WASHINGTON (Army News Service, May 8, 2013) -- The Pace Awards for 2012 were presented to an officer and civilian for their outstanding contributions while serving in significant staff assignments that benefit the Army by providing substantial financial savings, or technological or military development.
Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Thomas R. Lamont presided over the awards at the Pentagon Hall of Heroes, May 8. The secretary praised Lt. Col. Michael K. Kolb and Dean A. Frisoli for their significant contributions to Army business enterprise transformation.
Kolb was commended for sharing his thorough understanding of the complexities of military compensation and his objective analysis of its effect on the Army's budget. While serving as a manpower analyst with the Army G-8, he produced strategic talking points for Army senior leaders to aid in their engagements with leadership from the Defense Department and Congress.
"Lieutenant Colonel Kolb's analytical work enables us to more effectively manage the drawdown by utilizing current trends in the size of the force, and his insights have gone a long way on making the drawdown go smoother for our force," Lamont said.
"While we deal in abstract numbers at [Headquarters, Department of the Army], there is nothing abstract about Army families transitioning from the active-duty force. His work has helped to shield good Army families from involuntary separation and unnecessary turbulence, particularly as we look to achieve readiness at more affordable and sustainable levels," he added.
Frisoli, a logistics management specialist with the Army G-4, was cited for his expertise in systems and catalog processes that enabled him to design and produce a database system that allowed for connectivity between enterprises. Through that system he was able to evaluate and process more than 164,000 nonstandard catalog records with a property book value of $53 billion.
"Mr. Frisoli's work was essential in bridging a critical technical gap in capabilities," Lamont said. "He took a personal interest well above what was expected or anticipated in the move to the Army Enterprise System Integration Program. If not for his personal action, the transition would have been further complicated or delayed, costing the Army millions of dollars in lost time and resources."
The secretary said both recipients have brought the Army "maneuver space" by creating efficiencies.
"Let their example for public service serve as inspiration for all of us to emulate," Lamont said.
Named for Frank Pace Jr., who served as secretary of the Army during the Korean War between 1950 and 1953, the 2012 award marks the 51st year of its presentation to an Army officer under the grade of colonel and to an Army civilian under GS-14.
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