Two local community members have been named Devon Hometown Heroes as a result of their devotion to bolstering the strength of the community during a widely difficult past year. Jennifer Armendariz and Lorenzo Velasquez were both recognized for the honor.
Armendariz is the Emergency Manager for the Eddy County Office of Emergency Management. In this role, per Devon Energy, she works with local organizations and agencies to ensure they are best leveraging their resources. Armendariz has been with the Office of Emergency Management for the past nine and a half years.
The announcement that Armendariz received the award was met with celebration by various community members on Facebook, who said she is routinely the first on-scene and the last to leave in her efforts to facilitate the safety of residents and visitors to the area.
Velasquez is the Director of the Lea County Office of Emergency Management & Environmental Division. According to Devon Energy, he has worked to make sure that personal protective equipment (PPE) was available and delivered to people who were most in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Velasquez has been the Director of the Environmental Division since 2010. In addition to his work in distribution PPE, he has endeavored to improve Lea County’s recycling capabilities, including cardboard, metal, and plastic. He has served on the boards of the Lea County Health Council, the Lea County Communication Authority, and is a member of the statewide Interoperable Communications Working Group. Velasquez’s receipt of the award was met with warm reactions on Facebook with one poster commenting it was well deserved.
Devon Energy, based in Oklahoma City, opened an office in Hobbs in 2019 to improve its ongoing oil operations in the Permian Basin. Approximately 225 employees are based in the region.
Devon Energy makes its Hometown Heroes awards in part based on submissions received from the community. Emergency personnel and first responders who have gone above and beyond in their roles in the area are typically first on the list to be recognized. If you know someone who deserves to be congratulated publicly for their efforts, please nominate them here. Recognitions are made every quarter.
The Devon Hometown Heroes program was launched in 2019, with four firefighters and a police officer recognized that year.
