ALCOAST 156/20 - APR 2020 FISCAL YEAR 2019 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS) CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (CFO) AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE

R 290938 APR 20
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//CG-8//
TO ALCOAST
UNCLAS //N01650//
ALCOAST 156/20
COMDTNOTE 1650
SUBJ: FISCAL YEAR 2019 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS) CHIEF FINANCIAL
OFFICER (CFO) AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE
A. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 190927 NOV 19/ALCOAST 361/19
1. In accordance with REF (A), this message announces the Coast Guard recipients of
the 2019 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Awards
for Excellence. The following members were recognized for their exemplary contributions
within the DHS financial community over the past fiscal year (FY).
2. I am honored to announce the Coast Guard recipients of the FY2019 DHS CFO Awards
in the following categories:
    a. Outstanding Leadership Award for GS 7-11 or military equivalent: SK1 Jennifer
Corbett, Base Alameda, Alameda, CA. SK1 Corbett was the driving force at the working
level behind the Coast Guard's Eleventh District Financial Management and Procurement
Services-Business Process reengineering (FMPS-BPR) implementation. A catalyst for
process improvement, she validated workforce roles and permissions within the Coast
Guard's main financial ledger, Financial Procurement Desktop (FPD) for 954 users,
ensuring separation of duties for members responsible for account balancing and
reconciliation activities. SK1's inspirational leadership and outstanding customer
service directly contributed to the successful financial management of 135 lines of
accounting ($42.7M in funding) across more than 50 units. During unprecedented and
trying times, she led the financial management and accounting service line for CG
BASE Alameda, executing all aspects of accounting, reconciliation, training, and
serving as funds manager for $4.1M in funding. Her efforts ensured financial and
accounting services were met while significantly reducing the burden on operational
units.
    b. Outstanding Leadership Award for GS 12-13 or military equivalent: LT Alicia
Flanagan, Surface Forces Logistics Center - Asset Logistics Division (SFLC-ALD),
Baltimore, MD. As financial analysis and human resource management lead for SFLC-ALD,
LT Flanagan executed a complex resource portfolio, including an annual operating
budget of $650M, $950M supply inventory, and 1,800 personnel, enabling her unit to
provide unfettered support to the Coast Guard's $10.8B surface fleet asset mix of 250
cutters and 1,868 boats, maintaining all operations during the most challenging fiscal
cycle in history. Additionally, she led a time motion study of the SFLC Inventory
Control Point, encompassing over 38,000 stocked Operating Materials and Supplies (OM&S),
and more than three million piece parts, accounting for 40% of DHS' OM&S value. Her work,
methods, assumptions, and analyses were professionally documented and identified 28%
savings achievable by adding wireless capabilities to warehouse operations.
    c. Outstanding Leadership Award for GS 12-13 or military equivalent: Mr. Derrick
Best, Finance Center, Chesapeake, VA. Demonstrating superior initiative and innovation,
Mr. Best led a project to standardize the 108 Treasury Account Fund Symbol (TAFS)
Analysis Workbooks Finance Center reports on monthly and quarterly. In addition to
standardizing the Coast Guard TAFS analysis process, the new TAFS Analysis Workbooks
introduced automation features, replacing numerous manual entry steps. These features
enable automated reconciliation of all packages created from the TAFS Analysis Workbook
against entries in the Journal Voucher Database, ensuring completeness in the entry and
documentation of all Journal Entries and On-Top-Adjustments. This project significantly
reduced reliance on manual processes, drastically reducing the potential for misstatement
while generating efficiencies and enabling the process to be fully audited.
    d. Outstanding Leadership Award for GS 12-13 or military equivalent: LCDR Kathleen
Sullivan, Aviation Logistics Center, Elizabeth, NC. LCDR Sullivan skillfully managed
some of the Coast Guard’s Aviation Logistics Center’s largest challenges, including
property management, proper cost accounting, and reimbursable process implementation.
Her team managed $1B in personal property across 12 divisions and 25 Air Stations,
including pickup, storage until disposal, and coordination with Defense Logistics Agency.
She successfully led the team accounting for conversion of more than 70 Navy H-60s,
coordinating with the Navy, Coast Guard Headquarters, FINCEN and CG FMAOB to determine
net book value of the assets for a near $100M addition to the financial statement.
