Engineering Directorate recognizes top engineers at awards ceremony

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Engineering Directorate held its 2017 annual Engineering Awards Ceremony Feb. 15, at the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Kenney Hall, with other AFLCMC organizations across the country connected by video teleconference.

This year’s event, themed “Advancing the Capability of the Air Force through World Class Engineering,” recognized and honored the outstanding achievements of the AFLCMC engineering community and their efforts.

Seventeen different award categories were presented during the ceremony, which recognized 134 individual nominees, 27 team nominees with 428 team members from across the AFLCMC portfolios, including personnel from: Eglin, Hanscom, Robins, Tinker and Wright-Patterson Air Force Bases and Greenville, Texas.

This year’s award winners are:

* Junior Military Engineer Award: 1st Lt. Elizabeth A. Cunningham, Engineering and Technical Management/Services Directorate, Robins Center Test Authority, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia.;

* Mid-Career Military Engineer Award: Maj. Zachary L. Bowen, Battle Management Directorate, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts.;

* Senior Military Engineer Award: Maj. Michael S. Fischer, Space Aerial and Nuclear Networks Division, C3I and Networks Directorate, Hanscom AFB.

* Junior Civilian Engineer Award: Mr. Aaron A. Buscavage, Armament Directorate, Direct Attack Division, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida;

* Mid-Career Civilian Engineer Award: Jason H. Hogan, Agile Combat Support Directorate, Support Equipment & Vehicles Division, Robins AFB;

* Senior Civilian Engineer Award: Edward L. McGlynn, Battle Management Directorate, Missile Defense and Missile Warning Systems Branch, Hanscom AFB;

* Engineering Technician Award: Robert Cuellar, Engineering and Technical Management/Services Directorate, Air Force Nondestructive Inspection Office, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma;

* Chief Engineer Award: Mr. Jerold C. Smith, Tanker Directorate, Legacy Tanker Division, Tinker AFB;

* Technical Management Award: Terry L. Gabbert, Engineering and Technical Management/Services Directorate, Air Force Corrosion Prevention and Control Office, Robins AFB;

* Technical Leadership Award: William P. Raphael, Fighters & Bombers Directorate, B-1/B-52 Division, Tinker AFB;

* Support Award: Jonathan M. Pinto, Armament Directorate, Direct Attack Division, Eglin AFB;

* Mentor Award: Valerie A. Smith, Safety Directorate, System Safety Office, Robins AFB;

* Reservist/Individual Mobilization Augmentee Award: Maj. Don Allen Bland Jr., Armament Directorate, Direct Attack Division, Eglin AFB;

* Frederick T. Rall Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award: Anthony J. DalSasso, Agile Combat Support Directorate, Simulators System Program Office, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base;

* AFLCMC/EN Director’s Award: Stephen L. VanHorn, Engineering and Technical Management / Services Directorate, Systems Engineering Services Division, Wright-Patterson AFB;

* Technical Management Team Award: Support Equipment and Vehicles Division, Agile Combat Support, Robins AFB;

* Engineering Team Award: Big Safari Program Office, ISR & SOF Directorate, Greenville, Texas.

A new award was also unveiled this year, The Jorge F. Gonzalez Engineering Analysis Award., which will be presented to the engineer who makes a substantial contribution to the AFLCMC mission through engineering analyses using tools such as those contained in the Engineering Analysis and Training Laboratory.

The new award is named after Jorge F. Gonzalez who was a member of the Senior Executive Service when he retired after 35 years of civil service, and was the director of Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Engineering and Technical Management/Services Directorate.

The award recognizes the value that independent technical analyses brings to AFLCMC’s development and sustainment practices, recognizing the power of “engineers being engineers.” It awards analyses that increase the technical understanding of systems that lead to data-driven decisions resulting in better, more cost-effective, products for the warfighter.

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