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The Department of War Public Service Recognition Week Spirit of Service Ceremony. Please stand for the singing of our national anthem followed by the invocation. Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we held at the twilight last gleaming, who's brought stripes and bright stars through the peril us fight. Or the ramp parts we watched were so galling. And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star spangled banner yet wave or the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Almighty God, Father in heaven, we thank you for your presence with us today. This is a special day as we honor those here with the Spirit of Service award. These men and women have been fine examples of excellence and we bless them with your favor and grace. We ask that those here that have gotten this award that we also have the same attitude and that it be contagious and that we all strive for your ability to flow through us each and every day. We celebrate today the hard work and dedication that we have seen with those here and thank you for your continued blessing. In your holy name we pray.
Amen. Please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to our next speaker, one of the department's exceptional public servants, Mr. Robert G. Sales. Mr. Sales serves as the director of administration and management. As a principal staff assistant to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of War, he advises on and implements organizational and management actions to improve the effectiveness of the Department of War enterprise. Mr. Sales oversees the Pentagon Reservation, including the Raven Rock Mountain Complex and leased facilities throughout the National Capital Region, ensuring the safety and security of employees, as well as the operational
readiness and resilience of the reservation to meet national security missions. He manages financial contracting, personnel security and administrative support for the office of the secretary of war, select defense agencies and department of war field activities and department of and department personnel in the region. Mr. Salis's also exercises authority, direction and control over Washington headquarter services and the Pentagon force protection agency. As the department's performance improvement officer, Mr. Salus' advises the secretary and deputy secretary of war on ensuring the department's mission and goals are achieved through strategic planning analysis and performance measurement.
Previously, Mr. Salis has performed the duties of the deputy secretary of war, leading the department's $850 billion programming and budgeting process. He also served as the acting secretary of war, leading the department during a vital presidential transition period. directing the military forces and executing their global national security and defense missions. He served for over a decade as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense integration and defense support of civil authorities, acting as the principal career civilian adviser to eight secretaries of war. Mr.
Salis' is a retired United States Marine Corps officer whose career included global planning and execution of multiple internationally significant contingencies. For his actions during the liberation of Kuwait in the Gulf War, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Management and Economics from Rhode Island College and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr. Robert G. Sus's Good morning. Yeah, it was a little quiet in here before, so I hope we'll get a little excited here. Um, but thank you for that introduction.
Uh, it's an honor to be here with you today to celebrate the spirit of service award honores. It's a really significant accomplishment. I'll have more on that in a second. But let me welcome our distinguished guests and it's a bit of a who's who and senior leaders here in the department. So, welcome them today. You know, we can clap here too, right? Okay. Thank you. We all know that great accomplishments require a team effort. So, I'd like to start by acknowledging all those who support the awardees. And there's many of you here in this room. Thank you to the families, the friends, the supervisors, the mentors that are here. Your encouragement and support is a critical element to the success that we see in our awardees today. So, thank you.
Again, this is an award ceremony, so there ought to be a lot of clapping. Uh, don't hesitate. And a big welcome to our most distinguished guests, this year's 18 incredible spirit of service honores. Our spirit service honores represent many of the components of the department. the office of the secretary of the war, the joint staff, the air force, the space force, the national guard bureau, the navy, and the marine corps. URA. All right. Although the honores contributions and accomplishments to the department vary based on their responsibilities, several themes are consistent for all the awardees.
They've demonstrated consistent excellence, made extraordinary contributions to their organization's missions, and created lasting impacts to the department's mission. When you consider the civilian workforce of the department is over 800,000 employees that there are 650 different occupations across hundreds of career fields. that our career civilian workforce provides the institutional continuity and specialized expertise required to sustain the joint force. that our workforce ensures the national security missions are achieved and that the spirit of service award is one of the most prestigious awards for our career civilian workforce. Then it's fair to say that the department mission is due in no small part or measure to your extraordinary leadership
and today's spirit of service award recipients. So thank you very much. So let me the nomination process and evaluation process for the spirit of service award is very competitive. Each component is limited in the number of nominees and can only nominate their top performers who have empowered their employees and colleagues, mentored and developed others, championed service delivery, and demonstrated compassion through community service. In addition to delivering significant results, nominees must demonstrate the highest level of public service values while simultaneously developing and strengthening their workforce.
It is an elite group who are selected for the spirit of service recognition. As we look to the future, our nation faces some of the most significant national security challenges we have ever faced in our history. The world is a much more dangerous and demanding today than it was five years ago, three years ago, or even two years ago. And that will continue. Our adversaries are advancing their capabilities at a pace not seen before to include the sophistication and advancement of their weapon systems. As Secretary Hegstead has stated, we will achieve peace through strength by increasing our military readiness and
modernizing our force by improving the warrior ethos and strengthening deterrence. Today we recognize our awardees high level of professionalism and contribution. We also thank them for setting the standard for future leaders to meet the evolving national security challenges. As we know, the Department of War is a vast and complex organization. It is the personal dedication of each of you each and every day that enables the department to meet and exceed our national security missions. In a minute, we will read each of the awardee citations.
I've read them all. They're very, very impressive. So, I want to take a moment to highlight some of the statements in the citations that I believe are reflective of the lasting impact our awardees have had on the department. Now, I organized these statements into three categories. The first one was providing exemplary leadership. The next one was improving national security and the last one was improving workforce and community partnerships. And you can fit into all of those. But I chose some of the statements in the citations that I thought were good examples of uh these categories. in the category of providing exemplary leadership. Sounds like the Oscars, does it? In the category, but you're real people doing real things. So, thank
you very much. In the category of providing exemplary leadership, the statement is his visionary leadership inspired current and future generations of leaders and team members by excelling in his support to the war fighter. Her exceptional leadership and mentorship guided new officers and significantly improved mission success. He has been the Marine Corps's indispensable expert and leader for integrated and air missile defense. His flawless planning and exceptional coordination of nationally significant events involving senior leaders to include the vice president showcased the highest levels of professionalism. in the category of improving national security.
He moves students from the classroom into the operational field, securing America's technological advantage. His diplomatic skills and meticulous attention to de detail built a lasting legacy of international partnerships. Her visionary work in establishing cyber fellowships has created a vital two-way exch exchange of knowledge between government and academia. He transformed foreign language proficiency bonus process ensuring timely pay for our airmen and significantly improve the assignment process of critical language skilled personnel.
He modernized training courses that advanced dig digital literacy to ensure our educators are at the technological forefront. He doesn't just produce trusted analysis, he builds the analysis our navy needs to maintain its warfighting edge. His leadership averted high consequence impacts to major programs and directly safeguarded our war fighter readiness. And the last one in this category, he completely transformed the culture and capabilities of the Navy's airborne anti-ubmarine warfare signal process laboratory in the category of improving the workforce and community partnerships.
Her investment in time and energy has created lasting positive impacts for individuals and teams across her entire workforce. She singlehandedly improved the daily lives of her colleagues by fostering a collaborative culture and a firstass work environment. He developed critical policies to support community partnerships bringing emergency price relief to families directly benefiting our nation's airmen.
She is a true champion of service whose compassion is evident in her tireless efforts organizing events for thousand thousands of military children and collecting over 218,000 pounds of food for those events. And last, his ability to align resources effectively has greatly impacted over 450,000 service members and their family. Now, that is just a very quick review of the significant accomplishments. We'll hear the citations in a minute, but it's incredible the work that each of you have done. So, thank you. It's clear that you've all gone above and beyond uh to ensure the mission of the department and we're grateful for that. As one great leader said, our mission defines our purpose. Our people define our success and that certainly is
representative of all of you. So with that, now we can prevent the real citations. So thank you very much. Accompanying the award recipient on behalf of Washington Headquarter Services is Miss Regina F. Miners, Director, Washington Headquarter Services. Joining Miss Miners is Mr. Steven E. Brookke, Director Facility Services Directorate. The award recipient from Washington Headquarter Services is Mr. David M. Brown, branch chief. branch chief facilities operations and services division. Mr. Brown made exceptional contributions that significantly strengthened the mission of the Department of War and set a standard of excellence in customer
service delivery. His leadership has inspired current and future generations of leaders, colleagues, and team members to dedicate themselves to service within the Department of War and the Pentagon community. Through his vision and commitment, Mr. Brown has cultivated a high-erforming organization, a motivated and selfless workforce, and a culture defined by collaboration, excellence, and service. His dedication to continuous improvement, steadfast support to war fighter missions, and genuine care for the well-being of his workforce exemplify the highest ideals of values and servant leadership. Accompanying the award recipient on behalf of the office of the deputy assistant d secretary of war for prototyping and experimentation is Mr.
Daniel Mer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Prototypes and Experiments, Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering. The award recipient from the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Prototyping and Experimentation is Dr. Anne Mike Trann, director of prototyping. Dr. Tren directly confronted a critical national security vulnerability, the erosion of our domestic science, technology, engineering, and mathematics talent base, which threatened America's ability to outpace strategic competitors. In a direct execution of
the national defense strategy, he created the experimentation and prototyping institution consortium and the summer program internship consortium experience to build a resilient homegrown workforce a scalable model proven by its exponential growth. Dr. Trans signature brand expertise availability and relationships m and relationships mentorships model moves students from the classroom directly into the operational field by embedding them with soldiers and industry partners during complex exercises like technology readiness experimentation. He bridged the crucial gap between innovation and fielding. This work forged the essential human infrastructure required for technological dominance, securing
America's decisive advantage for decades to come. Accompanying the award recipient on behalf of the Defense Human Resources Activity is Miss Katie Griffin, acting director, Defense Manpower Data Center. The award recipient from the defense human resources activity is Dr. Jessica Meyers, staff adviser. Dr. Meyers made an exceptional and multifaceted contribution to the defense human resources activity embodying the highest ideals of public service. She has single-handedly improved the daily lives of her colleagues by fostering a collaborative culture and ensuring a firstass work environment. Furthermore, Dr. Meyer's initiative to honor the veteran community through a powerful art
exhibit demonstrates a profound compassion that has resonated deeply across the organization. Her holistic approach to service has boosted morale, deepened engagement, and strengthened our connection to the broader service community. Accompanying the award recipient on behalf of the Defense Health Agency is Rear Admiral Tracy Frell, Deputy to the Assistant Director of Healthcare Administration. The award recipient from the Defense Health Agency is Miss Sheri Silverman, chief of the strategic integration group. Miss Silverman is a transformational leader who championed employee empowerment to drive unprecedented mission success.
She personally revitalized struggling employees into top performers in under 90 days. Drove professional development compliance to 100% from 67% for her team. Funded key certifications to bridge the defense health agency mission gap and championed her staff to win 12 major awards 400% above goal. This people first approach directly yielded an exceptional 86% retention rate and an 18% surge in division performance. Miss Silverman's strategic vision empowered the enterprise by creating new frameworks for performance management and process improvement, guiding thousands of employees towards excellence. She also created the Defense Health Agency high reliability organizational maturity model,
empowering leaders across 40 military treatment facilities. The actions of Miss Silverman reflect great credit upon herself and the Department of War. Accompanying the award recipient on behalf of the National Reconnaissance Office is Mr. Darwin Banks, Director Systems Engineering Directorate. The award recipient from the National Reconnaissance Office is Miss Sonia Jones, Deputy Director, Office of Chief Architect.
