City of Porterville

April 2012 Employee of the Month

Sarah Cardoza

Administrative Services Department

Department Directors for the City of Porterville have chosen Sarah Cardoza as the Employee of the Month for April 2012.  Sarah works as an Administrative Analyst in the Human Resources Division of the Administrative Services Department and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services/Business Management.

As an HR Administrative Analyst, Sarah is responsible for the daily administration of employee health and retirement benefits.  This includes assisting in the evaluation of contracts, renewals, and plan revisions; coordinating dissemination of plan information; overseeing claims administration; and keeping apprised of changes in applicable state and federal law.  Another of Sarah’s responsibilities includes assisting in employer/employee relations and the collective bargaining process with five of the six employee associations.  Sarah is the go-to person for compiling and analyzing data, and has worked diligently in preparing comprehensive MOUs for each of the units.  If that wasn’t enough to keep Sarah busy, she also assists with managing employee leave, developing and conducting supervisor training sessions, and serving as back-up personnel for Workers Compensation benefits administration.   When asked to describe her favorite aspect of her job, Sarah says that she loves the necessity of being a lifetime learner, as she is required to stay on top of ever-changing labor laws.  She also is appreciative of her job and the relationships she has established with her co-workers.

Sarah is a consummate professional who is passionate about her job.  Time and time again she tackles the most challenging assignments and executes them with proficiency and diligence.  She is a tremendous asset to the Administrative Services Department, not to mention the City.

Sarah was born in Visalia, and lived there until she met and married her soldier, Darin.  In 2002, they moved to Fort Drum, New York, where she lived while Darin was deployed in Afghanistan.  In 2004, she and Darin returned to Visalia, which is where they currently reside with their two beautiful daughters, Sophia, who will be 5 years old next month, and Makayla, who is 8 ½ months old.  When she is not serving the City of Porterville, Sarah enjoys spending time with her family, hosting summer BBQs, and vacuuming her house with her coveted Rainbow vacuum to keep it spotless.  Yes, vacuuming!