AFCEC employee nominated for prestigious federal award

  • Published
  • By Jennifer Schneider
  • AFCEC Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas --  Lara Schoenenberger, professional engineer and contingency construction section chief at the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, has been selected as an Air Force nominee in the leadership and/or management category for the 66th Annual Arthur S. Flemming Award.

The award,sponsored by George Washington University in conjunction with the Arthur S. Flemming Awards commission, honors outstanding men and women in federal government who have made significant and extraordinary contributions each year to the federal government.

"The Flemming Award is one of the most coveted awards recognizing exceptional federal service," said Joe Sciabica, AFCEC director. "Being selected to represent the Air Force in this competition is an incredible achievement and I am extremely proud to have her on our team."

Schoenenberger, a federal employee since 2010, was nominated for her work directing reconstruction efforts across Afghanistan, to include construction management of a $171 million Afghan Ministry of Defense complex.

"It's surreal," Schoenenberger said. "The nomination is an overwhelming honor to comprehend. I was stunned and a bit speechless for once."

The nomination is a testament to the hard work of the entire contingency construction team, she said.

"It took a team of outstanding company grade officers, expert contractor support, fearless 772nd contracting officers and specialists, AFCEC finance and legal offices and, most importantly, the AFCEC military and civilian deployers downrange working together as a cohesive group, separated by nine time zones, to make the accomplishments possible," Schoenenberger said.

The award's four-fold purpose is to recognize outstanding and meritorious achievement while working for the federal government, to encourage high standards of performance while working in federal service; to enhance appreciation of our government and the opportunities and responsibilities that it presents; and to attract and retain outstanding people to federal service.

The Air Force is allowed to nominate 10 federal civilian employees or military members - two in each of the following five categories: leadership and/or management; legal achievement; social science, clinical trials and translational research; applied science and engineering; and basic science.

Twelve winners will be chosen by a panel of nationally prominent judges, and will be recognized at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.