ALCOAST 146/08
COMDTNOTE 1650
SUBJ: CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (CFO) AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE
A. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC R272100Z NOV 07, ALCOAST 547/07
B. MEDALS AND AWARDS MANUAL, COMDTINST 1650.25(SERIES)
1. THE 2007 COAST GUARDS CHIEF FINANCIA
L OFFICER (CFO) AWARDS FOR
EXCELLENCE RECOGNIZE THOSE PERSONNEL WHO HAVE MADE OUTSTANDING
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FIELD OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND
COMPTROLLERSHIP WHILE ALSO CREATING A CULTURE OF INTERNAL CONTROLS
AND DEMONSTRATING STEWARDSHIP IN SUPPORT OF COAST GUARD OPERATIONS.
2. I AM HONORED TO ANNOUNCE THE 2007 CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER AWARDS
IN THEIR RESPECTIVE CATEGORIES:
 A. ENLISTED PERSONNEL: SKC MICHAEL JUDIN, USCG TRACEN PETALUMA,
CA. CHIEF JUDIN IS CITED FOR SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE WHILE SERVING AS
THE CHIEF STOREKEEPER OF THE PROCUREMENT AND ACCOUNTING SECTION.
FOLLOWING THE UNEXPECTED LOSSES OF THE DEPUTY COMPTROLLER AND CHIEF
OF THE ACCOUNTING BRANCH, CHIEF JUDIN ASSUMED RESPONSIBILITY AS
CHIEF, ACCOUNTING, PROCUREMENT, AND PROPERTY SECTION. QUICKLY
ASSUMING LEADERSHIP OF A STAFF OF 18, HE EXECUTED OVER 13 MILLION
DOLLARS IN OPERATIONAL FUNDS AND GUIDED TRACEN PETALUMA TO A
SUCCESSFUL CLOSEOUT, ACHIEVING A 100 PERCENT SPEND DOWN TARGET.
DEMONSTRATING REMARKABLE FLEXIBILITY IN THE FACE OF EMERGENT
COMMAND PRIORITIES, CHIEF JUDIN IDENTIFIED OVER 600 THOUSAND
DOLLARS WITHIN THE COMMAND BUDGET THAT WERE REALLOCATED TO FUND
VITAL UNIT SAFETY AND QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENTS.
 B. CIVILIAN EMPLOYEE UP TO GS-8: MS. MICHELE CAMARA, USCG YARD. MS
CAMARA IS CITED FOR SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE WHILE SERVING AS AN
ACCOUNTING TECHNICIAN AT THE COAST GUARD YARD AND ENGINEERING
LOGISTICS CENTER BALTIMORE, MD. CONCENTRATING
HER EFFORTS ON
IMPROVING THE ACCURACY AND TIMELINESS OF ACCOUNT RECONCILIATIONS,
MS. CAMARA IMPROVED THE ACCURACY OF THE ACCOUNTS PAYABLE DATA FOR
OVER 139 MILLION IN CASH TRANSACTIONS AND MORE THAN 23,000 INVOICE
DOCUMENTS COMPRISED OF THOUSANDS OF DETAIL LINE ITEM TRANSACTIONS.
DESPITE A DEPARTMENTAL SHORTAGE OF PERSONNEL, MS. CAMARA
DEMONSTRATED SUPERB INITIATIVE BY TAKING ON ADDITIONAL DUTIES,
WHICH INCLUDED THE DEVELOPMENT OF IMPROVED PROCEDURES TO PROCESS
UNRESOLVED CREDIT CARD AND INTERAGENCY PAYMENT AND COLLECTION
(IPAC) TRANSACTIONS. HER INITIATIVES RESULTED IN A REDUCTION TO THE
MONTHLY STATEMENT OF DIFFERENCES REPORT BETWEEN THE YARD AND THE
U. S. TREASURY OF OVER 30 PERCENT AND HAD A DIRECT POSITIVE IMPACT
ON A PRIMARY COAST GUARD FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT GOAL OF RECONCILING
THE AGENCYS FUNDS BALANCE WITH TREASURY.
 C. CIVILIAN EMPLOYEE GS-9 TO GS-12: MS. NANCY BOBAL, USCG
MAINTENANCE AND LOGISTICS COMMAND ATLANTIC. MS. BOBAL IS CITED FOR
SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE AS A MAINTENANCE AND LOGISTICS COMMAND
ATLANTIC BUDGET ANALYST. DURING THIS PERIOD MS. BOBAL EXPERTLY
MANAGED THE DOCUMENTATION AND BILLING PROCESS FOR OVER 85 MILLION
DOLLARS IN REIMBURSABLE DISASTER FUNDS RELATED TO THE COAST GUARDS
ONGOING HURRICANE KATRINA AND RITA DEBRIS REMOVAL EFFORTS IN
LOUISIANA AND MISSISSIPPI. HER TIRELESS WORK ETHIC AND ATTENTION TO
DETAIL WERE CRITICAL IN ENSURING THAT THE COAST GUARD WAS ABLE TO
PROVIDE THE DOCUMENTATION
 REQUIRED TO OBTAIN REIMBURSEMENT OF THESE
FUNDS FROM FEMA. RECOGNIZING ONGOING INEFFICIENCIES IN THE
DISPOSITION OF PROPERTY RELATED TO HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA
RESPONSE, MS. BOBAL CREATED A CENTRALIZED PROPERTY INFORMATION AND
DISPOSITION PROCESS THAT ALLOWED FEMA TO QUICKLY QUERY PROPERTY
STATUS AND OBTAIN INFORMATION ON COAST GUARD POCS WHO COULD PROVIDE
THE PROPERTY DOCUMENTATION. MS. BOBALS PERFORMANCE DIRECTLY
CONTRIBUTED TO THE COAST GUARDS OUTSTANDING REPUTATION FOR THE
MANAGEMENT OF STAFFORD ACT FUNDS AND ENABLED THE COAST GUARD TO
RECOUP MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR OTHER ORGANIZATIONAL PRIORITIES.
 D. CIVILIAN EMPLOYEE GS-13 AND ABOVE: MS. CHRISTINA STEBBINS, USCG
HQ. MS. STEBBINS IS CITED FOR SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE WHILE SERVING IN
THE OFFICE OF FINANCIAL POLICY AND SYSTEMS AND THE OFFICE OF
RESOURCES WITHIN THE RESOURCE DIRECTORATE AT CG HEADQUARTERS.
DURING THIS PERIOD MS. STEBBINS MADE SEVERAL SIGNIFICANT, POSITIVE
IMPACTS ON COAST GUARD FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES.
SERVING AS THE FINANCE AND PROCUREMENT DESKTOP (FPD) MANAGER, MS.
STEBBINS OVERSAW ALL SOFTWARE DESIGN DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTATION
AND TRAINING FOR DOZENS OF SYSTEMS ENHANCEMENT AND UPGRADES.
INCLUDED IN THESE ENHANCEMENTS WERE SEVERAL CFO AUDIT CRITICAL
UPGRADES WHICH INCLUDED: SINGLE SIGN-ON, CENTRALIZED USER
ADMINISTRATION, CONTRACTING WARRANT MANAGEMENT MODULE, AND USER
MANAGEMENT MODULE. RECOGNIZING CRITICAL TECHNOLOGICAL
 GAPS IN THE
COAST GUARDS ABILITY TO FEED ACCURATE QUARTERLY AND ANNUAL CLOSEOUT
DATA TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, MS. STEBBINS LED A YEAR-LONG
EFFORT TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURES TO CALCULATE
A PIPELINE ADJUSTMENT NECESSARY TO COMPUTE YEAR-END SPENDING. HER
INNOVATIVE EFFORTS RESULTED IN THE CERTIFICATION OF OVER 6.8
BILLION DOLLARS, SPANNING MULTIPLE APPROPRIATIONS AND 6,280
ACCOUNTS.
