FREDERICKSBURG, Va. - Eighty-three individuals and 16 teams were honored with 20 different Navy and Dahlgren Division awards as the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) held its annual honor awards ceremony.
Family and friends of awardees watched NSWCDD Technical Director John Fiore along with Chief of Staff Chuck Campbell and NSWCDD Dam Neck Activity Commanding Officer Andrew Hoffman present the awards at the Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center, April 26.
"A hundred years ago, our history began as shots rang out from the newly established U.S. Naval Proving Ground in October 1918," said Campbell before recounting the command's impact to Navy technological programs and its development of new capabilities. "Dahlgren has always been an incubator for innovation so it's no surprise we are indeed the leader in warfare systems development and integration."
This year's event honored the men and women of the Dahlgren workforce who demonstrated exceptional resolve to meet the command's mission objectives in addition to those who significantly impacted the community through volunteer service throughout calendar year 2017.
The ceremony's theme was, 'Dahlgren - A Century of Innovation'.
“Our honorees have significantly contributed to our global defense efforts and met
warfighting challenges head on,” NSWCDD Commanding Officer Capt. Godfrey ‘Gus’ Weekes wrote in the Annual Honorary Awards Ceremony program. “These awards speak to the tireless actions of our brilliant team members who have created and improved products to support our service members and the Fleet. Altogether, they have worked to fill capability gaps; transformed the Navy’s ability to defeat advanced threats; improved business processes and contributed to hurricane recovery efforts in Puerto Rico.”
After the awards banquet, speeches, and video presentations, families and co-workers enjoyed the ceremony as awardees were honored.
Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award
Ten NSWCDD employees were presented with the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award – Kathy Clark, Leslie Madden, Bruce Saller, Robert Ward, Jacqueline Cheramie, Frank Dixon, Adam Jones, Jeff Allen, Robert Bills, and David Hurley.
The third highest Navy civilian award honors civilian employees supporting the Department of the Navy for meritorious service or contributions resulting in high value or benefits for the Navy or the Marine Corps. It was established to recognize those individuals whose leadership or important contributions to major projects of the Navy have demonstrated outstanding achievement.
John Adolphus Dahlgren Award
The John Adolphus Dahlgren Award, the command's highest award, was presented to Frank Peterkin and Denise Bagnall.
The Dahlgren Award is named for Rear Adm. John A. Dahlgren – who is considered the "Father of Modern Naval Ordnance" - and honors individuals with significant achievement in science, engineering or management.
C.J. Rorie Award
Master Chief Fire Controlman Nathaniel Melvin received the C.J. Rorie Award, established to recognize military personnel assigned to NSWCDD whose excellence in the performance of their duties contributed significantly to the effectiveness of the Division's military operation.
Dr. James Colvard Award
Patrick Freemyers, Catherine Borisuk, and Jonathan Brown received the Dr. James Colvard Award in recognition of their leadership and substantial contributions to the development of NSWCDD as a technical institution.
Bernard Smith Award
John Jims, Christopher Behre, and Bradley Flock were recognized with the Bernard Smith Award, established to recognize individuals with exceptional, significant and technical contributions in engineering or science, especially those made in the face of unusual odds or significant opposition.
Helen Springer Award
The Helen Springer Award was presented to Cheryl Subacius, Angela Bowling, and Michael Shively. The award recognizes individuals who have made a notable and significant impact to business operations at NSWCDD. The award was named in honor of Helen Springer, a former NSWCDD Deputy Human Resources Director who was instrumental in transforming business operations at Dahlgren from a paper-based system to an electronic environment.
Walter T. Lewis Acquisition Award
Daniel Belcher received the Walter T. Lewis Acquisition Award in recognition of his demonstration of the key tenets of teamwork, integrity and accountability in the achievement of acquisition excellence in support of the NSWCDD Mission. This award is named in honor of Walter T. Lewis who was the command’s first civilian contracting officer with unlimited contracting officer authority, the first small business specialist, the first competition advocate, and the first deputy for procurement serving as the NSWCDD acquisition expert.
Leadership Award
Six employees – Courtney Sloat, Daniel Dunn, Parker Page, Edwin Regan, Todd Graves, Gunendran Sivapragasam – were honored with the Leadership Award – established to recognize individuals who have made a notable and significant impact to NSWCDD through their outstanding performance in project leadership, line management or both.
Employee Development Award
The Employee Development Award was established to recognize those individuals who – through their leadership and commitment – have made exemplary contributions to the development of others.
Kim Thornton, Kevin Cogley, and Allison Mead received the award for their impact as role models who created a positive and supportive work environment for continuous employee development, building employee commitment to the organization and its core values, while fostering employee motivation and overall well-being.
Commander’s Diversity and Inclusion Award
Debbie Bardine, Shellie Clift, Kathryn Dawson, and Angel Moises Iglesias received the Commander’s Diversity and Inclusion Award for their continuing contributions in management and leadership while demonstrating commitment to policies and programs that promote equality, diversity and inclusion in the federal workplace.
