WASHINGTON, DC, April 22, 2024 —
Congratulations to the winners 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.
And the winners are…
Officers – CDR William Haywood, serving as the Capability Branch Chief, Personnel Service Center 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 Yeomen (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 YNs and improved workplace functionality with the creation of three new competencies that enabled junior YNs to serve members more directly with increased authorities and permissions.
Civilian Employees – Ms. Jeanne Blake, serving as a Human Resource Specialist in the Pay and Personnel Center Advancements Branch
Ms. Blake 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 more than 800 reserve records, Ms. Blake collaborated with stakeholders and programmers to develop reports to capture invalid data and 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.
Non-appropriated Fund Employees -- Ms. Christine Coventry, assigned to the Community Services Command
Ms. Coventry is cited for superior performance of duty while assigned to the Community Services Command (CSC) from 01 January 2023 to 31 December 2023 as the Electronic Questionnaire for Investigations Personnel Specialist. Supporting the entire 1,400 person Non-appropriated funds (NAF) workforce, Ms. Coventry single handedly administered and oversaw approximately 400 suitability and English for Academic Purposes Program 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 50 thousand dollars annually. Simultaneously, she astutely navigated various federal and agency changes, supporting 402 audits of human resource staff employee files amidst significant personnel turnover. Her efforts and initiatives positioned the CSC to be in full compliance for the federal background process, procedures and records.
Enlisted Personnel -- YN1 Jessica Fisher, Retired and Annuitant Services Branch
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 Pay and Personnel Center 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.
No nominations were received for the Reserve Category.
Teams from Headquarters and Pay and Personnel Center -- 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 Enlisted Evaluation Reports, 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 the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in reviewing and validating 743 Officer Evaluation Reports (OER), 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 Master Chief Advancements Panels and Reserve Master Chief Advancement Panels.
Teams from units outside Headquarters and Pay and Personnel Center – Base Cleveland’s Housing Team
The team 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 Permanent Change of Station 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 Base Allowance Housing (BAH) rate increases for 56 units in 17 Military Housing Areas through the 2023 data collection cycle.
Bravo Zulu to all the winners!
For more information about this award, please see ALCOAST 139/24 (CAC required).