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# DLA employee makes exceeding expectations a way of life

By Nancy Benecki

                FORT BELVOIR, Va.  –              
When Vivian d’Alelio was 15, she got her first job at a store that sold uniforms for Catholic schools. Her manager discriminated against people with disabilities and would only trust d’Alelio to sort sales receipts.

“One day I got bored doing that and I thought, ‘You know what? I can do way more than what she thinks I can do,’” said d’Alelio, who uses a wheelchair because of cerebral palsy.

She took it upon herself to go onto the sales floor and start helping customers.

“My manger noticed and realized, ‘Oh, she does have a brain. She can do a lot more than I thought she could do,’” d’Alelio said.

Over the years, she’s had to overcome the challenges of her disability as well as doubt and discrimination from people around her.

“Throughout my whole life, from doctors to teachers, people said I couldn’t do things, ranging from sitting up on my own to graduating college. Besides my family’s support, the doubt from others is where I got my work ethic of doing 110% because I want to prove them wrong and show the world that I am capable. That’s one reason why I went for my master’s degree and graduated with such a high grade-point average,” she said.

Today, d’Alelio is a management and program analyst with Defense Logistics Agency Installation Management. In October, she received the Outstanding Defense Department Employee with a Disability Award at the 43rd Annual Secretary of Defense Disability Awards Ceremony at the Hall of Heroes in the Pentagon.                 Vivian d’Alelio, left, a management and program analyst with Defense Logistics Agency Installation Management, is congratulated by DLA Director Navy Rear Adm. Michelle Skubic on receiving the Defense Department’s Outstanding Employee with a Disability Award at the 43rd Annual Secretary of Defense Disability Awards Ceremony Oct. 26, 2023 at the Hall of Heroes in the Pentagon. (Photo by Christopher Lynch)                            DLA employee makes exceeding expectations a way of life                            Vivian d’Alelio, left, a management and program analyst with Defense Logistics Agency Installation Management, is congratulated by DLA Director Navy Rear Adm. Michelle Skubic on receiving the Defense Department’s Outstanding Employee with a Disability Award at the 43rd Annual Secretary of Defense Disability Awards Ceremony Oct. 26, 2023 at the Hall of Heroes in the Pentagon. (Photo by Christopher Lynch)            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: Chris Lynch DLA PhotographerVIRIN: 231026-D-HE260-1017

Winning the award was almost surreal, she said, and she was excited to receive it.

“I’m very humbled and honored to be able to represent the agency, but I wouldn’t be able to do anything without my teammates,” d’Alelio said. “I’m very teammate oriented. Anything I accomplish, they’ve helped me accomplish. It’s really an honor.”

She’s been with DLA for 15 years and worked in five different divisions within DLA Installation Management, with a stint at DLA Intelligence. She came to DLA first as an intern through the Workforce Recruitment Program.

Angelina Carr, an accountable property officer with DLA Installation Management, nominated d’Alelio for the award. She often receives positive feedback on d’Alelio’s exceptional performance on special projects as well as her normal duties, she said.

“I nominated Vivan for the DOD Outstanding Employee with a Disability Award because her performance and spirit exemplify the qualities that the award represents,” Carr said. “She deserves recognition for the great work she does for us, and I was over the moon when she won it.”

A typical day at DLA for d’Alelio is processing government purchase card requests, being a timecard administrator and helping her teammates wherever she can. 

“I get a lot of questions because I’ve been here for so long. If someone doesn’t know something, someone will say, ‘Hey, ask Viv. She knows,’” she said.

She puts together the biweekly bulletin for the McNamara Headquarters Complex, is one of the organizers of the HQC farmers market, and assists with DLA’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation events. She’s also a keyworker for her group’s Combined Federal Campaign charity drive this year.

“I love to do events, so event planning is one of my favorite things to do,” d’Alelio said.

She’s always held those in the military in high regard, she said, adding that her grandfather was a colonel in the Air Force.

“Because of my disability I can’t be in the military, so working for the Defense Logistics Agency, where we actually support the warfighter, is the closest I can come. That’s why I’m so proud to work for DLA. It’s awesome because it’s the closest I can get to actually being in the military,” she said.

Without the support, love and guidance from God and her family, she wouldn’t be where she is today, she said.

“My family always told me that ‘can’t’ is not in your vocabulary,” d’Alelio said. “If there’s a way you can do it, you can always do it.”

In her free time, d’Alelio is the executive chair for a nonprofit called Project Manger-Cribs For Life that give baby cribs to families in need. She also teaches fifth grade Sunday school and enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

She earned her master’s degree in cybersecurity from the University of Maryland Global Campus, graduating as a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in culture anthology from Iowa State University.

“A lot of people who know or have seen people with cerebral palsy don’t realize that we can still think for ourselves,” d’Alelio said. “I’ve always told people I’m not a porcelain doll. I have my own mind, and I don’t break, and I’m never afraid to do something that may challenge me.”

In addition to d’Alelio, Greg Ramsey, a support agreement manager for DLA Installation Management in Columbus, Ohio, also received the Outstanding Defense Department Employee with a Disability Award. DLA was named the Best Mid-sized Component Among Employers of Individuals with Disabilities for the seventh consecutive year.

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