PORTLAND — Supreme Court Chief Justice Leigh I. Saufley has  announced the recipients of this year’s Judicial Branch Performance Council employee and volunteer recognition awards and a Biddeford resident is among those being honored for her work.

Each year since 1997, the Judicial Branch has honored individual employees, teams, and volunteers who have made outstanding contributions to the work and mission of the Judicial Branch.

Members of the Family Division received a Special Service Award for “improvements in the operation and performance of the Judicial Branch” deserving of public recognition.

Recently-hired Family Division Manager Caroline Jova accepted the award on behalf of the Family Division along with Family Process Specialist Joanna Davis of Biddeford, Coordinator of Guardian ad Litem Services Tracy Leigh Jacques of Windsor, and Administrative Assistant Jodi Kimball of Readfield.

In addition to their other duties, Family Division staff were unexpectedly called upon to organize the myriad details of an important multi-day training conference for over 400 child protection professionals, including handling many follow-up tasks over a period of more than six months.

The team “rolled up their sleeves, identified the problems that needed to be solved, and worked tirelessly to ensure the success of the training” — due in large part to the “skill, dedication and good humor” demonstrated by team members.

Other award recipients were:

• Advocate for Justice Award: Family Law Magistrate Andrea Najarian

• Roy Rice Award: Judicial Deputy Marshal John Hook.

• Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award: Attorney Peter J. Guffin, who leads the Privacy & Data Security practice at the Portland-based law firm Pierce Atwood.

• Outstanding Judicial Employee of the Year: Hancock County Superior Court Clerk Terry Harding.

• Career Performance Award: Judicial Branch Court Reporter Tim Thompson.

Chief Saufley thanked the award recipients for their excellent work.

“Reviewing nominations is a highlight of my year. The extra effort, creativity, and professionalism shown by all of the nominees is truly an inspiration,” Saufley said. “The individuals and teams recognized this year exemplify the high standards of public service in the Judicial Branch that matter so much to the public. All of us — clerks, judicial marshals, judges, magistrates and others within the Judicial Branch — are proud to serve the people of Maine in furthering our mission of administering justice in a safe, accessible, efficient, and impartial manner.”