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2008 has come and gone and has proven to be another productive year for Team AFIT. Recently, the best of the best of our personnel competed for the AFIT annual awards. The competition was close and the accomplishments were many!

The enlisted military categories of the annual awards included Airman, Non-Commissioned Officer, and Senior Non-Commissioned Officer. The Airman of the Year was Senior Airman Steven Martin. Senior Airman Martin provides computer support for the Civil Engineer and Services School’s 40 faculty and 2,000 students. He completed his 5-level career development course ahead of schedule with scores that were 8% higher than the Air Force average, while completing courses towards his Community College of the Air Force degree. He identified and eliminated a HAZMAT threat in the mail room, created more than 550 student accounts, and was an active volunteer for Airman Against Drunk Driving, helped with the enlisted council picnic, and raised money for breast cancer research. The NCO category was won by Technical Sgt. Patricia Houck from the School of Systems and Logistics. Technical Sgt. Houck provides information management support for the staff and faculty of the School. She planned and trained the new AFIT intranet functions, managed military manning, and conducted briefings for the Mission Ready Contracting Officers Course. She also successfully completed the Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, achieved her A+ certification, and supported highway cleanup events, the AFIT Heritage Symposium, and the Springfield Promise Christian Fellowship Church. The SNCO of the year is Master Sgt. Billy Humphrey out of the SC department. Master Sgt. Humphrey performed network support duties at WPAFB, AFIT, and at Balad AB, Iraq. His vital tasks ensured the AFIT/EDU accreditation, provided support for eight general officers in the AOR, and completed infrastructure installs. He graduated from the Senior NCO Academy as a distinguished graduate, as well as being selected for the CMSAF McCoy Academic Achievement Award. He held a 4.0 GPA toward his IT Management bachelor's of science degree while volunteering at the AF Theater Hospital at Balad and teaching drill and EPR writing skills.

The officers of Team AFIT competed in two categories: Company Grade Officer and Field Grade Officer. The CGO winner was Capt. Teresa King, a Force Support Course Director for the Civil Engineer and Services School. Capt. King taught 511 students in 16 classes, to include the first-ever force support squadron course. She assisted with 18 sets of remains at the Dover Port Mortuary, supported the 88^th SVS squadron search and recovery exercises, and won two AFIT Team of the Quarter awards and a CGO of the Quarter award. She also completed courses in residence and online, served as the AFIT Combined Federal Campaign chair, volunteered at the AF marathon and as an elementary class coordinator, and raised money for youth team sports. The FGO winner was Maj. Lavern Starman, an electrical engineering team chief. Maj. Starman was selected as #1 of 90 AFIT FGOs for his many accomplishments, which included teaching double the teaching load of his peers, acquiring funding for and creating courses in nanotechnology, and collaborating with Air Force Research Laboratory for optical research, thermocouplers, and MEMS hybrid components. He also provided outreach for Wright State University PhD students and was a leader for both youth soccer and bible study programs.

The military were not the only ones making vital contributions in 2008; our civilian teammates were also invaluable to our success! We recognized our winners in three categories: I, II, and III. Our Category I Civilian of the Year was Susan Owen, an educational technician for the School of Systems and Logistics. Ms. Owen served as a course manager for nine systems engineering courses, where she graduated more than 850 students, provided end of course metrics for 15 thousand students in 90 LS courses, and established two new systems engineering courses. She also completed systems engineering, SharePoint, and Excel courses, while managing volunteers for Fairborn High School’s Athletic Booster Club and coordinating youth soccer club registration and uniform ordering. LaVonne Allen, a business manager and executive assistant for EN, was selected as the annual award winner in Category II. Ms. Allen supported 35 faculty members in the largest graduate school department, where she executed an $800K budget, coordinated $66K in office upgrades, and was a key member of the department assessment committee for the 2009 national level accreditation. She completed a Master of Science in Administration with a 3.7 GPA, was one of 100 selected AF-wide for the AF inaugural Civilian Acculturation and Leadership Training Program, and volunteered at the Prairies community center, Ferguson Middle School, and at the AF Marathon. Paul Keenan, an education specialist from the Civil Engineer and Services School, was selected as the Category III winner. Mr. Keenan taught more than 120 classes of 700 students, stepped in as the force support squadron department head, received recognition as Civilian of the Quarter and Team of the Quarter, and received the Exemplary Civilian Service medal. He completed 300 hours of distance learning courses and two advanced EET courses while chairing a parks and recreation board and packing supplies for a life saving medical mission to Ghana.

Not only did our members excel as individuals, they excelled as a team as well! The winning team was the AFIT/CES Department of Force Support Management team. Collectively, the members led the SVS/MSS education merger to support the Air Force’s new Force Support Squadron. They developed the curriculum and master training plans, taught the first course at Keesler AFB, and prepared 110 officers for their new FSS war fighting duties. They developed and executed the first Contingency Equal Opportunity, Airman and Family Readiness Center, and Sexual Assault Prevention and Response courses, while providing a 75% increase in protocol courses. They also were selected twice as AFIT Team of the Quarter winners for 2008.

Congratulations go out to all of our 2008 Annual Awards Winners. While 2008 was a resounding success, we look forward to all that Team AFIT has to offer in 2009!