MARCENT civilian earns DoD Excellence in Practice Premier Award
A U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Central Command (MARCENT) civilian was selected as the Department of War’s 2025 Excellence in Practice Premier Award recipient for outstanding performance managing the command’s Government Travel Charge Card program.
Sherry L. Lanham, the MARCENT Government Travel Charge Card Agency Program Coordinator, earned the award for demonstrating exceptional leadership, communication, and innovation while supporting thousands of Department of War travelers across the command.
The Excellence in Practice Premier Award recognizes an Agency Program Coordinator who demonstrates extraordinary commitment to cardholders and stakeholders through proactive education, effective communication, responsive customer service, and program coordination. The award also highlights individuals who identify opportunities to improve travel card programs and implement solutions that strengthen compliance and readiness.
Lanham manages the MARCENT Government Travel Charge Card program at the command level,
overseeing account activity, compliance reporting, delinquency management, and training requirements
for MARCENT and its subordinate commands. She regularly conducts quality assurance reviews,
analyzes reporting data, and provides senior leadership with updates to ensure the program meets
Department of War’s performance standards.
Through her proactive oversight and engagement with travelers, Lanham has strengthened accountability
across the command while helping personnel maintain compliance with travel card policies.
Lanham implemented several innovative training and communication initiatives designed to improve
traveler education and prevent financial and administrative issues. These initiatives include scenario-based training modules tailored to different user groups, virtual workshops to address policy updates, and
targeted communication reminders to help personnel meet training and payment deadlines.
Her customer service efforts extend to MARCENT personnel stationed both within the United States and
overseas. Lanham serves as a primary subject matter expert for travel card issues and provides direct
support to travelers through multiple communication channels to resolve concerns quickly and effectively.
Lanham also developed solutions to address recurring payment delinquency challenges affecting
deployed personnel operating in remote locations with limited connectivity. By introducing targeted
outreach efforts and virtual support sessions, she helped improve compliance and reduce delinquency
rates across the program.
Due in part to Lanham’s efforts, MARCENT’s Government Travel Charge Card delinquency rate
consistently remained below two percent, supporting financial accountability and operational readiness
throughout the command.
Lanham was recognized during the Department of War’s GovTravels 2026 conference,
Feb. 23-26, in Alexandria, Virginia.
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