FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. -- A Fort Huachuca civilian employee of the local division of the Army Contracting Command, based in Aberdeen Proving Ground, was designated as one of ten winners of the Louis Dellamonica Award for Outstanding U.S. Army Materiel Command Personnel of the Year for 2016.

Kari Pelton, team leader for the Huachuca Division of Army Contracting Command was selected to receive the award which recognizes AMC employees whose work accomplishments have significantly contributed to AMC's mission and overarching goals and objectives.

Tim Baker, chief of Mission Support and Huachuca Division deputy, said a nominee for this award has "to be well rounded and a lot of breadth. They have to be pretty special to get this award.
"Pelton started in our organization as an intern so she came to us raw right out of college," Baker said. "She worked through the intern program, developed a lot of skills during that particular time."

Baker said he nominated Pelton for the award because "what she has is leadership. She has all those things that encompass it. She gets people to do things. She's a great mentor. She's very focused on customer support. She motivates people. She's a great team leader, contracting officer, highly technical and one of those people [with] a dynamic personality that can get things done."
Debbie Parra, chief, Huachuca Division of Army Contracting Command, reiterated that Pelton's real strength as an employee is her ability to help others.

"She's especially good with mentoring our junior workforce," Parra said. "I think that probably is the biggest thing I have seen with Kari. When people go to her they learn how to do things right, and they come up to speed very fast, and she's kind of a force multiplier in that effect."

Baker spoke highly of Pelton's ability to learn from other agencies and use them with her team as a trainer, acting branch chief and during a recent workplace conversion.

"Parra said Pelton has "taken on a very heavy work load. Lots of very complex things. She worked on the Defense Cyber Operations contract for Army Cyber Command, [which is] a world-wide effort. Like all kinds of stakeholders, everyone had a different view on how the contract should work. It was a lot of work."

Pelton attributes her success to always being prepared for anything. Pelton said she starts her morning by getting "to work early because some of their customers are on the East Coast and her email box is already filling up when she gets there."

Pelton explained her job is usually something different every day.

"It's one of the reasons that I really like this career field, because it does keep you on your toes."
Pelton said that she feels a sense of purpose with her work.

"I feel I have the most impact with the people that are around me," she said. "Not just in terms of the customers that I support, but with my team members as well. I have a fantastic team. And to be able to support the customers, get them the services or products that they need. And with my team members, its' being able to mentor them and train them.

"I came into this career field as an intern, and I know what it's like to come in and completely depend on people to show you the ropes of how things go. So I want to give back to that and help them come up in this career field."

Pelton said she was surprised and honored to receive the award.

"It was unexpected," she said. "I was aware I was nominated, but this is a tough career field. There is a lot of competition out there, a lot of folks doing great things for the Army."

Pelton thanked her leadership, both at Fort Huachuca and at Army Contracting Command-Aberdeen Proving Ground for nominating her and sending her award nomination forward.
"Very thankful and grateful to receive this award," she said.

The Louis Dellamonica Award for Outstanding AMC Personnel of the Year was established to recognize outstanding work accomplishments that have significantly contributed to AMC's mission and overarching goals and objectives. Nominees are judged on how their initiatives measurably improve their work environment and AMC's mission, how they motivate and inspire fellow employees to improve or increase the quality of their own work, and how well they are viewed by peers, subordinates and supervisors.

This annual award, previously known as the AMC Ten Outstanding Personnel of the Year Award, was renamed in honor of Mr. Louis Dellamonica, a general engineer at the Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada. His illustrious 65-year career exemplifies integrity, innovation, leadership and outstanding dedication to AMC's mission. The award is granted by the commanding general of AMC and consists of an AMC Certificate of Achievement and a 4-Star Note.