TOWER BARRACKS, Germany – Three U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria professionals received the Installation Management Command's Stalwart Award during the Garrison Command Team Conference June 4, 2024 in San Antonio.
The Stalwart Award honors IMCOM civilian professionals who have distinguished themselves from their peers through dedicated service, initiative and drive, achieving significant results that support Army and IMCOM objectives and promote the readiness and resilience of the Army’s people and installations.
“Stalwart Award winners are IMCOM’s very best,” said IMCOM commanding general Lt. Gen. Omar Jones, who hosted the conference in San Antonio. “These professionals represent our commitment to finding innovative solutions and solving our most challenging problems in taking care of the Army’s Home. We look forward to harnessing these winners’ experiences and ideas to further our ability to invest in our IMCOM workforce and ensure the highest Quality of Life for the Army’s Soldiers, Families and Civilians.”
The three Stalwart Award winners from USAG Bavaria are Collin Guy, director of garrison S6; Ekaterina Piotrowski, Directorate of Public Works program analyst; and Andreas Kreuzer, public affairs specialist.
“The fact that we have three winners from USAG Bavaria this year really speaks to the immense amount of talent that sits in the garrison,” said Dwayne Key, deputy to the garrison commander.
Key himself previously won the Stalwart Award.
“It is really rewarding and humbling to be considered one of the top professionals in the region and in headquarters IMCOM,” said Key. “I'm just super proud of all the awardees, and I'm really grateful to the supervisors who put their names forward.
“So not only do we have to have employees doing tremendous things,” Keys continued, “but we also have to have engaged leaders who take the time to highlight and herald their accomplishments in these venues so that they can be properly rewarded.”
Guy’s achievements include but are not limited to brokering crucial agreements with telecommunications providers to address IT and cellphone network gaps, enhancing training readiness and quality of life for deployed soldiers at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany. He also spearheaded the implementation of A365 for improved knowledge management capabilities and infrastructure, leading to gains in productivity and time and building positive relationships with various Army entities and industry partners. As a result of his work, USAG Bavaria became pilot site for multiple technology programs and became the first garrison in Europe to undergo mass email migration to Army 365 Exchange Online. Guy also helped launch the USAG Bavaria Cyber Competency Campaign (C3) to improve workforce technical capability and operationalize data, leading to enhanced situational awareness and services delivery.
“The thing I’m the most happy about is that it shows that technology and the IT- and Cyber-side of things in IMCOM is valuable and it can serve the IMCOM mission even if it is not customer facing,” said Guy. “So that is a way to communicate it, and there’s a value in supporting what IMCOM does traditionally from the back side of things.
“I talked with the other awardees, and they absolutely deserve it too because they are really hard working and they make things better here in the garrison,” Guy continued. “So I’m so happy that it didn’t have to be one of us but all three were selected. And I know for the other two that they are absolutely deserving of it.”
Piotrowski has showcased exceptional talent and leadership as a local national employee within IMCOM-Europe, significantly impacting the organization's mission. Her groundbreaking development of the Base Operations Expense Worksheet revolutionized accounting practices, leading to a 67 percent increase in reimbursable payments to USAG Bavaria, totaling $9.1 million over two years. Spearheading the DPW Reimbursement Program, Piotrowski meticulously calculated refunds for various services, driving significant improvements in reimbursement rates.
“It is extremely exciting for us to nominate and have Ekatrina be selected as a Stalwart Award winner to help recognize the tremendous work she has done,” said John Sturtz, director of public works. “It's the employee's skills, knowledge and abilities where they have done so many tremendous things that in some cases, make it easy for a supervisor or a leader to write up their accomplishments.”
USAG Bavaria DPW presented a Stalwart winner the second time in a row. Peter J. Suh, chief of the Business Operations and Integration Division at the Directorate of Public Works, USAG Bavaria, was one of nine Army civilians who received the 2022 Stalwart Award.
Kreuzer showed innovative initiatives, such as establishing a public affairs apprenticeship program and enhancing social media engagement. These initiatives have had a lasting impact on communication and community outreach. His leadership in developing projects like the My Army Post App pilot and hosting the Better in Bavaria podcast showcases his commitment to leveraging technology for effective messaging. Additionally, his coordination of the garrison commander's Fireside Chat and Dive-In radio show demonstrates his ability to deliver timely and engaging content across various platforms, further solidifying his reputation as a cornerstone of communication within USAG Bavaria.
“I’m over-the-moon thrilled Mr. Kreuzer is being spotlighted with this important honor for his tremendous public affairs work for the U.S. Army; he truly epitomizes what this award stands for…courage, loyalty and determination,” said Linda Read, garrison director of the public affairs. “His bold commitment to telling the Army story is seen and felt throughout our entire garrison.”
“Communication is our daily business in PAO. Communication is crucial-most issues in this world stem from poor communication, while good communication can solve nearly anything. Receiving this award is an extraordinary honor for me, it reflects the hard work of our PAO team. I'm especially thrilled to share this recognition with my USAG Bavaria friends Ekaterina and Collin, said Kreuzer. "Thank you all for inspiring me to keep pushing forward."
The 2023 IMCOM Stalwart Award Winners are:
HQ IMCOM/AEC:
- Sarah Nelson (HQ IMCOM G3)
- Randall J. Cerar (AEC)
ID-Europe:
- George Brown III (Rheinland-Pfalz)
- Arcelio Alleyne (Wiesbaden)
- Collin Guy (Bavaria)
- Andreas Kreuzer (Bavaria)
- Ekaterina Piotrowski (Bavaria)
ID-Pacific:
- Ed Kosbab (Fort Wainwright)
ID-Readiness:
- Cody Bratton (Fort Johnson)
- Steven Milton (Fort Riley)
ID-Sustainment:
- Phillip M. Trued Jr. (Anniston Army Depot)
- Adrianne McLaramore (Detroit)
- Kristen L. Pellaton (Watervliet Arsenal)
- Amy Gopel (Picatinny)
ID-Training:
- Cynthia Richards (Fort Novosel)
Read all about the other Stalwart Award winners here.
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