On June 15th, 2023, AFN honored nine individuals and eight teams for their exceptional contributions to the FAA mission, many of which were employees from the Aeronautical Center!
Among the awardees, numerous employees from the Aeronautical Center have proven their unwavering commitment to upholding the values that underpin the agency’s mission. Through their ingenuity and collaborative spirit, these award recipients have showcased the power of teamwork and innovation in accomplishing AFN’s objectives. From sustainability initiatives to operational excellence and cutting-edge technological advancements, each winner’s dedication has significantly enhanced their organization’s efficiency, effectiveness, and overall impact.
Russell (Russ) Goering is a general engineer and the energy manager at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center. Russ is truly a sustainable hero, not only at the FAA, or even the DOT, but across the entire federal government. Russ ensures the Center’s 1,100-acre property continues to exceed federal sustainability goals. Under his leadership, the Aeronautical Center develops energy conservation projects, provides sustainability education to employees, and implements new technologies to reduce energy use. Through a multifaceted approach, Russ helped achieve over $700,000 in utility cost avoidance last year. Russ also led the Center to become the first DOT organization to receive a Department of Energy ISO 50001 Ready certification for creating a comprehensive energy management plan. This plan incorporates all the ways the Center reduces energy consumption and costs, from installing LED lights to full building renovations. Earlier this year, Russ helped the MMAC certify our 17th sustainable building, making the Center home to more than 60 percent of the FAA’s green buildings. Russ also played a key part in helping the FAA break ground on the DOT’s largest solar farm, as he helped with planning and budgeting of the project. Once completed, the farm will generate enough electricity to power more than 250 homes annually and offset nearly $200,000 of the Center’s annual electric bill.
Thank to Russ’s dedication and efforts, the FAA is not only a global leader in safety and efficiency but also sustainability. Congratulations, Russ!
Candace Cline is a financial specialist in the Enterprise Services Center (ESC) Travel Branch. Candace demonstrated a high level of professionalism and attention to detail in support of travel voucher audits for the ESC. This may sound like a routine task; however, the thing about audits is that sometimes they turn up mistakes. Occasionally the audit will find overpayments to travelers, and the task of notifying the traveler of the overpayment falls on her shoulders. Candace’s ability to manage the interaction in a thoughtful and understanding manner has resulted in recovering more than $40,000 in overpayments last year and successfully auditing over 2,100 vouchers. In addition to auditing vouchers, she provided comprehensive travel policy guidance to travelers to ensure authorizations, vouchers and claims are accurate and within policy.
To Candace’s customers, she’s knowledgeable, professional and helpful. It’s clear that she not only meets – but exceeds – her customers’ expectations while also saving money for the agency. Congratulations, Candace!
The Navigation and Landing Team led the in-house design, engineering, and construction of a new generation of the Doppler simulator. The team leveraged relationships with outside organizations to solve a complex issue within the National Airspace System (NAS). The original simulator, having served the agency for more than 40 years, was reaching the end of its life. Since a potential system failure would severely impact training operations, the team led the creation of a next-generation Doppler VOR lab environment, with a cost estimate that was $405,000 or less than quotes from industry partners.
The new simulator is the result of over six years of the in-house engineering and cooperation between ATO’s Ground-Based NavAids engineering team and the FAA Academy’s Nav Landing Section. Over that time, these groups created improvements in design. Every new version built on lessons learned to lower the cost and complexity of the final version. Most importantly, the team developed a template by which future simulators can be created faster and at a much lower cost. Congratulations to the members of the Navigation and Landing Team!
Members of the Navigation and Landing Team include: Jason Freeman, Shane Sellers, and William Smith
Shelly Fuller is the Lead Facility Information Specialist for ARCHIBUS in the Office of Facility Management. Shelly led the automating of operational and business functions to manage facilities across the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center. As the leader of the MMAC ARCHIBUS Team, Shelly completed the design, development, and data transition to migrate telecommunications requests and infrastructure from the MySoft platform to ARCHIBUS. This was the most complicated development that the ARCHIBUS Team has taken on since it first began more than 15 years ago. The biggest challenge was migrating the data from the legacy database, which required her to write more than 20,000 lines of code. Shelly refined the data transition process to be more efficient and repeatable.
Shelly implemented a solution that allowed her team to review and update records associated with the phones for the Aeronautical Center’s more than 6,300 employees in 135 buildings. Shelly’s innovative approach will save the Center about $20,000 annually. Congratulations Shelly!
The Kohler Power Team converted the Kohler 2nd Generation Automatic Transfer Switch Course from eight days of in-person training to three days of in-person training with the other days being held virtually. They lowered the cost per student by nearly 70 percent, for a yearly total savings of $245,000. The team also built a 3-D space that allows students to virtually ’walk through’ the training lab and interact with different pieces of equipment. Their close collaboration with the Air Traffic Organization ensured that the development and delivery met the ATO’s goals on training efficacy and cost efficiency. Not only did the team’s efforts result in a course favorability rating of 97.7 percent, the ATO used the model as a blueprint for developing the new Engine Generator Power Systems course.
This team went above and beyond to make the course represent the best version of the Academy.
Members of the Kohler Power Team include: Johnathan Johnson and David Yerka
Preparing for reentry into the workplace after more than two years in maximum emergency telework status was a very complex undertaking. Members from Acquisition and Business Services (ACQ), AFN Communications, Information & Technology Services (AIT), and the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center worked together and with partners to create and execute a comprehensive reentry plan. Aviation Property Management coordinated safety protocols, distribution of personal protective equipment, facility cleanings and response teams. ACQ and AIT collaborated as well to revamp Reserve-it. They greatly improved user experience and the group entered 12,000 FAA workspaces into the system. AFN Communications created a one-stop Reentry Toolkit and developed an interactive online map that linked all nine FAA regional offices and the two centers with reentry information for those facilities. AND Communications also created a hugely successful Town Hall to address employee questions.
The COVID-19 Reentry Response Team worked collaboratively amid a continually shifting landscape and timeline. The success of the FAA’s return to the workplace is a testament to the team’s efforts. Congratulations to the COVID-19 Reentry Team!
Congratulations once again to all the well-deserved AFN award winners! Your contributions serve as a testament to the incredible potential that arises when talented individuals come together to achieve a common goal. Here’s to looking forward, witnessing your continued success and contributions in shaping the future of the FAA. It’s winners like these that help to create an even more impactful future for everyone at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center.
Members of the COVID-19 Reentry Team include: Jeffrey Baker, Kathy Bruno, Yvette Clinton, James Connett, Lizzette Costa, Bryan Dahlvang, Jimmy Falcon, Daniel Goldsmith, Robert Graf, Sylivia Greaux-Bagley, Wayne Heibeck, Terry Julian, Nikki Lang, Donna Peterson, Mary Lou Pickel, Jaime Quinones, Johnny Sains, Len St. Clair, Samuel Schrecongost, Jenna Steele, Scott Stevens, Bradford Twinam, Patricia Ware, and Michael Yort.
