NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland recently held its 2015 Agency Honor Awards Ceremony. Director Jim Free and Rear Admiral Fred M. Midgette recognized the “best of the best” at Glenn, by awarding more than 700 employees with NASA’s most prestigious honor awards.
“Those honored,” said Free, “made a dramatic impact in executing the mission of NASA and have distinguished themselves above and beyond NASA’s high standards of performance. The outstanding contributions and achievements in science, technology, engineering, craftsmanship, leadership and administrative services demonstrate a clear dedication to NASA and personify why the people of NASA are our greatest asset.”
The keynote speaker was Rear Admiral Fred M. Midgette, special assistant to the U.S. Coast Guard Commandant in Washington, D.C. “Midgette’s admiration for NASA, coupled with his extraordinary achievements in the U.S. Coast Guard made him a great choice as our keynote speaker,” said Free. Midgette joined Free in presenting this year’s awards:
Presidential Rank Award
The President of the United States of America has conferred upon Thomas Hartline, Olmsted Falls, the rank of Meritorious Executive in the Senior Executive Service for sustained superior accomplishment in management of programs of the United States Government and for noteworthy achievement of quality and efficiency in the public service.
The President of the United States of America has conferred upon Janet L. Kavandi, Westlake, the rank of Meritorious Executive in the Senior Executive Service for sustained superior accomplishment in management of programs of the United States Government and for noteworthy achievement of quality and efficiency in the public service.
Senior Executive Service Appointments
Robert M. Button, Westlake, was appointed to the position of deputy chief, Power Division, effective Oct. 5, 2014.
Dawn C. Emerson, Elyria, was appointed to the position of chief, Communications and Intelligent Systems Division, effective Sept. 21, 2014.
Kaprice L. Harris, Avon, was appointed to the position of chief of the Office of Acquisition, effective Dec. 28, 2014.
Susan L. Kevdzija, Strongsville, was appointed to the position of deputy director of the Facilities, Test and Manufacturing Directorate, effective Sept. 21, 2014.
John M. Sankovic, Brecksville, was appointed to the position of director, Office of Technology Incubation and Innovation, effective Sept. 21, 2014.
James J. Zakrajsek, Valley City, was appointed to the position of deputy chief, Materials and Structures Division, effective Oct. 5, 2014.
NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal
Amy L. Bower, Huron, for exceptional leadership in the advancement of Institutional Safety and Occupation Health efforts at the Glenn Research Center.
Gregory J. Follen, for outstanding programmatic/supervisory skills achieving continuous success during a significant transitional period for the Aeronautics Mission Directorate and the Center.
John A. Hamley, Brunswick, for outstanding leadership of the Radioisotope Power Systems program to advance spacecraft power system capabilities to enable new NASA exploration missions.
Damian R. Ludwiczak, Medina, for exceptional service as the Deputy Principal Lead Engineer for the Crew and Service Module, directly contributing to the success of Exploration Flight Test-1.
David. E. Taylor, Norwalk, for outstanding leadership of NASA Glenn’s Plum Brook Station and significant Agency projects through innovation, collaboration and personnel leadership.
Wayne A. Whyte, Olmsted Township, for outstanding leadership as the International Spectrum Program Manager for NASA.
NASA Exceptional Service Medal
Anita L. Arnold, City, Montville Township, for exceptional Human Resource service to NASA in the areas of Employee and Labor Relations in the Office of Human Capital Management.
Thomas J. Benson, for exceptional contributions to the agency’s mission of inspiring and engaging the next generation aerospace workforce.
Christopher J. Blasio, Sagamore Hills, for exceptional service and technical expertise in leading and implementing a highly effective radiation safety program that has resulted in making Glenn a safe place to work.
Jeffrey A. Chambers, Milan, for exceptional performance in facilities project management and engineering for many projects having critical significance to the fulfillment of the mission of Glenn.
