| (Front row, left to right) Army Sgt. 1st Class Lonnie Calloway, Petty Officer 1st Class Charles Blair and Senior Airman Andrew Roberts; (back row, left to right) Air Force Capt. Denise Duriga, Benjamin Weinischke, Senior Master Sgt. Kimberly Guidry and Kendra Manning |
USNORTHCOM announces 2005 top performers
March 24 , 2006
The United States Northern Command announced its 2005 top performers March 24.
“Our winners represent the very finest examples of committed service to a noble cause,” said Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. D. Scott Frye, USNORTHCOM Senior Enlisted Advisor.
These annual awards recognize the command’s top performers in each category.
The 2005 winners are:
• Senior Airman Andrew Roberts, intelligence directorate, junior enlisted;
• Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Charles Blair, Joint Task Force – Civil Support, Ft. Monroe, Va., noncommissioned officer;
• Sgt. 1st Class Lonnie Calloway, operations directorate, senior NCO;
• Senior Master Sgt. Kimberly Guidry, JTF-CS, Reserve senior NCO;
• Air Force Capt. Denise Duriga, command protocol, company grade officer;
• Kendra Manning, architectures and integration directorate, civilian category one; and
• Benjamin Weinischke, architectures and integration directorate, civilian category two.
Roberts, an asset management technician, was responsible for the upgrade of 225 secure telephone units with secure terminal equipment, improving the clarity and secure voice communications vital for intelligence fusion. He processed and delivered more than 650 pieces of excess equipment -- valued at more than $290,000 -- for reutilization within the Department of Defense community, increasing warehouse storage capability by 35 percent. Roberts was hand-selected by senior leadership to represent the intelligence systems division during the National Defense University Fellows Field Studies hosted by USNORTHCOM. He also earned 21 credit hours toward an information systems management degree.
Blair, a Joint Operations Planning and Execution System lead operator, was hand-selected by USNORTHCOM as an operation tester and evaluator of JOPES 4.0 to test command functions and international server responses. His actions directly influenced the DoD-wide reliability of this deployment database and identified server replication timing errors, resulting in a more responsive international database. He was requested by name to deploy as the sole JOPES planner in support of Hurricane Katrina’s initial response. He completed eight semester hours towards his degree in computer information systems. Also, he volunteered 20 hours a month with the Big Brothers and Sisters Organization of Virginia and was elected as treasurer for the JTF-CS Senior Enlisted Association.
Calloway, operations noncommissioned officer-in-charge, developed and implemented the order of battle for the operations planning group by scheduling and de-conflicting workloads during 30 consecutive days of 24-hour operations while supporting Hurricanes Katrina and Rita relief operations. Calloway identified, corrected and implemented 35 separate instances of errors in OPG standing procedures and trained six newly acquired personnel in the execution of their duties as OPG members. Additionally, he coordinated staffing of the OPG with 12 organizations within the command. He also coordinated a team of volunteers for a Habitat for Humanity Project, organized the senior enlisted council air show booth raising $1,300 for enlisted projects and events, and arranged activities for the enlisted summer outing.
Guirdy, a Reserve personnel coordinator, solely organized a manpower conference with the Army National Guard, including representatives from the National Guard Bureau, which resulted in a 25 percent increase in manning by mobilizing Army National Guard members toward vacant JTF-CS positions. She created a Reserve liaison officer group to help manage the command’s National Guard members and Reservists and is currently developing a standard operating procedure outlining the liaison’s duties and responsibilities. Guidry also created an alternate Reserve participation schedule to afford flexibility while still meeting both the members’ and command’s needs for training. She also assisted in the development of an interactive JTF-CS Reserve vacancy Web page which has generated a 30 percent increase in inquiries about assignments with the command.
Duriga, a command protocol officer, planned, coordinated and executed all aspects of events involving high-level distinguished visitors including the president of Poland, House Armed Services Committee members, the Assistant to the President on Homeland Security and the first Canada Command orientation visit. Duriga completed her master’s degree in leadership and management from Webster University and enrolled in a master’s certificate program for homeland defense at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. She has also volunteered at the Care and Share food bank, helped organize the 21st National Space Symposium, served as a judge for an elementary school regional science fair and mentors U.S. Air Force Academy cadets.
Manning, a computer assistant, serves as the primary content manager for the division’s section of the portal, the sole repository for documentation for more than 80 projects. As the division security manager, she oversaw security education and training for 40 personnel and prepared 17 requests for processing of initial security clearances, upgrades and periodic reviews, and issue of restricted area badges. Manning enrolled in a Microsoft course to learn more about the portal software and completed the network security level 1 and 2, TechWise’s Security+ Bootcamp and Microsoft Project 2003 level 1 and 2 courses. She volunteers her off-duty time as a Peterson Air Force Base sexual assault response coordinator team member, ensuring that victims receive proper counseling and assistance in their time of need.
Weinischke, an information assurance and security specialist, provided the framework and operational benefit analysis during the re-engineering of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and USNORTHCOM designated approving authority roles and responsibilities. His efforts resulted in a centralized hierarchy that allows direct support to the commands’ regions, sectors and subordinates while ensuring the protection and availability of mission-critical information and systems. Weinischke organized and planned the NORAD-USNORTHCOM Information Assurance Workshop which improved the understanding of the commands’ policies and procedures. He also earned the title of certified information systems security professional, the leading certificate for his field within DoD.