The Ellsworth Correctional Facility recently announced its annual employees of the year for 2021. Recipients are: • Contract employee of the year: Annette

• Contract employee of the year: Annette Carrazco, Aramark food service director.

She began employment at ECF in 2016 as an Aramark Food Service supervisor. Carrazco remained in this position until 2019 when she left ECF to become the director of food service for the Ottawa County Jail. In May 2021, she made the decision to return to ECF as the food service director.

Annette is married to Ricky Carrazco and they have four sons, Levi, Logan, Landon and Layne. They also have three daughters, Selena, Elisia and Arena. She also has two grandsons, Gunner and River.

• Volunteer of the year: Father Joshua Werth.

He has been an ECF volunteer since May 2016. Father Werth says Mass, hears confessions, serves communion, leads the singing and leads in prayer. Frequently, he volunteers additional time to counsel with residents. This year he recruited Father Kyle Berens to assist with Mass.

• Uniformed employee of the year: Sgt. Robert Craven.

He started at ECF on March 12, 2018. After getting his bearings within the department of corrections, he quickly gained trust from his shift supervisors to mentor other staff. As Craven approached his first year, he had multiple supervisors encourage him to seek promotion. He was promoted to sergeant on June 16, 2019.

He has mentored several staff from a new corporal to a sergeant and even staff sergeants.

• Non-uniformed employee of the year: Samantha Hoss.

She began her employment at ECF on Oct. 5, 2015, as an administrative assistant in the records department. On March 26, 2017, Hoss transferred to the Unit Team administrative assistant position. On Sept. 24, 2017, she was promoted to Corrections Counselor I. On July 1, 2018, Hoss was promoted to her current position of Unit Team supervisor. In her current position as UTS in Building No. 4, she has been responsible for the caseloads of the residents in G and K pods. In addition to these duties, Hoss has taken on numerous other duties for the facility. She is currently the facility contact for ViaPath tablets at ECF, she is part of the Athena II change group for ECF and has volunteered to be a tester for Athena II. She has been the chairperson for the Team ECF Cancer Walk for the Ellsworth County Cancer fund for the past several years.

Samantha is married to Scott Hoss, who is a Corrections Specialist I at ECF.