Army inspectors general of the year awardees announced

Lt. Gen. Donna W. Martin, the 67th Inspector General of the Army, hosted a ceremony to announce the Inspectors General of the Year awardees for 2022 during an April 20 ceremony at the Hall of Heroes in the Pentagon. The ceremony was held in conjunction with the 2022 Worldwide Inspector General Conference.

Four Army inspectors general – two civilians, one officer and one noncommissioned officer – took top honors after a series of in-person interviews and board questions. This was also the first year for the officer competition.

“The process for our competitors was neither simple nor easy…this is the top 1 percent of the IG enterprise,” said Sgt. Maj. Larry Orvis, the Inspector General Sergeant Major. “The professionalism and expertise on display was phenomenal.”

Each of the contestants came to the Pentagon for the in-person portions of the competition.

Christopher Cummings, the chief of the IG Assistance and Investigations Branch at Army Futures Command in Austin, Texas, is the Civilian IG of the Year at the GS-12/13 level. Cummings, also a former military IG, has also held IG positions with the Defense Language Institute, Installation Management Command, U.S. Army Japan and the 75th Training Division.

Evan Brown, the senior civilian inspector general at U.S. Army Cadet Command and Fort Knox, Kentucky, was chosen as the Civilian IG of the Year at the GS-14/15 level. Brown, a former military IG, leads a team of civilian and military IGs covering Army ROTC and Junior ROTC programs across the nation, as well as Fort Knox and its tenant units.

Maj. Nicole Wigfall, the deputy inspector general of Network Enterprise and Technology Command at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, was selected as the IG Officer of the Year. Wigfall, a signal corps officer, was commended for her efforts in reviving NETCOM’s internal Organizational Inspection Program as well as helping to eliminate inefficiencies.

Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Scholz, assigned to the Inspector General Office of the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia, was selected as the NCO IG of the Year. Several of his peers and colleagues nominated him for his dedication to duty, knowledge of the IG system, and willingness to explain IG duties and answer questions from Soldiers throughout his unit.

“The real winners are the command teams who benefit from the help of IGs such as these to help improve readiness,” Orvis said.

Other contestants in each category included:

GS-12/13:

·        Diane Williams, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command

·        Martha Nash, 101st Airborne Division

·        Fritz Smith, NETCOM

·        Jeffrey Thuesen, 63rd Readiness Division

Officer:

·        Lt. Col. Christian Paulk, Massachusetts Army National Guard

·        Lt. Col. Kristine Hinds, U.S. Army Reserve Command

·        Maj. Michael Wilson, USARC

NCO:

·        Master Sgt. Victor Robinson, XVIII Corps

·        Master Sgt. Keith Wong, U.S. Army North

·        Master Sgt. Folarin Durosawo, Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command

·        Master Sgt. David Rodriguez, Military Intelligence Readiness Command

·        Master Sgt. Josephine Roman, U.S. Army Reserve Command

·        Sgt. 1st Class Rosetina Fitts, U.S. Army Forces Command

·        Sgt. 1st Class Taaka Wilson, Alabama Army National Guard

·        Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Peranteau, Florida Army National Guard

·        Sgt. 1st Class Bradley Close, Fires Center of Excellence

·        Sgt. 1st Class Yolanda Furr, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command

·        Sgt. 1st Class Preston Lewis, U.S. Army Cadet Command

“It was a great competition. Next year we want even more competitors,” Martin said.

The awards ceremony can be viewed via DVIDS at https://www.dvidshub.net/video/840419/2022-army-inspector-general-year-awards