 E. CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER: CWO GEORGE A. HEATH, CG PATROL FORCES
SOUTHWEST ASIA (PATFORSWA), BAHRAIN. UPON ARRIVAL IN PATFORSWA, CWO
QUICKLY RECOGNIZED THE STRAIN THE 5,000 HOUR PER YEAR OPERATIONAL
SCHEDULE WAS PLACING ON THE CREWS OF THE 6 110 FOOT WPBS HE WAS
TASKED TO SUPPORT. SHIFTING AS MUCH RESPONSIBILITY FOR PROCUREMENT,
PROPERTY OVERSIGHT, AND LOGISTICS TO HIS TEAM AS WAS POSSIBLE, HE
GREATLY REDUCED CUSTOMER FRUSTRATION, INCREASED VISIBILITY AND
KNOWLEDGE OF SUPPLY PROCESSES, AND SHORTENED DELIVERY TIMES THROUGH
THE USE OF LOCAL SOURCES OF SUPPLY. ORCHESTRATING A 15 MILLION
DOLLAR ANNUAL BUDGET OF IRAQI FREEDOM FUNDING, CWO HEATH ALSO
PROVIDED SUPPORT SERVICES TO TWO MAJOR SHORESIDE FACILITIES IN
BAHRAIN, A FORWARD OPERATING BASE IN KUWAIT, AND AN ISOLATED
TRAINING CENTER IN UMM QASR, IRAQ. CWO HEATHS SUPERB MANAGEMENT OF
PATFORSWAS OPERATING FUNDS, OVERSIGHT OF 4.7 MILLION DOLLARS OF
MILITARY INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROCUREMENT REQUESTS, AND REORGANIZATION
OF 5,300 LINE ITEMS OF OPERATING MATERIALS AND SUPPLI
ES, IDENTIFIED
1.8 MILLION DOLLARS IN UNUSED FUNDS THAT WERE RETURNED TO LANTAREA
TO ADDRESS OTHER EMERGENT OPERATIONAL NEEDS.
 F. COMMISSIONED OFFICER UP TO O-3: LT JOHNENE HALLOCK, EIGHTH CG
DISTRICT. LT HALLOCK IS CITED FOR SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE WHILE
SERVING AS THE EIGHTH COAST GUARD DISTRICT BUDGET OFFICER.
DEMONSTRATING SUPERIOR MANAGERIAL AND LEADERSHIP ACUMEN, LT HALLOCK
DRAMATICALLY IMPROVED FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT
BY CLEARING A BACKLOG OF OVER 2,000 ACCOUNT RECONCILIATIONS,
LIQUIDATING OVER 3,000 UNDELIVERED ORDERS (UDOS) TOTALING OVER 12
MILLION DOLLARS AND ORCHESTRATING THE MOST ACCURATE CLOSE OUT FOR
ANY DISTRICT, ACHIEVING AN OBLIGATION RATE OF 99.94 PERCENT. IN
ORDER TO ACHIEVE THESE RESULTS, LT HALLOCK EXPENDED COUNTLESS HOURS
PROVIDING RECONCILIATION TRAINING TO FIELD UNIT PERSONNEL THAT
DIRECTLY RESULTED IN A 25 PERCENT IMPROVEMENT IN THE DISTRICTS
BUDGET METRIC TRACKING SYSTEM (BTMS) SCORE. RECOGNIZING
INEFFICIENCIES WITHIN THE DISTRICT STAFF, LT HALLOCK CREATED A
CENTRALIZED SUPPLY AND PROCUREMENT SHOP FOR JUST D8 HQ THAT
RESULTED IN GREATLY ENHANCED CUSTOMER SERVICE, INCREASED ACCOUNT
ACCURACY AND IMPROVED PROPERTY TRACKING.
 G. COMMISSIONED OFFICER O-4 AND ABOVE: LCDR BRUCE BROWN, SEVENTH
CG DISTRICT. LCDR BROWN IS CITED FOR SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE WHILE
SERVING IN THE OFFICE OF FINANCIAL POLICY AND SYSTEMS AT COAST
GUARD HEADQUARTERS AND AS DEPUTY CHIEF, RESOURCE AND PERFORM
ANCE
MANAGEMENT AT THE SEVENTH DISTRICT. AS COMPTROLLER COMDT (CG-8),
LCDR BROWN INSTITUTED STRICT SPEND DOWN AND RECONCILIATION
GUIDELINES THAT DRAMATICALLY IMPROVED ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE
EXECUTION OF 70 MILLION DOLLARS IN HQ CENTRALLY MANAGED ACCOUNTS.
