AFCEC employees earn federal recognition awards Published June 6, 2013 By Air Force Civil Engineer Center JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- Several Air Force Civil Engineer Center employees earned top honors during the Alamo Federal Executive Board 2013 Federal Recognition Awards luncheon in San Antonio June 4. Erica Becvar, a member of AFCEC's Environmental Directorate, earned first place in the professional category honoring employees in professional and scientific professions. As the lead Air Force Environmental Management System program manager, she spearheaded the standardization of the EMS across the Air Force, reducing the burden installations must individually maintain. She also maximized the environmental program's efficiency and effectiveness by minimizing costs, eliminating redundancies and reducing risk. The Environmental Quality Program Management Office from AFCEC's Environmental Directorate earned first place in the team category honoring a group of individuals dependent upon one another to exceed expectations through self-generated initiatives and innovations that resulted in significant tangible benefits to the agency or customers. The team stood up to implement the Air Force's environmental centralization efforts. The team's many accomplishments include overcoming significant manning challenges and saving the Air Force $44 million in fiscal 2013 - and are on pace to save an additional $40 million in fiscal 2014 - through the successful centralization of the Air Force's Environmental Quality Program. The team includes Roger Wilkson, Chadwick Avery, Beth Davis, Don White, Denise Perry, Leanne Taynoue, Chad Bertagnoli and Christy Gardner. According to the AFEB website, the Federal Recognition Awards program is one of the most important and coveted forms of non-monetary recognition available to civilian and military employees in government and in the San Antonio area. The program publicizes to the general public, as well as the federal family, the high caliber of devoted employees in federal service. Along with the first-place winners, the AFEB recognized one second runner-up and three honorable mentions from AFCEC: Professional Category 2nd runner-up Lara Schoenenberger Individual Award Honorable Mentions Capt. Clemente Berrios Joseph H. Hockaday Brenda Roesch