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WIESBADEN, Germany – Two longtime Installation Management Command employees were recognized for their support to service members and families Dec. 5 during IMCOM-Europe’s MWR Strategic Planning Meeting.
Mary Schweitzer and Audre Binder received the prestigious “Peter F. Isaacs MWR Family Programs Lifetime Achievement Award,” which is periodically presented to IMCOM professionals in recognition of their commitment to the standards of excellence established by the award’s namesake who served with Army FMWR for more than 30 years.
Mary served as the NAF Support Chief for IMCOM-Europe here, while Audre was the Family and MWR Programs Director for USAG Bavaria. Both are retiring after decades of service to the Army.
“We have such a wide variety of things we provide,” said Mary, who began her federal service career in 1986 in the Mainz Military Community as an accounting technician, “and there are always challenges to overcome. It gives me great pleasure to be able to help the garrisons solve those problems and I truly admire what the garrisons are doing day-to-day.”
Her background in business acumen was reflected in her award nomination, highlighting that her “acute sense of all programs’ financial performance capability facilitated her development of NAF revenue-generation reports to aid leadership in making smart business decisions. She worked with region program managers to identify areas for improvement; and she developed specific program guidance to analyze trends. Europe region’s financial performance was consistently accurate, providing Army leaders a baseline as they developed short- and long-term fiscal strategies."
Additionally, Mary’s business expertise was shared with many Army professionals as she mentored numerous Army, region, and garrison NAF fund professionals through her training programs and individual interactions, having a profound impact on the Army’s fund management processes, daily interactions, and strategic planning.
She has held budget positions within FMWR since they fell under the purview of U.S. Army Europe. She also did a three-year stint at Edelweiss Lodge and Resort that provided her with the direct customer service experience to appreciate the everyday challenges faced by the garrisons.
As the region’s support chief, she oversaw aspects of financial management, information technology and construction. She has seen many changes over the course of her career, but feels “the biggest change is the challenge that we’ve seen in terms of decreasing resources. It’s been more of a challenge to try to continue to provide world-class support to Soldiers and families in MWR with dwindling resources… we’ve had to become innovative. We’ve had to look for other sources of NAF revenue, and we’ve had to adjust our vision to become more businesslike, so we can reinvest in those programs.”
Meanwhile, Audre’s official retirement date of Dec. 31 culminates a 36-year civil service career, and 44 years total to include time as a contractor supporting the Army.
“I am proud to have been able to serve so long,” she said, from her first job as a Child Youth Services trainer in 1992 to her last role since 2005 as the USAG Bavaria FMWR Director where she tirelessly delivered a comprehensive network of social, recreational and leisure services designed to enhance and enable the readiness and resiliency of Soldiers, civilians and family members.
Audre spoke passionately about the FMWR mission and “knowing that we were making a positive difference in the lives of people and what we do matters.”
She highlighted the importance of FMWR programs as being “an integral part of the military and benefits package; building healthy families and communities and providing consistently high-quality support services that are commonly furnished by other employers or state and local governments to their employees and citizens.”
In leaving her own indelible legacy on the career field, Audre shared advice with those on the other end of the spectrum just starting their careers in FMWR.
“Bring passion to what you do and a desire to deliver the best possible service with available resources – take advantage of every training opportunity that will help you to excel at your current job and set you up for advancement along your career path,” she said. “Remember every job matters and has influence, and the potential for making or breaking a Soldier’s or family member’s morale, particularly in the overseas environment. We are here to provide a safety net of familiar services to make it easier for Soldiers and families to settle into a foreign assignment and give them information and skills to embolden them to explore Europe and beyond.”
Audre, originally from Connecticut but who now calls Florida home, said her retirement plans include traveling, volunteering and eventually teaching a seminar or two for a community college.
In addition, for their many achievements, Mary and Audre were both also awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal at the December ceremony.
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