FORT BELVOIR, Va. –
Several employees from the Defense Logistics Agency Office of General Counsel garnered kudos for their achievements during a July 22 virtual town hall for agencywide legal staff.
DLA General Counsel Matthew Pausch presented the awards, which recognized DLA’s top attorneys, paraprofessionals, teams and more. Peer recognition is the key reward for honorees’ accomplishments, Pausch said.
Awards were:
DLA Attorney of the Year – Jason Morgan, senior counsel for procurement fraud and business integrity at DLA Aviation
Morgan identified risks and spearheaded efforts to mitigate agency vulnerabilities in procurement processes. He led the DLA Aviation Fraud Team in identifying suspects who had exploited vulnerabilities in the General Service Administration’s commercial and government entity code registration process and system for award management. Morgan’s efforts led to the recovery of $134,012.00. As of April, Morgan and his team also recommended debarment for 72 parties; ordered restitution in the amount of $32,772,444.06; and achieved criminal sentencing for 15 bad actors.
DLA Paraprofessional of the Year – Garrett Harms, DLA Headquarters legal administrative specialist
Harms implemented agencywide changes to the Automated Workflow and Reporting System and advanced DLA’s achievements in the Electronically Stored Information Discovery and Disclosure Program.
DLA Practice Group of the Year Award – Liviya Piccione-Sand, Fiscal Law Practice Group chair, DLA Headquarters
Piccione-Sand ensured consistency in agencywide fiscal law opinions. She trained DLA legal experts on current fiscal law decisions and relevant agency guidance such as G-invoicing, and led a 60-memer Office of General Counsel practice group.
DLA Excellence in Leadership Award – Michael Wilson, DLA Troop Support supervisory supply chain counsel
Wilson handled employment matters for more than 2,500 employees. He also responded to command concerns about contractual remedies for dress clothing delinquencies on several high-visibility programs, including the adoption of a new Army dress uniform.
DLA Legal Team of the Year Award
- DLA Land and Maritime Attorneys Alicia Ramsdell, Christine Roark and Kathy Sweat provided legal advice and counsel to support a Defense Department $800 million-plus, multiple-award contract for interconnection equipment including cables, connections and wiring harnesses.
- The Supreme Litigation Team – Attorneys Steven Herrera, Max Carrion and Kari Scheck from DLA Troop Support, Deputy Chief Counsel John Hart from DLA Land and Maritime, and Contract Litigation Chief Dan Poling from DLA Headquarters. The group litigated five high-profile claims through the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals. DLA received a favorable decision in late May, resulting in substantial savings to the government.