San Rafael recognizes 2026 quarter three employee and team of the quarter

The City of San Rafael is proud to recognize the Sarah Teplitsky as the Employee of the Quarter and our DPW Maintenance Supervisors as Team of the Quarter for 2026 Q3, honoring their exceptional contributions to the organization and the community.

Employee of the quarter: Sarah Teplitsky, Senior Engineer in the Department of Public Works

Sarah partners with other City departments and DPW divisions to help applicants navigate and streamline projects, including private development, while addressing resident concerns such as drainage issues during the rainy season and home frontage improvements. Her work helps move projects forward while responding to community needs.

She actively listens to her teammates and takes initiative to address challenges. For example, after recognizing capacity constraints in permit reviews, she worked with her supervisor to develop a strategy for better defining roles and responsibilities, helping improve coordination and workflow.

Sarah also understands the importance of flood protection and is actively involved in efforts to study and evaluate levee improvements and other alternatives to help protect the community.

Additionally, she works with various stakeholders to update the City's Traffic Mitigation Fee program. This effort provides greater clarity for developers and City staff during project application reviews while helping support future public improvements that benefit the entire community.

Team of the quarter: Maintenance Supervisors in the Department of Public Works

Congratulations to:

• Street Maintenance Supervisors: John Shindelus and Gabe Dias
• Parks Maintenance Supervisors: Brendan Mitchell and Jorge Hernandez
• Facility Repair Supervisor: Omar Garcia
• Shop and Equipment Supervisor: Gerardo Paredes

The supervisors balance competing priorities, limited resources, operational demands, and public expectations while responding to departmental maintenance requests and community concerns submitted through SeeClickFix. Their work helps ensure that City facilities, infrastructure, parks, and equipment remain safe and functional for employees and residents.

They demonstrate responsible stewardship of City resources by carefully evaluating maintenance needs, setting priorities, and making thoughtful decisions that balance immediate demands with the long-term care of City assets.

The team has also taken an important step forward by embracing and implementing the City's new computerized maintenance management system, PSD. Their leadership in adopting this system is helping modernize maintenance operations and improve how the City tracks completed work, associated costs, and future maintenance needs.

The supervisors work collaboratively across departments, coordinating requests and responding to unexpected challenges to keep City operations moving forward. Their ability to navigate competing needs and support one another makes them an essential part of the City's day-to-day operations.

Despite limited resources and often-demanding workloads, they continually look for practical solutions to address maintenance needs and keep City operations running effectively.

About the award

The City's Employee and Team of the Quarter Awards are peer-nominated and selected to recognize staff who go above and beyond in service, innovation, teamwork, and public impact.