Irene Cierchacki, Seven Hills, for outstanding service, creativity and expertise in support of major programs, projects and initiatives with agency impact, particularly at the NASA Glenn Research Center.
Kestutis C. Civinskas, for sustained exceptional service to NASA and specifically to NASA’s aeronautics missions and goals through programmatic planning, development and execution.
Susan M. Crawford, Westlake, for exceptional service to NASA’s aeronautics missions and goals through project budget management and execution.
Laura A. Henry, Westlake, for consistent exceptional success as a litigator, significantly improving NASA’s precedential legal posture and setting a standard for other NASA attorneys to emulate.
Jeffrey S. Hojnicki, Avon, for outstanding knowledge of electrical power systems and exceptional skills in creating highly sophisticated analytical models that impact critical human spacecraft designs.
John D. Lekki, Carlisle Township, for outstanding technical leadership in advancing sensor-systems technologies through VIPR, or Vehicle Integrated Propulsions Research, series of engine testing.
John F. Leone, North Royalton, for exceptional leadership and vision in managing, maintaining and improving the testing and operations of the Glenn Research Center wind tunnel and propulsion research facilities.
Ronald J. Sicker, Avon Lake, for exceptional service to the International Space Station (ISS) Research Program in advocating and expanding the capabilities to conduct significant research on the ISS.
Robert A. Zalewski, Cleveland, for exceptional service as an innovator and leader in the management and execution of an efficient, cost-effective information technology environment supporting NASA programs.
NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal
Eric C. Clemons, Westlake, an employee of Vantage Partner LLC, for exceptional public service in managing the Glenn Engineering and Scientific Support (GESS) contract, plus leading strategic business development and partnership for the benefit of NASA, the agency and Ohio.
Martha L. Clough, North Ridgeville, an employee of Leidos, for demonstrating outstanding service as the Leidos Program Manager for Safety, Health, Environmental and Mission Assurance Contract at Glenn.
Jeffrey C. Smith, Village of Walton Hills, an employee of HX5 Sierra, for exceptional management of technician resources, the apprenticeship program and lifting device program in the test facilities at the NASA Glenn Research Center.
NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal
Donald F. Easterling, for exceptional achievement in completing the complex 25-year environmental remediation program eliminating Glenn’s liability for legacy environmental damage.
Dr. Brenda L. Ellis, Strongsville, for exceptional achievement mitigating NASA’s top IT security risks and fostering mission and project success through implementation of agency training and awareness products.
Danielle M. Griffin, Brunswick Hills Township, for outstanding improvements to the Glenn Research Center Mishap Reporting and Investigation Program that ensures employee health and safety.
Francis T. Jennings, Lakewood, for the consistent production of high-quality communications products that effectively share Glenn’s technology expertise and accomplishments with diverse audiences.
Dennis R. Kay, Westlake, for exceptional visionary leadership as Lead System Engineer for NASA’s Identity, Credential and Access Management.
George Kopasakis, Westlake, for outstanding development of higher fidelity dynamic modeling of propulsion systems for supersonic civil aircraft.
James D. Stegeman, Lakewood, for exceptional achievement as the Glenn Research Center Technology Manager for the Space Communication and Navigation Program to develop key enabling technologies for NASA.
Vicente J. Suarez, Strongsville, for outstanding and significant technical achievements in the structural engineering design and development of spaceflight hardware.
Robert T. Tornabene, Middleburgh Heights, for outstanding contributions to the assembly, integration and testing of Spacecraft Fire Safety flight combustion experiments that will provide critical science data on large-scale flames.
Irene A. Wirkus, Hinckley Township, for outstanding efforts as the technical lead for the successful NASA Mishap Information System implementation, resulting in cost savings and enhanced security and performance.
NASA Exceptional Public Achievement Medal
Scott Belock, Berea, for exceptional management and operation of the satellite machine tool repair program at Glenn.
