Fort Meade employees earn silver, bronze in federal awards

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (May 10, 2012) -- Fort Meade employees earned two silver and eight bronze awards during the 45th Excellence in Federal Career Awards Luncheon and Ceremony on May 4.

The awards luncheon and ceremony, which was sponsored by the Baltimore Federal Executive Board, was held at Martin's West in Baltimore. The annual event coincides with National Public Service Recognition Week held May 6 to 12 and is the only federal employee recognition event of its kind in Maryland.

The Baltimore Federal Executive Board honored the outstanding contributions and accomplishments of 245 federal employees in Maryland with gold, silver and bronze awards.

Nominations for the awards were submitted by Federal Executive Board member agencies and installations. Garrison Commander Col. Edward C. Rothstein is a member of the FEB board of directors.

"I like to think all of our employees are gold medal winners, but the FEB awards highlight the fact that we have outstanding employees throughout the federal government as the competition for these awards is intense," said John Moeller, deputy garrison commander. "I would have liked to have seen more silver medals and maybe a gold or two presented to Fort Meade. But the main point is that we recognized outstanding performance by our employees. So in that regard, this annual awards program was a great event, as it always is."

The Silver Award for Outstanding Professional (Administrative Management & Specialist) was presented to Robert Howard, a general supply specialist in the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security for more than a year.

Christopher Thiel, chief of training for DPTMS, credits Howard for conducting a 100 percent inventory of equipment that was worth more than $450,000 and was located at five separate training and DPTMS facilities. It was the first inventory of its kind in several years, even though the equipment had been moved and there were no existing sub-hand receipts.

Due to his diligence, Howard accounted for all items, discovered $83,000 in undocumented equipment, which was added to the new hand receipts, then split one receipt into three.

Howard is responsible for three separate fund accounts and created a system to account for all purchases in accordance with acquisition and logistics regulations.

In his nomination of Howard, Thiel said the results of Howard's efforts have been "spectacular." The system is now a "definitive example of efficiency on Fort Meade," Thiel wrote, noting that Howard's previous Contracting Command audit resulted in a excellent rating.

The Silver Award for Outstanding Para-Professional (nonsupervisory) Technical, Scientific & Program Support Team was awarded to the Fire and Emergency Response Team of the Directorate of Emergency Services.

Lt. Col. Howard Yates, former director of DES, credited the Fire and Emergency Response Team for its competence and commitment in serving the installation and local civilian community.

Among the team's accomplishments:

* In February 2011, Engine 451 was dispatched to assist the Anne Arundel County Fire Department with a large-scale brushfire that spread across a 652-acre area within the Crofton/Odenton community on Conway Road.

Fort Meade firefighters were tasked with extinguishing woodland fires in the western area, protecting residential structures and ensuring the safe evacuation of all surrounding residents. They fought the blaze for 12 hours. No homes were lost during the fires, and environmental damage was limited to a minimum.

* In October 2011, Fort Meade firefighters responded to a reported cardiac event at the Courses 15th hole. A second crew of firefighters assumed CPR chess compressions, while a paramedic administered lifesaving drugs. While still performing lifesaving interventions, firefighters loaded the man into an ambulance and traveled with the paramedics to a medical treatment facility.

When the ambulance reached the hospital, the man had regained his pulse and was breathing. He was eventually transferred to the critical care unit at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.

Bronze Award winners:

* Outstanding Supervisor, GS-13 and above: Kirk Fechter, director of the Installation Safety Office.

Fechter also serves as the Safety and Occupational Health Program Manager for the Safety and Occupational Health Team.

In his nomination, Deputy Garrison Commander John Moeller wrote that Fechter recognized that his five-person installation staff would not be sufficient to serve all of Fort Meade's 57,000 personnel unless there was a strategic plan to set priorities, leverage available resources and partner with the Army, joint and interagency tenants at Fort Meade.

Fechter wrote and published a second version of the Installation Office Safety Plan and devised recommendations to manage complex and unpredictable risks of events such as the Octoberfest, Independence Day and National Night Out.

Fechter's safety staff contributed business results beyond what was expected with a 20 percent manpower shortage, personnel supported increased by 10,000, and missions and requirements increased by 20 percent.

As the installation safety director, Fechter supported efforts for the Suicide Prevention Sub-program and became a certified Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training facilitator, helping to train 70 out of more than 100 personnel.

* Outstanding Supervisor, GS-12 and below: Mary McCauley, supervisory paralegal specialist, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate.

McCauley is the senior civilian paralegal in the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate. She is credited for her leadership, adaptability and initiative.

McCauley supervises two senior civilian paralegals and leads the support to the Juvenile Misconduct Review Board. She coordinated all the training for mandatory ethics classes and, as the senior Victim Witness Advocate, provided support and comfort to victims and assisted them through the court-martial process.

"Ms. McCauley has the patience to adjust to any mission change," wrote Lt. Col. Elizabeth Marotta, Staff Judge Advocate, in her nomination. "Ms. McCauley is impeccably responsible and dependable. ... She ensures that all of the support that the attorneys require is provided in prompt fashion by her or her subordinates."

* Outstanding Professional (nonsupervisory) Technical, Scientific & Program

Support: John W. Nance, installation antiterrorism officer, DPTMS

Last year, Nance developed, coordinated and supervised the installation's Antiterrorism and Emergency Management exercise, which involved all the garrison directorates, the FBI, the Environmental Protection Agency and numerous state and local emergency-response organizations.

Although several unplanned events occurred during the exercise, Nance "managed these events expertly and ensured that the exercise proceeded and the training value was not diminished," Douglas Wise, chief of plans and operations for DPTMS, wrote in his nomination. "His experience and expertise in the antiterrorism and operations arenas is exceptional." Nance also devoted many hours to planning and coordinating the support for several high-level judicial proceedings directed by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Military District of Washington.

"It was his insight that played a key role in the successful conduct of these high-level missions," Wise wrote.

* Outstanding Para-Professional (nonsupervisory): Mark A. George, installation antiterrorism officer, DPTMS

George has served as a supervisor for other installation antiterrorism officers and also for plans and operations division personnel. While the chief of plans and operations was on TDY for extended periods of time throughout the year, George accepted the additional duty with enthusiasm and ensured that all division requirements were met, as well as his own.

As the primary leader for a Cyber Table Top Exercise, George developed objectives for the exercise and gathered subject-matter experts from Air Force Cyber, Army Cyber and the Network Enterprise Center on short notice.

He demonstrated his expertise in antiterrorism by successfully managing a program to educate two other antiterrorism officers and effectively managed the antiterrorism budget.

George also was responsible for the development and implementation of a physical security SOP for the garrison headquarters.

"The program was reviewed by a physical security inspector and it passed with very positive comments," Wise wrote in his nomination.

* Outstanding Administrative Assistance/Management Assistance: Dorothy Terry, secretary, Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation

Terry has more than 23 years of experience providing administrative support to Fort Meade's largest directorate. She is the primary liaison between the director, division chiefs, support staff and garrison command group administrative staff and DFMWR patrons.

In 2011, Terry provided administrative support to Army Community Service for the entire year "without hesitation or expectation of recognition," according to her nomination. She worked with the ACS division chief to train managers to become self-sufficient.

"While Ms. Terry was always available for assistance, this initiative promoted efficiency within the division and provides a model to be emulated," Martha McClary, director of DFMWR, wrote in her nomination. "Her dependability is stellar and her ability to work independently ensures smooth day-to-day operations within the directorate."

* Outstanding Administrative Work Group/Team-Safety & Occupational Team:

Kirk Fechter, Tony Simms, Aaron Rowell, Jenelle Ferguson, George Lawler

The Installation Safety Office recognized several strategic challenges that had to be addressed: the escalating rate of suicides and suicidal gestures, the influx of personnel with stress-related issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder and the abuse of substances which is a precursor or result of these other issues.

In response, the ISO joined with the garrison and partners such as the Medical Command Medical Treatment Facility, Kimbrough Ambulatory Care Center and Fort Meade Dental Activity to form the Community Health Promotion Council, the first in Installation Management Command. Council members received a train-up from the Health Promotion Command and identified needs at Fort Meade and began to staff and orchestrate objectives.

* Volunteer Service-Community Outreach Individual Award: Robert D. Mogel, firefighter, Fire & Emergency Services

Mogel has spearheaded several volunteer projects for Fire & Emergency Services. He designed a new training center from two discarded trailers to be used by all local DoD Fire & Emergency Services divisions, as well as county and city department personnel.

He worked on other small projects, such as engine repair, maintaining emergency rescue equipment, installing ceiling tiles and installing four hose reels in engine bays - all saving money for the Army.

He also volunteered 20 hours to build the division's Santa Sleigh that was used on Christmas Eve during the annual Santa Run through Fort Meade neighborhoods, and he volunteers for the Sons of the American Legion.

* Distinguished Public Service Career: Charles A. Blocker, Emergency Operations Center manager, (now retired), DPTMS

Blocker contributed 39 years - 15 as a Soldier and 24 as a Department of the Army civilian - to the Army. He was given the responsibility to make the Emergency Operations Center a 24/7 operations center using Soldiers from the Soldier Skill Set Utilization Program.

Before Blocker's tenure, the EOC was only manned during normal duty hours.

Blocker spent many long hours managing and improving the capabilities of the EOC, which now has an improved communications system; flat-screen monitors for briefings and viewing current news and weather information; software that enables better coordination with the installation's surrounding civilian partners; and a Giant Voice Emergency Mass Notification System and other systems that have significantly increased the center¹s operational value.

In his nomination, Wise called Blocker "exemplary" for his "dedication and willingness to make self-sacrifice's to accomplish this mission."

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