September Values in Action Spirit Award Recipient - Ron McKenney, Jr.

An employee since 2001, Ron McKenney, Jr. was selected as the Western Maryland Health System's Values in Action Spirit Award recipient for the month of September. Ron is the lead Safety and Security officer on the Braddock campus. He began his career as an officer at Memorial before moving to Braddock two years ago, and in July he was promoted to lead officer there.

Ron is an excellent employee with a great work ethic and a positive attitude. He works the daylight shift where he does safety patrols inside and outside of the hospital. Ron is often the first employee many people see when they enter the Braddock campus, and he prides himself on making a very good first impression by offering a warm, friendly greeting to everyone he meets.

Ron says he enjoys his job immensely and he likes to help people out whenever possible. He is proactive and responds quickly to the needs of others. Ron is a team player and a fantastic ambassador for the health system. He always takes on additional duties like coordinating the health system's vehicle registration program and helping with the aggressive management training at WMHS.

Co-workers describe Ron as vigilant, personable, courteous, reliable and conscientious. He has a developed a good rapport with all employees, visitors and patients he comes into contact with and he always goes above and beyond the call of duty to get the job done. Ron is very well known and respected by his colleagues and co-workers. He also serves as a mentor to younger officers and helps to train new officers. Ron is a great role model for others in his department and he was recently named to represent his department as a Service Excellence Champion.

Ron and his wife, Crystal, live in Cumberland and they are the proud parents of two daughters - Shelena, a 15 year-old sophomore at Fort Hill High School, and Miranda, 10, who is in the sixth grade at Washington Middle School. The McKenney's enjoy attending Fort Hill Sentinel football games as a family so they can watch their oldest daughter Shelena perform as a member of the color guard in the Marching Band.

Away from work, Ron likes to spend as much time as he can with his family. He is an avid NASCAR fan and his favorite driver is Tony Stewart. Ron has also been a lifelong Miami Dolphins football fan.

Congratulations, Ron!