FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky (June 8, 2021) -- Six members of the Mission and Installation Contracting Command were among the Fort Campbell Civilian Employee of the Year award winners named May 21 during a ceremony at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Members of MICC-Fort Campbell swept three of 11 categories during the ceremony themed “Above and Beyond,” recognizing their outstanding performance of duties and self-development.
Susana Antunes-Fieseler, a quality assurance specialist, won in the administration/specialist category, and Anitra Harwell, an administrative assistant, took top honors in the administration/clerical category. The MICC Government Purchase Card program team at Fort Campbell, made up of Ron Sisco, Kimberley Lee, Renea Grigsby and Mark Reed, bested three others in the team category.
“It’s a privilege, it’s a long time coming, and I never expected it,” Antunes-Fieseler said. “All the hard work, all these years, completing my master’s during COVID-19 and my level-three acquisition, it just showed the work does pay off in the end.”
She believes the dedication to achieving two of her goals during the course of the pandemic primarily contributed to the award. Those included earning her Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act Level III certification in Advanced Production Quality and Manufacturing as well as completing her Master in Business Administration degree. She also played a critical role in improving efficiencies with monthly surveillance reporting and Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System measures; reviewing statements of work, performance work statements and quality assurance surveillance plans; and ensuring plans are updated in the necessary acquisition management systems.
“Her dedication to the mission and desire for excellence in serving the mission is evident in the manner in which she provides support to both internal and external personnel at Fort Campbell,” said Julie Adams, the MICC-Fort Campbell Business Operations Division chief, and Antunes-Fieseler’s supervisor. “She finds ways to improve processes and has greatly improved compliance metrics at Fort Campbell. She lives the Army values, and I am honored to work with her.”
Harwell’s duties extend to a number of programs in the contracting office. Having been a member of MICC-Fort Campbell for eight years, she provides assistance in completing the personnel status reports, personnel time cards, government travel card, supply card and training. She also assists with matters related to Soldiers if needed.
“I was very elated to win and believe at all times you should always do your best,” Harwell said. “I love working with my team. We’re a family, and when it comes time to get things done, we’re there to do them.”
Stephen Heath, the deputy to the commander for the 922nd Contracting Battalion and MICC-Fort Campbell, credits Harwell’s outstanding work ethic and quest for tougher challenges for the recognition.
“She is the go-to person within the organization; dedicated to supporting the Fort Campbell mission. She is personable and revered among her peers and superiors, always willing to offer guidance and assistance,” Heath said. “Her dedication to the mission and desire for excellence in serving Soldiers and their family members is evident in the manner in which she provides support to both her customers internal to the MICC and external to Fort Campbell.”
Heath went on to cite Harwell’s leadership within civil service and MICC-Fort Campbell as well as her efforts to improve processes benefitting the contracting office and Fort Campbell.
Among the MICC-Fort Campbell GPC team’s accomplishments during the award period were the support for more than 600 cardholders, the administration of more than 20,000 transactions valued at more than $26 million, processing of 250 new cardholder applications, and establishment of 24 new billing offices.
Ron Sisco, the GPC program coordinator at Fort Campbell, said the GPC team goes above and beyond in providing customer support to installation organizations, which includes 101st Airborne Division, Installation Management Command, Specials Operations Command and other tenant organizations on the installation.
“The standard response to any award receipt is that ‘it was an honor just to be nominated,’ and that is true; however, winning this award was an accomplishment of the entire GPC team at Fort Campbell,” Sisco said. “While this award was a local civilian employee of the year award, we could not have accomplished the great things we did without the support of our local MICC management team and the MICC headquarters GPC personnel. The greatest contribution to our success and ultimately winning the team award was a willingness to support the warfighter, going above and beyond expectations.”
Ray Estrada, the GPC program manager for the MICC headquarters at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, said he is not surprised that the Fort Campbell team won the award.
“For the past 5-plus years, Mr. Ron Sisco has consistently performed as the 419th Contracting Support Brigade’s most efficient, mission effective, and cohesive GPC team,” Estrada said. “Additionally, he has always been more than willing to help support the success of other MICC office agency/organization program coordinators from other contracting support brigades and field directorates. “Mr. Sisco and his team of A/OPCs are definitely deserving of this recognition.”
Lachele Coppins, the director of the Fort Campbell Civilian Personnel Advisory Center, said the civilians who were recognized have kept with this year’s ceremonial theme of going above and beyond by doing more than what is required of them and exceeding expectations. She added that these individuals have contributed to helping their respective organizations have a positive outcome through their dedication to their work.
Nominated by their supervisors for the award, individuals were judged based on a record of performance and demonstrated federal service including competency, efficiency, cooperation, suggestions or inventions, special act or services, and leadership exceeding the normal requirements of the position. They were also evaluated based on the completion of any formal or informal education or training, in addition to official assignments that make the nominee a more valuable employee.
Honorees were selected from 11 categories including administrative/specialist, first-line supervisor, manager, leader, professional/scientific, secretarial/administrative assistant/clerical, outstanding employee with disability, technician, trades and crafts categories A and B, and a team category.
Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph Harbour, the Fort Campbell Garrison senior enlisted adviser, emphasized during the ceremony the critical role played by civilian employees to ensure the installation runs smoothly.
“Often when I talk to people outside this room, I talk about what makes Fort Campbell so special, and it’s not the Soldiers like me who run around in this uniform and get to live out their lifelong dream,” Harbour said. “It’s the civilians who do all the work behind the scenes who never get the pat on the back, never get the high-five, never get the thank you. We just expect things to happen not understanding what’s going on behind the scenes.”
Editor’s note: Contributing to the article was Sirena Clark with the Fort Campbell Courier
About the MICC
Headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the Mission and Installation Contracting Command consists of about 1,500 military and civilian members who are responsible for contracting goods and services in support of Soldiers as well as readying trained contracting units for the operating force and contingency environment when called upon. As part of its mission, MICC contracts are vital in feeding more than 200,000 Soldiers every day, providing many daily base operations support services at installations, facilitate training in the preparation of more than 100,000 conventional force members annually, training more than 500,000 students each year, and maintaining more than 14.4 million acres of land and 170,000 structures.
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