IndyGo Announces Winners Of Various Awards

Pictured, left to right, are IU Health Project Manager Sarah Rush, IndyGo Interim President and CEO Jennifer Pyrz, IU Health Director of Government and External Affairs Jennifer Andres, IndyGo Foundation Executive Director Emily Meaux, and IndyGo Board of Director Vice Chair Adairius Gardner.

IndyGo (Indianapolis, IN-indygo.net) and the IndyGo Foundation announced several award winners at the January monthly Board of Directors’ meeting. The IndyGo Foundation named IU Health and the IU Health Foundation as the 2023 winners of the annual Partnership Award. Additionally, the agency named several employees as winners of IndyGo’s internal Excellence Awards.

The Partnership Award, sponsored by the IndyGo Foundation, honors a group or organization that has supported IndyGo in making progress and attaining goals. Winners of this award show extraordinary efforts to uplift the organization in relation to policy, teammate, or program support; community service; funding; impacting the City of Indianapolis; or overall commitment to IndyGo efforts.

“The partnership with IU Health and the IU Health Foundation through their Community Investment Impact Fund affects IndyGo riders and the community on many levels,” IndyGo Foundation Executive Director Emily Meaux said. “Their investment supports financial accessibility to transit and will allow for the construction of more than one dozen ADA accessible bus stops on the Near Eastside. As health professionals, they understand the roles transit and transit infrastructure serve in community health, and we are grateful for their partnership.”

“At IU Health, we are committed to investing in organizations that support our community’s health and wellness needs,” IU Health Director of Government and External Affairs Jennifer Andres said. “The IndyGo Foundation is fulfilling this commitment as it expands transit access through funding essential infrastructure improvements, offering free and reduced rides on IndyGo and more. We’re honored to play a part in its story.”

The Excellence Awards, meanwhile, are granted internally to various team members of IndyGo who demonstrate exceptional behavior and go above and beyond meeting general expectations in several categories.

“With each passing year, we see more and more examples of how IndyGo staff is essential to Indianapolis’ current success and future growth,” IndyGo Interim President and CEO Jennifer Pyrz said. “IndyGo’s Excellence Awards are a chance for us to spotlight these unsung heroes and recognize their tireless efforts to drive our city forward to new opportunities.”

The specific Excellence Awards and their winners are: Leadership in Operations Award—Manager-Facilities Mark Crane; Professional Coach Operator of the Year—Coach Operator Calvin Jackson; Maintenance Professional of the Year—High Voltage Technician Alex Walker; Leadership in Administration Award— Grants Manager Cassandra Burmeister and Chief Administrative Officer Charlie Carlino; Creativity & Innovation Award—Communications Specialist Ashlynn Neumeyer and Wellness & Teammate Engagement Coordinator Exzneair Williams; Customer Service Award—Coach Operator Darrell McCullum; Program, Initiative or Event (PIE) Award—Manager-Maintenance Technical Training & Development Aaron Armstrong and Onboarding & Community Engagement Coordinator Alyssa Freeman; Inez Evans Inclusive Excellence Award—Mechanic-Body Repair Ramon Perez and Senior Project Manager-Capital Facilities Projects Sarah Stentz; and, IndyGo Legacy Award—Operations Support Specialist Sharon Remick.