Richmond, Va. –
The Defense Logistics Agency released a video March 10 in recognition of its 54th Annual Employee Recognition Award Program for 2021. The awards recognize leadership and hard work in support of the agency’s mission in 13 categories.
Ongoing COVID-19 restrictions prevented an in-person ceremony for the second year, but it didn’t dampen employees’ excitement in achieving top recognition in their categories at the DLA enterprise level.
Below are the DLA Aviation and DLA Installation Management Richmond awardees highlighted in the video. The video can be viewed on DLA’s Facebook and YouTube pages and on the Defense Visual Information Distribution System.
DLA Service Member of the Year (Junior Enlisted-Active Duty)
Air Force Master Sergeant Christopher Farris
“As one of the handful of enlisted chosen by the Air Force to come to DLA to learn, work, and become a better supply chain steward, I am very excited that I was able to live up to the high expectations of my service,” Farris said. “Excelling here is not easy, with so many members supporting a large number of aircraft or multiple branches of the military. To be among the top is a true honor.”
Farris is an Air Force enlisted career broadener assigned to DLA Aviation in Richmond, Virginia.
While deployed from Sept. 1, 2020 – March 28, 2021, as the senior enlisted leader and operations superintendent for DLA Support Team, Kuwait, he improved support by syncing employee actions across the enterprise to enhanced warfighter efforts in support of five DLA contracts.
During his off time, Farris volunteers his time as a swim instructor and is also dedicated to learning. He was the first enlisted distinguished graduate in the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Air Force Fundamentals of Acquisition Management Course in 2021 and is continuing to work toward completion of his Master of Science in supply chain management.
Ten Outstanding DLA Personnel of the Year
Adrianne Moore, DLA Installation Management
Adrianne Moore was recognized for her mentorship and extraordinary leadership skills. As chief of the Installation Operations Division within DLA Installation Management Richmond, she led a team of more than 100 employees, setting benchmark standards in facility maintenance and engineering. In the ever challenging, financially constricted, COVID impacted, resource-limited environment, she developed and implemented strategies to maintain and improve facilities at Defense Supply Center Richmond and DLA Aviation forward sites.
She led her staff to successfully execute two military construction and 50 sustainment, restoration and modernization projects valued at $127 million, enhancing facility conditions and increasing operational readiness.
Moore’s financial stewardship is best exemplified through her proactive and effective management of 236 real property assets valued in excess of $789 million, along with 936 assets of general equipment, located at 16 locations in the continental U.S., valued in excess of $33.5 million.
“When the awards were announced, I was surprised and thankful to be recognized for my achievements,” said Moore. Winning the award means my contribution and commitment to DLA is valued and is motivation to continue working hard supporting the agency and the warfighter.”
DLA Outstanding Employee with a Disability
Aaron Wessman
Aaron Wessman is a general supply specialist, safeguarding the stock readiness of 18 shop service centers and over 20,000 national stock numbers at DLA Aviation at Ogden, Utah.
Ongoing health issues from his active-duty service as a parachute rigger in jump status and a continuing battle with rare form of cancer named Vonhippellendua have weaken his legs, requiring him to use a wheelchair to maneuver around the workplace.
“Life deals us different challenges. We need to accept them, get over them and keep moving,” he said in a article covering for his award as one of 21 Defense Department Outstanding Employees with a Disability for 2021.
It’s this positive attitude, drive and determination in providing excellent support to the warfighter despite obstacles that led to Wessman being selected as the DLA Outstanding Employee with a Disability.
DLA Employee of the Quarter 3rd Quarter Category A- General Schedule/Wage Grade/Wage Lead 1-6
Heather Gunn
Heather Gunn was a material handler DLA Aviation at Ogden, Hill Air Force Base, Utah during the award nomination period. She distinguished herself in the 3rd quarter of fiscal by achieving a 100% delivery response time in all three metrics of picks , stows [ a restocking of material in the SSC] and door-to-floor (direct delivery) within her assigned SSC. Her shop contains 804 various assets worth of over $4.14 million and she was able to process 283 picks, 689 door-to-floor deliveries, 64 stows, all with 100% accuracy for three months straight.
Gunn left DLA Aug. 28 and is now working as an Air Force inventory management specialist on the air base.
DLA Fire Department of the Year
DLA Installation Management Richmond Fire Chief Don Rodgers said he couldn’t be more proud of the strong, professional and dedicated team of firefighters and fire officers within the Fire and Emergency Services Department.
The department was recognized as the DLA Fire Department of the Year in the small department category. Daily, the department protects the 611-acre center consisting of 84 facilities. During the nomination period, department personnel protected over 3,500 employees and responded to 181 emergencies
Team member and Fire Training Chief William Hock received the DLA Fire Officer of the Year . Under his own initiative, he sought fire officer credentialing under the The Center for Public Safety Excellence Program and is the only current designated Fire Officer in DLAm, and one of 539 worldwide.
Fire Inspector Eric Crognale was also honored as the DLA Firefighter of the Year. During the nomination period, he identified system malfunction trends; enabling alarm technicians with the ability to rank system repairs, which in turn reduced system downtimes and decreased vulnerable facilities. He also led a team in database migration/facility valuation that transferred eight years of data for 105 DLA facilities to the new record keeping system.
“We were extremely excited to that we won the DLA awards,” said Rodgers. “The DLA Richmond F&ES team worked very hard in 2020 and they are well deserving of the awards they received.”