32nd Annual Public Safety Awards Breakfast Ceremony Recognizes 64 Heroes in the Upcounty

June 25, 2026

Contact:

Paula Ross

President & CEO

301-840-1400

pross@ggchamber.org

A full PDF of this Media Advisory can be found here. 

The Gaithersburg Germantown Upcounty Chamber (GG Upcounty Chamber) hosted its 32^nd Annual Public Safety Awards Breakfast this morning at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg. The event honored 64 men and women who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to protect the public safety in the Upcounty. Public safety personnel from several jurisdictions were recognized. Each received an official Congressional Citation from Representative April McClain Delaney, Certificate of Congratulations from our County Council organized by Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe, a Citation from State Senator Cheryl Kagan, a Citation from the State Assembly D15 team, and also a Distinguished Citizen Award from the Marine Corps League Detachment of Maryland. Each honoree also received a special commemorative Awardee challenge coin made possible by our Title Sponsor, Paul Davis Restoration.

Highlights of the program included awarding the Medal of Valor to two MCFRS firefighters and the Citation for Bravery to ten additional MCFRS officers for their work in response to a four-story, non-sprinklered apartment building fire in Gaithersburg in April, including saving an unconscious victim. Several officers from MCPD 5^th District were also awarded Citations for Bravery for two incidents in Germantown, one of which involved the officers who apprehended armed suspects fleeing a homicide in November 2025, and one of which involved officers who saved a child from an armed hostage situation in April 2025. Two civilians were also recognized by the MCPD 5^th District for their efforts in protecting a child in Clarksburg.

At the Awards ceremony, the Upcounty Chamber Community Foundation also presented a gift of $6516.00 to the Gaithersburg Police Foundation and Montgomery County Police Foundation to be used for their holiday Shop with a Cop programs, building bridges between our public safety officials and local youth.

The digital event program can be found here.

Who:               *Full list of honorees included below.

*Elected officials in attendance included

• MD State Assembly:
  • State Senator Cheryl Kagan – District 17
  • Delegate Greg Wims – District 39
  • Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo – District 15
  • Delegate Lily Qi – District 15

• Montgomery County Council:
  • Marilyn Balcombe – District 2
  • Sidney Katz – District 3
  • Shebra Evans – At Large

• Sheriff Maxwell Uy

• City of Gaithersburg:
  • Mayor Jud Ashman
  • Council Member Lisa Henderson

• And representatives of our Elected Leaders:
  • Representing US Congresswoman April McLain Delaney, Benton Anthony
  • Director of the Upcounty Regional Services Center Ruben Rosario
  • Gaithersburg Assistant City Manager Tom Lonergan-Seeger
  • Gaithersburg Assistant City Manager Karen Turner
  • Representing Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles, Sierra Gray

*Agencies and organizations represented for honor:

• Montgomery County Police Department – 5th District, 6th District, & Crisis Intervention Team
• Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office
• Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service
• Gaithersburg Police Department

*Sponsors of the event included:

• 19-yr Gold Title Sponsor – Paul Davis Restoration & Remodeling
• Venue Sponsor: Montgomery County Agricultural Fairgrounds
• Catering Sponsor: Silver Diner-Rio
• Silver Sponsors – Supporting Strategies, Bahar Consulting, City of Gaithersburg
• Bronze Sponsors – Gaithersburg CPAs, ServPro Team Hall
• Community Partner Sponsors –Peterson Companies-Rio, Rodgers Consulting, Hughes Network Systems/Echostar
• A full list of event sponsors and the event program can be found here.

*In addition to awards presentations, remarks were provided by:

• Mayor Jud Ashman, City of Gaithersburg
• Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Services Chief Corey Smedley
• Montgomery County Police Assistant Chief Daren Francke
• Crystal Coats, Paul Davis Restoration & Remodeling
• Steve Barber (Supporting Strategies), Chair, GG Upcounty Chamber Board of Directors
• Mick Collins (Pay it Forward Processing), Vice Chair for Member Programs, GG Upcounty Chamber Board of Directors
• Heather Madison, Chair of the Upcounty Chamber Community Foundation Board of Directors
• Paula Ross, GG Upcounty Chamber President & CEO

*A joint honor guard from MCPD, GPD, and MCPO presented the colors.

Photos/Reel: Official event photos are credited to Hilary Schwab Photography, and are available for use from the Chamber’s facebook page. Reels and other asserts are also available on the Chamber’s facebook and other social media platforms.

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About the Gaithersburg Germantown Upcounty Chamber

For over 75 years, the Gaithersburg Germantown Upcounty Chamber (formerly known as the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce) has been the leading advocate for businesses along the upper I270 corridor in Montgomery County, commonly called the “Upcounty.” We specifically serve the business communities in Gaithersburg, Germantown, Clarksburg, and Damascus; our membership currently includes approximately 460 members in dozens of industries. Our members range in size from volunteer-run nonprofits with zero employees, to solopreneurs, to businesses with thousands of employees in the Upcounty. We are committed to being a voice for all businesses in the Upcounty, resulting in a business-friendly environment and high quality of life in our community. www.ggchamber.org.

See following pages for honoree information:

Presented by MCFRS Chief Corey Smedley and Asst Chief Ben Kaufman, Gaithersburg incident:

Presented by Lieutenant Shing-Chi Yuen, MCPD 5^th District, Germantown incident:

Presented by Lieutenant Shing-Chi Yuen, MCPD 5^th District, Germantown incident:

Presented by MCFRS Chief Corey Smedley and Asst Chief Ben Kaufman, Upcounty service:

Presented by Lieutenant Shing-Chi Yuen, MCPD 5^th District, Damascus and other Upcounty incidents:

Presented by Lieutenant Shing-Chi Yuen, MCPD 5^th District, Damascus incident:

Presented by Lt Michele Trice, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Germantown incident:

Presented by Lt Michele Trice, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Clarksburg incident:

Presented by Lt. Michelle Kirk, Gaithersburg Police Department:

Presented by Deputy Commander Mark Hayden, MCPD 6th District, Gaithersburg incident:

Presented by Deputy Commander Mark Hayden, MCPD 6th District, Gaithersburg incident:

Presented by Lieutenant Shing-Chi Yuen, MCPD 5^th District, Upcounty service:

Civilian nomination presented by Lieutenant Shing-Chi Yuen, MCPD 5^th District, Clarksburg incident:

Presented by Captain Chris Vance, Gaithersburg Police Department, general service:

Presented by Deputy Commander Mark Hayden, MCPD 6th District, Gaithersburg incident:

Presented by Deputy Commander Mark Hayden, MCPD 6th District, Derwood incident: