Philadelphia –
The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support marked Women’s Equality Day with an awards ceremony and guest speaker during a virtual event held 26 August in Philadelphia.
Women’s Equality Day commemorates the passing of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which grants women the right to vote. This year marks 100 years since the amendment was passed.
“Ratifying this amendment enabled women to finally have their voices counted in voting booths, paving the way for greater female participation in all levels of government,” said Richard Ellis, Deputy Commander of DLA Troop Support. “In the military especially, uniform and civilian women stand up to help defend and fight for the land of the free and home of the brave. Our country’s mothers, daughters, sisters and wives have played a vital role in serving as defenders of freedom, liberty and justice.”
Ellis introduced Noa Baum, an award-winning storyteller, author, coach and public speaker, as the keynote speaker for the event. Born and raised in Jerusalem and now living in the Washington, DC area, Baum has performed for audiences around the world on a variety of subjects.
She spoke about how growing up with her unique first name was difficult when she was young, but as she learned the history of her name from her mother, she learned the power behind its history and of being different.
“Discovering my strength and my resilience has been a journey, one that I’m still on,” she said.
While she said she isn’t a historian, she learned about various figures in women’s history through research for her stories and presentations.
“Life can knock us down, but it’s the getting up, it’s the stories that we create about what happened to us that make us resilient,” Baum said. “Women have been knocked down and getting up since the beginning of time, and today we are celebrating that kind of strength and resilience as we gather to honor the women that fought for equality and the women’s right to vote.”
DLA Troop Support’s celebration this year included an awards ceremony to recognize outstanding women in the workforce. These awards are usually given during a Women’s History Month event, which is held in March but was canceled this year due to COVID-19 precautions.
“Women in our organization play a pivotal role in our mission success,” Ellis said. “At all levels and in all offices throughout Troop Support, women continue to make significant contributions resulting in superior warfighter support.”
In honor of Women’s Equality Day and Women’s History Month, the following people received awards in these categories:
- Non-Supervisory employees GS-09 and below – Marjorie Gram, Industrial Hardware
- Non-Supervisory employees GS-11 and above – Jessica Sheaffer, Construction and Equipment
- Military non-supervisory employee – SFC Nubia Simmons, DLA Troop Support Europe and Africa
- Supervisor/Manager of the Year – Joanne Anello, Industrial Hardware
- Military Supervisor/Manager of the Year – LTC Corinne Bell, J3/5 Operations and Planning