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Norma Miranda, who serves as an administrative technician for the Dare County Department of Health & Human Services, was named Dare County Employee of the Month for August 2023. The award was presented to Miranda by Dare County Department of Health & Human Services health education and community outreach manager Roxana Ballinger at the August Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting.

Miranda initially began her service to Dare County on August 27, 2018, when she was hired to serve as an administrative technician for the Dare County Department of Health & Human Services. In her role as administrative technician, Miranda is tasked with helping to administer the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, which provides healthy food, nutrition education, breastfeeding support and other health-related referrals to women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or have children under the age of 5.

“It’s an honor this morning to come forward and talk about Norma as Employee of the Month for the county,” said Ballinger. “The WIC program couldn’t live without Norma.”

In addition to managing all WIC appointments for the Dare County Department of Health & Human Services’ offices in Manteo, Kill Devil Hills and Frisco, Miranda also serves as a breastfeeding peer counselor as well as an interpreter for appointments that are held with Spanish-speaking clients.

“She is always customer-focused and always thinking about the community and the clients that we serve and puts them first,” said Ballinger. “People actually call the WIC program, and they just ask for Norma. She is on a first-name basis with many of the clients. The Hispanic community trusts her as a great resource. You know that she’s going to lead them in the right direction no matter what.”

Ballinger also praised Miranda for her hard work, dedication and performance throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“During COVID, we all had to make a lot of changes very quickly, and those changes couldn’t have happened in the WIC program if it wasn’t for Norma,” said Ballinger. “We all had to learn how to be virtual experts really quickly, and WIC had to go through a lot of changes with all of their clients. They used to see clients all of the time, and they had to go to virtual and phone contact with all of their clients, and that truly was a challenge.”

Miranda also received praise from several of her colleagues within the Dar County Department of Health & Human Services who submitted nomination forms recommending that she receive the honor of being named Employee of the Month.

“Norma Miranda’s work ethic and dedication to customer service combined with professional adherence to policy makes her an ideal employee, team member and client advocate,” one nominator wrote. “Norma makes sure clients understand WIC program details and refers them to other county and regional services as needed. She is always patient, professional and prompt. Norma genuinely cares about the women, infants and children she serves, and it shows!”

As Ballinger concluded her Employee of the Month presentation and presented Miranda with the award, she commented, “She’s a valuable member of our team, and we want to keep her around forever. She’s a wonderful person, and we all love her. It’s an honor to give her this award.”

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