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News | Nov. 23, 2016

Sherman receives Distinguished Civilian Service Award

By Amber McSherry, DLA Information Operations

Stephen Sherman, the director of Document Services in DLA Information Operations, received the DoD Distinguished Civilian Service Award at a Pentagon ceremony Nov. 3. Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work presented the award to Sherman and seven other DoD employees.

The Distinguished Civilian Service award is the highest recognition a civilian can receive in the DoD,  given to employees whose work has shown exceptional devotion to duty.

Sherman has worked for DoD 37 years. He started his career in 1979 with the Navy Publications and Printing Service and stayed through various name changes until the organization came under DLA. It is now a part of Information Operations and known as Document Services.

Sherman has spent many years supporting the mission of transforming the DoD from traditional, hardcopy printing to using digital documents in electronic repositories. Since 2006, under his leadership, over 1 billion annual hardcopy prints have been eliminated, a clear cost avoidance for DLA and its external customers.

Under Sherman’s watch, Document Services has become a staple in many agencies’ processes for disseminating and preserving their information. Their partnership with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency brings on-demand maps and other documents to troops. Defense Finance and Accounting Services relies on Document Services’ quick and efficient printing of W-2s and Affordable Care Act notices every year. It has led numerous large scanning jobs to convert paper records into digital files for customers like the U.S. Army Provost Marshall Office and the Naval Facilities Engineering Command.

Over the last decade, Sherman has delivered over $500 million in estimated savings to DoD through leading various programs and initiatives.

Sherman said his focus on the customer is his primary motivator. He led the implementation of an online ordering system that made it easy for customers to request services from their desks rather than having to physically visit a Document Services facility. Almost 60 percent of order fulfillment is now initiated online, and the number continues to grow. Sherman continues to lead the Department from paper documents to electronic content management services.

“To be honored in such a way, you have to be supported over the years by your team. I thank all those who supported my efforts throughout the years,” said Sherman on receiving the award.

This isn’t the first time Sherman has been recognized for his dedication throughout the years. He was awarded twice with the Exceptional Civilian Service Award and has also received the Superior and Meritorious Civilian Service Awards.