Sara Schnotala Receives First IPI Challenge Coin

Challenge coins have been used by various organizations throughout history, such as the military, fire departments, and law enforcement with the purpose of providing recognition to staff for special achievements and outstanding work. This year, it was decided that IPI would join in on the fun and introduce our very own challenge coins!

Each IPI challenge coin is a double-sided piece that displays the IPI logo on the front as well as the Iowa Department of Corrections logo on the reverse. The coins will be given out by the IPI leadership team at their discretion to staff and program partners (e.g. customers, vendors and community organizations). A staff member can receive a challenge coin for a number of reasons, such as the completion of a large project or displaying extraordinary effort that goes above and beyond the expectations of their position. Program partners are also eligible to receive recognition for continuous, outstanding support of our program and the IPI mission.

On February 21st, ERP Specialist Sara Schnotala was awarded the very first IPI challenge coin for her recent work on splitting Fort Dodge Textiles to its own company in Global. The project took an extraordinary amount of work by several IPI staff, however Sara was instrumental in the project's success at every turn, from conducting research and planning through final implementation. Congratulations Sara on earning a challenge coin for your excellent work!

The introduction of challenge coins at IPI is yet another way our organization is looking to acknowledge our incredible staff who continuously show their dedication to our efforts. This ties into IPI's ongoing efforts to foster a supportive work culture and communication across the organization.

If you have a staff member or program partner in mind who you believe should be an IPI challenge coin recipient, please share them with your manager!