Allied Health alumnus receives governor’s award

East Carolina University alumnus Joe Finley (third from left), is pictured with N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Aldona Wos (second from left) and two of Finley’s DHHS colleagues following the 2014 Governor’s Award for Excellence ceremony in Raleigh. (Contributed photo)

An alumnus of the College of Allied Health Sciences at East Carolina University was among the 38 state employees honored with a 2014 Governor’s Award for Excellence.

Joe Finley, a dysphagia specialist who works at the O’Berry Neuro-Medical Treatment Center in Goldsboro, was one of three N.C. Department of Health and Human Services workers cited for providing excellent customer service.

“Each of you may have felt you were just doing your job, but it’s the way you do your job that distinguishes you,” Governor Pat McCrory said to the honorees prior to the awards ceremony.

Finley works to find ways for program residents with extreme developmental disabilities to continue enjoying solid foods and to delay their need for liquefied diets. He developed and taught therapeutic exercises to help residents maintain or regain the ability to chew and swallow.

Finley earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication sciences and disorders from ECU in 2004 and 2006.

The Governor’s Award for Excellence is the highest award for service given to state employees. The program was created in 1982 to honor state employees for outstanding achievements.

“Each of these outstanding employees goes beyond simply performing their responsibilities to provide patient-focused care and make a difference in the lives of the people they so selflessly serve,” said DHHS Secretary Aldona Wos. “We can all be proud of our employees’ commitment to our patients and others and willingness to serve from their hearts.”

Finley’s wife Stacy holds identical degrees from the ECU College of Allied Health Sciences and is employed by Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro.