Federal Executive Boards • Partnership for Public Service

President Kennedy established Federal Executive Boards (FEB) in 1961 to improve communication and coordination between Federal agencies outside of Washington, DC. There are 28 FEBs in metropolitan areas with significant Federal populations. Each year during PSRW, FEBs recognize high-performing Federal employees in their local communities and highlight innovative efforts that advance the missions of Federal agencies. Award nominations are reviewed by leadership panels using criteria for a variety of categories, such as: Leadership, Customer Service, Community Service, Diversity and Inclusion, Distinguished Lifetime Achievement, Distinguished Military/Military Support, Extraordinary Contributions in the Accomplishment of Agency Mission, Administrative Support, and Law Enforcement.

BACK TO PUBLIC SERVICE RECOGNITION WEEK

Submitting FEB	Name of Winner or Team	Agency	Category	Citation/Nomination
San Francisco	Logistics Service Team	San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System	Acquisition	Rey and Mike are the embodiment of "servant leaders." As leaders of Logistic Services, they obtained personal protective equipment to minimize the spread of the coronavirus among the 3,500 employees and 700,000 visitors. Amid the Omicron surge, Rey and Mike faced the impossible task of ordering COVID-19 tests. They brainstormed alternatives and pursued an unexpected supplier, the Defense Logistics Agency, an agency known as a military supplier. They ordered hundreds of COVID-19 kits within a week to meet the demand. Aware that the needs of the SFVAHCS are round the clock, Rey successfully pushed for the creation of night shifts so that Logistics Service could provide support. Rey instituted a flexible schedule to reduce the pressures on staff. The team's approach to customer service cut response times from 24-48 hours to just under an hour
San Francisco	Disaster Workforce Team	FEMA	Administrative Professionals and Trades	FEMA Region 9's Employee Services Branch recruited, hired, and retained a skilled, diverse, and inclusive workforce in the wake of wildfires, floods, humanitarian support at the southwest border, and COVID-19 operations. The team overcame adversity on the mission and personally due to their well-regarded Branch Chief's passing, requiring the team to adapt, grow, and lead all aspects of human resources. Thanks to their success, Region 9 onboarded more than 100 employees, 170 disaster reservists, and 200 local hires, saving more than $4 million in deployment costs and enabling FEMA to better help people before, during, and after disasters.
San Francisco	Tyrae M. Costa	U.S. Coast Guard	Administrative Professionals and Trades	As Customer Service Representative, Mrs. Costa serves a critical role for the Facilities Engineering Department at Base Alameda, ensuring effective maintenance of the Coast Guard's most extensive Base with 40 buildings totaling over 700,000 square feet. Mrs. Costa's commitment, work ethic, and professionalism are inspiring. Her contribution to Coast Guard Island is far-reaching, and she is frequently taking on projects beyond her required duties. For example, she collected all FY22 approved Purchase Request data. She developed a comprehensive tracker so management can have a real-time budget snapshot allowing analysis of spending and budget planning. Mrs. Costa continually brings credit upon herself, the Coast Guard, and Base Alameda.
San Francisco	Daniel Likins	NASA Ames Research Center	Diversity, Equity & Inclusion	Daniel is the Chair of the Early Career Advisory Group, a new organization charged with promoting a culture of diversity and inclusion by spotlighting the concerns of its constituents. Daniel consistently emphasizes the need for diversity and encourages inclusivity in every action he undertakes. His approach encourages others in the best way possible and gives them the confidence to be more vocal and not hold back. He has organized a diverse board and a safe space for discussing strategies and promoting efforts around diversity almost entirely virtually in the last year. He also consistently puts words to action. For example, he works with the Mission College Society of Women in Engineering Mentoring Program to connect with Ames scientists, engineers, and mission-supporting staff. The students are a diverse community of students who are seeking insight into and demonstrating interest in how Ames is enabling NASA'S broader goals.
San Francisco	Kevin L. Jones	NASA Ames Research Center	Diversity, Equity & Inclusion	Kevin Jones is currently serving on a detailed assignment for a newly developed position as the Inclusion Champion for NASA Ames Research NASA added inclusion as one of the agency's five core values. In response, Ames initiated multiple efforts to improve the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility at Ames, including creating this detailed assignment. He leads NASA'S engagement with the National Society of Black Engineers, attending monthly NSBE status meetings, sharing access to the Career Center with agency recruiters, and coordinating NASA presence and conferences. Kevin has always been a champion for DEIA, even before his current role. He served as the Chair for the African American ERG and co-authoring a letter in 2020 to center leadership to combat anti-Black racism, where he helped create a charter for the Community Protective Services Forum.
San Francisco	Karen Goldberg	Environmental Protection Agency	Law Enforcement	EPA Pacific Southwest Office nominates Karen Goldberg for the Law Enforcement Employee of the Year Award for her 35 years of sustained meritorious service. Karen is one of Region 9's premier Superfund enforcement attorneys who has achieved exceptional cleanups at major contamination sites and trained and mentored generations of EPA enforcement professionals. Among her many invaluable contributions, Karen has dedicated decades of her professional life to cleaning up the Casmalia Resources Superfund Site, one of the most costly, complex, and successful cleanups in the Nation.
San Francisco	Nai K. Saelee	U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service	Law Enforcement	Officer Saelee has provided invaluable technical prowess and insight to law enforcement agencies, the intelligence community, and state and county authorities. He identified and provided critical information on subjects in the investigation of the shooting of a Newman City, CA Police Officer. As a result, the suspect pled guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Seven other individuals were arrested and convicted of aiding, abetting, harboring, and shielding from the detection of a non-citizen for a crime. Officer Saelee also provided vital assistance to numerous law enforcement investigations. He assisted in the extradition and removal of an Iraqi man who allegedly was a member of a terror organization and killed a police officer in Iraq before entry to the U.S.
San Francisco	Robert Pesapane	FEMA	Management	At the height of COVID-19, Robert Pesapane helped lead the Nation in rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine to millions of people. The Acting FEMA Administrator asked Robert to establish the first large-scale federal vaccination centers in the country. By coordinating with interagency partners, stakeholders, and community-based organizations, Robert stood up for the pilot adopted across the Nation. These efforts were critical and resulted in 220 million people receiving COVID-19 vaccinations within 100 days across the country, more than doubling President Biden's initial goal of vaccinating 100 million Americans during his first 100 days in office.
San Francisco	Emmanuelle Rapicavoli	Environmental Protection Agency	Management	During the COVID-19 pandemic, it wasn't easy maintaining an active field presence. Many tribal water system operators lacked access to personal protective equipment (PPE) and available staff to maintain sufficient operation and maintenance of the drinking water systems. The pandemic led to challenges with communication and technical assistance efforts for tribal water systems. The nominee was instrumental in organizing the acquisition and distribution of PPE for tribal water system operators and developed an active tracking system to document water systems status, to include COVID-19 impacts and needs. Additionally, the nominee led the development of a new COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocol to ensure the health and safety of water system personnel, EPA staff and contractors, and Indian Health Service staff during the field portion of the sanitary surveys.
San Francisco	Anita Lee	Environmental Protection Agency	Management	Anita Lee had an extraordinary impact on the work and the workplace in EPA Region 9's Air programs this year. Overcoming the ongoing challenges of the pandemic and 100% remote work, she seized our societal moment of reflection on diversity, equity, and inclusion by championing innovative management-staff discussions and feedback mechanisms, fostering staff empowerment and trust within and beyond her unit. Anita leads with empathy, facilitates trust within her team and external partners, helps others stay constructive and focused on problem-solving, and empowers staff to offer their contributions. By modeling humility and openness in leadership, Anita fosters innovation and creates an atmosphere of staff empowerment and inclusion while obtaining results for EPA and the American public.
San Francisco	Lawanda Loken	Veterans Affairs Northern California	Management	A dynamic leader, Ms. Lawanda Loken spearheaded numerous COVID efforts throughout the VA Northern California Health Care System. Through her leadership, the agency guaranteed that Veterans have access to the COVID vaccine, testing, and treatment. She also ensured a strict screening and masking process that effectively limited transmission of staff and veterans. Ms. Loken also led the labor pool team that cross-trained and deployed staff to understaffed areas due to COVID infection, ensuring continuity of inpatient operations. As a true advocate for Veterans, Ms. Loken kept the agency focused on our purpose to serve those who served.
San Francisco	Pamela Ayaay	U.S. Coast Guard	Program and Mission Support	Ms. Ayaay is a Paralegal Specialist at the Coast Guard Legal Service Command's only prosecution office. This office is responsible for prosecuting all felony-level offenses committed by a Coast Guardsman. Ms. Ayaay was the sole paralegal specialist supporting all Coast Guard prosecutions spanning the country, including the Coast Guard's most extended criminal trial, a 22-day murder trial conducted in January 2022. She executed the Coast Guard's responsibility to support crime victims, completed travel and logistics for hundreds of witnesses, and supervised all aspects of the trial, from discovery to post-trial appellate rights. Despite her workload, she is never too busy to help someone else develop, support, and mentor young criminal justice professionals.
San Francisco	Tünde Wang	Environmental Protection Agency	Program and Mission Support	Tünde Wang is a Budget Analyst whose duties include approval of budget reprogramming requests. Budget reprogramming is a critically important funding flexibility option. Tünde resolved a substantial obstacle that impacted EPA Region 9's ability to reprogram funds effectively and efficiently in a 100% telework environment. To solve the reprogramming management problem, Tünde initiated collaboration with the region's Information Technology staff to develop a cloud-based solution that would work in a 100% telework environment that modernized, streamlined, and standardized an outdated business process. The Agency's Budget Director adopted Tünde's concept agency-wide, allowing the agency to adequately track and accurately process reprogramming requests for multiple fiscal years currently totaling over $300M.
San Francisco	Janeen Smith	San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System	Program and Mission Support	Dr. Janeen Smith has been an innovator in telehealth at the San Francisco VA. During the pandemic, she added to her primary and emergency care expertise to build a new tele-urgent care center serving the entire V21 region in time to attend to the health needs of veterans through the covid-19 pandemic. In addition to providing medical care both in the emergency department and remotely through telemedicine, Dr. Smith has built a tele-urgent clinic staffed 24/7 and advises other regions to do the same to ensure we meet the health needs of veterans.
San Francisco	US Coast Guard Base Alameda Child Development Center Team	U.S. Coast Guard	Program and Mission Support	Crippled by the spread of COVID, while all other Child Development Centers had to close, the incredible staff at U.S. Coast Guard Base Alameda Child Development Center remained open. Task: All staff members nominated made a conscientious effort to put aside all personal feelings and fears of COVID to keep the center open. Extracting best practices and guidance from the Center for Disease Control, the nominees were the first to enact the most rigid safety protocols for preventing and spreading COVID. Base Alameda's CDC was the first and only West Coast CDC to remain open throughout the pandemic, allowing service members to stay on the job and U.S. Coast Guard units and assets to stay operational.
San Francisco	Nevada Get Out the Vaccine Campaign	FEMA	Program and Mission Support	Get Out the Vax teams and volunteers from the Bay Area worked throughout the summer and fall, staffing 80 vaccination sites and creating opportunities for community members to get vaccinated. The canvassing operation distributed over 260,000 materials across the Las Vegas area and supported over 280 outreach and vaccine events. FEMA staff were also able to build capacity within the Nevada Department of Emergency Management and Southern Nevada Health District through ICS training and the development of tools that can be utilized in future operations. This will have a lasting impact on Nevada's ability to excel in unique missions in the future. The mission brought a strong foundation of cooperation between the agencies within the state of Nevada, Clark County, and the federal government.
San Francisco	Terry Fleming	Environmental Protection Agency	STEM	Terry Fleming was instrumental in developing California's stream monitoring program that assesses over 50,000 km of wadable streams. California now has a network of reference sites that allow all levels of decision-makers to access large amounts of data on stream health. This is vital information as we face short-term impacts from wildfires and long-term effects of climate change. For example, through the nominee's leadership, California's network of reference sites has been beneficial when considering where and when to begin restoration after wildfires. Fleming's leadership on scientific issues expands well beyond the west coast, EPA, and the federal family.
San Francisco	Cedric Thurman, NP	San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System	STEM	Cedric Thurman is the link to maintain a connection with many of our most medically and psychiatrically complex patients, especially those at the highest risk for suicide who are unwilling or unable to present to the medical center for care. There is no other single person in our health care system who plays a more significant role in ensuring our highest risk patients receive the enhanced care they need from another veteran whose compassion is palpable. Amid a pandemic, he saves lives every day by keeping veterans in crisis stable and at home. He is greatly appreciated. Typical VASFCHCS mental health clinicians may carry 1-2 veterans on their caseload with a High Risk for Suicide flag at a time. Cedric is the primary mental health provider for about 5-8 veterans with High-Risk Suicide flags.
San Francisco	Arthur Hunt	San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System	STEM	Mr. Arthur Hunt is a U.S. Housing and Urban Development-VASH RN who has served over 800 veterans in the San Francisco area since 2014. Art is tasked with providing nursing case management to all veterans in the HUD-VASH program in San Francisco/Colma and is one of the few providers who has continuously conducted home visits to veterans needing immediate mental health support during the COVID pandemic, preventing hospitalization and adverse outcomes. He is a strong advocate for our veterans. His tireless efforts ensured that our most vulnerable veterans in HUD-VASH were never left without needed care.
San Francisco	Theora Canonica	San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System	STEM	Theora ensured the SFVA could offer our veterans the best therapies available during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. She led the education effort for staff and patients as information regarding vaccines and different drugs used in the treatment of COVID evolved. She facilitated the complicated logistics to obtain investigational medications used to treat patients sick with COVID-19. This was done on top of her regular responsibilities as our I.D. pharmacist. This is all in addition to her everyday duties of seeing veterans admitted to the hospital with the Infectious Diseases team and reviewing antimicrobial therapies for admitted patients to ensure they receive the best treatment for their condition. Her dedication to the V.A. Mission has guaranteed we are offering our veterans the best care available, and we are blessed that she is a part of our SFVA team.
San Francisco	Cynthia "Cindy" Chan	San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System	Volunteer Service	Last fall, Cindy inspired us all with her desire to help our global community through her bike fundraiser for Reacts Ministries. Through Cindy's faith and passion, she has inspired many of her coworkers to give back to the community. Cindy rode 583 miles in one month and raised $3,037. Cindy was a part of a team of 27 riders who rode 4,478 miles and raised $31,127. Some of the money raised was sent to Cambodia to purchase 160 bags of rice, 60 boxes of noodles, 60 boxes of masks, 160 bottles of soybeans, 160 bottles of fish sauce, and 160 bottles of cooking oil to support the slum area local community.
Minnesota	Kevin Quintanilla-Toledo	DOD - Navy ROTC - University of Minnesota	Customer Service	Kevin Quintanilla-Toledo is one of the best Human Resources Assistants across 78 Naval ROTC battalions in the nation. He consistently provides exceptional customer service, both internally and externally. His understanding of military commissioning requirements is unmatched, making him indispensable. But I want to highlight Kevin's remarkable dedication to our students. Astute and empathetic, he is often the first to offer a helping hand, advocating for them at every turn. The trust he established with students makes him a valuable mentor and confidant. He always remains professional and customer-focused. When facing a challenge he cannot solve alone, he doesn't hesitate to ask for help. Kevin is a positive reflection on this Command and the Navy.
Minnesota	Mary Musilek	DHS - Customs and Border Protection	Excellence Beyond Expectations	Ms. Musilek is an extraordinary attorney, and this last year, she assumed many of the most challenging and complicated litigation cases in CBP. She is now a subject matter expert on complex National matters concerning enhanced retirement, the Fair Labor Standards Act, reasonable accommodation, and Intergovernmental Personnel Act Agreements. She reviewed countless inquiries from CBP's Unions and poured over statutes, regulations, and policies to ensure that she gives the best advice possible. She is a skilled negotiator and resolved several high-profile litigation matters. She drafted legislation that may amend CBP regulations and provide benefits to hundreds of employee retirements. Her innate ability to see matters over the finish line is exceptional. The dedication she exhibits is well-deserving of the FEB's Excellence Beyond Expectations award.
Minnesota	Ryan Eisele	VA - Regional Benefits Office	Innovation	Ryan Eisele's contributions to innovation in the Veterans Benefits Administration has been nothing short of phenomenal. In just the past year, he has developed an ecosystem of digital tools which have significantly reduced the administrative burden on the St. Paul Regional Office in numerous areas. Many of these tools have been recognized as best practices and have been adopted by other Regional Offices across the country. While working as part of the Veterans Benefits Administration's Security Working Group, he developed a third party system access tracker for nationwide use that streamlines processing, enhances policy compliance and provides improved service. Ryan's many contributions will have a lasting impact on the Administration as a whole and in turn provide better service to our Nation's Veterans.
Minnesota	Lori Barker	VA - Medical Center	Leadership	Lori runs the department from the ground up, not top down. She wants her nurses to make change rather than the supervisor making the change; this in turn, inspires us to make the Surgery Center and PACU a better place for During this pandemic and the uncertainty that comes with it, Lori has been nothing but transparent and honest with her staff members. We all want nothing but this and Lori delivers, thereby gaining trust and respect from her nurses. When one trusts and respects their leader, the quality of work improves as well as morale. In addition to empowering her nurses and communicating transparently and honestly, Lori Barker is our fiercest defender and advocate. As a nurse, I always know that I have her support. I also have her most honest feedback. This has helped us be better nurses. We are better for working under Lori Barker and, in turn, are better servants for our Veterans. For all of these reasons, and many more, I nominate her for Civil Servant of the Year.
Minnesota	Norman Mineau	DHS - Transportation Security Administration	Unsung Hero	TSM Norm Mineau demonstrated excellence as an Unsung Hero for coordinating and processing 5,000+ Afghan Refugees through MSP screening checkpoints from September, 2021 through the end of the year. MSP Airport was designated as one of multiple large airports in the upper Midwest to receive Afghan refugees processed through Ft. McCoy, WI. TSM Mineau volunteered as the designated manager to coordinate MSP checkpoint screening processing for these Afghan civilians who supported US military operations in Afghanistan. His daily inter-actions of these refugees included meeting each arriving group, prioritizing departure times, providing screening support and validating travel documents. This process was a huge tasking and was managed by Norm in a concise and professional manner. His specific efforts resulted in the overall success of this operation.
Minnesota	Small Business Administration	Small Business Administration	Team Achievement	The SBA's Minnesota District team dedicated 2021 to assist Minnesotans to survive the ongoing economic pandemic challenges. With assistance from our staff, Minnesotans received a record number of SBA backed loans in 2021 (worth over $1.2 billion). Lender Relations Specialists held weekly lender trainings increasing utilization and responded to thousands of inquiries. Economic Development Specialists presented over 160 trainings to educate small businesses on relevant topics, including those focused on helping veterans, immigrant and undeserved communities. Our Business Opportunity Specialist partnered regionally presenting large virtual events to ensure business owners had tools to secure government contracts. The teams efforts were supported with numerous newsletters and Tweets created by our Public Affairs Specialist. This 10 person team's efforts translated into economic stability and growth for Minnesota businesses.
Pittsburgh	Lt. Timothy Beck	NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Division	Professional Employee (Medical/Scientific Fields)
Pittsburgh	LCDR Matthew Duling	NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory	Professional Employee (Medical/Scientific Fields)
Pittsburgh	Ashley Lauria	Erie VA Medical Center	Professional Employee (Medical/Scientific Fields)
Pittsburgh	John Homer	NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Division	Professional Employee (All Other Fields)
Pittsburgh	Kelly Kurisko	U.S. Army Corps of Engineers	Professional Employee (All Other Fields)
Pittsburgh	Rohan Fernando	NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory	Professional Employee (All Other Fields)
Pittsburgh	Jose Figueroa	U.S Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory	Supervisor/Manager in a Professional Series
Pittsburgh	Dr. Dushyant Shekhawat	U.S Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory	Supervisor/Manager in a Professional Series
Pittsburgh	Dr. Jacob Carr	NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Division	Supervisor/Manager in a Professional Series
Pittsburgh	Andrew Gryskewicz	Butler VA Healthcare System	Administrative Employee
Pittsburgh	Teresa Henderson	FBI CJIS Division	Administrative Employee
Pittsburgh	Philip Wright	FBI CJIS Division	Administrative Employee
Pittsburgh	Lovetta Ford	VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System	Supervisor/Manager in an Administrative Series
Pittsburgh	David Lage	VHA VISN4	Supervisor/Manager in an Administrative Series
Pittsburgh	Michele Kennedy	U.S. Department of Energy, Naval Reactors	Supervisor/Manager in an Administrative Series
Pittsburgh	Jonathan Thompson	FBI CJIS Division	Technical Employee
Pittsburgh	Justin Srednicki	NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Division	Technical Employee
Pittsburgh	Mary Ellen Nelson	NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Division	Technical Employee
Pittsburgh	Dorothy Marie Strauss	FBI CJIS Division	Supervisor/Manager in a Technical Series
Pittsburgh	Sarah Babyak	NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory	Clerical Employee
Pittsburgh	Deanna McStraw	Erie VA Medical Center	Clerical Employee
Pittsburgh	Kimberly Schmidt	VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System	Clerical Employee
Pittsburgh	Allan "Todd" Suder	U.S. Army Corps of Engineers	Trades and Crafts Employee
Pittsburgh	Cayla Deep	OPM Retirement Services	Service Employee (Non-Technical)
Pittsburgh	Adam Kaminski	OPM Retirement Services	Service Employee (Non-Technical)
Pittsburgh	NETL Carbon Capture Team	U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory	Outstanding Small Team
Pittsburgh	DCAA PA Keystone State Branch Office Team Z	Defense Contract Audit Agency	Outstanding Small Team
Pittsburgh	NPPTL COVID-19 Health Communications Team	NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory	Outstanding Small Team
Pittsburgh	DCAA PA Keystone State Branch Office	Defense Contract Audit Agency	Outstanding Large Team
Pittsburgh	PMRD Gas Well Project	NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Division	Outstanding Large Team
Pittsburgh	Erie VAMC High Reliability Organization (HRO) Team	Erie VA Medical Center	Outstanding Large Team
Pittsburgh	Erie VAMC Behavioral Health Diversity Team	Erie VA Medical Center	Diversity and Inclusion
Pittsburgh	Dr. Kayode Ajayi	NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Division	Diversity and Inclusion
Pittsburgh	Kristen Lyons	VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System	Diversity and Inclusion
Pittsburgh	Dr. Charles Atwood	VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System	Heroic Act
Pittsburgh	Erie VAMC Police Act Heroism	Erie VA Medical Center	Heroic Act
Pittsburgh	Vasu Gangrade	NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Division	Contribution to Science (Medical)
Pittsburgh	Dr. Katie Suda	VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System	Contribution to Science (Medical)
Pittsburgh	Wesley Attwood	NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory	Community Service
Pittsburgh	Dr. Heather Dougherty	NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Division	Community Service
Pittsburgh	Louise Walker-Sostre	EEOC	Community Service
Pittsburgh	Dr. Wei Tang	NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Division	Rookie of the Year (Medical/Scientific Fields)
Pittsburgh	Yuting Xue	NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Division	Rookie of the Year (Medical/Scientific Fields)
Pittsburgh	Kevin Strickland	NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory	Rookie of the Year (Medical/Scientific Fields)
Pittsburgh	Marisa Fries	NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory	Rookie of the Year (All Other Fields)
Pittsburgh	Riley Anderson	Defense Contract Audit Agency	Rookie of the Year (All Other Fields)
Pittsburgh	Christopher Klettner	OPM Retirement Services	Rookie of the Year (All Other Fields)
Pittsburgh	Joseph Bickson	NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Division	Service to the Public
Pittsburgh	Jonathan Szalajda	NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory	Service to the Public
Pittsburgh	Louella McKee	Butler VA Healthcare System	Service to the Public
Pittsburgh	Dr. Wei Tang	NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Division	Chairperson's Excellence in Government Award (Individual)	Dr. Wei Tang, Fire Protection Engineer, Pittsburgh Mining Research Division (PMRD), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), has quickly become an exceptional leader for fire research in mining. Dr. Tang designed novel experimental tests and developed practical numerical methods for two NIOSH projects titled, "Mitigating the fire and explosion hazards of lithium-ion batteries" and "Improving prevention and suppression of equipment fires in metal/nonmetal mines." Dr. Tang led project-related efforts to achievements beyond planned research objectives, addressing some of the most critical fire-related issues in mining. Dr. Tang voluntarily worked onsite during the COVID-19 pandemic to sustain progress of lithium-ion battery research, conducting equipment fire and suppression tests.
Pittsburgh	NETL Carbon Capture Team - Jose Figueroa, Dustin Brown, Katharina Daniels, Krista Hill, Andrew Jones, Dr. Nicole Shamitko-Klingensmith, David Lang, Carl Laird, Andrew O'Palko, Mariah Richardson, Zackary Roberts, and Dr. Elliot Roth	U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory	Chairperson's Excellence in Government Award (Individual)	As a key player in DOE's Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Removal Energy Earthshot initiative, the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) mobilized a powerhouse team who quickly assessed needs and focused, organized and began to manage a complex and growing collection of projects, resources and initiatives that advance innovations to address the challenge of removing CO2 from America's energy landscape. The team executed operations with unprecedented speed and efficiency to manage more than 100 technical research and development projects. The NETL Carbon Capture Team has already succeeded in soliciting and managing a project portfolio valued at $788 million. Four of those efforts have led to active testing initiatives at Technology Centre Mongstad, the world's largest and most flexible plant for testing and improving technologies for carbon capture.
Greater St. Louis	Kristine Spires	USTRANSCOM	Administrative (Individual)	Ms. Spires' dedication and volunteerism to build and foster strong relationships within TCJ8 as well as across USTRANSCOM, the Department of Defense, the Joint Staff, and the Military had a unique impact on the Joint Deployment Distribution Enterprise. Whether the Directorate was unmanned or reacting to heightened ops tempo, Kris consistently stepped up to lend her organizational expertise to those in need.
Greater St. Louis	NPRC Customer Service	Department of Veterans Affairs St. Louis Regional Office	Administrative (Team)	In the year 2021, with the COVID crisis stagnating many services provided by Federal agencies, the St. Louis VA Regional Office NPRC Help Team answered the call of service for our Nation's heroes. Due to the ongoing pandemic, benefits may have been most needed by Veterans and directly impacted their livelihood. The St. Louis VA Regional Office NPRC Help Team members pulled and processed 378,816 records located at NPRC to assist in processing Veterans' claims for benefits or other services provided by the VA.
Greater St. Louis	Veronica Phillips	National Archives and Records Administration	Clerical	Ms. Phillips's commitment to overcome multiple obstacles and produce positive outcomes with exemplary customer service is a noteworthy accomplishment. Her actions epitomize excellence and are a great reflection upon herself and the National Archives and Records Administration.
Greater St. Louis	Kelly E. Molkenbur	National Geospatial Intelligence Agency	Public Safety & Security (Individual)	Ms. Molkenbur distinguished herself as a Polygraph Examiner and Quality Control Officer from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021. She demonstrated a keen understanding and appreciation for the application of various PDD techniques and formats in resolving highly complex and often critical issues affecting the security of sensitive programs and operations. Her extraordinary performance reflects great credit upon herself, Office of Security, the Security and Installation Directorate, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
Greater St. Louis	Police Canine Unit	National Geospatial Intelligence Agency	Public Safety & Security (Team)	In the reorganization and prioritization of personnel and mission needs, the NGA and Canine Unit's flexibility allowed the NGA to continue supporting missions across the Globe, while contributing a positive impact to the public safety of the Greater St. Louis Area. In 2021, while many saw a crisis, the NGA Canine Unit's professionalism and dedication to the mission epitomizes all of what is expected of a premier law enforcement organization.
Greater St. Louis	Kevin Reszka	USTRANSCOM	Leadership	Kevin's exceptional leadership skills, tremendous ability to innovate, and can-do attitude overcame nearly unsurmountable obstacles to help lead TCJ8 to succeed in every challenge they faced. He directly and materially enabled USTRANSCOM to successfully accomplish its global transportation mission, keeping air, ground, and sea supply lines open for America's Warfighters who protect our Nation in both peace and war.
Greater St. Louis	Katherine Johns	DCMA	Professional (Individual)	Kathy's assertiveness, in cooperation with other functional specialists and US military program offices, has steered two major DoD suppliers towards production schedule adherence, business system conformance, and financial regulation compliance. Delinquencies and non-compliances that could have been ignored were met head on with favorable results for the taxpayer. Her efforts have compelled delinquent suppliers to follow federal regulations closer to the spirit of its intent, stopped paying for non-performance, driven efficiencies into the business systems, and has strengthened the Defense Industry Base.
Greater St. Louis	GSA STL East Field Office	General Services Administration	Professional (Team)	The GSA St. Louis East Field Office Team superbly managed building operations of four federal buildings and courthouses, plus over 50 leases throughout eastern Missouri. The team balanced pandemic response with ongoing property management, plus oversaw extensive building infrastructure and customer related projects. The team also received ongoing appreciation from customers, and saved tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money, plus impacting process improvements in GSA Region 6.
Greater St. Louis	Jennifer Bruns	Defense Information Systems Agency Global Field Command	Supervisory	Ms. Jennifer Bruns is an exceptional, proactive, and steady leader. She consistently goes above and beyond in her duties and exceeds expectations to ensure the security of the Department of Defense Information Network. She is a superior supervisor and mentor that places the mission first, people always, and earned the privilege of being selected for this award and honor.
Greater St. Louis	Bruce Travis	Maneuver Support Center of Excellence (MSCOE), US Army Engineer School (USAES), Directorate of Environmental Integration (DEI)	Technical (Individual)	Mr. Travis' commitment to excellence is unwavering, his selfless service is beyond reproach as he is consistently helping and proactively leading the way to help Army National Guard organizations to develop online environmental training courses. Mr. Travis is an exemplary and enthusiastic training developer who is always engaged in ensuring Army organizations have the capabilities to reach their target training audiences with the most current and relevant information needed for environmental Force Health Protection. He is assisting over 20 states with implementing their ECO online training which is a direct result of his dedication to duty and the US Army with a cost savings of approximately $400,367.50 which does not include TDY cost of Soldiers traveling to a resident course.
Greater St. Louis	Rail Operations & Enterprise Data Sciences	SDDC and USTRANSCOM	Technical (Team)	SDDC Rail Operations Team and USTRANSCOM Enterprise Data Sciences developed data mining processes and visualization display common operational pictures to improve CONUS rail predictive models, rail car utilization monitoring, and cost savings products. Their efforts saved countless man hours and budgetary expenses that have yet to be completely realized with the Defense Department's constrained resource environment.
Greater St. Louis	Hurricane Ida Blue Roof Team	United States Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District		The USACE STL District Hurricane Ida Blue Roof Team executed the third largest temporary roofing mission in history and in record time, resulting in considerable cost savings across all agencies and entities involved. Most importantly, the nearly 34,000 Blue Roofs that were installed in less than 2.5 months had direct impacts on hurricane survivor's lives. The Blue Roofs allowed homeowners to live in their homes while permanent repairs were made, go back to work, back to school, etc. They were able to return to normal life more quickly and to contribute to the recovery of the whole community. The ingenuity, flexibility, professionalism, and dedication of the STL District Blue Roof Team allowed the Hurricane Ida mission to be the most successful, efficient, and effective to date.
