AFCEC members win annual CE, environmental awards

  • Published
  • By Caitlin Lowrey
  • AFCEC Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas --  The expertise and commitment of five Air Force Civil Engineer Center members recently earned them top honors in the Civil Engineer and Environmental Awards for 2012.

AFCEC winners are Col. David Reynolds, Senior Master Sgt. Gary Szekely, Richard Espiritu, Rodney Fisher and Lara Schoenenberger. Capt. Clemente Berrios, now retired Senior Master Sgt. Gregory Noll and Patrick Ross were selected as runners-up.

"We have a tremendous amount of expertise at AFCEC," said Joe Sciabica, AFCEC director. "This recognition proves AFCEC is the place where installations, MAJCOMs and combatant commands can turn for support and solutions. This is an organization that leads the way, and these award winners are our torchbearers."

From outstanding contributions in power production and contract support, to handling hazardous materials and designing energy-efficient structures, the winners impressed customers and leaders alike.

"I would like to congratulate the winners in this year's awards program," said Maj. Gen. Timothy Byers, Air Force Civil Engineer. "These teams and individuals continue to make things better, helping us to build to last and lead the change for our Air Force. Well done!"

Reynolds leads more than 400 people at AFCEC's Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., location as a deputy director. He earned the Society of American Military Engineer's Newman Medal for his contributions in three of the agency's directorates: readiness, energy and operations.

"I look at the previous winners and there are a number of my former mentors and role models on that list," Reynolds said. "It's quite an honor to be selected for the Newman award for the Air Force."

During 2012, Reynolds oversaw the execution of $399 million in the Air Force Contract Augmentation Program, a rapid response contingency tool that provides the full scope of civil engineer capabilities. It has been used after disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, floods and aircraft crashes.

The colonel also helped make the Air Force facility energy program the best in the Department of Defense for its use of renewable energy.

Fisher, this year's Energy Conservation Award winner, also prides himself on saving the Air Force energy and money. As the expeditionary energy lead, he worked with the Marine Corps and Army to test new shade and photovoltaic tent flies, insulation techniques and environmental control units for expeditionary shelters.

"The work we're doing in energy reduction at expeditionary bases will ultimately result in at least a 50-percent reduction in power required to support them," Fisher said.

These efforts also have the potential to save lives by reducing the need for fuel convoys. Fisher developed requirements and secured $11 million for the program to continue through 2017.

Szekely won SAME's Goddard Medal for his outstanding contributions in military troop construction, base maintenance and contingency engineering. He spent 185 days in Afghanistan developing and managing 980 outside-the-wire missions.

He said partnering with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and seeing how projects develop "from dirt to completion" really had an impact on him.

"One project involved paving a road on Kandahar Airfield used for transporting munitions," Szekely said. "When it was a dirt road, the transport vehicles had to go five miles an hour. Now it's much quicker and safer."

Szekely also revamped emergency generator criteria that garnered attention from the Air Force Chief of Staff for saving 44,000 man-hours and $787,000 annually.

Espiritu, Outstanding Civil Engineer Manager of the Year civilian award winner, earned recognition for his accomplishments as a power systems electrician with AFCEC's Civil Engineer Maintenance, Inspection and Repair Team. He developed and taught several courses on arc flash and advanced protective relays, bolstering safety for more than 40 technicians. Espiritu solidified power requirements in an F-22 Raptor hangar at Holloman AFB, N.M., by calibrating 120 relays and inspecting 30 breakers.

"Mr. Espiritu is a well-deserving recipient," said Robert Gingell, chief of the CEMIRT Division. "His leadership and commitment to customer service are outstanding. He represents CEMIRT and Air Force CE with professionalism and excellence."

Schoenenberger won the Maj. Gen. William D. Gilbert Award for her role as an action officer for military construction projects in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. As a branch chief in the Facilities Engineering Center of Excellence's Strategic Design and Construction Division, she led a team of seven people in executing 32 projects in Afghanistan worth about $1 billion. Some of Schoenenberger's successes include overseeing the construction of a $94-million Afghan military studies academy that will train 2,000 cadets annually and managing $106 million in upgrades to Afghan pilot training facilities.

"This is really an award for teamwork," Schoenenberger said. "It's a big effort to pull together support in different countries to execute these projects."