FORT BELVOIR, Va. –
Eleven employees and teams at Defense Logistics Agency Headquarters are recipients of the agency’s 53rd Annual Employee Recognition Awards. The awards recognize leadership and hard work in support of the agency’s mission and include 54 awards in 14 categories.
Four DLA Headquarters employees were among the Ten Outstanding DLA Personnel of the Year. Air Force Tech Sgt. Griselda Hewet, joint operational contract support noncommissioned officer for DLA Logistics Operations, provided operational contract support to U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Army North in support of pandemic relief.
Ronda Mensch of the DLA Office of Inspector General saved thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of work eliminating backlogs for the Law Enforcement Support Office and background investigations.
Sharon Croll, DLA Acquisition, served as a catalyst for acquisition compliance improvements across DLA and beyond by volunteering to support the national pandemic response as a member of the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. She also served on the DOD Acquisition Task Force.
As chief of the Agency Synchronization Operations Center’s Mission Branch, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Hugh Wilson provided timely status reports detailing DLA’s logistics support to Defense Department and federal partners.
In the DLA Leader of the Year Awards category, Jose Gonzalez was awarded at the team leader and project leader level. A member of DLA Installation Management’s security and emergency services team, Gonzalez ensured security professionals had necessary precautions to safeguard their health and protect the security of DLA’s workforce.
Ester Wade from DLA Logistics Operations won at the experienced leaders, managers and supervisors level. She implemented transformational initiatives that included the realignment of DLA assets across 26 DLA Distribution centers and 103 DLA Disposition Services sites.
DLA’s ASOC COVID-19 Response Team received the Team Performance Award for large teams. The team, which includes action officers from across DLA Headquarters and major subordinate commands, orchestrated DLA’s pandemic support that spans multiple supply chains.
Recognition for military members included Marine Corps Lt. Col. Greg Duesterhaus of DLA Logistics Operations as Field Grade Officer of the Year. He helped establish initial operating procedures for the ASOC and trained its first cadre of LNOs and battle captains. He also led the COVID-19 working group.
Under Equal Employment Opportunity Awards, DLA Finance’s John Slone was named DLA Outstanding Employee with a Disability for demonstrating there’s no job he can’t perform. The award for achievement in EEO by an organization in a DLA directorate went to the DLA Office of Inspector General for keeping the workplace free of discrimination by hiring underrepresented women and African-Americans in high-grade populations during a period in which one-third of its positions were turned over.
The final award for DLA Headquarters is the Information Technology Team of the Year Award for DLA Logistics Information Operations’ IT Audit Team, which has demonstrated progress toward the agency’s auditability.
A ceremony honoring the recipients is being recorded and is scheduled to be released via Facebook Jan. 26.