# DLA employees, teams honored during 55th Annual Employee Recognition Awards Ceremony

/ Published Jan. 30, 2023
FORT BELVOIR, Va., 
The Defense Logistics Agency celebrated the accomplishments of its workforce during the 55th Annual Employee Awards Ceremony Jan. 26 at its Fort Belvoir, Virginia, headquarters.

In total, 57 awards were presented in 14 categories to 45 individuals and 12 teams from across the agency, including 13 from DLA Headquarters.

1:01:49VIDEO  | 1:01:49 |55th Annual DLA Employee Awards Ceremony (open caption)

DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. Michelle Skubic hosted the event, which was the first in-person awards ceremony held during her tenure. The ceremony was held virtually for the past two years because of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

“Our awardees come from various activities across our global agency,” Skubic said. “They’ve distinguished themselves in a number of different ways, whether through extraordinary customer support, finding an innovative solution to a problem, improving efficiency, saving money for the taxpayer or – in the case of our police and our firefighters – making sure our place of work is safe, which we very much appreciate.” 

She acknowledged the agency’s work over the past year in supporting forces in Europe and around the globe, providing hundreds of millions of homes with COVID-19 tests, supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency during hurricane season and the U.S. Forest Service during wildfire season, and the continuing growth in digital business transformation, including warehouse modernization efforts.

“Since my arrival as director in 2020, as well as in my two previous DLA tours, there’s been no shortage of amazing work by our employees and no shortage of those deserving recognition for those efforts,” she said.

Senior leaders, as well as the agency’s customers, appreciate the workforce’s efforts, she added.

“That tells me that we’re in the right places for providing solutions,” she said. “We understand the priorities and the needs of our customers, no matter who they are and what their missions are. We’re making a difference.”

Among the ceremony’s recipients was Air Force Maj. Krystal McGuiness from DLA Logistics Operations, who was named one of the 10 Outstanding DLA Personnel of the Year. She manages a $2.6 billion portfolio encompassing 10 strategic deterrent systems across nuclear and space operations. She worked toward formalizing DLA Space Enterprise and established the first-ever memorandums of agreement with the U.S. Space Command and the U.S. Space Force.

The Small Team of the Year Award went to DLA Energy’s contracting team for fuel redistribution at Red Hill, Hawaii. DLA Aviation won Medium Team of the Year for its TF33 team and Large Team of the Year for its General Electric T700 and TF34 teams.

Several acquisition professionals were honored. Annette Graham from DLA Disposition Services received the Excellence in Acquisition Award. Ella Madison from DLA Land and Maritime received the Individual Acquisition Support Professional of the Year Award. The DLA Energy Acquisition Workforce and Development Team earned the Group Acquisition Support Professional of the Year Award. The DLA Energy Direct Delivery FEPC Team won the Acquisition Workforce Achievement Award, and Shane Banks from DLA Energy received the Individual Acquisition Workforce Achievement Award.

The complete list of winners is below.

**Top Ten DLA Employees of the Year**

Category A
      - Juan Morales Martinez, DLA Distribution
      - Phillip Rolfe, DLA Disposition Services

Category B
      - Robert Nobach Jr., DLA Logistics Operations
      - Steven Richards, DLA Aviation
      - Melissa Rodriguez, DLA Energy
      - Carolyn Toney, DLA Land and Maritime

Category C
      - Erich Gabris, DLA Enterprise Risk Management
      - Air Force Col. Michael Hansen, DLA Acquisition
      - Air Force Maj. Krystal McGuiness, DLA Logistics Operations
      - Adam Tutolo, DLA Troop Support

**Leader of the Year**
      - Level 1 – Michael Maclean, DLA Energy
      - Level 2 – David Jolls, DLA Acquisition
      - Level 3 – Jason Elliott, DLA Aviation
      - Level 4 – Janice Rice, DLA Logistics Operations

**Employee of the Quarter**
      - Category A – Matthew Stott, DLA Aviation
      - Category B – Walter Hegan, DLA Energy
      - Category C – Carla Myers, DLA Finance

