Hands up at Garrison’s All Hands workforce meeting

By Roland Schedel and Ila DermanoskiApril 14, 2022

Hands up at Garrison’s All Hands workforce meeting
U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Commander, Col. Mario Washington, Deputy to the Garrison Commander, Mitchell Jones, Plans, Actions and Integration Officer, Sabine Schindler and Program Analyst, Tracey Morse recognized garrison employees who were nominated for Peer-to-Peer awards of excellence. The All Hands meetings give Garrison Leaders the platform to thank the workforce, address issues or concerns and award excellence in teams and individuals. Col. Mario Washington’s Final All Hands meeting as Garrison Commander was held at the Taunus Theater on April 13, 2022. (Photo Credit: Ila Dermanoski) VIEW ORIGINAL

WIESBADEN, GERMANY -- Taking care of people and improving the quality of life of Soldiers, their families and Department of the Army civilians is one of the garrison’s and Army Installation Management’s top priorities. Those priorities were on display April 13, as the Garrison’s command team engaged with its workforce for an “All Hands” meeting at the Taunus Theater in Hainerberg.

Around 100 people attended in person, with another 95 connected via Microsoft Teams. The all-hands event focused on a variety of topics, from better access to North Clay, upcoming Change of Command expectations, summer PCS season, and the variety of construction work across multiple installations.

“We all notice the extensive construction work going on throughout the garrison – it is going to continue as we prepare for and adjust to our growth and expansion,” said Garrison Commander Col. Mario Washington.

Washington informed the workforce about upcoming leadership changes, including the new incoming Senior Responsible Officer, MG Stephen J. Maranian, the Commanding General of the 56th Artillery, who will succeed BG Jed J. Schaertl, Deputy Commanding General of Mobilization & Reserve Affairs at U.S. Army Europe and Africa.

In what was his last All Hands meeting before moving on to his next assignment, Washington provided information about his upcoming change of command. The ceremony will take place in early July 2022.

"It's definitely been the best command I've had the privilege of leading during my Army career so far," Washington said, thanking Soldiers and civilian employees for a job well done. He challenged all in attendance to maintain dignity and respect as the foundation of USAG Wiesbaden.

During an open question and answer session, one topic addressed was the future of access to North Clay from the headquarters portion of the Kaserne, without leaving the installation's gated footprint. Direct access through a connecting road is planned for the future, including a pedestrian gate that will be accessible 24/7. Additionally, North Clay continues to see facility and services expansion as the Garrison operationalizes resources and facilities to best support the installation and tenant units here in Wiesbaden.

Hands up at Garrison’s All Hands workforce meeting
An All Hands meeting was held at the Taunus Theater on April 13, 2022. Garrison employees joined the meeting in person and via Teams. All Hands meetings are held quarterly and allow the command team to recognize employees for their contributions, answer questions and connect with the workforce. (Photo Credit: Ila Dermanoski) VIEW ORIGINAL

The all-hands event concluded with a number of award presentations by Washington and his Deputy Garrison Commander, Mitchell Jones.

Awards were presented for the annual and quarterly “Professional of the Year,” “Customer Service Award,” “Team Excellence Award” and the “Cross-Organizational Team Award.” To finish, a group of 25 “Peer-to-Peer” recognitions were also selected.

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