22nd Annual State Agency Recognition Awards

Departments that achieved 30 percent or more small business participation and 5 percent or more disabled veteran business participation were recognized with a Notable Achievement award.

The winners are:

• California Department of Aging
• California Agricultural Labor Relation Board
• Alcoholic Beverage Control Appeal Board
• California Coastal Commission
• Commission on States Mandates
• California Department of Conservation
• California Department of Developmental Services
• California Diagnostic Centers
• California Department of Education
• Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety
• California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
• California Environmental Protection Agency
• California Exposition and State Fair
• Office of Exposition Park
• Financial Information System for California (FI$Cal) Project
• Department of Financial Protection and Innovation
• California Department of Food and Agriculture
• California Gambling Control Commission
• California Health Facilities Financing Authority
• Office of the Inspector General
• Mental Health Services Oversight & Accountability Commission
• California Military Department
• California Department of Motor Vehicles
• California Department of Parks and Recreation
• California Privacy Protection Agency
• California Public Employment Relations Board
• California Department of Rehabilitation
• California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery
• California School for the Blind
• California School for the Deaf‐‐Fremont
• California School for the Deaf‐‐Riverside
• Sierra Nevada Conservancy
• California State Board of Equalization
• California State Library
• California State University, Chico
• Department of Toxic Substances Control
• California Department of Veterans Affairs
• California Victim Compensation Board

Presented by Rosa Del Buono, Training & Development Manager, and Marta Carrera, Certification Manager, Office of Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise, Department of General Services.

The departments that made the largest increase in their small business or disabled veteran business enterprise participation percent from Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-21 to FY 2021-22, while also achieving at least 25 percent small business or 3 percent DVBE participation, were recognized with a “Most Improved” award. The award was given to five departments based on the sizes of the departments and broken down by small business participation and DVBE participation.

Most Improved Small Business Participation winners

California Senior Legislature

Extra Small Agency (under $250,000)

Participation rose from 23.18 percent to 100.00 percent.

California Debt Limit Allocation Committee

Small Agency ($250,000 - $2 million)

Participation rose from 10.05 percent to 96.00 percent.

California Health and Human Services Agency

Medium Agency ($2 million - $20 million)

Participation rose from 2.24 percent to 69.87 percent.

California State Lands Commission

Large Agency ($20 million - $50 million)

Participation rose from 66.28 percent to 90.29 percent.

First 5 California (Children and Families Commission)

Extra Large Agency (over $50 million)

Participation rose from 7.42 percent to 27.73 percent.

Presented by Leslie Fritz, Training and Development specialist, Office of Small Business and DVBE Services, Department of General Services.

Most Improved DVBE Participation winners

Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy

Extra Small Agency (under $250,000)

Participation rose from 57.60 percent to 77.11 percent.

Office of the Inspector General

Small Agency ($250,000 - $2 million)

Participation rose from 3.82 percent to 76.89 percent.

Office of Exposition Park

Medium Agency ($2 million - $20 million)

Participation rose from 1.86 percent to 17.60 percent.

California Department of Industrial Relations

Large Agency ($20 million - $50 million)

Participation rose from 9.70 percent to 17.41 percent.

California Department of Veterans Affairs

Extra Large Agency (over $50 million)

Participation rose from 10.61 percent to 22.78 percent.

Presented by Wayne Gross, Business Outreach Liaison, Office of Small Business and DVBE Services, Department of General Services.

Presented by the California Department of Veterans Affairs, these two awards are presented to an individual and a business. The individual award goes to a disabled veteran who is a champion of the disabled veteran business enterprise program. The business award goes to a disabled veteran-owned business that works with the state and supports veteran entrepreneurs.

The winners are:

Riley Rees

CEO and Founder, Sofia Health

Individual Excellence

Pivotal Adaptive Services

Business Excellence

Presented by Keith Boylan, Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and Jamie Jones, Chief, Veteran and Community Engagement, Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet).

The Green Awards are given to agencies who have met their Small Business and DVBE goals while proving their commitment to Environmentally Preferable Purchasing. The Green Awards consider Environmentally Preferable Purchasing data, participation in the Performance and Environmental Standards workgroup, and the number of purchasing officials that have taken EPP training.

The winners are:

Bronze

Department of Justice

Sliver

Department of Transportation

Gold

Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

An honorary mention goes to the State Controller’s Office.

Presented by Devika Singh, Research Data Specialist II, Department of General Services.

This award recognizes three SB/DVBE advocates throughout the state of California for exemplary work and success through outreach efforts, performance measurements, and notable improvements with a bronze, silver and gold award.

The winners are:

John Reule

California Department of Motor Vehicles

Bronze Award

Blakely Sobon

California Military Department

Silver Award

Niki Hussein

Department of Housing and Community Development

Gold Award

Presented by Araceli Mohseni, Advocacy Support Manager, Department of General Services.

The Agency of the Year Award honors a state agency or department for their best practices, creativity and outstanding achievements to advance the state’s small business and DVBE programs. This year's winner demonstrated their commitment and success across the areas of outreach efforts, performance measurements, and notable improvements.

The winner is:

California Children & Families Commission

Presented by Anda Draghici, Branch Chief, Office of Small Business and DVBE Services, Department of General Services.

The Supplier Diversity Award, presented for the first time this year, is given to a California state department, agency, board, commission, office, or university that met their small business and disabled veteran business enterprise goals while demonstrating their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in state procurement and contracting. This includes DEI policy implementation, supplier diversity, and other activities.

The winner is:

California Public Utilities Commission

Presented by Danetta Jackson, Statewide Supplier Diversity Program Manager, Department of General Services.

This award celebrates organizations that recognize and honor the state’s small business and DVBE programs. These organizations, mostly counties, cities, transportation agencies, utilities, and other local municipalities are reciprocity partners of the state of California. Their efforts, although outside of state government, also benefit the small business and DVBE communities.

The winner is:

County of San Diego

Presented by Demeshia Swanson, Business Outreach Program Manager, Office of Small Business and DVBE Services, Department of General Services.

This award is in memory of Angel Carrera Jr., Chief of the Certification and Outreach Branch at DGS who passed away in 2019. The award recognizes and celebrates a leader in state procurement who, like Angel, supports small businesses and DVBEs in state procurement and is a tremendous leader.

The winner is:

Tenille Jones

Department of Housing and Community Development

Presented by Angela Shell, Chief Procurement Officer for the state of California and Deputy Director of the Procurement Division, Department of General Services.

This award is given to the state department, agency or individual whose best practices, innovation, and advocacy efforts have allowed them to go above and beyond in exceeding the state’s Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise contracting goals.

The winner is:

Ramon Rivera

Presented by Justyn Howard, Deputy Secretary for Fiscal Policy and Administration, Government Operations Agency.

Presented for the 15^th year, this award honors the state agency or department that best demonstrates excellence and innovation in providing contracting opportunities to small businesses and disabled veterans business enterprises. It is a prestigious honor given to the department or agency that models a superior standard to which other state departments can aspire.

The winner is:

California Military Department

Presented by Tara Lynn Gray, Director, Office of the Small Business Advocate, Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.