NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa. –
DLA Distribution commanding general Army Brig. Gen. John S. Laskodi hosted a town hall on March 6.
The event began with Laskodi presenting several awards to Distribution employees.
Civilian deployers Chuck Ensinger and John Heikkenen were presented Humanitarian Effort Awards for their support and contributions made to the DLA Distribution relief efforts during the 2017 hurricane season. Laskodi then presented over 65 certificates and Humanitarian Effort medals to Distribution Headquarters employees who assisted with the 2017 hurricane relief efforts by going above and beyond for overall mission support.
Army Maj. Jesse Holmes, DLA Distribution Expeditionary Team commander, was presented a Joint Service Achievement Medal for his meritorious service as a joint logistics planning officer during his deployment in support of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.
Tommy Shird, DLA Distribution equal opportunity assistant, was presented with a Superior Civilian Service Award for distinguishing himself as a valued member of the Distribution EEO office, as well as a valued member of the DLA Distribution Multicultural Committee.
Following the award presentations, Laskodi reviewed the DLA Director’s 2018-2026 Strategic Plan and its five lines of effort: warfighter first, global posture, strong partnerships, whole of government and always accountable…and how Distribution’s priorities are nested within these lines of effort.
Additionally, he reminded everyone the importance of the DLA People and Culture plan. ”As we say at DLA, that secret sauce at the heart of everything we do is our people and culture. We have a great culture and we take care of our people.”
After mentioning several accomplishments since the last town hall, such as improved metrics across the network, Laskodi informed the workforce of the upcoming 2018 DLA Culture and Climate Survey. He asked everyone to take the time to complete the survey.
“This survey helps us get better as a command,” said Laskodi. “Culture is about how we accomplish our incredibly important Distribution mission. We want to ensure every member of the team understands his or her contribution to that mission; your feedback is critical. While anonymous, we do read all the feedback and develop action plans to address areas where we can improve.”
Furthermore, Laskodi touched on a few upcoming events from the commander’s leadership summit to the multiple scheduled changes of command. He additionally summarized a few upcoming initiatives to improve Distributions capabilities to assist the warfighters as quickly as possible.
Closing out the town hall, Laskodi once again thanked the workforce for its support to the nation’s warfighters saying, “You could choose to do something else, but you choose to come here…because you recognize the importance of what you do for the joint warfighter as you get the right things to the right place, at the right time! I’m incredibly proud and grateful to be on your team.”