Greater St. Louis	STL Regional Office Public Contact Team	Department of Veterans Affairs St. Louis Regional Office	Community Service	The St. Louis VARO PCT serves as the face of the St. Louis VARO, as they continue to help Veterans obtain the benefits they have earned from serving their country. Despite the challenges the PCT faced due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, they were able to provide exceptional service to Veterans and their families, all while following all COVID-19 safety protocols.
Greater St. Louis	Project Inclusion Working Group	United States Army Corps of Engineers	Diversity & Inclusion	The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Project Inclusion Working Group is recognized for its dedication, professionalism, and accomplishments in advancing DEI in the St. Louis District. The team took on a unique and sensitive role throughout 2021 to evaluate the current environment of the St. Louis District with respect to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, better understand staff concerns, and identify actions that may enhance DEI within the St. Louis District. The working group's tireless efforts led to multiple accomplishments during 2021 that makes progress toward the District's DEI goals and expects to continue those forward into 2022.
Greater St. Louis	Scott Wolf & Jonathan Bradshaw	National Geospatial Intelligence Agency	CFC Campaign Coordinator	Despite knowing there would be many challenges managing a CFC in an all-virtual environment and the continuing pandemic impacts, the pair sough an aggressive goal of increasing the numbers of employees participating by 25 percent. Despite the challenges they achieved an increase in donors of six percent and a total donation of $162K to the Gateway CFC Campaign. They created a comprehensive communications plan to reach 100% of the agency workforce and partnered with staff who published the internal information website, "NGA Today", to build custom graphics highlighting the CFC Causes of the Week and market the virtual campaign events and contests. Their team effort as Manager and Deputy Manager also means that startup of the 2022 campaign will be seamless.
Oregon	Phillip Ditzler	Federal Highway Administration	Leadership	After nearly 37 years of service to the Federal Highway Administration, Phillip A. Ditzler will retire at the end of March. Throughout his federal career, Mr. Ditzler has exemplified the best virtues of public service, dedication and attention to detail. As this nomination will make clear, Mr. Ditzler has a consistently strong and documented track record of performance. Since 2007, as the Division Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration's Oregon Division Office, Mr. Ditzler demonstrated tremendous commitment and dedication to the work of the agency and, specifically, to the Oregon Division Office. He was instrumental in many federally funded highway projects which benefited local communities and kept the traveling public safe Ð including the Columbia River Crossing project more than a decade ago and its successor, the Interstate Bridge Replacement project. Without question, major projects like these are the economic foundation of 21st-century Oregon and owe their progress to Mr. Ditzler's influence. Mr. Ditzler is highly regarded for his positive attitude, integrity, outstanding working relationships with external partners, and his exemplary willingness to go above and beyond to support others. However, his greatest success is not in the awards received, or recognitions earned Ð it is in the team he leaves behind Ð the diverse team of professionals who will collaboratively and creatively carry on his legacy of serving the public and being a strong reliable resource to the transportation community at large. His ability to recognize, recruit and retain talented professionals from all over the nation has made his office one of the most effective in the nation. He is known by his peers for his high level of responsibility, communicating openly and frankly with stakeholders, and for collaboratively finding resourceful solutions to complex issues. He has inspired his employees to achieve extraordinary results on behalf of the nation.
Kansas City	Amy Pankau	USCIS-National Records Center	Administrative Professional	Amy is a rare gem and a true treasure of the NRC. She has made significant operational enhancements which enable the NRC to be a more robust, agile, and efficient organization. She individually maintains 18 locally developed databases, dramatically improved 15 of them and developed several new databases single-handedly. Her work products provide the critical and immediate information needed to make accurate data-driven decisions that have a direct and consequential impact on current and future NRC operations. She has enriched the work lives of so many NRC employees with her creativity, legendary work ethic, ingenuity, and dedication to the mission.
Kansas City	Kathy McClurken	VISN 15/VA Kansas City	Clerical	Kathy McClurken currently serves as the Administrative Support Assistant for the Veterans Integrated Services Network or (VISN), Station 15. An Air Force Veteran herself, she always sets the example of the department’s core values and combines both expert leadership and vision to enhance the VISN’s capabilities. Her attention to detail and process improvement has created efficiencies in tracking actions across the network, saved space and money by decreasing the need to maintain paper files, and ensured virtual options for conferences were offered to allow mission-critical meetings to continue in the face of inclement weather and a pandemic.
Kansas City	Jared Martin	Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency	Community Service	When not conducting backgrounds for the U.S. Government as a federal agent with the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, Special Agent Jared Martin enjoys serving his community in other ways. As a longtime avid outdoorsman and U.S. Army Veteran, Jared uses his passion for the outdoors to volunteer and positively impact others. He has connected with many Veterans and their families through MO Vets Outdoors, bringing them together for projects, events, hunts, and fishing. This has allowed Jared to also connect Veterans with benefits, employment opportunities, and other assistance they may need. Additionally, Jared actively serves to support local conservation, restoration, and management of wetlands and associated habitats for waterfowl within our region as part of the local Johnson County Ducks Unlimited chapter.
Kansas City	Todd Denmark	District 32, US Citizenship & Immigration Services	Diversity	Todd Denmark is recognized for his exemplary role as the President of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Kansas City Pride Chapter. Todd has been instrumental in garnering interest and support for this chapter over the past 2 ½ years, which became the first local chapter in the country in early 2020, following the establishment of the national Department of Homeland Security Pride chapter. His efforts have helped build the chapter to include over 45 DHS employees in the Kansas City area who can now find a more accepting environment to celebrate diversity and inclusion.
Kansas City	Lawrence Murray	Social Security Administration	Leadership	Larry Murray is the Training Manager in the Social Security Administration’s Mid-America Programs Service Center Technical Training Section. This award recognizes Larry’s extraordinary contributions and leadership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Larry’s initiative, expertise, creativity, and responsiveness led to successful transition from a face-to-face classroom training model to a 100% virtual training model, resulting in significant cost savings and sustaining the same completion rate and staff retention as pre-pandemic. His unwavering focus on service to the public and innovative problem-solving modernized technical training within the Social Security Administration.
Kansas City	Stanely Utley	Kansas City VA Medical Center	Lifetime Achievement	Over a 35-year Federal Service Career, Stan Utley distinguished himself as a leader focused on mentoring and developing staff. As an Army veteran himself, he loves veterans, worked relentlessly on their behalf and always tried to do what is right for our hospital community. His stalwart leadership as both the Chief Business Officer, then Facility Management Service Chief, and his positive impacts on staff, veterans and the facility, will reverberate for years to come. Mr. Utley epitomizes what it means to be a federal employee and leader, always being dependable, and committed to the VA core values.
