Members recognized at ceremony

  • Published
  • By Sheila Rupp
  • Nucleus Journalist
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, New Mexico --  Four members of Team Kirtland were recognized May 10 for their dedication and accomplishments at the 29th annual New Mexico Federal Executive Board Excellence in Government Awards.

Nominees were honored May 10 at a luncheon held at the Albuquerque Hyatt Regency Hotel, where the winners of 12 total categories were announced.

Twelve members and one group of personnel from Team Kirtland were nominated. More than 160 people attended the awards luncheon.

Staff Sgt. Sheryl Curry of the 377th Mission Support Squadron sang the national anthem and Chief Master Sgt. Victor Rountree gave the invocation.

Rebecca Auringer, the 377th Air Base Wing deputy installation inspector general, took home the Specialist award; Anika Roberts of 377th ABW Protocol was named Exceptional Student; Joseph Chavez of the Air Force Research Laboratory was named the Professional award winner; and Senior Master Sgt. Stephen Galica of the 377th Logistics Readiness Squadron was honored with the Military Member - Deployed, award.

"Team Kirtland should be very proud of all of our nominees. These team members contribute to their communities and go above and beyond the call of duty and are tremendous role models for their co-workers," said Felipe Jimenez, executive director of the 377th ABW.

Ms. Auringer single-handedly managed complaints for seven months when her office was 40 percent manned and is very active in the community here, helping to organize Kirtland's involvement with the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and is a victim advocate for the base sexual assault program.

Ms. Auringer said, "It was an honor to be nominated and I feel privileged to win the award. ... My supervisor, Colonel (John) Hill, has been very supportive of me and always goes out of his way to recognize my work and it makes me want to work even harder."

Ms. Roberts aggressively accepted the challenge to revamp the protocol database and maintains a 3.2 grade point average at The University of New Mexico and has been on the Dean's List twice as of the award deadline. Ms. Roberts graduated from UNM Saturday.

Mr. Chavez is a distinguished leader in small business innovation research. Mr. Chavez has promoted collaborations between major corporations and New Mexican universities, in the development of new electronic materials for space electronics and microwave high performance components.

Sergeant Galica's leadership and management skills proved invaluable to the mission effectiveness of 1,300 personnel assigned to four separate locations in Kuwait and Iraq.

Susan J. Thornton, the director of the Air Force Research Laboratory's Directed Energy Directorate, was the guest speaker. Ms. Thornton spoke about achieving career success with the support of co-workers and suggested that personnel focus on four main areas to find success in their careers: mentorship and relationships, grow and excel in a current job, take advantage of opportunities, and maintain balance between personal and home lives.

"You need a lot of smart people on your team, but it's important to remember that you don't need to be the smartest person on the team in order to lead the team," said Ms. Thornton.

The New Mexico Federal Executive comprises 94 federal agencies which represent 33,000 federal employees. The federal government is one of the largest employers in the state.