Rolling Meadows Public Works employees honored for leadership

The American Public Works Association honored three Rolling Meadows Public Works professionals for service and leadership excellence during an awards banquet hosted by the association's suburban Chicago branch in January.

Public Works Director Fred Vogt was presented the Top Ten Public Works Leaders of the Year Award. The award highlights outstanding career achievements and service to the profession. Vogt has served as Rolling Meadows' Public Works director since 1996.

Internal Services Superintendent Don Wenzel received the Professional Manager of the Year-Emergency Management Award for his role in developing the city's emergency operations plan. Wenzel was also recognized for his work with the Illinois Public Works Mutual Aid Network, where he recently served as president.

Water/Utilities Superintendent John Somogyi was honored with the American Public Works Association's Samuel A. Greeley Award. The award recognizes "dedicated and continued" service to a local public agency. Somogyi has been a member of the city's Public Works Department for 45 years.

• Matthew Szeghy was promoted to director of sales at Schaumburg-based Prescient Solutions, a cloud-based IT outsourcer. In his new role, Szeghy will guide the strategic market positioning of the company and the implementation of its national sales program. His responsibilities include identifying, analyzing, marketing, and securing new business opportunities to support revenue growth on a local and national level.

Szeghy's previous roles at Prescient include new business development, marketing and sales management. His efforts extend into the local community, where he provides strategic value as an active member of the Western Suburban CFO Leadership Group, Illinois/County and Managers Association, Technology and Manufacturing Aligned and Valley Industrial Association.

• Phil Pritzker, Community Consolidated School District 21 school board president, was one of 43 board of education members and public education advocates from Illinois to participate in the recent Advocacy Institute hosted by the National School Boards Association.

The delegation learned about current issues facing public education and advocated for federal support of public schools and students.

Pritzker is the immediate past president of the Illinois Association of School Boards and has served the District 21 community as a school board member since 1989.

• Congratulations to the following newly inducted members of the Leyden High School District 212 Italian Honor Society: Jenny Alcaraz, Sandra Bevilacqua, Daniela Corral, Stephanie Danek, Isabella Dilollo, Janet Kitova, Clarissa Messina, Jennifer Molini, Bryan Muro-Enriquez, Claire Murray, Carmine Paolella, Jamine Paredes, Gabriella Ponziano, Catherine Saponieri and Rosa Terenzio.

The Italian Honor Society was founded by the American Association of Teachers of Italian for the students of secondary schools in the United States. Leyden's Galileo Galilei Chapter was established in 2004.

The candidates were selected on the basis of academic excellence, and interest in the Italian language and culture.

• Send your 'Neighbor in the News' items to Norrine Twohey at ntwohey@dailyherald.com.