Laura Peters, an environmental engineer at the Holston Army Ammunition Plant, is the 2023 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Installation Stakeholder Professional of the Year.
“I was really excited to be able to represent Holston Army Ammunition Plant in such a positive way,” said Peters, who at the end of November 2023 attended a national awards ceremony at USACE’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. “I appreciate the Joint Munitions Command’s support of the award. They are very supportive and recognizing me in their own way, but also allowed me to go to the ceremony where I got to visit some folks that I work with on Corps projects but had never really gotten to meet in-person.”
“Laura’s environmental guidance and collaborative partnership with USACE were instrumental to industrial base modernization efforts within JMC,” said Col. Ronnie Anderson Jr., JMC’s commander.
For the last eight years, Peters, who graduated from West Virginia University in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in environmental protection, has been a member of HSAAP’s workforce.
“Laura’s efforts and partnership with USACE on multiple projects to identify technologies that address environmental concerns through all project phases will ensure Holston’s compliance with emerging environmental directives,” said Scott Shelton, a supervisory chemical engineer at HSAAP.
Peters has officially been a Department of Defense employee for 16 years. In January 2006, Peters filled an internship role for the Army Environmental Command, and she began her Civilian career with AEC in October 2007.
“The thing that I like about my job at Holston is getting to play a role in supporting the Army’s mission to make munitions. I can have a large impact and help us get ahead of the environmental requirements, so it does not impact the mission,” Peters said. “There are very few manufacturing facilities within DOD. The majority of which do sit with the Army. People know so little about us, and we are so unique.
“Being able to stand in to support the project so that the Corps can get their work done so the mission can still move forward is a really important role that is difficult to fulfill, but without that role the project would be further behind,” added Peters.
Located in Kingsport, Tennessee, HSAAP is a subordinate of JMC.
JMC provides precise and predictive conventional munitions sustainment and life cycle management to an expeditionary global force from 17 arsenals, depots, and ammo plants across the spectrum of conflict in support of the Joint Force.
HSAAP is a Government-Owned, Contractor-Operated facility, which means the government owns the plant, but a contractor handles manufacturing. Research Department Explosive and High Melting Explosive for ammunition production and development is made at the plant. HSAAP has a complete research and development lab used to synthesize, formulate, and analyze new explosives and related materials.
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