Technology to Warfighter Award
Sherri Cannon and Phillip Zellner, received the Technology to Warfighter Award for his direct and significant impact on the warfighter by developing needed capability and transitioning it into operations.
Dr. Charles J. Cohen Award of Excellence for Science and Technology
Four employees – Christian Wahlquist, Matthew McQuage, William Moore, and Patrick Mead – received the Dr. Charles J. Cohen Award of Excellence for Science and Technology. The award recognizes those who fundamentally impact science or technology with work that also measurably impacts capability.
NSWCDD Award of Excellence for Analysis
The NSWCDD Award of Excellence for Analysis is newly established to recognize individuals who have made a notable and significant impact to NSWCDD through their outstanding performance in analysis - warfare, design, engineering, modeling and simulation.
Five employees – Martin Capone, Nancy Taylor, Christopher Glenn, Carolyn Blakelock, and Willie Crank – received this award for performance or achievements that are exceptional in nature and have resulted in a significant organizational contribution.
NSWCDD Award of Excellence for Software Engineering and Integration
The NSWCDD Award of Excellence for Software Engineering and Integration was established to recognize individuals who have made a notable and significant impact to NSWCDD through their outstanding performance in Software Engineering & Integration.
Seven employees – Carol Lee, John Morris, Micah Colon, Jason Hough, Deborah Daland, Brian Dillon, and Dung Pham – received this award which honors individuals with performance or achievements that are exceptional in nature and have resulted in a significant organizational contribution.
NSWCDD Award of Excellence for Systems Engineering and Integration
The Award of Excellence for Systems Engineering and Integration was established to recognize individuals who have made a notable and significant impact to NSWCDD through their outstanding performance in systems engineering and integration.
Jeannie Hobgood, William Bradshaw, Patrick Cantwell, Jennifer Greene, Emil Jimenez-Brea, Robert Turner, and Claiborne Doxey were honored this year for performance or achievements that are exceptional in nature, resulting in a significant organizational contribution.
NSWCDD Award of Excellence for Test and Evaluation
The NSWCDD Award of Excellence for Test & Evaluation was established to recognize individuals who have made a notable and significant impact to NSWCDD through their outstanding performance in Test and Evaluation, the collection, analysis, and assessment of data to characterize and/or measure the performance of a component, system, platform, or mission.
Five employees – Peter Gilbert, Elena Bono, Daryl Crymes, Jeffery Bunn, Laura Ruff – received this award which recognizes individuals with performance or achievements that are exceptional in nature and have resulted in a significant organizational contribution.
Paul J. Martini Award
Fifteen employees received the Paul J. Martini Award – established to recognize individuals who demonstrated excellence in an administrative or other support function. The award is named in honor of Paul J. Martini, who was head of the Engineering Support Directorate of the Naval Ordnance Laboratory from November 1951 to December 1973. Receiving the award were: Joyce Clark, Sheril McLeod, Crystal Breen, Miguel Curl, Tanja Hines, Audra Lucas-Peyton, Vikki Rouleau, Angela McGee, Toni Turner, Hector Minero, Andrew Mohle, Debbie Newkirk, and Shantae Collins.
Distinguished Community Service Award
Tracy Sisson, Curtis Dunn, and Jose Polo-Morales received the Distinguished Community Service Award in recognition of their significant contributions to communities through volunteer service.
In-house Laboratory Independent Research Excellence Award
Brian Dillon received the In-house Laboratory Independent Research Excellence Award which is granted to an individual or group whose research results exhibit outstanding technical or scientific merit – relevant to the mission and thrusts of NSWCDD.
Group Achievement Awards
Ten groups of NSWCDD employees received the Award of Merit for Group Achievement; five groups received the Technology to Warfighter Award for their accomplishments during 2017. The group awards are intended to promote the spirit of teamwork among employees and recognize group effort where cooperation has contributed to the success of the group.
The following groups received the Award of Merit for Group Achievement:
• DRAKE Counter Unmanned Aerial System Team
• Command Cyber Readiness Inspection Team
• Cyber Analysis and Initiatives Team
• E and H Department Acquisition Team Award
• Formal Qualification Test Team
• Hypervelocity Gun Weapon System Team
• NSWCDD Frigate Combat System Team
• Orion Network Client Interrogator Team
• Portfolio Directorate Team
• Fast Attack Craft—Fast Inshore Attack Craft Portable Embarkable Kits Rapid Prototype Engineering Project
Technology to the Warfighter Award
The Technology to the Warfighter Award recognizes individuals or groups who have had a notable and significant impact on the warfighter by developing needed capability and transitioning it into operations. The intent of this award is to recognize direct contributions to the warfighter and their operational impact.
The following groups received the award:
• AC-130 Gun Ships Block 20 Precision Strike Package Initial Operational Capability and Deployment Team
• Combined Integrated Air and Missile Defense and Anti-Submarine Warfare Trainer Version 1 Development and Delivery Team
• Common Aviation Command and Control System Afloat Team
• Explosive Ordnance Disposal Cybersecurity Engineering and Test Team
• Gun Weapon System MK 34 High Explosive Multi-Function Fuze Tactics Improvement Team