The morning of Wednesday, November 30th, employees and managers logged into the FAVES webinar to attend the virtual Pathfinder awards program. This was the first time, that members from across the entire Aeronautical Center representing other organizations were nominated for awards.
The purpose of the program was to recognize the accomplishments of those employees that go the extra mile in contributing to the improvement and progress of their organizations and the Aeronautical Center. Michelle Coppedge, Director of the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center welcomed everyone and then introduced Ahmad Kennedy, as he sang the National Anthem, acapella.
The Keynote speaker for the event was Oklahoma State Senator Adam Pugh. He was elected to the Oklahoma State Senate in 2016. No stranger to aviation, he had served in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and the U.S. Air Force. He continued to work in aerospace, first at Boeing, then he went onto an engineering and logistics company before launching his own business, AP Jetworks.
Pugh broadcasted live from his hotel room while on travel status, in spite of a fire alarm going off during his presentation. Keeping his composure and still delivering inspirational messages and compliments about the work being performed at the Aeronautical Center, he shared important points about the importance of helping others and maintaining perseverance. The integrity of his words and the alarm added a little extra excitement to the awards program.
Kevin O’ Connor, Deputy Director of the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center followed the Senator’s presentation. Thanking everyone for attending the event to celebrate our collective, positive impact of the FAA, the DOT and the federal government. O’Connor mentioned that the Aeronautical Center has always been a place of strong collaboration and synergy and that the leaders of the Center could not be more proud of the organizations at the Center, with the ability to continually improve operations.
Various leaders from across the Center introduced each of the award categories, nominees and winners – leadership presenters included Greg Morgan, Manager of the Aeronautical Center’s HR Services Division; Valdrie Buford, Deputy Director of the FAA Academy; Corey Black, Director of the Office of Facility Management; Jerald Wolf, Deputy Director of the FAA Logistics Center; Dr. Melchor Antunano, Director of the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute; Steve Aube, Deputy Director of the Enterprise Services Center and Kim Sheppard Chief of Staff for the Aeronautical Center.
Later that same day, a small in-person reception was held for the nominees and winners in the headquarters building.
Kevin Coker
Charles Sullivan Exemplary Service Award
Danny Thomas
Mastering the Mission Award
Lauren Crain
Above & Beyond Customer Service, Individual Award
Radome and Mechanical Team
Members include: Thomas Cahill, Brian Harden, Timothy Housely, Aaron Hughes, Eric McKinley and Les Sheltman
Above & Beyond Customer Service, Team Award
Duane Roe
Making a Difference in the Workplace, Individual Award
Industrial Hygiene Team
Members include: Tori Hudson and Duane Roe
Making a Difference in the Workplace, Team Award
Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (SUAS) Team
Members Include: James Brice, JC Ogle, Heather Rochat, Kevin Rochat, John Peace, Bryan Scagnetti, john Whang, and Cory Yeager
World Class Performance Award
Eli Velazquez
Operational Excellence, Individual Award
Electrocardiogram (ECG) Team
Members include: Gregg Bendrick, Stefania Evans, Gayle Hornbeck, and Ronda Verrette
Operational Excellence, Team Award
David Zahn, NASA
Pathfinder Partner Award
Congratulations to all the award winners and nominees, as it is your efforts that support and help advance the FAA’s mission of providing the safest, most efficient airspace system in the world, all while meeting the needs of our customers across the federal government. By providing improved technologies and increased cost savings, it is employees like these Pathfinders that help launch us forward in innovation.
