Rockstar SRPMIC Employees Honored at Quarterly Recognition

By Zoe Hernandez

What better way to start off the 2026 fiscal year than with a recognition breakfast? On Jan. 21, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Human Resources hosted the first-quarter employee recognition event at the Great Wolf Lodge.

“Why are you here? Because you got recognized by somebody in your department for something you did really well,” began Steve Haydukovich, SRPMIC Human Resources director. Each quarter, employees from different departments are recognized for their dedication to the Community and the services they provide to our people.

Haydukovich believes that regardless of the job, everyone’s work matters and contributes to the greater whole of the organization. “When your work matters, it means you matter, and so I think it’s important to recognize everything that you do matters, even as insignificant as you think it might be. That … really gives meaning to your service to the Community,” said Haydukovich.

Community Relations Office Communications and Marketing Specialist Katerina Thomas was very honored to be recognized. She said, “At just 10 months into my time with the Community, I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute to meaningful work and support initiatives that strengthen communication and engagement.” Thomas also expressed her thanks and plans within the Community. “I’m thankful for the guidance and support of my leadership team and colleagues, and I look forward to continuing to grow in my position and take on new opportunities,” she said.

SRPMIC President Martin Harvier and Vice-President Ricardo Leonard attended the morning celebration. Harvier discussed how to view the work you do in a positive way. He said, “I think people ask you to do things a lot of the time because they know it’s going to get done and it’s going to get done right. So, when somebody asks me to do something, I … look at it almost as an honor that they are asking me to do it, and I do the best I can.”

Leonard thanked SRPMIC employees and mentioned how proud he was. He began, “It’s always a pleasure to be here and to recognize all of you that have worked tirelessly. In my opinion, you are some of the very best in Arizona working for us. I appreciate all the work you do.”

Community Manager Bryan Meyers closed out the morning recognition with a few words.

“It’s too easy in life to hear about the negative things … and it’s just too easy to take things for granted. One of the things that I love about this Community is that they don’t take [their employees] for granted and they try to put things in action to continuously demonstrate appreciation for our employees.”