We celebrated a successful 2025 along with the 12th annual People’s Choice awards during our holiday party on December 12 at Via Vecchia in Portland, Maine. The following team members were nominated for Most Valuable Player, Grace Under Pressure, Most Versatile, Mentor Star, and Top Innovator.
The six winners received plaques and gift cards and the praise of their peers and managers. Many other employees got nominations and accolades during the voting process that will be shared in weekly traffic meetings during the year to come.
Congratulations to the following People’s Choice award winners!
MVP: Karyl Hazard
The MVP goes to the employee who has been most essential to the company’s mission over the past year.
“This person has only been here a year, but from the start she came in with utmost professionalism, grace under pressure, and versatility, everything we are talking about tonight,” said Alison Schestopol, Director of Project Management and Quality Assurance. “Karyl embodies all of these things and brings them to her teams.”
Karyl’s team members noted:
- “Karyl has been invaluable in her short time at PWW. She is very effective as a PM, has helped ensure the success of one of the biggest projects of the year, wins over challenging clients, and is a fantastic teammate on top of it all.”
- “Karyl navigates dynamic and sometimes difficult client situations with ease. She stays focused on the end goal and brings calm leadership and strong organizational skills to even the most complex challenges. She consistently brings good energy and is not reactive in difficult situations.”
- “Karyl has so many aspiring traits. She’s clearly hardworking, dependable and has an openness for new ideas and questions, all with a friendly and positive demeanor.”
- “Karyl has navigated some seriously demanding account management situations with exemplary grace, poise, and clarity. Karyl shows up every day with an attitude that she’s going to do what it takes to support her teams and our clients. At the same time, she recognizes that the work we do is about people, and she does a great job making sure we’re proceeding in a sustainable way. She balances the hard work we need to do with taking care of the people involved.”
Thank you, Karyl!
Grace Under Pressure: Brett Kana
The GUP award goes to the employee who is best known to be unflappable, demonstrates tact, consistent productivity, and exceptional grace when under pressure.
“Someone who is graceful has a very assuring presence,” said Sarah Crossman, Director of User Experience. “It means we can all exhale when Brett is in the room.”
Brett’s team members noted:
- “Brett is always there to jump in for the team/project. Whether it is for designing new features, supporting clients or collaborating with team members, he has proven to be a reliable resource for discovering solutions, and he brings calm and order to his work and clients.”
- “Brett (as with all the designers) spends a lot of time in client-facing settings, including in stressful and tense situations that need clarity or to be diffused. It’s great to have someone who can handle that pressure so well. Brett is always thoughtful in his responses and has an uncanny ability to be articulate no matter the situation or number of people talking.”
- “Brett may fly under the radar, but his impact is undeniable. He delivers fast, accurate designs, navigates client discussions with ease, and solves complex UI and business challenges with accessible, thoughtful solutions. His reliability, skill, and quiet consistency make him a cornerstone of our team’s ability to execute on client goals.”
- “Brett adds value in a lot of ways and in different places beyond his project contributions. He has a foot in many circles and is a strong value add to his teams and the organization.”
Thank you, Brett!
Most Versatile: Chris Makrides
This award goes to the employee who stands out for the willingness to step up when needed, no matter what the need is, and go above and beyond to get the job done.
“Chris has a great attitude which we all appreciate,” said Alison. “He’s someone who is willing to take on a lot of different things, and wear a lot of different hats. He doesn’t complain about issues with the project, he just says, give me what you’ve got.”
Chris’s team members noted:
- “Chris doesn’t just accept the project opportunities that come his way, he uses each one as a learning opportunity to gain knowledge and experience with an eagerness and enthusiasm that is both refreshing and contagious.”
- “Chris has been involved in all our various tech stacks and always approaches new assignments with enthusiasm and optimism.”
- “Chris is always willing to learn new skills and show up as a strong team player. He moves easily between projects and didn’t hesitate to take on a completely new skill set when there is a need.”
- “Chris took on an impressive range of new challenges this year, moving into Drupal and PHP with initiative and focus. His flexibility, upbeat presence, and eagerness to tackle the unfamiliar made him an invaluable contributor throughout the year.”
Thank you, Chris!
Mentor Star: David Read
Mentorship is one of the key ways we achieve high standards at Portland Webworks by providing opportunities for employees to learn and gain new skills. This award goes to the person who consistently steps up to support team members in this goal.
“There was one name that kept coming up and that was David and his efforts to learn all there is about online accessibility and how we can implement it on our projects,” said Alison. “It’s very important to our organization and our users and everybody around us.”
David’s team members noted:
- “David is an awesome team player and a super valuable resource because he has such a broad range of knowledge and skills. As a respected QA leader, he’s great at collaborating with everyone—both our internal team and our clients. Plus, he’s incredibly passionate and dedicated to accessibility testing and compliance. He’s our go-to expert for making sure we and our clients deliver high-quality, inclusive products for everyone.”
- “David Read works hard to moderate accessibility needs for clients and internally. He does a wonderful job educating on and explaining sometimes difficult topics.”
- “David has brought enthusiasm for accessibility into all corners of the organization, providing project-level consulting as well as helping to spearhead organizational maturity, which helps keep us competitive and competent in the eyes of our clients.”
- “David’s focus on accessibility doesn’t stop with the work he does individually and the projects he directly supports. He also offers his knowledge to others through ad-hoc support and mentoring, helping us all become better in the process.”
Thank you, David!
Top Innovator: Adam Kempler
This award goes to the person who frequently demonstrates a commitment to solving challenges creatively and delivering cutting-edge solutions.
“Adam has been instrumental in leading our AI Lab,” wrote Kevin Ferguson, Director of Development. “The AI Lab needs to connect with the people in our organization, and Adam’s hard work has done just that.”
Adam’s team members noted:
- “Adam’s passion for AI and its impact on the work we do for our clients is invaluable. He is continually discovering new uses for AI and taking the time to advocate for their usage.”
- “Adam brings leadership and human intelligence to our projects relating to artificial intelligence and helps PWW to demonstrate a high level of knowledge and leadership in the real world of AI.”
- “I’ve learned an enormous amount from Adam, and continue to learn from him every day. Innovation isn’t just about coming up with good ideas. It means putting the time in to have the background to be able to apply good ideas when the opportunities align. Adam puts in the time, week after week, to understand and share what he’s learned.”
- “Adam contributes in so many different ways to our organization it is hard to even list them all. From his project leadership to spearheading AI initiatives, we really have a lot to thank him for.”
Thank you, Adam!
Service Recognition: Sarah Crossman
Sarah was also recognized during the awards portion of the evening for her service at Portland Webworks over the past 10 years. She will be missed with her departure at the end of this year, and we hope she will be back!
President Justin Davis said, “Sarah has done all of the above at this organization in the 10 years she has been with us.”
Justin went on to note that, “We are very grateful to Sarah for building a great team and doing an amazing job filling shoes that were very big to fill with all of the talent and ambition that she brings.”
Thank you, Sarah!
Learn more
- 2025 Year in Review: A quarter century of digital services for public and private sector clients
- Management Team Spotlight: Meet the Portland Webworks management team
- GovWebworks Team Spotlights: Meet our Creative, Quality Assurance, Drupal, Software Development, and Project Management teams