Mohammad Kassemi, Solon, an employee of Case Western Reserve University, for exceptional research achievements in the effects of long-term microgravity on human health and on the performance of cryogenic propellant systems and materials processing in space.
NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal
Robert J. Bruckner, Strongsville, for exceptional engineering achievement in resolving the External Active Thermal Control System ammonia pump failure investigation for the International Space Station.
Donald E. Van Drei, Medina, York Township, for exceptional engineering achievement in the implementation of the Time-Triggered Gigabit Ethernet Data Network for the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle.
NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal
Timothy P. Gabb, Independence, for exceptional research achievements advancing the understanding of turbine engine disk alloys critical to higher efficiency turbine engines.
Robert K. Goldberg, Strongsville, for exceptional achievement in the development, validation and dissemination of theoretical models and computational tools for impact analysis of composite engine structures.
NASA Exceptional Technology Achievement Medal
Marc A. Gibson, Medina, for exceptional achievement in advancing the technology readiness of high- temperature water heat pipes for a broad array of NASA and commercial applications.
Frances I Hurwitz, Shaker Heights, for exceptional development of a broadly applicable aerogel technology for advanced insulation capable of 1200°C use temperatures.
Rainee N. Simons, North Olmsted, for outstanding contributions to the development and advancement of high-power, high-efficiency space traveling wave tube amplifier technology in support of NASA missions.
NASA Early Career Achievement Medal
Stephen J. Barsi, Strongsville, for outstanding early career performance and leadership in cryogenic propellant management and chemical propulsion that enables future exploration missions.
Othmane Benafan, Fairview Park, for exceptional scientific contributions to the field of shape memory alloys and innovative advancements in aeronautics and space actuation systems.
Joseph A. Downey, Grafton Township, for outstanding technical achievement and innovation leading to the demonstration of the highest recorded data rate through NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System.
Justin S. Gray, Solon, for exceptional vision and leadership of the OpenMDAO effort contributing to its ongoing innovation in the Multidisciplinary Design Analysis and Optimization (MDAO) field and its widespread adoption within and external to NASA.
Jared P. Reed, Fairview Park, for outstanding facilities engineering contributions to fulfill the mission of the Glenn Research Center.
NASA Equal Employment Opportunity Medal
Joseph W. Connolly, Cleveland, for outstanding contributions to advancing opportunities for under-represented minorities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers.
NASA Silver Achievement Medal
Clayton L. Meyers, Bay Village, for exceptional demonstration of NASA’s core values of teamwork and excellence in the execution of project management responsibilities on aeronautics research projects.
Lisa M. O’Connor, Elyria, for exceptional demonstration of NASA’s core values in the execution of responsibilities for the Aeronautics Directorate at Glenn.
Eight members of the High Rate Ka-Band Waveform Experiment Team, for outstanding technical achievement, excellence and innovation in developing and flight-validating the high data rate, bandwidth-efficient Ka-Band waveform for the Space Communication and Navigation Testbed.
Twenty-four members of the Personnel Identity Verification (PIV) Smartcard Team, for exceptional team performance in the implementation of NASA’s PIV-mandatory initiative at Glenn.
Eight members of the Spacecraft Fire Safety (Saffire) Demonstration Payload Vibration Testing and Analysis Team, for outstanding mission contributions and stellar group achievement in performing Saffire vibration tests and analyses.
Nine members of the Mechanical Vibration Facility (MVF) Table Team, for exceptional achievement in the execution of the MVF Table project.
NASA Career Service Recognition Award
Forty Years of Service
Thomas J. Benson
Robert D. Buttler
William H. Jones, Westlake
Barbara A. Mader, Alexandria, Va.
Jeffry F. Paulin, Avon
Robert M. Plencner
Jerri A. Vokac
Forty-five Years of Service
Robert J. Shaw, Fairview Park
Fifty Years of Service
Gustave C. Fralick, Middleburg Heights
Hugh M. Mclaughlin
NASA Group Achievement Award
Twenty-six members of the Balloon Observation Platform for Planetary Science (BOPPS) Mission Team, for exceptional achievement developing and successfully launching the BOPPS stratospheric balloon mission culminating years of effort to revive Planetary ballooning.
Twenty-six members of the Design of Solar Electric Propulsion System Tech Team, for exceptional design of an advanced electric propulsion system applicable to near-term NASA solar electric propulsion missions and extensible to future human exploration.
Eleven members of the Facilities Application Consolidation Project Team for, outstanding accomplishments achieving successful centralization, optimization and cost efficiencies across Glenn’s business application infrastructure.
Twenty-two members of the Glenn Research Center 1-foot by 1-foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel (SWT) Team, for outstanding team effort in the successful completion of the SWT testing and analysis of nozzle plume and shock interaction effects on sonic boom.
Seventy-six members of the Glenn Research Center Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) Team, for exceptional achievements that contributed to the success of the Orion EFT-1, the first spaceflight of Orion.
Seventy-nine members of the Harmful Algal Blooms Airborne Hyperspectral Team, for outstanding achievement in conducting airborne campaigns and enabling new remote sensing and analytical capabilities for monitoring harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie.
Twenty-four members of the NASA Mishap Information System Team, for the exceptional and timely deployment of the NASA Mishap Information System and migration of more than 20,000 mishap reports, which enhanced security and performance.
Sixty-six members of the Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) Program, Compatibility Test Set Team, for outstanding achievement in the design, development and delivery of a state-of-the-art reconfigurable system for space network compatibility testing.
Twelve members of the Solar Cell Experiment on the International Space Station Team, for exceptional innovation in designing, fabricating, validating and delivering the solar cell experiment for integration onto the international space station.
Sixty-seven members of the Vacuum Facility 5 (VF5) Upgrade Project Test Team, for outstanding achievement of doubling the effective pumping speed of an already recognized world-class facility, VF5, during the recent upgrade project.
One hundred fifty-eight members of the Vehicle Integrated Propulsion Research 2 Engine Testing Team, for outstanding achievement in advancing technology readiness levels of over one dozen new sensor systems through on-wing engine testing.
CENTER AWARDS
The Abe Silverstein Medal was awarded to Brett A. Bednarcyk, Fairview Park, for development of novel integrated computational materials engineering and multiscale analysis methods and tools for advanced composite materials and structures.
The center’s most prestigious engineering award, the Steven V. Szabo Engineering Excellence Award, was presented to nine member of the Hall Effect Rocket with Magnetic Shielding (HERMeS) team, for the magnetic, plasma, thermal and structural design activities, resulting in the successful demonstration of the HERMeS Hall thruster.
The center’s most prestigious award, the Craftsmanship Award for Manufacturing Technologies, was presented to Robert E. Kohler, Avon Lake, for skillful assembly of the three Spacecraft Fire Experiment (Saffire) flight units and significant contributions to the success of the Spacecraft Fire Safety Demonstration project.
Glenn’s Distinguished Publication Award 2013 was presented to Timothy J. Bencic, Highland Heights, Amy F. Fagan, Fairview Park, Judith F. Van Zante, Fairview Park, Jonathan P. Kirkegaard, Philadelphia, Pa., a former employee of Jacobs Technology, David P. Rohler, Shaker Heights and Arjun K. Maniyedath, Beachwood, employees of Plexar Associates, Inc., and Steven H. Izen, Shaker Heights, an employee of Case Western Reserve University, for their paper, “Advanced Optical Diagnostics for Ice Crystal Cloud Measurements in the NASA Glenn Propulsion Systems Laboratory.”
The center’s Distinguished Publication Award 2014 was bestowed to James A. Nessel, Lakewood and Robert M. Manning, Strongsville, for their paper “Derivation of Microwave Refractive Index Structure Constant of the Atmosphere From K-Band Interferometric Phase Measurements.”
The center’s most prestigious Diversity Leadership Award was awarded to Darlene S. Walker, for continued advocacy and commitment to diversity, as well as pioneering work in the advancement of science, technology, engineering and math with under-represented, under-resourced students across the country.
Glenn’s Supervisor Award was awarded to Mary Jo Long-Davis, Aurora, for demonstrating outstanding leadership and management skills as chief of the Inlets and Nozzle Branch.
The center’s most prestigious Safety Award for Federal Employees was awarded to John J. DeGreen, Wickliffe, for exceptional application of safety practices and requirements, and commitment to utilizing best practices to improve safety at Lewis Field and Plum Brook Station.
Glenn’s most prestigious Safety Award for a Contractor Employee was awarded to Timothy J. Fiorilli, Solon, an employee of m.a.c. Paran Consulting Services, Inc., for exemplary technical expertise, guidance and dedication, to the Mission Integration Center Legionella Investigation Team to ensure a healthful work environment for all Glenn employees.
Five members of the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Glenn Research Center (GRC) S-Band Ground Station Team was awarded Glenn’s Safety Team Award, for excellent coordination and implementation of safety practices in the design, implementation and successful performance verification of the SCaN Testbed GRC S-Band Ground Station.
Fifteen members of the Process Systems Safety Committee received Glenn’s most prestigious Safety Team Award, for exemplary performance and collaboration in ensuring the safe operation of institutional process systems vital to Glenn’s research mission.
Seven members of the International Space Station (ISS) Distillation Assembly Bearing Development Team received Glenn’s Small Business Technical Team of the Year Award, for procuring the required services from a small business that recognized the future potential value in collaboratively developing new production capabilities for commercial application.
Aaron A. Olmsted, North Ridgeville, was presented Glenn’s Small Business Procurement Person of the Year, for dedication in awarding contracts exclusively to small businesses during his career at Glenn.
Jeffrey A. Chambers, Milan, received Glenn’s Small Business Program Person of the Year, for sustained significant impacts on the Small Business Program at the Glenn Research Center by fully utilizing several small-business architect-engineer contracts as well as 8a construction contracts.
Leidos, Inc. of Reston, Virginia, was presented Glenn’s Large Business Prime Contractor of the Year, for having aggressive small business goals and working appropriately to meet those goals while still providing exceptional products.
NASA Glenn Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year
Vantage Partners, LLC, of Lanham, Maryland, received Glenn’s Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year, for performance on the contract and efforts to utilize small businesses when subcontracting is required.
NASA Glenn Support Assistant and Clerical Awards
Andrea R. Bonesteel, Medina, for superior executive support services to the Office of Human Capital and spirit of collaboration and teamwork to meet Directorate and Center needs.
Samantha L. Brinkman, Cleveland, for exceptional performance of duties and delivering a level of service exceeding expectations to the chief financial officer organization and the associate director’s office.
Kathryn M. Roser, Bay Village, for outstanding performance of executive administrative duties in support of the Center Director’s Office at the Glenn Research Center.
Debra K. Clevenger, North Ridgeville, an employee of Stinger Ghaffarin Technologies (SGT) Inc., for exceptional administrative support to and invaluable knowledge of the Space Science Project Office, including significant support of the cloud observation for updraft detection science and NASA’s evolutionary xenon thruster – commercial projects.
Carmen D. Gonzalez, Lorain, an employee of SGT, Inc., for continued excellent support to the Combustion Physics and Reacting Processes Branch and the Fluid Physics and Transport Processes Branch, including willingness to accept the role as the Propulsion Division summer intern coordinator.
Renee K. Smiley, an employee of SGT, Inc., for a cooperative team attitude approach in the Logistics and Technical Information Division, including extensive research and data entry in creating several new databases used by the Division.
For more information about NASA Glenn Research Center, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/news
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Jeannette Owens
Media Relations Office
216-433-2990
jeannette.p.owens@nasa.gov