Capt. Mark Weishaubt, Capt. Trent Strayer, Capt. Jimmy Herken, Capt. Dustin Hensley, Capt. Rob Dokos, Capt. Richard Baggett, Battalion Chief Santino Maestas, Battalion Chief Rob Allen, Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Seymour, Assistant Fire Chief Edgar Guerra and Assistant Fire Chief Christopher Bender — in preparation of each of the men receiving the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service during the accreditation recognition ceremony for Fort Leavenworth Fire and Emergency Services Sept. 5, 2019, at Fire Station No. 2. Fire Chief William Maciorowski and Assistant Fire Chief Dean Turner each received the Meritorious Service Award during the ceremony, and Capt. Edward Smith, who was not present for the ceremony, also received the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service. The ceremony celebrated the accredited agency status that Fort Leavenworth Fire and Emergency Services was awarded by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International Aug. 9, 2019. Altice was named the 2020 Garrison Professional of the Year and recognized in a small ceremony Jan. 29, 2021, in Garrison Headquarters. Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp
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FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas (Feb. 4, 2021) -- At the end of 2019, the Fort Leavenworth Garrison began a program recognizing an individual in the civilian workforce for his or her efforts each quarter.
Five quarters later, Garrison leaders recognized Josh Altice, workforce development specialist, Directorate of Human Resources, as the 2020 Garrison Professional of the Year in a ceremony Jan. 29 in the command office.
During the ceremony, he was presented with the Department of the Army Civilian Service Commendation Medal and a certificate.
“(The program) is meant to recognize the performance and accomplishments of our outstanding civilian workforce,” said Mike Fuller, DHR director. “The civilian workforce, especially in the Garrison, they’re the ones that run the installation.
“Many times, their performance doesn’t get the notice that the military do,” he said. “With this program, we’re trying to really mirror the noncommissioned officer and soldier of the year recognition that they have for the military.”
Altice, who was named Professional of the Quarter in March 2020, was nominated by Fuller for his professionalism.
“There has never been a task too large for Josh to tackle,” Fuller said. “He’s able to accomplish any task and exceed expectations in any task that I give him or that he’s been given by … the command group.”
In his role as workforce development specialist, Altice is in charge of arranging and tracking training for the Garrison workforce, works with career program managers, runs the Defense Performance Management and Appraisal Program, processes requests for personnel actions regarding promotions, hiring and awards, and more.
Altice, who competed with the other professionals of the quarter — Bryan Cavey, Fort Leavenworth Legal Assistance Office paralegal specialist; Kendra Ruiz, Fort Leavenworth Casualty Assistance Center benefits coordinator; Penny Votaw, Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security operations support assistant; Lindsey Aspinwall, Directorate of Public Works management and program analyst; and Evelyn Robinson, Garrison Information Management Office information technology specialist— was chosen as Professional of the Year by a panel of Garrison leaders. Each candidate was judged by the nominations made by supervisors during the Professional of the Quarter process.
Altice said he was flattered to be chosen Professional of the Year.
“I run the program, the Professional of the Quarter, throughout the year, so, I see all the nominees, all their packets and what they’re submitted for throughout the year,” Altice said. “I know there are a lot of great people out there in the Garrison that are doing some really good things … so I know the competition is very high.
“It’s always important for anybody (to do his or her job well), but I always look at it like, if I can make the people that are above me and my supervisors look good, then that makes me feel good that they’re being taken care of,” he said. “I constantly push myself to do well. It makes the Garrison look good. It makes everybody in the organization do better, be better.”
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