SOLDIER AWARDED REGIONAL EO ADVISOR OF THE YEAR

By Mr. Wesley P Elliott (Army Medicine)December 9, 2013

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1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. 1st. Class Michelle E. Berres receives her award for Southern Regional Medical Command Equal Opportunity Advisor of the Year for 2014 from the Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center Commander, Col. John P. Lamoureux, on Dec. 4, 2013, at DDEAMC... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. 1st. Class Michelle E. Berres receives her award for Southern Regional Medical Command Equal Opportunity Advisor of the Year for 2014 from the Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center Commander, Col. John P. Lamoureux, and the DDEAMC Command Ser... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT GORDON, Ga. -- The Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center Equal Opportunity Advisor was awarded the Southern Regional Medical Command's Equal Opportunity Advisor of the Year for 2013.

Sgt. 1st Class Michelle E. Berres has served as the DDEAMC Equal Opportunity Advisor for the past 13 months and was recognized by the regional command as the top EO advisor in the Southern region on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013, during a ceremony at the Medical Center on Fort Gordon, Ga.

"Berres is a proven leader, a tremendous EO Advisor and she has the ability to make Soldiers feel comfortable while dealing with very delicate issues while never rushing to judgment. She has been an invaluable asset to the command." said Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Sloan, DDEAMC Troop Command Sgt. Maj.

Sloan recommended Berres for the award based on her performance in coordinating the efforts of 25 different EO Leaders across the medical center and because she ensured that 100 percent of all mandatory training was accomplished well ahead of the established suspense dates.

"Being an EO advisor is probably one of the most difficult jobs I have had held in the Army. It is not physically demanding, and I do not have soldiers, but it makes you look at yourself and others with a different perspective and if I can help change the perception of just one person, to have them see something in a different light, then I have accomplished my mission." said Berres, about her position as the EO advisor.

She routinely attended section and department level training to ensure that the training was done to standards and the commander's intent was communicated to every member of the Eisenhower team.

Shortly after accepting her post at DDEAMC, Berres identified a deficiency in the frequency of command climate surveys being conducted and worked to develop and implement a program to ensure that all subordinate commands completed the surveys in required timeframes.

The surveys allowed all Soldiers to have a voice and allowed the command to receive valuable data.

"It is an honor to be selected for this award, since I know there are EO advisors across SRMC with far more experience in this field than I do." said Berres.