Miss Jones demonstrated exceptional commitment to empowering National Reconnaissance Office employees and colleagues by completing comprehensive coaching certification aligned with International Coaching Federation standards and actively served as a certified coach within the National Reconnaissance Office Leadership Coaching Program. Over a five-month period, she invested approximately 130 hours to complete her certification training, including 60 hours of formal instruction, 40 hours of supervised coaching, and 30 hours of independent study. Miss Jones investment of time and energy in service of others development embodies the values of public service, professional development, and mission support while creating lasting positive
impacts across individual, team, and organizational levels and helps build the capabilities of the workforce. Accompanying five award recipients on behalf of the Department of the Air Force is Brigadier General Sheriff M. Khan, acting director of staff, headquarters, United States Space Force. The first award recipient from the Department of the Air Force is Mr. Jeffrey R. Faren, foreign affairs specialist. For over a decade, Mr. Faren has epitomized the highest ideals of customer service excellence serving as the cornerstone of the air force's relationship with the foreign atache corps. His flawless accreditation of
over 500 foreign for foreign ataches coordination of 170 leader legion of merit decorations and execution of countless diplomatic events have earned consistent praise from foreign officers and embassies worldwide. Mr. Farah's meticulous attention to detail, diplomatic grace, and genuine care for those he serves has shaped the foreign liaison office into the premier ataché program among all services. His service inspires confidence in the department of war and strengthens America's bonds with allied nations. Mr. Farah's professional integrity, dedication, and customer focused excellence represent the absolute best of the Department of War civilian corps and have built a lasting legacy of diplomatic success.
The second award recipient from the Department of the Air Force is Miss Charerelle M. Hatcher, Director, Cyber Workforce. Miss Hatcher's impact is defined by her approach to developing others, forging enduring pathways for potential cyber leaders that directly enhances national cyber readiness. Her revitalization of the Department of the Air Force senior military college intern program, personally mentoring an academic cohort yielded six new Department of the Air Force and United States Space Force career candidates, securing top talent before they enter the marketplace. Miss Hatcher opened the cyber
direct commissioning program to civilians, creating vital on-ramps for new talent. Her engineering of the cyber constructive service credit rules gave the Department of the Air Force a competitive edge, creating the framework to onboard season industry experts in military ranks by valuing their experience to provide immediate impact to readiness. Miss Hatcher's establishment of inaugural fellowships forged a permanent link to academia, creating a two-way exchange of knowledge between government and academia, culminating in a sustainable pipeline to cultivate the next era of cyber leaders. The third award recipient from the Department of the Air Force is Mr.
Michael S. Spencer, deputy director, community partnerships. Mr. Spencer developed a Department of the Air Force policy that promoted the use of community partnerships to support presidential memorandum 01-50, delivering emergency price relief for American families and defeating the cost of living crisis. He also developed an additional policy on leasing, contracting, and intergovernmental support agreements for unaccompanied housing to add additional tools in the toolkit for installation commanders managing housing deficits on their installations. Mr. Spencer played a key role in the in the Department of the Air Force scoring panel for fiscal year 2025 projects submitted for the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperations Defense
Community Infrastructure Program, which resulted in approximately $30 million in funded community-owned infrastructure improvements directly benefiting three Department of the Air Force installations. Additionally, he served as the lead representative for the Air Force in the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperations public schools on military installations effort to review proposals, attend each potential site, and validate requirements, resulting in projects that corrected infrastructure deficiencies in order to improve the quality of education for the students of airmen and guardians, aid in recruitment and retention of vital skills at the benefiting installation, and enhance
partnerships between communities and installations. The fourth award recipient from the Department of the Air Force is Mr. Sha M. Walker, management analyst. Mr. Walker exemplifies dedication by championing customer service and empowering his colleagues. He transformed the foreign language proficiency bonus adjudication process, achieving a 75% reduction in outstanding cases and ensuring timely, transparent pay decisions for airmen. He empowered over 50 talent managers by leading a strategic workshop to improve the assignment process for airmen with language skills. Mr. Walker strengthens stakeholder communication by co-f facilitating language program manager
action panel meetings and analyzing language designated position fill rates as a key member of organizational climate survey teams and a facilitator for mandatory safety training. His work has fostered a healthier and more supportive culture for all personnel. The final award recipient from the Department of the Air Force is Miss Yanel I. Gavinia, Intelligence Civilian Career Field Manager, United States Space Force. Miss Cavvenia demonstrated exceptional leadership significantly impacting personnel and processes across the enterprise. She empowered colleagues by onboarding three joint duty civilians from the office of the under secretary
of war for intelligence and security, the United States Army, and the director of national intelligence and developed three digital solutions to automate administrative tasks, relieving staff burdens. Her guidance on furlow best practices and pay supplements assisted other units and she boosted morale by securing and delivering command pins for the first time in three years. As a mentor, Miss Cavvenia's expertise on the chief of space operations action officer tiger team led to a you new United States Space Force Workshop day directly developing new officers. She champions service delivery by leading United States Space Force coordination on Ford Director of National Intelligence Policies and enhancing information
access via the headquarters Space Force S2 SharePoint, growing traffic by 10% monthly. Her efforts ensured mission continuity and improved inter agency collaboration. Accompanying three award recipients on behalf of the Department of the Navy, United States Marine Corps is Mr. Peter S. Ver Cruz, Deputy Director, Marine Corps Staff. The first award recipient from the Department of the Navy, United States Marine Corps is Mr. Charles D. Duke, program analyst and senior defense air defense manager.
Mr. Duke is the Marine Corps's indispensable subject matter expert for integrating air and missile defense, earning a perfect outstanding rating for five straight years. His impact is most visible in his role as the lead Marine Corps actions officer for the high priority Golden Dome for America initiative where he has been instrumental in shaping this vital national level program and representing Marine Corps etiquets at the highest levels. Mr. Duke's supervisors describe him as the go-to guy providing flawless trusted analysis to senior leaders including the commandant of the Marine Corps. His expertise has been a driving force in force design 2030 and in preparing leadership for critical engagement at the joint requirements
oversight council. Mr. Duke's decade of unparalleled dedication and strategic impact epitomized by his leadership on Golden Dome for America makes him a standard by which public service should be measured. The second award recipient from the Department of the Navy, United States Marine Corps is Mr. John H. Hawkdoll, Protocol Director, Office of the Commodant of the Marine Corps. Mr. Hawkd Doll played a critical role in the successful planning and execution of multiple high visibility events commemorating the United States Marine Corps's 250th birthday. He served as the principal planner and coordinator for
the commandant of the Marine Corps's birthday ball, the Pentagon cake cutting ceremony, the Marine Corps's workshop service, and assisted with White House level engagements celebrating the Navy and Marine Corps. Through disciplined planning, precise coordination, and exceptional customer service, Mr. Hawkdoll ensured seamless execution of nationally significant events involving the vice president of the United States, senior department of war leaders and inter agency partners. His leadership strengthened team performance, inspired confidence among senior stakeholders, and ensured these milestone events were executed with dignity and professionalism befitting the Marine Corps's 250 years of service to the
nation. The final award recipient from the Department of the Navy, United States Marine Corps is Mr. Sha M. Rug, senior educational technologist. Mr. Rug's exceptional leadership empowered over 50 United States Marine Corps commands through specialized training. As the primary consultant for curriculum development within the Marine Corps e-learning ecosystems learning management system, Moody, he fundamentally improved missionritical education delivery. Mr. Rug architected the McLaren series Moody training courses from beginner to advanced in an interactive content development course to advance digital literacy and keep educators at the technological
forefront. He coordinated critical security releases and led team planning for the transition to an enhanced Moody version minimizing disruptions for nearly 1 million active enrollments. Additionally, Mr. Rug fosters a culture of collaborative learning through a virtual community within the Marine Corps e-learning ecosystem. His tireless efforts to troubleshoot and coordinate updates empowers educators with the functional modernized tools required to achieve the United States Marine Corps's mission. Accompanying the award recipient on behalf of the Department of the Navy, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations is Mr. Thomas J. Vaughn Colnitz, Deputy
Director, Assessment Division. The award recipient from the Department of the Navy, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations is Mr. Craig A. Hackstaff, program analyst and the analytical anchor for the assessment division. Mr. Hackstaff's most profound contribution is his 10-year commitment to mentorship. He converts his expertise into enduring corporate knowledge by personally guiding over 15 personnel through the military's most complex strategic challenges. Mr. Hackstaff has cultivated a generation of analysts skilled in navigating 10 formal analyses of alternatives, global force management
assessments impacting operational plans, and the Pentagon's intricate budgeting cycle. He doesn't just produce trusted analysts. He builds analysts directly forging the in the intellectual capital the Navy needs to maintain its warfighting edge. Accompanying the award recipient on behalf of the Department of the Navy, Office of the Navy Intelligence Systems Division is Mr. Blaine Summers, Executive Director of Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division. The award recipient from the Department of the Navy, Office of the Navy Intelligence Systems Division is Mr. James B. Taylor, Division Director, Integrated Command and Control and Intelligence Systems.
Mr. Taylor proactively mitigated enterprise risk by sharing classified issue awareness across divisions. averting high consequence impacts to major programs and war fighter readiness. His leadership approach provides flexibility for the team to adapt to changing requirements. Mr. Taylor's leadership has had a lasting impact on the integrated command and control and intelligence systems division and the broader Department of War mission. Accompanying the award recipient on behalf of the Department of the Navy, Office of the Navy Anti-ubmarine Warfare Division is Mr. Joseph K. Wood, anti-ubmarine warfare platform integration and systems engineering branch head.
The award recipient from the Department of the Navy, Office of the Navy Anti-Ummarine Warfare Division is Mr. Christopher L. Ellington, anti-ubmarine warfare signal processing lead engineer. Mr. Ellington has fundamentally transformed the airborne anti-ubmarine warfare signal processing laboratory's culture, capability, and mission effectiveness, enabling his team to produce organic solutions and software capabilities directly to the fleet. Through delegating responsibilities and decision-making to his team and demonstrating their capabilities, he has created a productive and positive work environment. Mr. Ellington has established himself as a forward-leaning innovator whose technical expertise,
leadership, and ability to deliver under pressure have been have reshaped how the anti-ubmarine warfare signal system engineering division approaches software development. Accompanying the award recipient on behalf of the Department of the Navy, Office of the Navy Programs and Integration Division is Mr. Rodman D. Sansson, Director, Programs and Integration Division. The award recipient from the Department of the Navy, Office of the Navy Programs and Integration Division is Miss Bobby B. S event specialist.
Miss Su is the embodiment of the spirit of service. Her unwavering dedication and compassion shine through in her tireless work for the Department of the Navy. Miss Su doesn't just meet expectations, she redefes them. Whether it's sending 148 packages to military children, helping organize an event for 6,500 kids, or collecting over $218,000 of food for those in need. She consistently delivers excellence. Miss S's ingenuity saved $170,000 and raised $3.1 million for our sailors and Marines. Her processing of over 10,200 requests during a government shutdown is a testament to her commitment. Miss Saw is an inspirational leader and a true champion of service.
Accompanying the award recipient on behalf of the National Guard Bureau is Major General is Major General Levetta L. Bennett, Director of Manpower and Personnel. The award recipient from the National Guard Bureau is Mr. Matthew G. Kren, Chief of Staff, Manpower and Personnel Directorate. Mr. Kren has demonstrated exceptional leadership in empowering employees as chief of staff for the National Guard Bureau's manpower and personnel directorate, overseeing over 200 personnel and a $600 million budget. He implemented knowledge management
systems, reducing task times by 30%. And streamlined hiring processes, increasing efficiency by 35%. Mr. Krenn fostered collaboration across divisions, aligning resources to achieve strategic priorities and positively impact over 450,000 service members and their families. He developed clear policies that enabled employees to thrive in both remote and in-person environments. Mr. Kren's leadership during a manpower study optimized resource allocation and empowered employees to focus on mission success through innovative solutions and dedication. He has set a benchmark for public service. Yes, sir. Hey, just one more round of applause.
Congratulations to the spirit of service award recipients. We invite all of you to join us in the main food court for music by Max Impact from the US Air Force Band and food from Pentagon vendors. This concludes today's ceremony.
