Each month Santa Rosa Junior College recognizes excellence on campus with an Employee of the Month Award. Visit the Employee of the Month Nominations page to find out how to nominate someone you feel deserves this distinction. Here is a list of past EOM recipients.
Previous recipient: Martha Cole - August 2023
September 2023 - Joe Hamilton
Congratulations to Joe Hamilton, the September 2023 Employee of the Month at Santa Rosa Junior College. Joe is an Automotive/Equipment Mechanic in Facilities Operations.
Joe began working at SRJC in 2020 as a Mechanic. A graduate of Cardinal Newman high school, he attended the WyoTech automotive trade school in addition to earning an Associate’s degree in Applied Service Management from SRJC. And previously worked as Fleet Mechanic for the City of Santa Rosa.
Joe’s primary duties include coordinating and maintaining all of the district vehicles, equipment, and generators. This work ensures that the District’s automotive fleet is in safe and serviceable condition, including the District Police vehicles and critical emergency backup equipment, enabling staff to perform their jobs safely and without delay.
Joe’s supervisor, Hank Lankford, said, “Joe’s commitment to the District is outstanding. He is and has always been more than willing to go the extra mile, whether that means coming in early, staying late, or getting called in unexpectedly. He is a person of very high integrity, passion and dedication. Joe has proven to be a very valuable asset to not only my department, but to the District in general. With Joe’s skill set and his tremendous drive, there is virtually nothing he can’t fix, repair or build, and I’m honored to know him and have the privilege to work with him.”
Joe credits his success at SRJC to his coworkers, saying, “The individuals at the JC have been the driving force behind my success. I have never in my life been so appreciated for what I have been doing, and that appreciation is what contributes to my success.”
He feels his greatest accomplishment has been utilizing his skill set to complete more work in house, rather than sending jobs to outside vendors. This saves the district money and shortens down time when equipment is unavailable. He’s also very proud of the work he did in serving as a back up to restructure the Hazardous Materials division, getting it back on track with district standards and compliance. He’s also served on two hiring committees in his 3.5 years with the College.
Conversely, he states that his greatest challenge is usually the work-life balance, telling us, “I’m always curious about what is happening right now at work, and I have a hard time disconnecting.” Asked what would surprise people the most about the work he does, he answered, “The work I have done building the new patrol vehicle, and how much time I spend working in the cadaver lab!”
A native son of Santa Rosa, Joe is married with three children, one dog, and 13 chickens. He enjoys being a Girl Scout dad, a youth baseball coach, and volunteering at his kids’ school. Not surprisingly, he also loves tinkering with vintage cars, riding dirt bikes, camping, and endurance car racing.
Upon learning that he had been selected as Employee of the Month, Joe said he was very appreciative to be able to put his talents to good use and to be appreciated for what he does.