HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- The 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs team captured six of 10 categories in the 2025 Air Force Materiel Command Public Affairs Awards for Communication Excellence announced earlier this week.
The Department of the Air Force PACE program recognizes top-performing public affairs personnel and programs, showcases mission impact, and promotes benchmarking of effective and innovative communication practices across the command.
“Chief Vollmer and I are extremely proud of our 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs team for this outstanding performance,” wrote Col. Jorge Jimenez, 66 ABG commander, in an email to the workforce. “Winning six AFMC-level awards reflects their professionalism, creativity and commitment to telling the Hanscom AFB mission story with clarity and credibility.”
The Public Affairs office competed against 16 other PA teams in AFMC to receive the Brig. Gen. Harry J. Dalton Jr., Award, the Air Force’s highest unit-level Public Affairs honor.
The award recognizes the PA team that best advances DAF priorities and achieves mission objectives through integrated communication planning, execution and evaluation.
“Hanscom is the only active duty Air Force installation supporting all six New England states and New York, and our PA team works with great pride and passion in reaching a broad range of internal and external audiences with the highest quality communication products,” said Russ Kelly, Public Affairs chief.
He noted Public Affairs helps tell the stories of two Hanscom AFB-based Program Executive Offices managing a $32 billion portfolio to acquire critical warfighting systems for the Air Force and sister services, and the PEO’s vibrant partnerships with academia and industry.
Kelly also emphasized the importance of highlighting the 66th Air Base Group’s broad mission of supporting and sustaining more than 10,000 active duty, Reserve and National Guard personnel, federal civilians, contractors, and 130,000 retired military and spouses, as well as 300 geographically separated units.
“We’re focused on explaining how Hanscom Air Force Base contributes to the Air Force mission, while remaining transparent during complex and high-interest events,” said Kelly. “That included readiness exercises, historic community engagements and nationally visible legal proceedings.”
Kelly said PA products produced during the year generated thousands of views, increasing social media reach by more than one million across four platforms.
The team earned the Best Innovation award for “Team Hanscom Today,” a weekly video series created to connect Team Hanscom personnel and their families through recurring, multi-channel communication.
The series features a different military or civilian guest host for each episode representing units from across the installation, and covering stories about the acquisition and support missions, readiness, and personnel achievements.
Among the individual awards received by the PA team, 2nd Lt. Olushino Bolden Jr., received the Capt. Bradley R. Schuldt Outstanding Communication Company Grade Officer award for leading a high-profile court martial on base, developing service-wide training tools and advising senior leaders across the installation during readiness exercises and community engagements.
Jessica Casserly, Community Engagement Section chief, was named Outstanding Communication Civilian Category III for senior-level leadership in community engagement and legislative liaison efforts supporting major partnerships, nationally significant events and congressional engagements.
Andrew Lane received Outstanding Communication Civilian Category II for his work in security and policy review, helping to execute several Team Hanscom Today episodes, and acquisition-focused communication reaching thousands on LinkedIn.
Todd Maki earned Outstanding Communication Civilian Category I for his photography, more than 100 marquee designs as well as providing graphic design support to units on base and those geographically separated. The win marks his sixth consecutive year receiving the award.
The PA will now compete at the Air Force level.