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# Energy employees earn DLA awards

By Connie BraeschDLA Energy Public Affairs

                FORT BELVOIR, Virginia  –              
Defense Logistics Agency Energy employees were recognized for excellence during DLA’s 51st Annual Employee Recognition Awards Program awards ceremony at the McNamara Headquarters Complex on Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Dec. 13.

DLA Director Army Lt. Gen. Darrell Williams presided over the ceremony and presented award winners with a distinctive crystal award for their exceptional service during the 2018 calendar year. 

“I’m very proud of the outstanding work DLA Energy employees are doing to support not only the DLA enterprise but also the Warfighters and our whole of government partners,” said DLA Energy Commander Air Force Brig. Gen. Albert Miller. “Each individual performed in an outstanding manner and deserves the recognition for their extraordinary efforts. While these individuals are the ones being recognized, they are part of and represent a larger team of people working day in and day out to execute the DLA Energy mission.” 

DLA Energy team members received awards in the following categories:

**TOP 10 EMPLOYEES**

Two DLA Energy employees were among the 10 employees from across the agency selected as DLA’s Top 10 employees.

**Shona Lawrence, deputy director DLA Energy Americas at Houston**

Prior to her current assignment and for the majority of 2018, Lawrence was DLA Energy Americas operations officer responsible for the coordination of bulk petroleum, energy operations and strategic operational planning for North and South America including three subordinate commands, several government agencies, commercial partners and multiple combatant commands as well as the DLA enterprise. In 2018, Lawrence also served 90 days as the acting deputy director for DLA Energy Alaska.

Beyond her willingness to fill critical leadership assignments on short notice, as the operations officer Lawrence led DLA Energy Americas’ operational team to a new standard in fuel crisis support after three back-to-back hurricanes impacted the Southeastern United States, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands. With very limited information and short timeframes, she enabled strategic level crisis action planning that resulted in timely execution of emergency fuel operations in support of Federal Emergency Management Agency lifesaving and recovery operations in Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

**Cynthia Obermeyer, supervisory contracting officer DLA Energy Installation Energy**

Before she retired in August, Obermeyer was instrumental to DLA Energy’s execution of $1.2 billion Energy Savings Performance Contracts in 2018 – an increase of approximately 30 percent compared to fiscal year 2017 – contributing over $400 million in third party investment in energy savings measures for Department of Defense installations in the U.S. and abroad. These contracts implemented cost-effective energy conservation measures, industrial process improvements, and renewable energy solutions that provide enhanced energy reliability, surety and resiliency for our military installations. Because of her pursuit of program excellence, there are an additional 19 ESPC projects in the acquisition pipeline with an estimated contract value of $2.5 billion.

**EMPLOYEES OF THE QUARTER**

Three employees, one from each pay grade category, are selected from across the DLA enterprise as employees of the quarter. Two of the selectees are DLA Energy employees and both come from DLA Energy Americas at Houston. 

**Marlin Ingram, DLA Energy Americas at Houston, was selected from the GS 7-12 category**

As a logistics system specialist, Ingram supported 50 resolution specialists, supply planners, supervisors and managers across the DLA Energy Americas region. When Hurricane Harvey was predicted to strike Houston, Ingram volunteered to transition support operations and deploy with DLA Energy Americas at Houston Continuity of Operations Emergency Relocation Group to an alternate site at Fort Hood, Texas. Ingram arrived first and coordinated with DLA Information Operations personnel to expedite system set up and hot spot internet access to ensure communications were established before remaining members arrived. When Harvey struck Houston impacting DLA Energy suppliers, Ingram compiled daily inventory data and projections which became invaluable as refinery downtimes lingered and intermediate terminal inventories decreased. The establishment of these daily reports assisted in balancing inventories as fuel levels waned and determining alternate resupply solutions while refineries were trying to recover.

**Benjamin Beadles, DLA Energy Americas at Houston, was selected from the GS 13-15 category**

As operations officer, Beadles provides provided operations oversight for the DLA Energy region from the Rocky Mountains to the East Coast, Central America, Caribbean, and South America and encompasses all of U.S. Southern Command. Beadles also serves as an interim DLA Energy liaison officer to SOUTHCOM and advises its Directorate of Logistics leadership on DLA Energy capabilities to meet theater logistics objectives and lines of effort. 

In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Beadles assisted in crisis action planning that led to the rapid redirection of fuel from Hurricane Irma support in Florida directly to Hurricane Maria support in Puerto Rico. In less than four days, his plan to use commercial barge capabilities went from a concept to trucks loaded on a barge and on their way to Puerto Rico. He then volunteered and deployed with Task Force Americas to Puerto Rico where his tactical level command and control actions and contracting officer representative functions were instrumental to providing fuel support.

**DLA COMPANY GRADE OFFICER OF THE YEAR**

**Air Force Capt. Cynthia Rodriguez, DLA Energy Hawaii**

Rodriguez is dual-hatted as the sub-area petroleum officer Eastern Pacific and operations officer for DLA Energy Hawaii. She oversees 10 Defense Fuel Support Points and ground fuel contracts valued at $50 million, supporting 37 customers across 28 locations. In her role, she was instrumental in the execution of phase I and II of the U.S. Commander Pacific Fleet Oahu Fuel Resiliency Demonstration which validated the government and commercial fuels distribution capabilities on Oahu. Additionally, she coordinated the 23 million gallon DLA Energy fuel requirement for Rim of the Pacific 2018, the United States Indo-Pacific Command sponsored multinational exercise.

For six months in 2018, Rodriguez deployed as the DLA Energy Middle East liaison officer to Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve where she coordinated daily fuel delivery for eight sites in Iraq and Syria. She processed hundreds of movement requests synchronizing them between the U.S. Embassy-Baghdad Logistics Management Center and vendors and resolving delays or issues along delivery routes. To help facilitate information flow, Rodriguez drafted a flow chart of Iraq fuel movements to ensure all parties involved understood the complex system and worked to provide up-to-date status of fuel capacity at each site. Additionally, she kept accountability of fuel deliveries, coordinated quality specification tests, worked to ensure proper checks and balances between sites and vendors, and checked paperwork accuracy before sending to DLA Energy customer account specialists for invoice processing and payment. 

**DLA TEAM PERFORMANCE AWARD**

Three team performance awards were given – a small, medium and a large team – to groups that increased the visibility of DLA organizational goals through teamwork. The large DLA Team Performance Award went to the DLA Enterprise Hurricane Response Team. The team, which included several members of DLA Energy and Task Force Americas, contributed to the military and interagency response to the costliest tropical cyclone response on record and the deadliest since 2005. Working long hours away from home, team members worked together and dedicated themselves to help with response and recovery operations in the wake of disaster. 

During the award ceremony, a total of 43 individuals and 13 teams received 56 awards. 

Congratulations to all the awards recipients!

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