ALCOAST 139/24 - MAR 2024 WINNER ANOUNCEMENT - 2023 USCG HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (HRM) ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

R 271458Z MAR 24   MID600117306530U
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
TO ALCOAST
BT
UNCLAS
ALCOAST 139/24
SSIC: 1650
SUBJ: WINNER ANOUNCEMENT - 2023 USCG HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
(HRM) ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
A. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 301608Z NOV 23/ALCOAST 477/23
1. Pursuant of REF (A), I am pleased to announce the recipients of
the 2023 USCG Human Resource Management (HRM) Achievement Awards.
These awards provide recognition for noteworthy human resource
management actions by Coast Guard personnel. More specifically,
the awards reflect member or team emphasis on superior
performance in the care and support of our total workforce,
through extraordinary customer service, creative initiatives,
and solution oriented skills in human resource management and
processes. Numerous nominations were submitted from across the
Coast Guard and all exemplified the highest standards of
professionalism, commitment, and true dedication to our people.
2. There are five individual award categories and two team
categories for the Coast Guard HRM Achievement Awards:
    a. Officers (Commissioned Officer/Chief Warrant Officer),
    b. Civilian Employees (General Schedule/Federal Wage Schedule),
    c. Non-appropriated fund (NAF) employees,
    d. Enlisted Personnel,
    e. Reserve Personnel (Officer/Enlisted),
    f. Teams consisting of 4 to 20 personnel, from Headquarters,
Personnel Service Center (PSC), and Pay and Personnel Center (PPC);
and,
    g. Teams consisting of 4 to 20 personnel, from units not
included in 2.f.
3. The winner of the officer category is CDR William Haywood,
serving as the Capability Branch Chief, PSC Business Operations
Division. Displaying exceptional leadership and project management
skills, CDR Haywood oversaw the Coast Guard's transition to the
Interactive Personnel Electronic Records Management System (iPERMS).
Successfully migrating over four million records into iPERMS, he
brought the service into federal compliance and provided direct
record access for hundreds of thousands of current and former
Coast Guard members. Skillfully executing the DCMS initiative to
improve pay, personnel, and administrative services, CDR Haywood
systematically examined staffing levels, standards, and workloads
to redistribute the YN workforce to customer touchpoints, including
repositioning 300 petty officers at 134 personnel and administration
offices. In addition to increasing customer satisfaction, the
program empowered yeomen and improved workplace functionality with
the creation of three new competencies that enabled junior yeomen
to serve members more directly with increased authorities and
permissions.
4. The winner of the civilian category is Ms. Jeanne Blake, serving
as a HR Specialist in the PPC Advancements Branch. She showcased
superior acumen and oversaw significant changes to Service
validation processes by increasing the accuracy of all products,
improving efficiency, and reducing turnaround time. Partnering with
the National Maritime Center, Ms. Blake spearheaded improvements to
the documentation of sea service, updating and improving forms to
include auto-populating fields for vessel data and verifying
thousands of data points necessary for proper vessel documentation.
Identifying errors in 800+ reserve records, Ms. Blake collaborated
with stakeholders and programmers to develop reports to capture
invalid data & correct each record. Ms. Blake developed a new form
to document proof of service which assists members who were not
issued a DD-214 to substantiate periods of service. Ms. Blake was
instrumental in developing the processes for re-integration of
recently separated service members, enabling expedited records
reviews and ensuring timely and accurate payment of personnel.
5. The winner of the NAF category is Ms. Christine Coventry, she is
cited for superior performance of duty while assigned to the United
States Coast Guard Community Services Command from 1 January 2023 to
31 December 2023 as the eQIP Specialist. Supporting the entire 1,400
person NAF workforce, Ms. Coventry single handedly administered and
oversaw approximately 400 suitability and eAPP background
applications for both new hires and re-investigations of existing
employees. Her tenacity streamlined processes with the non-NAF Coast
Guard workforce and saved $50K annually. Simultaneously, she
astutely navigated various federal and agency changes, supporting HR
staff audit 402 employee files amidst significant personnel
turnover. Her efforts and initiatives positioned the Community
Services Command to be in full compliance for the federal background
process, procedures and records.
