Feb. 11, 2020 —
The Coast Guard recognized 18 exceptional contracting and procurement professionals during the annual Contracting and Procurement Enterprise Recognition Ceremony at Coast Guard Headquarters Feb. 4, 2020. From left, Mark Snell, Gustavo Martir, Thomas Lucas, Terrie Pickard, Chief Warrant Officer Mallory Stonehouse, Lt. Cmdr. Laura Ladd, Erin Bass and Ana Downes. Award winners not pictured are Bill Erickson, Chief Petty Officer Tyler Bowden, Jean Bretz, Cmdr. Chad Brick, Jeffrey Cross, Master Chief Petty Officer Astru Cruz, James Dinda, Chief Warrant Officer Victor Gonzalez, Tammy Kao, Leisa Moyer and Mark Rushing. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Barry Taylor.
The Coast Guard honored 18 contracting and procurement professionals who have gone above and beyond in their duties to provide outstanding contracting support to customers during the third annual Contracting and Procurement Enterprise Recognition Ceremony held at Coast Guard Headquarters Feb. 4, 2020.
The ceremony featured seven awards across both individual and team categories that recognized exceptional performance during fiscal year 2019. More than 100 attendees joined Vice Adm. Michael McAllister, deputy commandant for mission support; Michael Derrios, head of contracting activity (HCA); and Trena Mills, chief of staff/special assistant for the Coast Guard Contracting and Procurement Enterprise, in recognizing the accomplishments of the award recipients.
McAllister remarked on the critical role contracting and support professionals play in the mission support organization – “finding innovative ways of delivering capability at a reasonable cost.” He highlighted several initiatives that involved contracting and procurement support, including C4IT; hurricane rebuild and reconstitution projects that account for a massive $1.4 billion worth of work; accelerating the Rescue 21 Alaska capability; service life extension programs; electronic health records program; and major acquisitions such as the offshore patrol cutter, polar security cutter, waterways commerce cutter and replacing the Coast Guard Logistics Information Management System. “We have not made it easy for you to accomplish all these things that I talk about … but you succeeded,” McAllister said.
Nominations were submitted by peers to their chief of contracting office (COCO). Each COCO evaluated the nominations and submitted their selection for each category to the HCA, who determined the winners.
Award recipients received a trophy, certificate and personal letter from Derrios. “You’re the unsung heroes of the Coast Guard … I can’t thank you enough for the work that you do,” Derrios said.
Fiscal Year 2019 Contracting and Procurement Enterprise Award Winners
Rising Star of the Year is awarded to a junior employee who takes initiative, holds themselves accountable for results and demonstrates commitment to supporting the Coast Guard mission by contributing to a positive teamwork environment.
Winner: Mark Rushing,Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Information Technology Service Center
Bridge Builder of the Year is awarded to an employee who exhibits dedication to satisfying customer needs through thoughtful collaboration, focused communications and trusted relationships. Additionally, they demonstrate the ability to deliver innovative solutions that foster effective internal and external partnerships. Two individuals were honored with this award.
Winners: Chief Warrant Officer Victor Gonzalez, Shore Infrastructure Logistics Center (SILC) Base Services and Support (BSS); and Gustavo Martir, Office of Procurement Policy and Oversight
Outstanding Procurement Professional is awarded to an employee who demonstrates an exceptional execution of procurement strategy, goes above and beyond in their duties to support the mission, and shows commitment to achieving excellence in work products and guidance provided to others.
Winner: Terrie Pickard, Aviation Logistics Center
Outstanding Contracting Professional of the Year is awarded to an employee who demonstrates exceptional execution of contracting strategy, goes above and beyond in their duties to support the mission, and shows commitment to achieving excellence in work products and guidance provided to others.
Winner: Erin Bass, SILC-BSS
Supervisor of the Year is awarded to a supervisor who leads by exhibiting professionalism and integrity, and who empowers employees by fostering a high-performing workforce that demonstrates initiative, responsibility, proactive decision making and accountability.
Winner: Thomas Lucas, Surface Forces Logistics Center
Innovative Contracting Team of the Year is awarded to a group of individuals whose creative solutions resulted in a positive impact to the betterment of their team or organization where contracting activity is a central focus.
Winner: Performance Assessment Tool Team, SILC-BSS
Cmdr. Chad Brick, Master Chief Petty Officer Astru Cruz, Ana Downes, Bill Erickson, Lt. Cmdr. Laura Ladd, Chief Warrant Officer Mallory Stonehouse and Chief Petty Officer Tyler Bowden
Outstanding Contracting Team of the Year is awarded to a group of individuals who have exceeded expectations and provided outstanding contracting support to customers. They demonstrate successful mission accomplishment and quality results.
Winner: Regional Multiple Award Construction Contract Team, SILC Construction
Jean Bretz, Jeffrey Cross, James Dinda, Leisa Moyer and Tammy Kao