At GEO, we believe that diversity in our workforce and the inclusion of a variety of views, perspectives, and backgrounds are integral parts of our company's success. This unique mixture in the workforce provides unlimited ideas, increases productivity and innovative solutions for our clients and those we serve.
We believe that work is more than a place you go every day. It is a place of professional growth, exploration, creativity, and interpersonal relationships. It is about being inspired and motivated to achieve extraordinary things. We want our people to take pride in their work and in maintaining a safe and secure environment. After all, it is the combined talents, skills, knowledge, experience and expertise of every one of our employees that makes us who we are.
Our employees around the globe live and work in the communities we call home. In this geographically diverse environment, we learn from each other and share those lessons within and outside our communities.
The inclusion of all employees makes our teams more effective, enhances communication among other people of different backgrounds and experiences, and creates an atmosphere that benefits from the talents and capabilities of our diverse workforce. Inclusion through recruiting, hiring, developing, training and promoting employees of all genders, races, religions, ages, sexual orientations, and physical abilities is essential to our success.
The result of our desire to be diverse and inclusive creates a company culture that is ever more collaborative. Our employees are increasingly more enthusiastic about their work because they are sharing ideas across departments and divisions in inspiring new ways.
Refugia Carreon, affectionately known as “Cooky,” is one of the most knowledgeable in the transportation field at the Karnes County Dentition Facility. Cooky has demonstrated her leadership ability in a variety of areas during her sixteen-year tenure with GEO. Cooky is not just a transporter of detainees. Because of her expertise with the entire process from start to finish, she has demonstrated diverse experiences in areas that include training, scheduling, vehicle maintenance, and driver licensing. These abilities are all assets when it comes to working with the U.S. Marshals Service.
Cooky can manage complete missions on her own without assistance because of her inept ability with time management skills. Cooky has developed a trusted relationship with the Client and changed how airlifts are done, assuring there are little or no delays in transfers. For ground transportation Cooky uses her initiative to make signs and labels for vehicles to help identify who was where at any given time. Other jails were able to follow Cooky’s lead and created their own unique signage and colors.
Cooky genuinely looks out for the wellbeing of the staff and others by using her own personal time and resources to assist in times of need. During illness, sudden family losses, or unfortunate life events, Cooky leads the charge to help. Because Cooky initiated a call to action by sending out an email with concerns for an officer who experienced a tragic loss from a fire, responses came not just from GEO but from within the local community and beyond. Cooky also encouraged a group of staff to visit a seriously ill officer, reminding him that his GEO family is cheering him on. Beyond GEO, Cooky’s leadership can be seen in the San Antonio community, where she uses her own time with local agencies such as Children’s Miracle Network and Feeding the Homeless.
Cooky’s charismatic energy gets people on board. She’s not in the spotlight on a daily basis, but she never fails to use every day to shine. Her good energy and solid work ethic make her an all-around beautiful person.
Armstrong Brunache has proven his commitment to excellence and dedication to the mission and goals of the GEO group over the more than twenty-four years he has been employed. Armstrong started his career as a correctional officer and was promoted throughout his tenure to several positions, including his current position as program manager at Broward Transitional Center (BTC), which he has held for the past sixteen years. In his current role, Armstrong mentors and directs staff to remain audit and inspection-ready, resulting in repeated “clean audits.” Because the BTC detainee population has a less than 60-day average length of stay, there are challenges to maintenance and compliance with room sanitation requirements. Armstrong has spearheaded a unit-to-unit competition to encourage and recognize detainees who consistently meet the requirements. Needless to say, the program is popular and has resulted in significant improvements to sanitation within the rooms.
Armstrong is a selfless leader who embodies the notion of being a team player first. He models the behavior he expects of others by immersing himself in all new processes and procedures to test their efficacy. Ultimately, while training his staff, his goal is that one day they will be prepared enough to replace him. The energy and effort Armstrong commits to helping others reach their highest potential garners him much respect from all staff.Armstrong lost several close family members during the heartbreaking earthquake in Haiti that claimed countless Haitian lives. The losses inspired Armstrong and motivated him to give back to his former community. With the numerous requests for clothing and vehicles, he put his passion for mechanical tinkering to work and was able to find venues for buying used cars that he reconditioned, repaired, and shipped to more than 50 families, allowing them to rebuild their lives.
Armstrong’s varied experiences enabled him to provide sound counsel and introduce efficient and innovative ideas that immediately addressed the issues and mitigated liability concerns for GEO. He demonstrates his love through his work ethic by training staff to reach their highest potential. He is an asset to BTC and the GEO Group.
