Simonton, Acting City Administrator. "Seeing The Yuma Way in action through our employees' dedication and professionalism is truly meaningful. These nominees reflect the commitment our team brings to serving the Yuma community every day.

Throughout the year, employees nominated their coworkers, supervisors, and teams for demonstrating excellence in their roles and going above and beyond to serve the City. Award recipients receive a plaque, City of Yuma items, and a monetary gift.

This year's award review committee included City leadership, the 2024 City Administrator Star Award recipient, as well as an outside community member and a City Council representative, with Jay Simonton selecting the City Administrator's Star Award recipient.

Star Performer Award: Edna Cordova

The Star Performer Award recognizes an employee who demonstrates exceptional performance, professionalism, and commitment to excellence. This year's recipient, Edna Cordova, was recognized for her dedication and positive impact across the organization. Going above and beyond her regular duties, she created a monthly bulletin that highlights City resources, training opportunities, and department spotlights, helping employees stay informed and connected. Her nominator shared that "Edna's positive energy and thoughtful efforts uplift those around her every day."

Guiding Leader Award: Steve Wilson

The Guiding Leader Award recognizes a supervisor who leads with vision, accountability, and a commitment to supporting their team. This year's winner, Steve Wilson, was recognized for his steady leadership and ability to guide teams through complex challenges. His clear decision-making, hands-on involvement, and commitment to follow-through have helped advance critical City projects and support collaboration across departments. As stated in his nomination, "Steve is quick to step in and assist, and his ability to listen, act, and follow through has had a direct, positive impact citywide."

Safety Excellence Award: Dennis Gasrow

The Safety Excellence Award recognizes an employee who demonstrates leadership and commitment to creating a safe work environment. Dennis Gasrow was recognized for his proactive efforts to strengthen safety practices within the Yuma Fire Department. He led a department-wide review of OSHA-mandated regulations and developed updated training that improved safety awareness. One nominator shared, "Dennis' dedication to safety, leadership in innovation, and genuine care for his colleagues makes him a cornerstone of the Yuma Fire Department."

Dream Team Award: YRCS

The Dream Team Award recognizes a team that delivers exceptional results through collaboration and creativity. YRCS was recognized for completing multiple high-impact projects while maintaining daily operations. Most notably, the team implemented a highly resilient public safety voice and data network connecting 16 radio repeater sites and 15 dispatch centers across Yuma and La Paz counties, replacing an outdated system and significantly improving reliability for law enforcement, fire, and EMS agencies. Their work strengthened regional interoperability and ensured dependable communications for public safety partners across the region.

The YRCS team is led by Assistant IT Director Jeremy Jeffcoat and includes Rafael Orduno, Lazaro Guerrero, and Josue Luna.

City Administrator's Star Award: Jon Ursuery

The City Administrator's Star Award is the City's most prestigious honor, recognizing an individual who truly embodies The Yuma Way through exceptional excellence, leadership, and dedication. This award is chosen from all nominations to honor an employee whose contributions go above and beyond.

This year's recipient, Jon Ursuery, was recognized for his unwavering work ethic, dependability, and willingness to step up whenever the City needs him. Jon routinely goes above and beyond his regular duties, including responding to urgent equipment issues outside of normal hours to prevent service disruptions. In one example, he reported for duty early on a Sunday morning to assist with a critical repair, ensuring a time-sensitive downtown project was completed on schedule.

As noted in his nomination, "Jon exemplifies what it means to go above and beyond. His technical skills, willingness to help, and consistent display of teamwork reflect the City's core values in action every day."

The Yuma Way Star Awards reflects on the talent, dedication, and leadership of the City of Yuma's employees and teams. Through their work, nominees and winners embody the principles of The Yuma Way and the City's ongoing commitment to public service.

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the City and its residents!

Full Listing of the 2025 Yuma Way Star Award Nominees

Star Performer Nominees
Jesse Aguilar, James Bruns, Hope Chun, Edna Cordova, Adriana Del Rio, Anthony Doten, Brissa Garcia, Fernando Garcia, Kathy Hall-Guerra, Brooke Kay, Danny Leyva, Alonso Lima de la Pena, Jose N. Lopez Castillo, Eduardo Marquez, Jaclyn Pierson, Virginia Poo, Yvonne Powell, Lourdes Pullen, Meredith Rojas, Pamela Torres, Kellan Trammel, Jon Ursuery, Jailene Williams, Louden Young, Ana Zolorzano

Guiding Leader Nominees
Carlos Buitrago, Trae Chavez, Benjamin Clark, Amanda Gonzalez, Christopher Grant, Jeremy Jeffcoat, Alyssa Linville, John Montenegro, Monica Welch, Steve Wilson

Safety Excellence Nominees
Renee Aragon, Phoebe Desposito, Jeffery Ellin, Dennis Gasrow, Arlen Ritter, Juan Sarabia

Dream Team Nominees
Armed Forces Park Plaque Mounting Team, Communications Team, Facilities Renovation Team, Parks and Recreation - Lifeguard & Pool Staff, Parks and Recreation - Recreation Division, Public Works - Household Hazardous Waste Team, Risk Management Team, School Safety Interoperability Team, Utilities - Safety Committee, Yuma Fire Department - Health, Safety & Wellness Committee, Yuma Regional Communications System Team

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