EDITORS NOTE: This is one of six articles which can be updated by NAVAIR site to include local team participants.

By Robin Lundberg, NAVAIR Public Affairs Office

The Awards and Recognition Subgroup of the Command's People Focus Group recently received the 2001 Commander's Award for its efforts in supporting NAVAIR's People Goal. Among the team's accomplishments include designing and implementing a Command-wide quarterly awards ceremony, initiating NAVAIR Teammate Appreciation Month, instituting regular leadership walkabouts to improve communication between management and the workforce, creating the Web-based Awards Toolkit, and establishing a Web site with information on how to purchase NAVAIR merchandise.

Vice Admiral Dyer presented the award to the team saying, "Our leaders and managers can use your products and resources over the long term to communicate to the entire work force that their contributions are valued and appreciated."

Accepting the award on behalf of the group, co-leader Diane Balderson summed up her thoughts on the team's effort with, "They were by far, the best team of people in my 22 years of government service that I have worked with."

The team was chartered to make improvements in two areas: communication between management and the workforce, and employee recognition. Employees identified these areas as needing improvement in the 1999 NAVAIR Quality of Worklife Survey. The ad hoc team developed programs and tools to address these issues.

The team's products have made a difference, according to Tom Florip, executive director of the Contracts Competency (2.0).

"The individual products of the Awards & Recognition Subgroup will continue to change the culture of the corporation and help to preserve the excellence of its people, " Florip explained. Commenting specifically on the quarterly awards ceremonies, Florip added, "These ceremonies have increased awareness of high performance teams across the corporation, provided an avenue to share news stories and lessons learned, as well as permitted the largest number of employees to participate in the various activities."

In addition to Balderson, Shore Station Management Competency, 2.3, Ed Chermansky, Logistics, PMA 299 and Mike Fish, Shore Station Management, 8.0 served as the team's leaders. Other team members include: Raymond Brule, Shore Station Management, 8.6, Jessica DeMarais, Contracts, 2.1, Robert Ghisolfi, Corporate Operations, 7.1, Tania Hayden, Corporate Operations, 7.3, Allen Heim, Program Executive Office Air ASW Assault and Special Missions Programs, Kristin Mason, Research and Engineering, 4.0, Dawn Nevitt, Program Executive Office Tactical Aircraft Programs, Alex Samuelian, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, Eddie Witzel, Research and Engineering, China Lake, Cindy Worcester, Corporate Operations, 7.3.

Photo by Kurt Langfield

Photo Caption: Vice Adm. Dyer presents award to awards and recognition group. From left Rear Adm. Johnston, Ed Chermansky, Vice Adm. Dyer, Diane Balderson, Mike Fish.