Catawba County News

County Employees Honored During Annual Recognition Celebration

Published: October 22, 2025

Catawba County recognized several employees for exceptional performance during its annual employee recognition celebration Oct. 22.

Boris Morales, an IT Network Engineer, was selected by his peers as the county’s Employee of the Year. Morales has served the county for 3 years.

As stated in his nomination, “His dedication, technical expertise, and instinctive problem solving make him an indispensable part of Catawba County’s public safety operations. Since joining in 2022, Boris has consistently gone above and beyond, whether he was or in some instances was not called upon to do so. When Hurricane Helene hit the area, Boris drove through the storm to ensure in person that 911 and emergency infrastructure was active. He also supported local, state, and federal law enforcement during the recent mass shooting that took place as a mission-critical partner ensuring any technological needs were handled at a moment’s notice. He is known for stepping up without being asked, handling high- stakes technical issues calmly and efficiently. His colleagues across departments trust him because, when Boris is involved, things work!”

Morales was among ten finalists selected from the 23 employees nominated for the County’s Employee of the Year award. Other finalists were Lisa Bennett, Adult Medicaid Caseworker - Social Services; Alyssa Clement, WIC- Registered Dietician – Public Health; Erica Derr, Librarian I – Library; Katherine Diehl, Administrative Assistant I- Social Services; Alex Floyd, Associate Librarian – Library; Candace Galliher, Foster Care Supervisor – Social Services; Corey Greer, EMS Chief Trainer - Emergency Services; Robert Powers, Targeted Case Manager – Social Services; Amy Townley, Assistant Register of Deeds - Register of Deeds.

In addition to individual employee awards, Catawba County honored the Linking Inmates to Health Resources Team as the County’s Team of the Year. Selected by a panel of municipal managers, this award recognized the following County employees for launching an innovative partnership to improve health outcomes for individuals reentering the community after incarceration: Jamie Todd, Karen Mace, Emily Killian, Lt. Jacqueline Opper, Sao Vue, Kevin Kelly, and Nathan Fisher.

The Linking Inmates to Health Resources Team was selected as one of three finalists from the 14 teams nominated for the award. The other finalists were the Register of Deeds, 911 Call Center, Animal Services, and the County Line – Are We There Yet? Team.