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Corps employees win regional awards

             HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – At a recent awards ceremony, the Huntington District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recognized a number of outstanding employees as winners of division level awards.    The 2008 award recipients were nominated by the Huntington District, competed and won at the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division regional level, and will move on to national level competition.

Clif Kilptrick, Resource Manager at Dillon Lake was selected as the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division Regional Civilian of the Year from more than 4,000 division employees.  As resource manager, he has developed and maintained strong working relationships and serves as liaison between the Corps and the community during times of emergency.  His outstanding presence in the community of Zanesville is evident by his service on educational committees and community advisory boards.   His quality of character, integrity, and concern for others is evident in his dedicated service to his local community that benefits not only the Scioto region but the entire Nation.

Delaware Lake was named the 2008 Great Lakes and Ohio River Division Regional Natural Resources Management Project of the Year.   Resource Manager Ben O'Dell and his entire team – Joe Geske, Sharon Law, Garry Marcum and Dennis Probst provided exceptional support, customer service, and natural resources management to the more than 800,000 visitors who took advantage of the many recreational opportunities at Delaware Lake.  

The 2008 Great Lakes and Ohio River Division Leadership Excellence Award was presented to Gene Davis, Operations Manager for the Big Sandy Area Office, for his exceptional leadership skills in promoting teamwork and cooperation throughout the nine projects of the Big Sandy area.  Davis developed partnerships with local community, agencies and organizations that resulted in better communication, sharing of ideas, and improved teamwork.

Program Analyst, Doretta McComas was named the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division Emergency Responder of the Year for her extensive work efforts in the Huntington District Emergency Operations Center.  McComas served as an integral part of the Emergency Operations Center to coordinate and track funding resources for the more than 250 employees who were deployed for emergency response efforts.

Keith Anne Nuckles was named the Great Lake and Ohio River Division 2008 Natural Resources Management Recreation Employee of the year.  As a natural resource specialist, Nuckles is responsible for oversight and administration of the immense recreation program at Sutton Lake.  Under her leadership, Sutton Lake's volunteer program ranked the first in the division, with 45 volunteers providing over 22,000 hours of work. 

  The Great Lakes and Ohio River Division Environmental Compliance Employee of the Year for 2008 is Bonnie Maki, Resource Manager, Deer Creek Lake.   Her innovative efforts and solutions led to significant environmental protections at Deer Creek Lake, including increasing habitat and preventing fish kills during drought conditions.

Dewey Lake's Stonney Burke was recognized by the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division as winner of the Individual Water Safety Award.   As a ranger at Dewey Lake, Burke enthusiastically promoted water safety throughout the entire division through a variety of innovative measures to include life jacket loaner boards at district projects and serving as water safety council coordinator.  Burke also presents water safety programs to thousands of visitors to Dewey Lake as well as area schools throughout Floyd County, Ky.

Recent Huntington District retiree Jerry W. Herman was named the winner of the Operations and Maintenance Castle Award.  Throughout his long and outstanding career as a civilian for the Army, he has shown dedication to his duties.  His leadership skills and vast knowledge of all aspects of maintenance have made him a vital, dependable leader in the work team of the Muskingum area, and his exceptional service exemplifies Army values.

 The Great Lakes and Ohio River Division of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, covers 335,000 miles, 17 states and is made up of more than 4,000 team members operating as a regional business center with seven districts located in Huntington, Louisville, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Detroit and Buffalo.  

For more information, contact the Huntington District public affairs office at (304) 399-5353.

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