Secretary Jeff Witte and Deputy Director Anthony Parra
present one of the award recipients, David Martin,
with the Distinguished Service Award.LAS CRUCES, NM - Two New Mexico Department of Agriculture employees were honored with Distinguished Service Awards at the Service Award and Employee Appreciation event in Las Cruces.

Cynthia Mendoza and David Martin were honored for their hard work throughout many years of working for the Department. These awards honor the employees that show unselfish dedication, creation of innovations, contributions to public service, contributions to the field of human relations, and any other achievements that deserve recognition.

"[Martin] worked hard and was persistent, and this year he was cream of the crop. David never hesitates to take on new tasks and without fail always asks if there is anything more he can do for the department. In his 25 years of service he has shown dedication, persistence, heart, and loyalty," his nominator said.

Martin said that in his 26 years of service, he has always been willing work harder and longer for the benefit of the Department. He also believes that showing respect and social etiquette to those he regulates for, and showing dependability and stability have helped him in his career.

"I wasn't working for recognition, even though it's great when they do. I was working to do my best. Early on I wanted to set a good example for those coming through the ranks after me," Martin said.

Mendoza has worked for New Mexico State University for 20 years and has worked in the NMDA pesticide compliance section for 14 years now.

"This award is special to me because I was nominated by someone, anonymously, who noticed my dedication to my job," Mendoza said.

The co-worker that nominated Mendoza said that she serves as a vital part of the department by processing over 11,000 product renewals every year. She also helped the pesticide section during a recent website overhaul.

"The pesticide section, along with all of AES, greatly benefit from her artistic abilities and creative thinking. She has helped create flyers, postcards, signs, and numerous educational materials," said Mendoza's nominator. "NMDA is Lucky to have Cindy as part of the team," they added.