Kansas City	Larry Myers	U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Kansas City District	Lifetime Achievement	Larry Myers is a Navy veteran who has completed nearly 50 years of federal service with the US Army Corps of Engineers. A native Kansas Citian, Larry is a pillar of the Kansas City Federal Community, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and our local community. While serving with the Corps, Larry deployed four times to Iraq serving as a Resident Engineer, Deputy Area Engineer, Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Engineer, and Strategic Planner. He embodies all that is good about public service and is the epitome of a public servant in word and deed. More about Larry’s tremendous career can be found in our program.
Kansas City	James Weston	Manpower Information Systems Support Activity (MISSA)	Military Support	James Weston is the Systems Modifications Branch team lead within the Manpower Information Systems Support Activity. Responsible for mainframe enterprise information system project production, James Weston supervises the efforts of six system analysts. His role is crucial to the quality and performance of the U.S. Marine Corps’ enterprise administrative systems.
Kansas City	Joshua Johnson	Immigration and Customs Enforcement	Public Safety	Assistant Field Office Director Joshua Johnson of Enforcement and Removal Operations is the recipient of the Kansas FEB Public Safety award. AFOD Johnson reached out to other federal agencies to provide assets and experience to the Violent Offender Task Force (VOTF). The VOTF assists other federal agencies with foreign born nationals that have committed violent offenses and offers an abundance of information to systems allowing federal law enforcement entities to have a complete history of the noncitizen. AFOD Johnson’s contributions have provided the Kansas City area with more law enforcement assistance contributing to the overall safety and security of the community.
Kansas City	Region 7 Joint COVID-19 Outreach Team	HUD & HHS	Team	Our 2022 team category awardee is a joint effort between the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, with support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Using a data-driven approach to match federally-assisted households with COVID-19 education, testing, and vaccines through federally funded health centers, this team was able to conduct community outreach that led to over 970 people receiving the COVID-19 vaccination, just in the Kansas City alone, saving an estimated $19 million in medical debt from extended hospital stays between May and December of 2021.
Kansas City	Megan Farrell	Federal Emergency Management Agency	Technical	Megan Farrell was deployed to FEMA’s Covid-19 disaster last year, offering contributions in data-driven analyses, mapping, and reporting. These data products helped guide leadership in operational decision-making and in prioritizing resources and communication. Megan spearheaded novel data analysis for a broad regional, interagency collaboration addressing hospital capacity and vaccine equity, playing an vital role in the data-informed COVID-19 response in the Region 7 states and beyond.
Kansas City	KCVA Facilities/Electrical Section	Kansas City VA Medical Center	Trade/Craft	The Kansas City Veteran’s Medical Center’s Electrical Department exemplifies resiliency, teamwork, and our VHA Core Values. The electrical team exemplified all of these and more during a recent electrical outage. Their response and vigilance over a week-long period was nothing short of amazing. In the early hours of November 16th, 2021, a fire occurred in the electrical power hub located on the main campus. This fire resulted in a complete loss of commercial power, both redundant feeds. During this emergency event, all members of this team stepped up to the challenge by maintaining existing generator systems, obtaining additional portable generator systems and 24/7 operations to ensure our e-power systems did not fail. This team showed why they are professionals in their craft and why they are held in such high regard by our facility.
Oklahoma	John Scott, ACAC	Drug Enforcement Administration	Professional-Team	The Oklahoma City Tactical Diversion Squad, through an operation dubbed “Operation Boomer Blues,” is bringing awareness, training, enforcement, and education regarding the fentanyl epidemic to the State of Oklahoma. The work of Oklahoma City TDS with “Operation Boomer Blues” has been featured across DEA’s world-wide intranet noting their successes, particularly in bringing to justice those charged with murder in the deaths of Oklahomans due to the illegal distribution of fentanyl. The TDS intends to be a bridge of information, a finger in the dike, and hammer to the evils of fentanyl distribution.
Oklahoma	SRA Meagan Pacenza	965th Airborne Air Control Squadron-Tinker AFB	Community Service	Following the withdrawal of military personal from Afghanistan, Senior Airmen Meagan Pacenza volunteered for a short notice tasking assisting 3,900 Afghans immigrate to the United States. Her efforts ensured the safety and security of the refugees and contributed to the building of a 30 million dollar, 1.7 million square-foot housing and recreation area. She manifested improved living standards and strengthened US-refugee relations while supporting the Department of Defense’s efforts to smoothly transition the displaced population to the US.
Oklahoma	Machelle Lyons	Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System	Customer Service	As an advanced MSA for the Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System, Machelle manages the process flow of the Medical-Surgical Unit and serves as a consistent source of information, help and reliability to all she serves, including Veterans, peers and co-workers. Machelle is one of the most dedicated employees you will ever meet. Her engagement, as well as her love for Veterans and co-workers, is to be commended.
Oklahoma	Earl Amerine	U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District	Professional-Individual	Mr. Amerine is an accomplished Subject Matter Expert with the US Army Corps of Engineers who is committed to ensuring the quality of every project achieves the high expectations set forth by the taxpayers. His meticulous attention to detail and work ethic have significantly impacted our nation’s large military programs, border protection, navigable waterways, tribal citizens, and FEMA relief efforts. Earl’s unbroken enthusiasm and dedication to deliver a job well done stands as an example for us all.
Oklahoma	Bobby Klein	Fort Sill Fire & Emergency Services	Public Safety & Security	Chief Klein has responded to six request for mutual aid, worked with 80 community partners, and combated more 3500 acres of wildfire conserving homes and livelihoods of families across Comanche County.
Chicago FEB	Veterans Benefits Administration	Veterans Administration	Agency of the Year	The Chicago Regional Office is nominated for Agency of the Year for developing sweeping human capital innovations to meet the staggering demand for increased staffing in support of new legislative requirements to meet exponential increased benefits production for Veterans suffering from Military Environmental Exposure to toxic substances.