**Team Awards**
      - Small – Contracting Team, Fuel Redistribution Resulting from Permanent Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility Closure, DLA Energy
      - Medium – TF33 Team, DLA Aviation
      - Large –T700 and TF34 Team, DLA Aviation

**Equal Employment Opportunity Awards**
      - Achievement in EEO by an Employee – Deion Black, DLA Distribution
      - Achievement in EEO by a Supervisor or Manager – Alonzo Burris II, DLA Land and Maritime
      - Achievement in EEO by an Organization – DLA Troop Support
      - Outstanding Employee with a Disability – Steven Chu, DLA Information Operations

**Military Personnel Awards**
      - Field Grade Officer of the Year – Army Maj. Jean’Shay Moore, DLA Troop Support
      - Company Grade Officer of the Year – Air Force Capt. Ioan Gaitan, DLA Energy
      - Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year – Marine Corps Master Sgt. Dwight Amantine-Taylor, DLA Distribution
      - Junior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year – Navy Petty Officer 1 st  Class Miguel Bengocheacaraballo, DLA Distribution
      - Joint Reserve Force Field Grade Officer of the Year – Navy Lt. Cmdr. Ruben Chavira, DLA Distribution
      - Joint Reserve Force Company Grade Officer of the Year – Army Capt. Adam Davis, DLA Joint Reserve Force
      - Joint Reserve Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year – Navy Chief Petty Officer Michael Harshbarger, DLA Distribution
      - Joint Reserve Force Junior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year – Navy Petty Officer 1 st  Class Akinlolu Akinbode, DLA Distribution

**Installation Support Excellence Awards**
      - Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Facility/Program Excellence Award – Riverview Golf Course, DLA Installation Management at Susquehanna
      - Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Program Management Award – Steven Gales, DLA Installation Management at Battle Creek
      - DLA Police Officer of the Year – Officer Matthew Bednego, DLA Installation Management at Susquehanna
      - DLA Lead Police Officer of the Year – Sergeant Richard Holmes, DLA Installation Management at Columbus
      - DLA Supervisory Police Officer of the Year – Captain Gregory Filbrun, DLA Installation Management at Columbus
      - Outstanding Police Activity of the Year – DLA Installation Management at Richmond
      - DLA Firefighter of the Year – Firefighter/EMT/HazMat Technician Paul Esposito, DLA Installation Management at Susquehanna
      - DLA Fire Officer of the Year – Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Bardar, Defense Supply Center Columbus
      - DLA Fire Service Instructor of the Year – Captain John Fogg III, DLA Installation Management at Susquehanna
      - DLA Fire Prevention Program of the Year – DLA Installation Management at Susquehanna
      - DLA Emergency Communication Center Dispatcher of the Year – Emergency Service Dispatcher Brittany Nye, DLA Installation Management at Susquehanna
      - DLA Fire Department of the Year – DLA Installation Management at Susquehanna

**Enterprise Safety Excellence Awards**
      - Safety Professional of the Year – Shyamal Banerjee, DLA Aviation
      - DLA Safety Champion of the Year – David Green, DLA Distribution
      - DLA Employee Safety/Voluntary Protection Program Team – DLA Distribution Norfolk Safety Team, DLA Distribution

**Security Professional Awards**
      - DLA Junior Security Professional of the Year – Dale Davis, DLA Installation Management at Susquehanna
      - DLA Senior Security Professional of the Year – Shayne Nakamoto, DLA Intelligence

**Acquisition Excellence Awards**
      - Excellence in Acquisition – Annette Graham, DLA Disposition Services
      - Acquisition Support Professional of the Year (Individual) – Ella Madison, DLA Land and Maritime
      - Acquisition Support Professional of the Year (Team) – DLA Energy Acquisition Workforce and Development Team, DLA Energy
      - Acquisition Workforce Team Achievement – Direct Delivery FEPC Team, DLA Energy
      - Acquisition Workforce Individual Achievement – Shane Banks, DLA Energy

**Information Technology Excellence Awards**
      - Information Technology Program Manager of the Year – Michelle York, DLA Information Operations
      - Information Technology Person of the Year – Steven Forster, DLA Information Operations
      - Information Technology Team of the Year – Enterprise IT Architecture Team, DLA Information Operations