Photo By Julius Evans | Rita M. Lopez, a Cincinnati, Ohio, native and a 1979 graduate of George Rogers Clark...... read more read more
A Cincinnati, Ohio, native and a 1979 graduate of George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester, KY, is now a Federal Government Navy employee and was selected as her command’s Senior Civilian of the Year for Fiscal Year 2021.
Rita M. Lopez works for the Naval Medical Readiness Logistics Command (NMRLC), Cheatham Annex, Williamsburg, VA, and is the Defense Medical Logistics Standard Support (DMLSS) administrator. DMLSS is a local server-based application that supports medical logistics functions internal to a military hospital or clinic, deployed military hospitals and clinics and war reserve management sites.
NMRLC is responsible for designing, building, and maintaining rapidly deployable medical systems that support contingency operations, humanitarian assistance, and real-world events and exercises around the globe.
After graduating from Class “A” school, where she became a storekeeper, Lopez’ first duty station in the Navy was at Naval Base, Yokosuka, Japan. Navy Storekeepers are responsible for ordering, stocking, and issuing repair parts, clothing, and general supplies. They maintain financial records, accounting systems and inventory databases for supplies in shore-based warehouses and ships’ storerooms.
Before her command’s recent name change, it was known as the Navy Expeditionary Medical Support Command (NEMSCOM). Interestingly, Lopez joined the Navy, served her time, and ultimately retired from the Navy in 2000 after 20 years of service. The last active-duty assignment from where she retired was NEMSCOM.
“After I retired from the Navy, I got a position as a contractor in the Information Technology office at NEMSCOM for about a year and a half, then I joined the warehouse team for another five years,” she said. “After that time, I transitioned from the contractor position to the Government as a civil servant. That’s when I became the DMLSS Administrator.”
As the DMLSS Administrator, she was recognized for the exceptional performance of her duties, providing technical expertise and support on several Lean Six Sigma projects and command strategic initiatives. She facilitated the removal 1,322 assemblages and 6,439 pieces from the system. This required a diligent effort on her part.
When asked about the most challenging aspects of her job at the former NEMSCOM and now at NMRLC, Lopez explained a couple of the electronic systems the command uses, and the transition from one system to the next they are currently experiencing.
“The most challenging effort so far in my civilian career has been the conversion of DMLSS/FASTDATA to DMLSS/ERP.
FASTDATA is real-time data that typically comes in from streaming, such as through Internet of Things technologies and event-driven applications and is analyzed quickly to make rapid business decisions.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) refers to a type of software that organizations use to manage day-to-day business activities such as accounting, procurement, project management, risk management and compliance, and supply chain operations.
“The command’s mission is to support the warfighter, so the data in DMLSS must be accurate to ensure we achieve are meeting our obligation. Our mission is saving lives of warfighters when they are deployed.” Lopez said. “We ensure they right equipment, material and supplies are at the right place at the right time.”
She closed out her explanation by adding one more comment that highlights why she may have been selected as the command’s Senior Civilian of the Year.
“If I don’t do my job properly, warfighters may not have the lifesaving equipment they need to survive until they get to a land-based hospital.”
Lead by Cmdr. Matthew P. Marcinkiewicz, MSC, USN, NMRLC’s role is ever expanding to ensure warfighter lives never hang in the balance of uncertainty.
| Date Taken: | 09.28.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 09.28.2022 12:13 |
| Story ID: | 430261 |
| Location: | WILLIAMSBURG, VA, US |
| Hometown: | CHEATHAM ANNEX, VA, US |
| Hometown: | CINCINNATI, OH, US |
| Hometown: | WINCHESTER, KY, US |
| Web Views: | 136 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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