6. The winner of the enlisted category is YN1 Jessica Fisher.
YN1 Fisher provided exceptional operational support to the
Coast Guard during a period of process improvement within the
Retired and Annuitant Services Branch. Her team provided superb
support to over 25,000 Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, and Public Health Service retirees with Veterans
Administration (VA) disabilities. When files needed to be moved to
an offsite server, she developed a computer interface file that
allowed support to continue unabated. Over several months, she led
testing efforts to ensure the automated progress that had been
established over the years was maintained. YN1 Fisher worked with
the VA to increase transmissions of Audit Error Worksheets (AEW) to
the VA from monthly to semi-monthly, effecting quicker resolution
and payout. She bridged communication channels to organize training
of PPC personnel by the VA, expanding knowledge and resulting in
improved counseling for retirees. YN1 Fisher discovered a system
problem on the VA side that prevented complete and accurate
transmission of AEWs. She led her team in taking immediate action
to regenerate 346 cases, resulting in payments totaling
$2.4 million.
7. No nominations were received for the reserve category.
8. The winner of the Headquarters and PPC team category is EPM-3.
EPM-3 demonstrated an unwavering commitment to enhancing the quality
of data utilized for critical workforce management decisions. This
dedication was exemplified by the meticulous auditing of over
58,000 EERs, the completion of 122 Change Requests, and processing
of 116 Waiver requests and 12 appeals. Remarkably, these efforts
culminated in achieving 100% compliance with enlisted evaluation
requirements. Furthermore, EPM-3 spearheaded initiatives that
significantly expanded the reach of training roadshows, engaging
with 500 members across diverse units. By focusing on specialized
training programs such as Train the Trainer, and fostering open
lines of communication with units, EPM-3 successfully reduced policy
discrepancies and resubmittals by an impressive 12%. The impact of
EPM-3 extended beyond the department's boundaries, as evidenced by
their invaluable support to OPM in reviewing and validating 743
OERs, effectively alleviating OPM-3's workload by 5%. During the
2023 boards and panels season, EPM-3 demonstrated exceptional
foresight and dedication by extracting nearly 200 individual records
spanning the previous 7 years to support MCAP and RMCAP.
9. The winner of the team category for units outside Headquarters
and PPC is Base Cleveland's Housing team. They achieved exceptional
results in 2023 and delivered sustained superior service for their
customers. The teams' efforts ensured quality government-controlled
housing for members in the Ninth District's area of operations
spanning eight states. The team adeptly managed a $735,000
maintenance budget, acquired leased homes for cutter personnel, and
contracted $910,000 in leased housing. The staff built solid
partnerships with 76 commands to oversee 126 owned homes, 42 leased
homes and 13 Unaccompanied Personnel Housing units. In alignment
with Commandant's strategic vision, the staff worked tirelessly with
902 inbound members to create a welcoming environment and help
members and their families secure affordable housing. Additionally,
the team developed an innovative PCS housing tracker, which improved
maintenance and occupancy scheduling and was adopted by all
Coast Guard housing offices as a best practice. Applying extensive
expertise and advocating for process integrity, the team garnered
BAH rate increases for 56 units in 17 Military Housing Areas through
the 2023 data collection cycle.
10. The HRM Award Panel consisted of:
      a. CAPT Jonathan Burby COMDT (DCMS-DPR-6)
      b. Mr. Miguel Lumbag, COMDT (CG-DCMS-DPR-XD)
      c. LCDR Erica Linnemann, FORCECOM
      d. LT Marcus Leibowitz, SEC HOUSTON/GALVESTON
      e. CWO Brian Dove, CGD 5
      f. CMC Mary Endicott, PSC
11. The point of contact for the HRM Awards is
CWO Martin J. Espinoza, Martin.J.Espinoza@uscg.mil.
12. Bravo Zulu to these HRM Award winners and all nominees who care,
serve, and support the men and women of the world's best Coast
Guard!
13. Dr. Donna M. Navarro, Executive Director of Personnel Readiness
(CG-DCMS-DPR-XD), sends.
14. Internet release is authorized.