PHILADELPHIA –
When the Defense Logistics Agency sends vaccines and drugs to military medical facilities, Dana Dallas ensures there are no weak links in the cold chain.
The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support employee earned the Defense Department’s Packaging Excellence Award in a ceremony in Rockaway, N.J., May 10.
The award recognizes an individual in the DOD packaging community who contributed significantly to improved productivity and efficiency.
As the lead packing analyst and cold chain program manager in Troop Support’s Medical supply chain, Dallas ensures the effectiveness of temperature-sensitive medical material is not compromised as it moves through the supply chain from manufacturer to customer.
A key reason Dallas was selected for the award was her collaboration with the DLA Research and Development Medical Logistics Network program to redesign cold-chain packaging procedures during the hot summer months. The redesign increased productivity while saving the DOD more than $200,000 per year.
Her supervisor, Theresa Rucci, said Dallas constantly exceeds expectation.
“She is highly regarded by her co-workers and always strives for excellence,” Rucci said. “Her contributions to the team have greatly enhanced the shipment of cold chain material to the warfighter.”
Dallas is regarded as an expert in her field and her work was published in the September 2016 issue of the Cold Chain Global Forum Market Report.
“I’ve been working in this field for about 15 years, so it’s always nice to get recognized, especially at the DOD level,” Dallas said.
The award is co-sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness and the National Institute of Packaging, Handling and Logistics Engineers.