Auburn Hills Celebrates Optimist Club’s Persons of the Year

Each year, the local Auburn Hills Morning Optimist Club celebrates three outstanding individuals that have helped to service the club’s mission. Optimist International is an organization that has existed for more than 100 years with the mission to bring out the best in youth, our communities, and ourselves.

Annually, the local Optimist Club chapter honors a civilian person of the year, a fire/EMS person of the year, and a police person of the year. This year, Human Resources Generalist Bianca Karjo won the Civilian Person of the Year, Firefighter-Paramedic Edwin Prado-Arteaga won the Fire/EMS Person of the Year, and Detective Paul Wagenmaker won Police Person of the Year.

Bianca began her career with the City of Auburn Hills on February 23, 2015, as a Human Resources Generalist specializing in employee development. Bianca’s positive attitude causes her to work every day, believing that the city will achieve success, no matter the obstacles.

Firefighter/Paramedic Edwin Prado-Arteaga joined the Auburn Hills Fire Department in August of 2017 after completing fire academy and EMT training at Oakland Community College. He obtained paramedic certification and was promoted to full-time Firefighter in 2019. He serves with an unmatched work ethic and willingness to hold over or come in on off days to ensure AHFD meets the needs of the community.

Detective Wagenmaker is a member of the Major Case Assistance Team, a multi-jurisdictional team of investigators committed to resolving complex criminal investigations, and a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Detroit Fraud & Financial Crimes Task Force. Detective Wagenmaker has exceptional dedication, unwavering commitment, and outstanding contributions to the investigations division and the police department as a detective.

Andrew Hagge, Assistant to the City Manager