Fort Leavenworth Garrison Professionals of the Year:

DES security officer, DPW operations officer named top 2023 Garrison professionals

Michael Dodgen - 2023 Garrison Professional of the Year

Security Officer Michael Dodgen, Directorate of Emergency Services Physical Security Branch, has been selected as the 2023 Fort Leavenworth, Kan., Garrison Professional of the Year.

“Hey, welcome to Fort Leavenworth!” Dodgen says as he greets each motorist and scans their identification cards at the post’s entry gate.

Dodgen’s nominator said he exemplifies loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage.

“Officer Dodgen's personal courage is evident in his ability to remain steadfast in his duty even when facing disgruntled patrons who may not fully understand post policies,” Joseph Al-Shaer, chief of the DES Physical Security Branch, wrote in his Professional of the Year nomination submission for Dodgen. “He consistently upholds the values of integrity, doing what's right, legally and morally. His honor is worn like a badge, and he lives and breathes the seven Army Values each day.”

Dodgen said because of a manpower shortage and high turn-over rate, he has worked more than 1,050 hours of overtime this year to help fill shifts.

“It’s just the nature of the beast — it’s going to be one of those professions that you won’t ever get filled, because not a lot of people want to work out in the cold or extreme temperatures,” Dodgen said. “You’re out here in negative 17 degrees, negative 20 degrees; if it gets to 105, you’re still out here in all this gear. Not only that, but you have to take into concern, to do this job, there are special requirements you need to meet.”

Al-Shaer said taking on all of that overtime is a testament to Dodgen’s dedication and selfless service.

“He consistently goes above and beyond, ensuring that every shift can complete its mission successfully, which reflects his strong loyalty to the Army, (U.S. Army Garrison) Fort Leavenworth, guard force and the mission at hand.”

Dodgen is a veteran road MP, having served five years active-duty Army and three years in the Reserves. He has worked the night shift as a Department of the Army civilian for the past 10 years.

“They say nothing good happens after midnight, so that’s usually true. You see a little bit of everything working up here,” he said, noting that it is at those times that the MPs are called to the gate to deal with issues such as drugs, open containers, impaired drivers and more.

Dodgen said he has had to deploy the security barrier a few times because of drivers who ran the gate, including when a drunk driver ran the gate at a high rate of speed a few years ago.

“(Dodgen’s) record of approximately 560 random vehicle inspections and 10 (access control point) incidents — which involved addressing registration deficiencies, unauthorized and undeclared firearms, unruly visitors, and two barrier deployments — demonstrates his unwavering commitment to maintaining the highest standards of security and safety,” Al-Shaer wrote. “These actions have had a direct and positive impact on the safety and security of the Fort Leavenworth community.”

While Dodgen won’t claim to be saving lives, per se, he does acknowledge that gate security officers help thwart plenty of bad things from happening.

“You don’t know what you prevent. You stop it here (at the gate), and it doesn’t get to fruition on what could transpire. So, you never know what we actually do because we’re the filter, the guard force is the filter, and it’s good, because without the filter, a lot more bad stuff would be happening on post. We try to keep the wrong ones out and the right ones in.”

Dodgen has offered to work additional shifts so his co-workers can enjoy the holidays.

“I don’t have kids or a wife so I can free up my time a little bit more and help people out, so, if someone needs a day for New Year’s or Christmas and I actually have it off, I’ll usually end up working it so they can go spend it with their family.”

Dodgen said he has sacrificed so much of his time off this year, he might take it a little easier next year.

Dodgen was initially recognized as the fourth quarter Professional of the Quarter. Penny Votaw, Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security, was recognized as the first quarter professional; Tanja Edwards, Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation was the second-quarter professional, and Lisa Watson, FMWR, was the third-quarter professional.

Michelle Blackwell - 2023 Garrison Supply Discipline Professional of the Year

Michelle Blackwell, operations officer for the Directorate of Public Works, has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the 2023 Fort Leavenworth, Kan., Garrison Supply Discipline Professional of the Year.

The Garrison Supply Excellence Award program recognizes employees who demonstrate excellence in unit-level, and directly support, supply programs.

“It’s another way to recognize the employees that manage out inventories and monies, something most people take for granted while operating through their every days,” said Garrison Human Resources Workforce Development Specialist Josh Altice, himself the 2020 Garrison Professional of the Year. “Accountability deals with the obligation to keep records of property, documents or funds such as identification data, gains, losses, dues-in, dues-out, and balances on hand or in use,” Altice explained. “All property, except real property, material purchased with the Army Purchase Card, and fabricated property, acquired in any manner, is processed through and accounted for on a stock record account before issue. All property, except real property, is classified for property accountability purposes as nonexpendable and controlled, expendable or durable.”

Directorates can nominate an employee for the Garrison Supply Excellence Awardee of the Quarter at the end of each quarter throughout the fiscal year. Supervisors across Garrison and one from the Logistics Readiness Center vote on the nominations to name the quarterly awardees. Blackwell, who was nominated by Patty Scharinger, chief of the Business Operations and Integration Division at DPW, was selected as the third quarter employee. Evelyn Robinson, Information Management Office; Dustin Bulen, Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security; and Sebastian Smith, IMO, were the other 2023 Supply Excellence of the Quarter employees.

“Blackwell’s dedication to the multi-faceted supply function in the DPW was extraordinary throughout (fiscal year 2023),” Scharinger said in her nomination. “She oversees the IT inventory and associated requirements for the entire DPW. This not only includes computers, but plotters, architectural software, multi-function devices, as well as numerous other requirements that are unique to DPW’s mission. She tirelessly coordinates with the Garrison IMOs to ensure the correct equipment is ordered and required (Information Technology Acquisition System) waivers are processed. She also trouble-shoots help tickets and identifies IT requirements to ensure the DPW mission continues to succeed.”

Scharinger said Blackwell processed more than $3.1 million in Government Purchase Card purchases this year.

“As an alternate billing official, Michelle’s support was critical to the continuity that is vital in supporting the maintenance and repair mission of the installation’s facilities. Michelle’s willingness to assist and support the GPC program is an integral piece of the supply mission in DPW,” Scharinger wrote in her nomination. “She has adapted to the new procurement requirements without complaint and was a key player in a smooth transition to the new, more complicated form. She accepts new requirements without complaint and sets a positive example for others to follow.

“She consistently passes her hand receipt inspections without a single flaw and willingly assists other hand receipt holders in the directorate in ensuring their requirements are met.”

In addition to her duties as the DPW operations officer — attending in-progress review meetings, finding the right people to address problems, maintaining the information technology inventory, serving as timekeeper, assisting employees with the Defense Travel System, and more — Blackwell serves as facility fire marshal, backup administrator and continues to perform duties as needed from the various positions she has held since 2005.

“I just have been here so long, I know everyone, and I probably have everybody’s phone number,” Blackwell said. “I’ve been doing it so it’s like, if you never leave the place, everybody is going to still go to you.

Blackwell is there to help new hires, including engineers, management analysts and architects, get squared away.

“When we get new people, they’ll come to me once they get their (Command Access Cards), and I’ll make sure they get their cyber-awareness training done and do all of the paperwork for (Automated Time and Attendance) so they get paid,” Blackwell said. “I issue them their computer; I’m kind of like the IMO over here. I take care of all of the cell phones and update them. If it gets too complicated, I’ll go to Sebastian or Evelyn (at the Garrison G-6 office), but I try to do everything here that they do over there as much as I can — I’m not IT but I just kind of learn... I help with the small stuff.”