Mission Viejo's 2016 Employee of the Year feted for excellence

Mark Joson, a longtime Information Technology Specialist, has been named Mission Viejo's 2016 Employee of the Year.

Mark is known as a team player and innovator who puts his heart and soul into everything he does for the City of Mission Viejo. He has the innate ability of identifying and implementing new technologies that enhance efficiency, reduce operating costs and provide a high level of service.

Mark started with the City as an IT technician more than a decade ago and quickly moved up the ranks into the specialist position thanks to his superior skills and professionalism.  It's a role that Mark often fulfills more than 8 hours a day. In fact, he works around the clock - and often on his own time - to ensure problems are resolved and projects are completed as quickly as possible.

For example, the City recently experienced a technical issue with an essential system that went down on a Friday night and Mark immediately delved into the problem and isolated the issue to an outside vendor while creating a temporary fix for the City. He continued to work throughout the entire weekend with vendors and for the next few weeks to make sure this complex problem was resolved. He did this while ensuring City technical operations continued without fail.

"Much of what Mark does is behind the scenes and not visible to the everyday citizen or City staff member, but his touch and impact is significant and everywhere," said Director of Information Technology Jackie Alexander.

Mark is also credited for his work on projects such as supporting the fiber and switch infrastructure that connects 120 traffic signals in Mission Viejo, so the synchronization of the lights can be managed by Public Works. He is also instrumental in ensuring City data is protected and recoverable in an emergency.  If that were not enough, Mark has a knack for finding the best deals on computer hardware and saving the department on equipment costs.

Aside from his outstanding work, Mark is just a great guy with a positive attitude.

"His smile and demeanor in addition to his technical skills make him one of the go-to members in the department," Jackie said.

Mark will be recognized for his outstanding efforts by the City Council on January 24.