# Army medals recognize DLA Energy utilities privatization work

/ Published July 6, 2023
FORT BELVOIR, Va., 
Defense Logistics Agency Energy employees earned Army Civilian Service Achievement Medals for helping Fort Campbell achieve essential upgrades of electrical, water and wastewater utilities in 2022.

The Kentucky-based installation has been working to obtain safe, reliable, technologically current and environmentally sound utility systems. The DLA Energy Utility Services Division helps military customers shift from the role of utility owners and operators to that of utility service customers through the utilities privatization program.

“Fort Campbell is a big installation with a big mission and has been working hard to get infrastructure improvements for its aging utility systems,” said DLA Energy Utility Services Division Chief Martha Gray.

Patti Rivera, Anjelica Crawford and Kristen Wrenn earned medals for their contracting support of electrical system upgrades. Bonnie Sheehan, Nikki Rooksby and Randall Legions earned medals for their contracting support of water and wastewater system upgrades.

Rooksby has been with DLA Energy for 17 years. She said DLA Energy worked with Fort Campbell to incorporate a renewals and replacements component to its existing water and wastewater contract to replace failing infrastructure. The contract, which was initially awarded in 2000 by the Army, was transferred to DLA Energy in 2021 to take advantage of DLA Energy’s capabilities, industry partnerships and contracting workforce. 

She said this was the first time she’s received anything from outside the agency.

“Sometimes it’s hard to see how the work we do impacts the installations, but by receiving this award from the Army it signifies that the work we do is recognized,” Rooksby said. 

Crawford has been working with DLA Energy for a little over a year. She said the medal has encouraged her to continue to learn and work harder for her customers.

“Receiving this award makes me feel like I am making great strides to master my work,” she said.

Wrenn, who’s been with the agency since 2019, said it’s a team effort.

“The Fort Campbell electric utilities privatization contract is busy with multiple ongoing construction or connection projects at once. Each project is unique with differing requirements,” she said. “I work closely with the whole team to ensure each project is tracked from the requirements stage to project completion. Our combined team has been wonderful to work with for the past three years.”

Gray talked about how rare and unique it is for non-Army civilian employees to earn these medals.

“Getting these awards isn’t easy,” she said. “Fort Campbell embraces the work we do and jumped through hoops to present these awards. They went the extra mile to thank our team, and we certainly appreciate that.”

DLA Energy contract specialists work on multiple contracts at a time. For example, Crawford works on contracts at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas; Fort Knox, Kentucky; and Mayport, Florida. Rooksby’s portfolio includes the Travis Air Force Base water contract, Goodfellow Air Force Base electric contract and the Patuxent River water and wastewater solicitation in California, Texas and Maryland, respectively. Wrenn is working on the electric and water/wastewater contracts at Fort Johnson, Louisiana, and a pre-award solicitation for the Navy.

Utilities privatization began in the 1990s and DLA Energy Utility Services provides pre- and post-award contracting and technical expertise for Service partners who want to privatize their installation’s utilities.

“Most installations were built many decades ago and their utility systems are aging,” said Deputy Division Chief of DLA Energy Utility Services Laurie Carlson. “Utility services contracts leverage the experts to recapitalize systems and achieve resilient and reliable utilities.”

A video about DLA Energy’s utilities privatization efforts on Fort Hood, Texas, highlights the installation’s successes in the program. Read more about other utilities privatization projects in the DLA Newsroom. 

Learn more about DLA Energy Utility Services and other DLA Energy programs and services at www.DLA.mil/Energy.