The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) recognized members of its sustainment, logistics and industrial operations workforce during a virtual ceremony Sept. 1 for their innovation and dedication to supporting the fleet.

Amanda Pilkerton, product support manager for the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft program office, received the Michael G. Simodejka Outstanding Sustainment/Logistics Manager of the Year award. The NAWCAD Lakehurst Integrated Support Environment (ISE) Team received the Outstanding Sustainment/Logistics Team of the Year award.

The 20th Annual Michael G. Simodejka Awards continue the tradition of honoring Michael G. Simodejka, the father of the Naval Air Systems Command logistics community and first civilian director of logistics for NAWCAD.

On Aug. 9, 2000, Simodejka and six other NAWCAD employees were killed in a shuttle flight accident as they were traveling from NAWCAD Lakehurst to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. The command recently held a 20-year memorial service to honor the fallen teammates.

There were 19 nominations for this year’s award (11 individual managers and eight teams). To qualify, nominees employed or developed innovative methods and exhibited logistics professionalism to establish models that will be used as a measure of accomplishment for all future logisticians throughout NAWCAD.

“No one understands better than us, the work, the logistics, the planning that goes into our mission, and no one does it better, with more technical rigor and professionalism,” said NAWCAD Commander RDML John Lemmon in his opening remarks. “Today we honor an individual and a team who are the embodiment of our success.”

Pilkerton was recognized for strengthening relationships with sustainment stakeholders, which greatly improved P-8A and legacy P-3 series sustainment. Her dedication and leadership of product support programs directly contributed to the success of the program office, improved readiness in fleet squadrons, and ensured the warfighting viability of Navy maritime patrol and reconnaissance well into the 21st century.

The ISE team was recognized for improving data analytics for Support Equipment (SE). By working to unify SE and aircraft data sets, the ISE team developed a tool to provide a condensed picture of overall SE readiness to the programs and warfighters, allowing them to efficiently attack issues that hinder readiness.

“This year’s nominees truly embody the legacy that Michael Simodejka left behind,” said NAWCAD Lakehurst Executive Director Kathleen Donnelly. “They are innovative, forward-thinking, dedicated, passionate, and team players. Like Mike, they all are making a true impact on the mission and our warfighters.”

Simodejka’s widow Pat Simodejka, who has attended the ceremony since its inception, also reflected on her late husband’s legacy.

“I suppose that facing challenge is a gift that Mike has left for me, my children and for you. He taught us to be brave, to not be afraid, to be willing to try something new, something different. He celebrated our successes and when things didn’t quite work out as we thought they would, he taught us to try again,” Simodejka said.