Hanscom directorates shine at acquisition awards

  • Published
  • By Patty Welsh
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Members of the Battle Management and Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence and Networks Directorates received 2015 acquisition management awards during a ceremony Dec. 8.

Although the event originated at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, seven operating locations, including Hanscom, connected via VTC to participate. The awards recognize and honor Air Force Life Cycle Management Center teams and individuals who have demonstrated excellence in managing acquisition and test programs.

"This is a big day for program managers, test managers and the Center," said Kevin Keck, Acquisition Excellence and Program Execution director. "It's a big day for the Air Force as well, as almost all of our winners will go on to compete at the SAF/AQ level."

Keck added the competition was extremely tough and he's sure that LCMC will be well represented at the higher level.

"LCMC has elevated the bar this year," he said.

In the area of continuous process improvement, Hanscom won in both team and individual categories for work demonstrating exemplary creativity and rigor in the incorporation of CPI principles, tools and techniques in solving acquisition problems and generating acquisition efficiency. Christopher Carson from Battle Management won the CPI award-individual. Carson was honored for his visionary leadership on implementing an open systems architecture strategy for the Air Force chief of staff's fourth highest acquisition priority. The Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar, or 3DELRR, Program Integration Team won a CPI team award. The team won for their work seamlessly orchestrating an innovative Air Force Cost Accounting Agency service cost position development estimate that saved $201 million and poised the program for a $534 million engineering and manufacturing development phase contract award.

The PM trainee award also went to a Hanscom employee, Curtis Baldwin of the C3I and Networks Directorate. This award recognizes a trainee who has made outstanding contributions to a program, process or organization that contributed significantly to the success of the organization. Baldwin spearheaded an $18.7 million joint terminal buy and utilizing quantity buy discounts, cut Air Force bills by $1.9 million.

The Directorates also had winners in Outstanding Acquisition Manager and Program Manager categories, which recognize noteworthy and significant achievements, resourcefulness and leadership ability. In the Lieutenant Colonel or Major Acquisition Manager category, the winner was Lt. Col. Christopher Kadala from Battle Management, located at Robins AFB, Georgia. Kadala was honored for his work directing an Air Force Acquisition Master List Program and four Air National Guard-funded initiatives, valued at more than $200 million, and managing a $350 million a year sustainment budget that kept 17 high-demand E-8 aircraft vitally involved in major operations. In the Acquisition Manager category for GS-13 or 14, Jennifer Gould from C3I and Networks Directorate was the winner for her work flawlessly leading a 68-member team, directing operations for three quick reaction capability programs, three rapid innovation fund projects, eight small business innovation fund programs and 15 cooperative research and development agreements.

In the category of Outstanding Program Manager, Acquisition Category III, James Hill from Battle Management was a winner. His award was for expert leadership of the $200 million ACAT III Next Generation Identify Friend or Foe program that delivered critical combat identification capability to the warfighter while also integrating production and installation with other ACAT I and II programs and multiple ACAT III airborne warning and control system programs.

Also presented this year was an LCMC AQ Director's Award, which went to the Air Force Vulnerability Management Team from the C3I and Networks Directorate. The team's achievements included an innovative deployment method of the assured compliance assessment solution vulnerability scanning tool, securing enterprise AF network users and critical mission functions from cyber attack.

Keck, speaking on behalf of the PEOs and Center leadership, said they couldn't be more proud of all the award finalists.

"We see the amazing effort and expertise," he said. "And we see future leaders in each of you."

This was the third annual LCMC acquisition management awards ceremony.