LCDR Sullivan rectified a gap in Construction in Progress accounting, implementing
measures of industrial time for civilian, military, and contract labor and assigning
this labor to work, dramatically improving cost accounting and enabling future large-scale
reimbursable work possible.
    e. Excellence in Budget, Planning, and Evaluation: Ms. Crystal Taber, Aviation
Logistics Center, Elizabeth City, NC. As the Aviation Logistics Center’s acting
Comptroller, Ms. Taber innovatively led her team of 121 active duty, civilian, and
contractor personnel in support of aviation fiscal operations, internal controls, audit
response, supply, and personal property during the most challenging fiscal environment
in 15 years. Her team flawlessly supported an operation consisting of a $1.2B inventory
of over 39,000 National Item Identification Numbers, and an annual operating expense
budget of approximately $550M. Despite the extended lapse in appropriations, she mitigated
a $100M inventory shortfall, garnered an additional $20M in funding, and sustained the
supply chain during the lapse, enabling 140 thousand parts shipments, 44 aircraft
overhauls, and safe execution of 115 thousand flight hours.
    f. Decision Support Award: CDR John Brady, Surface Forces Logistics Center - Asset
Logistics Division (SFLC-ALD), Baltimore, MD. As SFLC Comptroller, CDR Brady directly
contributed to the Coast Guard's ability to sustain operational readiness for its surface
fleet. Displaying superior financial and logistics expertise, he executed SFLC's FY19
$650M budget with a 99% obligation rate while using four management systems. Under his
expert tutelage, the SFLC managed a $950M spare part inventory with a 99.9% inventory
accuracy rate, increased operational hours for surface assets by improving parts support
for maintenance activities, and met CFO Act requirements that directly contributed to the
Coast Guard's clean audit opinion. CDR Brady partnered with operational commanders to
develop innovative budget priorities in support of ground-breaking maintenance and spare
parts initiatives through the use of technology and empowering his subordinates.
    g. Excellence in Internal Controls: Internal Controls over Financial Reporting (ICOFR)
Risk Assessment Scoping Methodology Team, COMDT (CG-85), Washington, DC. In order to better
utilize resources and reduce administrative burden, the Team researched, developed, stress-
tested, and implemented a comprehensive three-tier risk-based assessment platform that
methodically scoped ICOFR testing efforts for material and high risk business processes,
in alignment with the principles of the GAO Green Book. Implementing the assessment platform
streamlined annual and quarterly testing requirements, and reduced man-hours required to
execute internal control activities; a conservative estimate indicates the service has
saved over 1,800 work hours, a burden reduction of approximately 15%, in annual testing
requirements for key process owners, enabling a focus on the areas of highest financial
and audit risk. It is anticipated the efficiencies realized from implementation of the
comprehensive risk assessment results will more than double over the next several years.
The team consists of:
        (1) Mr. Mitchell Schoenberg COMDT (CG-85)
        (2) CDR Bradley Middleton COMDT (CG-682)
        (3) LCDR Richard Nines COMDT (CG-85)
        (4) LCDR Lewis Motion COMDT (CG-85)
        (5) LCDR Michael Miller COMDT (CG-85)
        (6) LT Paul Gracey COMDT (CG-85)
        (7) Mr. Chukwunyem Aninye COMDT (CG-85)
        (8) Ms. Jennifer Garofalo COMDT (CG-85)
        (9) Ms. Carmen Pearlstein COMDT (CG-85)
    h. Frontier Award for Innovation and Ingenuity: Childcare Subsidy Fund Optimization
Team, COMDT (CG-832), Washington, DC. The team employed several innovative techniques,
collaborating with Headquarters offices, the U.S. Navy, and stakeholders in the field,
to dramatically improve the allocation of limited childcare subsidy funding. Following
an in-depth review of the program, the team leveraged forecasting, statistical analysis,
and modeling techniques, accounting for locality and member rank, as well as predicted
growth, to improve the distribution algorithm and fully obligate available funds. The
team used national survey data to incorporate regional pricing variability, ensuring
funds distribution to the highest costs areas. The team simplified the subsidy application
process and created an executive dashboard to provide visibility to senior leaders. The
rapid response to the program maximized utilization of Coast Guard resources without
compromising operational effectiveness or crew proficiency.
The team consists of:
        (1) CDR Jared Trusz COMDT (CG-832)
        (2) CDR Corey Braddock (Air Station San Francisco)
        (3) CDR Adam Koziatek COMDT (CG-832)
        (4) ETCM Shawn Swanson COMDT (CG-1331)
        (5) YN3 Susan Adams COMDT (CG-82)
        (6) Mr. Monty Holcombe COMDT (CG-832)
        (7) Mr. Peter Price COMDT (CG-832)
        (8) Ms. Dave Lynch COMDT (CG-832)
3. I congratulate these award winners on their success. This DHS-wide recognition is a
testament to the tremendous effort the Coast Guard is making at all levels of the
financial management enterprise to improve accountability and modernize the fundamental
financial processes by which we do business. The work of the financial management
community is critical to the success of our service and directly contributed to DHS
achieving and maintaining an unmodified audit opinion.
4. I applaud all the nominees for their accomplishments and their commanding officers
and supervisors for taking the time to submit well-deserved nominations. Successful
mission execution requires the very best mission support professionals who possess
in-depth technical knowledge, strong leadership skills, practical experience, and
professional credentials to effectively and efficiently sustain our Coast Guard mission.
I encourage all leaders to recognize their high performing financial management
professionals by nominating them next year for the FY2020 DHS CFO Awards for Excellence.
5. RDML T.G. Allan Jr., Assistant Commandant for Resources/Chief Financial Officer, sends.
6. Internet release is authorized.