VICKSBURG, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District recognized dedicated personnel at the annual Corps of Engineers Day Awards Ceremony at the District headquarters today.
The following employees received individual honorary awards:
Heather Sibley, Analytical and Risk Section chief, received the Employee of the Year Award for her deep commitment to Army values through her strong work ethic and dedication to the Corps’ mission.
Jason Overstreet, area engineer in the Greenwood office, received the Commander’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO). He was recognized for outstanding leadership in recruiting, developing, and mentoring minorities and women in the Engineering and Construction Division of the Vicksburg District.
David Bell, Engineering and Construction Division, received the Paddle Wheel Award for his dedicated service and commitment to quality assurance on the Mississippi River Levee Construction program in the Greenwood Area Office.
Courtney Gill, a student trainee in Design Branch, River Stabilization Section, was named Headquarters Student of the Year for her competence with AutoCAD and willingness to participate in numerous site visits.
Two awardees received the Volunteer Leadership Award which recognizes employees who lead special projects that benefit the community, fellow employees, and the district. Schuyler Cool was recognized for his selfless service on the Employee Recreation Outreach Committee and other volunteer activities in the Vicksburg District. Lane Vargas was also presented the award for consistently serving in voluntary assignments over the past year and beyond.
Lashunte “Tae” Griffith was also presented with the Gregory C. Raimondo Public Affairs Award for educating students on how to succeed in civil works engineering.
Chris Gurner, Natural Resource Specialist at the Mississippi Lakes, received the Gregory C. Raimondo Public Affairs Award for his outstanding support of community and media relations between his office and the district’s Public Affairs Office. Gurner also received the Mississippi Valley Division (MVD) Water Safety Award for his efforts in water safety outreach and dedication to communication and in turn, reducing water-related fatalities.
Christopher Woodward with the Geotechnical Branch received the Wage Grade Leadership Award, which recognizes a wage system supervisor who has demonstrated a pattern of excellence in performance of their duties leading their crew to accomplish quality, productive and safe work, serving as a role model for other wage system employees.
Sandra Heath, Supply Technician in the River Operations Branch received the Administrator Award, which recognizes non-supervisory employees in the business-technical or administrative support occupations.
Cora Fuller, financial manager for the Engineering and Construction division, received the Professional Award, which recognizes employees in positions covered by the Office of Personnel Management’s qualification standards for administrative, management, professional and scientific positions other than engineers and scientists.
Deborah Hoff, natural resources specialist for the Grenada Lake field office, received the Park Ranger Award for her outstanding performance in visitor assistance, water safety and natural resource management duties.
Marion “Chip” Wells, a natural resources specialist for the Louisiana field office, was also presented with a Park Ranger Award for his participation in many events that benefit the local community including his commitment and dedication to student education.
Melinda Sysco, hydrologist, received the Scientist Award, which recognizes employees in environmental fields.
Andrew Hall, Chief of Navigation Section, received the Engineer Award for exemplary performance.
Stettson Smith received the Emergency Manager of the Year Award for providing valuable services to the ESF Debris Team in response to the 2023/2024 Hawaii Wildfire Emergency Response and the 2023 Mississippi Tornado Response.
Nathaniel Jones, Chief of Geospatial Data Section, received the STEM Employee of the Year Award, which gives special recognition to the employee who has demonstrated a pattern of high achievement, excellence, and leadership in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.
The following teams received honorary awards:
The district’s Arkabutla Dam Safety Emergency team was recognized for their performance and professionalism for exceptional service to the Vicksburg District during the 2023-24 Arkabutla Dam Safety Emergency from May 2023 through April 2024. This history-setting emergency had great impact on the dam and reservoir at Arkabutla as well as the downstream community.
The Vicksburg District Boggs’ Lock Emergency Repair Team was commended as the recipient of a Team Award based on their outstanding dedication and performance during the Repair of the Bogg’s miter gate anchorage.
The crew of the Dredge Jadwin received the Team Safety Award for their outstanding dedication and performance during the 2023 Dredging Season.
The Wage Grade Team Award was presented to the Geotechnical Branch Data Geodata Team. As subject matter experts in the field of subsurface investigations and testing, the Geodata team is one of eight Corps Districts that maintain this invaluable in-house capability, serving as a district, regional, and national asset.
The following employees were also recognized:
Civil Engineer, Ethan Shephard, received a Commander’s Coin for his dedication and commitment directly contributed to mission accomplishment, which executed a robust Delta Headwaters Program (DHP) in FY24.
Also receiving a Commander’s Coin was GIS specialist, Browning Meyer, for his development of an innovative application to store, visualize, and share all types of survey data, providing a single source library for use within the District.
Amber Huell received a Commendation Medal for her exceptional service as the Finance Accounting Officer for the Vicksburg District.
Susan McKenna received a Commendation Medal for her exceptional service as the Budget Officer for the Vicksburg District.
Renee Everage received a Commendation Medal for her exceptional service as an EEO specialist for the Vicksburg District.
Colleen Cummins, Jason Eaves, and Eric Ricks were given Achievement Medals for exceptional meritorious Federal service for their work and services for several Vicksburg District and MVD events over the past year.
Kristi Gordon received a Commendation Medal for her outstanding professionalism, dedication, and attention to detail associated with her duties as quality control manager.
Karlee Barfield, budget analyst, received a Commendation Medal for her support to the Dredge Jadwin performing several key funding and budgetary analyses which enabled leadership to make strategical decisions based on the sound data provided.
Juanita McKenzie, program analyst, received a Commendation Medal for supporting the Lindy Boggs emergency repairs and the routine operation and maintenance of ten vital district project sites.
Dana Moree and Wesley Crosby received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award for their exceptionally meritorious service while serving as senior Hydraulic (H&H) engineers in support of the Pearl River Flood Risk Management project for the Jackson, MS, metropolitan area.
Brian Oliver of the Vicksburg District’s Dam Safety and Inspection Section received the 2024 MVD Instrumentation and Performance Monitoring Award for his leadership in and commitment to evaluation and assessment of instrumentation data.
Mason Jarabica received the 2024 MVD Early Career Geotechnics Professional of the Year Award for his leadership in and commitment to the Geotechnical Engineering Community and the USACE mission. Oliver and Jarabica will compete for their prospective awards at the national level.
The USACE Vicksburg District is engineering solutions to the nation’s toughest challenges. The Vicksburg District encompasses a 68,000-square-mile area across portions of Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana, that holds nine major river basins and incorporates approximately 460 miles of mainline Mississippi River levees. The Vicksburg District is engaged in hundreds of projects and employs approximately 1,100 personnel.