DRAWING ON HIS EXPERT KNOWLEDGE OF COAST GUARD PROCUREMENT AND
PROCUREMENT SYSTEMS, LCDR BROWN COORDINATED THE DEVELOPMENT,
TESTING, AND TRAINING FOR THE PIPELINE CERTIFICATION TOOL, AN
INNOVATIVE WEB BASED SOLUTION THAT ENABLED UNITS THROUGHOUT THE
COAST GUARD TO ACCURATELY CERTIFY THE OBLIGATION AND EXPENDITURE OF
OVER 6.8 BILLION DOLLARS IN PROCUREMENT, SPANNING MULTIPLE
APPROPRIATIONS AND 6,280 ACCOUNTS. THE SUCCESS OF THE PIPELINE
CERTIFICATION TOOL GREATLY IMPROVED THE ACCURACY OF THE COAST
GUARDS FINANCIAL REPORTING AND DEMONSTRATED THE COAST GUARDS
CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO PRUDENT STEWARDSHIP OF TAXPAYER RESOURCES.
 H. TEAM AWARD: SECTOR ST. PETERSBURG FL: SECTOR ST. PETERSBURG
(SSP) SUPPLY DIVISION IS CITED FOR SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE DURING
2007. TASKED WITH THE SUPPORT FOR HALF OF THE 110 WPBS INVOLVED IN
THE DUAL-CREWING PROGRAM, THE SSP SUPPLY DIVISION AGGRESSIVELY
PURSUED INNOVATIVE WAYS TO IDENTIFY RESOURCES THAT COULD BE BETTER
UTILIZED IN THE SUPPORT OF THE WPB FLEET. THROUGH METICULOUS
OVERSIGHT OF DEFENSE FUEL CONTRACTS, VEHICLE FLEET REDUCTIONS, AND
THE EMPLOYMENT OF ENERGY SAVINGS AND RECYCLING PROGRAMS, THE SUPPLY
DIVISION ACHIEVED 226K DOLLARS IN RECURRING COST SAVINGS. STRIVING
TO PROVIDE THE BEST IN CUSTOMER SUPPORT, THE SSP SUPPLY DIVISION
WAS ONE OF THE FEW SECTOR SUPPLY DIVISIONS TO ACHIEVE A CLEAN SWEEP
OF THE 2007 MLC COMPLIANCE INSPECTION. THIS HIGH LEVEL OF
PROFESSIONALISM AND CONCERN FOR FELLOW SHIPMATES SERVING IN THE WPB
FLEET DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE SUCCESS THE FLEET HAD IN 2007 IN
BOTH STOPPING THE FLOW OF ILLEGAL DRUGS AND INTERDICTING OVER 2,000
ILLEGAL MIGRANTS BOUND FOR U.S. SHORES.
3. I CONGRATULATE ALL NOMINEES AND AWARD WINNERS ON YOUR SUCCESS
AND ENCOURAGE ALL MEMBERS OF THE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT COMMUNITY TO
CONTINUE TO STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE WORK YOU DO. THE
INNOVATIVE AND DEDICATED EFFORTS BEING MADE EVERY DAY THROUGHOUT
THE COAST GUARD TO MANAGE OUR FINANCIAL RESOURCES AND SUPPORT OUR
OPERATIONAL NEEDS WAS REFLECTED IN ALL OF THE NOMINATION
SUBMISSIONS.
4. THE COAST GUARD CFO AWARDS WILL BE PRESENTED DURING THE COAST
GUARD SERVICE DAY AT THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE (PDI)
IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA ON MAY 28, 2008. COMDT (CG-8) WILL PROVIDE
FUNDING FOR PERSONAL AWARD WINNERS AND THE TEAM LEADER OR DESIGNEE
OF THE TEAM AWARD TO ATTEND THE ASMC PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
INSTITUTE CONFERENCE 27 MAY - 30 MAY 2008. PLEASE ADDRESS ANY
INSTITUTE CONFERENCE 27 MAY - 30 MAY 2008. PLEASE ADDRESS ANY
QUESTIONS CONCERNING NOMINATIONS, AWARD PRESENTATIONS,
ACCOMMODATIONS, TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS AND FUNDING TO LT FRANCISCO
ESTEVEZ AT (202)372-3656, OR EMAIL FRANCISCO.A.ESTEVEZ (AT)
COMDT.USCG.MIL.
5. RADM STEVE BRANHAM, ASSIST COMDT FOR RESOURCES/CHIEF FINANCIAL
OFFICER PROUDLY SENDS.
6. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED.