News Release

April Akins Named Employee of the Year for Town of Hilton Head Island

December 15, 2022

April Akins, in recognition of her commitment to providing excellent and personable customer service, was chosen as the first Scott Liggett Employee of the Year for the Town of Hilton Head Island.

The honorary award was announced this week at the Town's holiday luncheon for its employees and is named in memory of Scott Liggett, a long-service Town employee who passed away unexpectedly in February 2021.

The Town established the award as a tribute to Scott’s legacy, professionalism, and contributions to the Town and the community. Scott was known for his dedication to excellent customer service, his selfless humble demeanor, for putting the good of the organization and the Island before his own objectives, and for his creative problem solving. The award will be given annually to a Town employee who exemplifies Scott's qualities as a servant leader and demonstrates the Town's core values of customer service, continuous process improvement, teamwork, and accountability.

"It gives me immense pleasure to present this award to April, who embodies professionalism and excels at providing great customer service to our residents and businesses every day," said Town Manager Marc Orlando. "We are so proud to have her as part of our team and we are proud of every nominee. They all exemplify the values that make our organization great and inspire us to go above and beyond to serve our community."

April, the Town's Revenue Services Manager, was chosen from among 16 employees nominated for the award. She was lauded for her communication skills, team leadership, handling of complex business initiatives, outstanding performance, enthusiasm, and drive to ensure residents and businesses have the best customer service experience possible. In her nomination, April was recognized for leading implementation of the Town's standard business license ordinance, which, due to a change in state law, affected every business on Hilton Head Island. She and her team helped to educate business owners and Town leaders on the ordinance. Their efforts led to compliance among old and new businesses. April has also worked with several departments to implement the Town’s short-term rental ordinance.

April joined the Town in February 2010 and oversees operation of the revenue services division including the business license program and collection of other taxes and fees.

"I am honored and grateful to be the recipient of this award, especially one named after my former co-worker, Scott, who truly believed in great customer service. I am also honored to work with a great team of individuals who come to work every day with the desire to do their best. I am proud of all we accomplish together for the businesses we serve," April said.

Join us on Facebook and LinkedIn to congratulate April on receiving this honor.