Carter G. Woodson nominees announced
 
  By Kristin Molinaro
  The Defense Supply Center Columbus has named the 2020 Carter G. Woodson Award nominees. The annual award recognizes two individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the African American community – one each from the Central Ohio community and the Defense Federal community. Past recipients include former Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty and Charles Tennant, the founder of Columbus’ Africentric School. This year’s recipients will be announced during the Black History Month observance Feb. 19 in the Defense Supply Center Columbus Operations Center Auditorium. The program will include remarks from keynote speaker John Stanford, of Columbus City Schools, and a musical performance by the East High School Drumline.  2020 Carter G. Woodson nominee Eukia Bryant.




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        Carter G Woodson Nominees
            2020 Carter G. Woodson nominee Eukia Bryant.

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                    VIRIN: 200214-D-D0441-0012020 Carter G. Woodson Award nominee Eukia Bryant is actively committed to the service of the Central Ohio African American community. A volunteer with Faith Mission, Bryant works at the resource center assisting those who are transitioning out of homelessness. As an acquisition professional with the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Bryant actively seeks out opportunities to improve DLA’s support to the Warfighter. Bryant was the first buyer in Maritime to issue an indefinite delivery contract utilizing simplified acquisition procedures for a commercial item valued at $2.3 million. Bryant leads with a servant’s heart by selflessly volunteering with Feds Feed Families by collecting food and monetary donations to help local food banks fight against hunger, serving as an ambassador for the Combined Federal Campaign and as a chairperson for the Leadership Development Council.  2020 Carter G. Woodson nominee Lashana Crone.




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        Carter G Woodson Nominees
            2020 Carter G. Woodson nominee Lashana Crone.

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                    VIRIN: 200214-D-D0441-0022020 Carter G. Woodson Award nominee Lashana Crone’s primary role with DLA Training requires her to manage several supervisory, leadership and management programs and initiatives within the Enterprise Leader Development Program framework. Specifically, she co-manages the ELDP Level 3 Program, which is comprised of more than 1,000 of DLA's experienced supervisors and leaders. Crone’s dedication and commitment are a credit to our agency and the African American community. In April 2019, Crone received the Malaika Mentor of the Year award for her work as a mentor with the Malaika Mentoring Program through Franklin County Children’s Services. In May 2019, Crone was recognized as a Boss Woman by Central Ohio’s National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs and featured on their social media outlets.  2020 Carter G. Woodson nominee Alice Ferguson.




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            2020 Carter G. Woodson nominee Alice Ferguson.

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                    VIRIN: 200214-D-D0441-0032020 Carter G. Woodson Award nominee Alice Ferguson is a valued member of the DLA Land and Maritime Post Award team. Ferguson has successfully completed her Level II Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement certification and actively participates in DLA-sponsored programs, such as the DLA Mentoring Program. Ferguson has demonstrated her commitment as a leader in her community through her involvement with the Greater Linden Business Network. She previously served as president of the GLBN and is currently serving as vice-president. Ferguson co-founded a non-profit organization called Sisters of Empowerment. These organizations provide much needed services to the members of the Greater Linden community.  2020 Carter G. Woodson nominee Erika Manuel.




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            2020 Carter G. Woodson nominee Erika Manuel.

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                    VIRIN: 200214-D-D0441-0042020 Carter G. Woodson Award nominee Erika Manuel is a basic contract administrator for DLA Land and Maritime’s Strategic Acquisition Programs Directorate, where she manages 21 active long-term contracts totaling over $44 million. Outside of DLA, Manuel is a proud member of a number of organizations supporting the African American community. She serves as the young adult vice chair for the Columbus section of the National Council of Negro Women and as a Bethune-Height Recognition Program Coordinator for the Ohio State Coalition of NCNW.  Manuel is the workforce development chair for the Central Ohio Club of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs. Manuel was also a member of one of the campaign committees which successfully worked to get the first three African American women ever elected to the Reynoldsburg City Council in November 2019.  2020 Carter G. Woodson nominee Tessie Stanford.




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            2020 Carter G. Woodson nominee Tessie Stanford.

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                    VIRIN: 200214-D-D0441-0052020 Carter G. Woodson Award nominee Tessie Stanford shares her years of experience in the military with her team members and Pathways to Career Excellence class. As a member of the Land Culture Council, she has embraced the responsibility of shaping the organization’s culture. She is the lead for the DSCC Diabetes Support Group and was instrumental in the development of the action plan to promote diet and healthy living among DLA associates. Stanford is the director of a non-profit organization called Greater Love Ministries in Columbus. Her efforts assisted over 250 clients in meeting their basic food and shelter needs and resources to improve their quality of life. Stanford is an avid life learner and mentor who leads by exemplifying continuous improvement in personal health, improving conditions for veterans and helping maintain a great culture at DLA.  2020 Carter G. Woodson nominee Michele Thrower-Shank.




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            2020 Carter G. Woodson nominee Michele Thrower-Shank.

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                    VIRIN: 200214-D-D0441-0062020 Carter G. Woodson Award nominee Michele Thrower-Shank is a passionate leader who has committed much of her energy to making the Central Ohio community stronger today than it was yesterday. She is a dedicated federal civil servant, devoted mother, active volunteer and involved church member. As a member of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service-Columbus, Thrower-Shank serves as the principal technical expert and advisor for the Defense Information Systems Agency Executive Liaison, DFAS senior leadership and DFAS system management teams. She guides DFAS activities and engages members of DISA to execute improvement initiatives, critical technology transition projects and service level agreements. Thrower-Shank has been a member of the Union Grove Baptist Church for almost 25 years, where she has remained an active member, organizer and volunteer.  Her volunteerism includes working with homeless shelters and handing out care packages to those in need in the community.  2020 Carter G. Woodson nominee Kimberly Wilson-Lawson.




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            2020 Carter G. Woodson nominee Kimberly Wilson-Lawson.

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                    VIRIN: 200214-D-D0441-0072020 Carter G. Woodson Award nominee Kimberly Wilson-Lawson established the African American Alzheimer’s and Wellness Association. Under her direction and with committed volunteers, including physicians and other professionals, they were able to pioneer a free clinic for the community to assist with medical examinations, memory screenings, eye exams and eye surgeries including free eye wear.  This would be one of the first of its kind and a trailblazer for many to come. Lawson-Wilson established AAAWA as a hosting agency for Ohio State University Social Work students to intern and receive a robust experience in the many multi-faceted service pathways of AAAWA. In August 2019, Lawson-Wilson was reappointed as a governing committee appointee of the Isabelle Ridgway Foundation, a foundation challenged with distributing funding to African American initiatives that will aid in serving the aging African American community.  ABOUT CARTER G. WOODSON:
Carter G. Woodson was an African American writer who penned many notable works including the influential book The Mis-Education of the Negro, and helped found the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. Woodson worked for the U.S. government as an education superintendent, and earned several degrees including a doctorate from Harvard University. He established a scholarly publication entitled The Journal of Negro History and formed the African American-owned Associates Publishers Press. He’s known for his work lobbying for schools and organizations to participate in a special program to encourage the study of African American history, which began in February 1926 with Negro History Week. The program was later expanded to what we know today as Black History Month.