Roberts named August 2022 Dare County Employee of the Month

Olga Roberts stands outside of the Dare County Administration Building holding her Employee of the Month plaque. [Dare County Image]

Olga Roberts, who serves as a senior foreign language interpreter for the Dare County Department of Health & Human Services, has been named Dare County Employee of the Month for August 2022.

#top{min-height:250px;}

The award was presented to Roberts by Dare County Department of Health & Human Services Public Health Nurse Supervisor Jodi Wyant during the Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting that was held at 9 a.m. on Monday, August 1, 2022.

Roberts started her career with Dare County working as an administrative assistant in the former Dare County Administration Building in downtown Manteo in the early 1980s and served in various roles with the Dare County Department of Health & Human Services in the years that followed. In January 2022, she was promoted from the position of foreign language interpreter to her current role as senior foreign language interpreter for the Public Health Division.

In this role, Roberts is tasked with providing Spanish interpretation services that help to remove the language barrier between non-English speakers and healthcare providers during an array of patient visits ranging from maternal health, family planning and WIC nutrition appointments to various outreach appointments such as Baby LINKS and the North Carolina Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program.

“The providers and nurses love working with her, and she never hesitates to go the extra mile for our patients and their families. It is a daily game of ‘find Olga’ because she’s always with a patient, and someone else always needs her,” said Wyant. “This lady is a force for good, and I mean that sincerely—she is a force. She has a heart for helping people that is rare and honorable, and she won’t stop until she feels like she has met all of her patients’ needs. She calls it being a patient advocate, and I think that she is truly a breath of fresh air and a crucial piece of what holistic healthcare should be.”

#middle{min-height:250px;}

Wyant also highlighted Roberts’ lengthy career with the county and the positive impact she has on her colleagues as well as numerous patients throughout the Outer Banks community on a daily basis.

“She reminds me often that she knew me when I was a little girl when she worked with my dad [Eddie Francis, former Land Records Manager] and [former Dare County Manager] Terry Wheeler downtown, and when she says it, she says it with such respect and pride in her eyes that I can’t help but see what an impact they made in her young life,” she said. “I imagine there will be a day when people will mention her name with the same esteem because of the impact that she makes in their lives every day.”

In addition to Wyant, Roberts has also received praise from her colleagues, one of whom wrote the following in their Employee of the Month nomination form: “I have selected Olga because she is overall awesome. She is hardworking and always willing to help. She is professional and caring to the patients. She always has a smile on her face and treats everyone with kindness and compassion. We are so lucky to have her as part of the team.”

Jodi Wyant and Olga Roberts standing together in front of the Dare County Board of Commissioners during the August 1, 2022 meeting. [Dare County Image]