Chicago FEB	Nakia Bartley	United States Census Bureau	Career Achievement	Throughout Ms. Bartley’s nearly 24 year career she has demonstrated a willingness to accept additional responsibilities and to develop processes and procedures to maximize performance and efficiencies of many tasks in field and office operations. Ms. Bartley has utilized her skills in a wide range of departments from Information Technology, Administration, Space Leasing, and Field Data Collection and Decennial operations. She demonstrates a thorough understanding of the needs of the agency and works to provide the support needed regardless of task. During Decennial operations she was an instrumental part of the group that worked to close down operations. This consisted of the logistics to close Area Census Offices and an orderly disposition of all materials. The administrative functions a well to release staff from their temporary positions. Through her experience with automation and administrative areas Ms. Bartley has developed an ability to report succinct information that assists with survey and staff management. Her templates are often shared with others as a sample of reporting. In addition to her technical knowledge, skills, and abilities, Ms. Bartley is also focused on improving team moral. She maintains our Census Central page that updates our field staff disbursed across eight states with highlights that celebrate regional accomplishments, volunteers to facilitate in office recognitions for teams that are doing well and suggests ideas that build teamwork.
Chicago FEB	Mushtaq Dakhil	Federal Emergency Management Agency	Citizens Service	Many states faced resource and staffing constraints that limited their capabilities to plan and respond during COVID-19 effectively and proactively. Recognizing these capability shortfalls, the Regional Response Coordination Staff provided valuable technical assistance, funding, and resources to the States and throughout the Region. Region 5’s Regional Response Coordination Staff have been instrumental in coordinating the Federal Government’s response to COVID-19, supporting state and local partners to provide lifesaving and life sustaining supplies and services throughout the uncharted territories of this global pandemic.
Chicago FEB	Dina Sotiropoulos	Nuclear Regulatory Commission	JFK Leadership	Ms. Sotiropoulus very successfully spearheaded the U.S. NRC Region III’s efforts over the last several years to enhance management and staff understanding and awareness of the area of unconscious bias and how it affects our personal and professional relationships and interactions. Her efforts were instrumental in leading Region III through very difficult times, including specific and direct conversations, on topics like social injustice and the COVID-19 pandemic and the many societal impacts. In addition to the accomplishments already achieved, Ms. Sotiropoulos’s efforts resulted in establishment of a set of agreed behaviors (Norms) for the Region to continue to build, provide feedback on, and enhance organizational culture and trust.
Chicago FEB	Mary DiSimone	Social Security Administration	Management Excellence	I am nominating Mary for the FEOYA Management Excellence award because she uses the lessons of the past, the expertise of the present and vision of the future, to get to the best possible future. Mary started in CSA 6 years ago. She came with leadership skills and learned so much more working with her teams. Her skills over her career have led to many promotions to more responsible positions and a greater leadership role. Today she leads three separate IT development teams. Outstanding leadership and vision, creates incredible results. The examples above are a few of the amazing things she has done. They reflect the leadership that Mary brings to SSA. She works hard to create the best possible future and her teams share that dream. Not only do they do an outstanding, creative job for her and SSA, they love working for her and would follow her anywhere. It is not leading if nobody is following. Mary has created an environment where her teams do not just follow; they walk hand in hand with her to create the brightest future for the agency.
Chicago FEB	Elizabeth Hinchey Malloy	Environmental Protection Agency	Covid Recovery Champion	For outstanding efforts to ensure the success of the 2021 GLNPO monitoring surveys while ensuring the safety of the survey participants through development and execution of the R/V Lake Guardian COVID‐19 Risk Reduction and Mitigation Plan.
Chicago FEB	Deborah Holt	Social Security Administration	Covid Recovery Champion	In recognition of outstanding service to the public during the COVID pandemic by adapting to technology, offering extra assistance to peers, and explaining processes to the public. Deborah shows compassion for her peers and the public by politely and courteously performing extra duties and explaining next steps in the OHO process.
Chicago FEB	Evanston Group Supervisors	Social Security Administration	Covid Recovery Champion	In recognition of Evanston Group Supervisors' tireless effort during the pandemic processing in-office mail to allow continuous service to the public.
Chicago FEB	Gabrielle Cronin	Social Security Administration	Covid Recovery Champion	In recognition of taking the unit under her wing and taking initiative as a Customer Service Representative. Gabrielle is a true asset to the office who has compassion and true kindness that not only improves the lives of the public we serve, but also her peers who rely on her for guidance.
Chicago FEB	OQR Chicago Program Leaders	Social Security Administration	Covid Recovery Champion	In recognition of their support of colleagues in completing quality reviews of public trust fund programs amidst the adversity that was brought about by the COVID environment.
Chicago FEB	Jeffrey Delange	Federal Aviation Administration	Covid Recovery Champion	Jeff Delange is the most COVID-conscious employee in our building. Jeff has championed mask-wearing, surface cleaning, and dissemination of vaccine information above all else over the past two years. He regularly made himself available, even sacrificing his own personal time to help anyone feel comfortable coming to work. Mr. Delange took it upon himself to ensure the facility better understand the safety measures that were in place.
Chicago FEB	Jim Perry	Drug Enforcement Agency - Chicago Division	Covid Recovery Champion	Mr. Perry ensured the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Chicago Field Division (CFD) office continued to run during the COVID 19 Pandemic by keeping the daily activities in the office operational.
Chicago FEB	Gloria Gomez	Drug Enforcement Agency	Covid Recovery Champion	I would like to acknowledge Fiscal Specialist Gloria Gomez for her dedication to DEA during the 2-year COVID Pandemic. While other employees were teleworking, Gloria continued to come into the office every day. Handling fiscal matters that could not be done remotely and being a human presence for people seeking guidance in the office. Stepping in and helping in areas outside of her responsibility during these unusual times. Gloria is a wonderful mentor and valued long time employee to DEA.
Chicago FEB	Claudia L. Sanchez James T. Hall Christina Kelly Harry L. Langston Fredrick L. Jefferson	Drug Enforcement Agency	Covid Recovery Champion	The members nominated for the COVID-Champions award are all Telecommunications Specialists working in the Communication Center for the Chicago Field Division office. The Communication Center operates 24 hours a day on 3 different shifts 5 days a week. During the COVID-19 pandemic and facing challenges of closed offices and transportation issues these 5 individuals maintained the daily operations of the Communication Center and provided a needed assistance to Enforcement personnel out in street.
Chicago FEB	Region 5 COVID Response Coordination Staff	Federal Emergency Management Agency	Covid Recovery Champion	Many states faced resource and staffing constraints that limited their capabilities to plan and respond during COVID-19 effectively and proactively. Recognizing these capability shortfalls, the Regional Response Coordination Staff provided valuable technical assistance, funding, and resources to the States and throughout the Region. Region 5’s Regional Response Coordination Staff have been instrumental in coordinating the Federal Government’s response to COVID-19, supporting state and local partners to provide lifesaving and life sustaining supplies and services throughout the uncharted territories of this global pandemic.