Demitra H. (Dee) Crayton award of excellence

The 3^rd annual Demitra (Dee) Crayton Award of Excellence recognized Portia Clark from Tuscaloosa, AL as a person who has demonstrated leadership with a heart of unity and service. She exemplified exceptional leadership by bringing together her team, organization and community in a unified effort to provide outstanding service.

COMING SOON- 2026 Award of Excellence Nomination Form

Congratulations Portia Clark! Recipient of the 2025 Dee Crayton Award of Excellence! 

    
About Portia

Portia Clark is the 311 Call Center Manager for the City of Tuscaloosa, where she leads a high-performing team dedicated to delivering exceptional resident service. Under her leadership, 311 achieved record service levels, expanded its data-driven reporting, strengthened quality assurance practices, and launched creative recognition programs such as the annual Tuskie Awards.

Portia also led the development of the City’s Storm Mode — a strategic service prioritization initiative during severe weather events, advanced cross-department customer service partnerships, and elevated staff engagement through innovative huddles, coaching, and culture-building initiatives.

She is the 2025 recipient of AGCCP’s Award of Excellence and is committed to shaping high-quality, human-centered customer care across government. Portia is honored to serve on the AGCCP Board and support the growth and collaboration of public-sector contact center professionals.

Congratulations Brittany Swartz! Recipient of the 2024 Dee Crayton Award of Excellence! 

About Brittany
Brittany has been a dedicated employee of the Baldwin County Commission for the past 7 years. 

•As an advocate of mentorship and unity, Brittany meets people “where they are” on a personal
level. She learns about them in-depth so she can map their personal journey to success. Because
of her ability to unite, she became an unprompted primary contact for managers and employees
as issues arise in their department.

•Brittany is also a natural leader. She displays a genuine passion for her work and is able to
effortlessly expose greatness in employees by actively listening then taking their thoughts and
turning them into action. She constantly strives to find new opportunities for employees. She
coordinated a partnership with a local community college for training blue-collar workers. 50
employees have completed over 1250 hours of equipment training, allowing these employees to attain new skills and certifications for promotional opportunities.

•Classes such as Public Speaking and Writing for Success have provided undereducated employees with an opportunity for success. With 25 training classes available, many of which are custom created, over the past year, she has doubled employee training hours from 1200 to 3000 hours and attendance almost tripled from 350 to over 1000.

Congratulations Renee Hawsey! Recipient of the Inaugural 2023 Dee Crayton Award of Excellence! 

About Renee

Renee Hawsey currently serves as the Administrator of Motor Vehicle and Tags for the Baldwin County Probate Judge’s Office. With more than 18 years of service to the department, she began her career assisting citizens at the counter and has since advanced through multiple leadership roles. In her current position, she oversees the Licensing Division, which includes both the License Revenue staff and the Probate Call Center, totaling more than 40 employees. Each year, the Licensing Division processes approximately 380,000 motor vehicle transactions, while the Call Center handles over 100,000 contacts through phone, email, and text.

Renee is the recipient of the inaugural Dee Crayton Award of Excellence. Since that time, she’s been involved with AGCCP and has found great value in the organization.

Renee believes leadership is about influence, not position. She strives to create an environment where people feel valued, supported, and encouraged to grow. Her focus is on fostering open communication and trust, ensuring that her team feels empowered to learn, collaborate, and succeed, both professionally and personally. Beyond her role with the county, in 2021 Renee helped formed a nonprofit organization, called DASH Foundation of Baldwin County, that focuses on helping families in her community who are facing medical hardships. She currently serves as President of the board. Renee lives in Baldwin County, AL, with her husband and two boys.