WASHINGTON, April 30,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) recognized its top performing employees and
teams during the 2023 TSA Honorary Awards Ceremony held at Ronald
Reagan Washington National Airport on April
30.
"It's my greatest honor and privilege to highlight our
incredible employees," said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. "This year's TSA Honorary Awards
is another opportunity for me to personally show my appreciation of
our award recipients from across TSA, who have made significant
contributions in support of TSA's mission."
"We're here today to honor the remarkable dedication of TSA
personnel who go above and beyond in their service to ensure the
safety and security of the American people," said Department of
Homeland Security Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy
Secretary Kristie Canegallo. "It's a
privilege to highlight and celebrate their ongoing commitment to
excellence."
Gerardo Hernandez "In the Line of Duty" Award
Honoring
the memory, service and sacrifice of TSA Officer Gerardo Hernandez, this award recognizes
employees who distinguish themselves through bravery, valor and
heroism in the line of duty. Hernandez was killed in the line of
duty at Los Angeles International
Airport on November 1, 2013.
The 2023 award recognizes Amanda
Houck from Intelligence and Analysis. Amanda is a senior TSA
Field Intelligence Officer with prior experience as a Coast Guard
veteran. While returning from the Washington State Fusion Center's Crime and
Safety Conference, Amanda reacted with speed, laser-like focus and
complete disregard for her own safety when she came upon a
multi-car pile-up along a winding, mountainous road in the early
afternoon hours of a snowy, cloud cast winter day in eastern
Washington. Amanda moved from
vehicle to vehicle to triage the victims and assess the severity of
their injuries, remaining calm while using her well-honed first
responder medical knowledge to provide first aid and offer
steadying words of encouragement. Amanda's actions, including her
selfless attitude in placing the welfare and needs of others above
her own, are a tribute to her composed demeanor, decisiveness and
overall professionalism all while confronting a multitude of
challenges in a sea of turmoil and distress.
Norman Y. Mineta "Cornerstone" Award
Each year, this
award recognizes and honors the leadership legacy of former
Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. Following the 9/11 attacks in
2001, Mineta was instrumental in establishing what TSA is
today.
This year's recipient is Amber
Waldner-Ortiz of Intelligence and Analysis. During FY23,
Amber was detailed as the Vetting Operations, Section Chief in the
Vetting Analysis Division (VAD), National Transportation Vetting
Center (NTVC) West in Colorado Springs,
Colorado. She superbly led the NTVC vetting workforce in
Colorado Springs to record
production levels, which significantly impacted TSA and the U.S.
national security mission. She also created robust training,
mentoring, development and role-based opportunities while promoting
strong employee engagement and superior morale. She does this
through outstanding leadership, character and complete dedication
to her workforce. She remained committed while facing a
life-threatening situation with her only son who required surgery.
She quickly trained someone to backfill her position so she could
be at her son's bedside during the critical procedure and recovery.
During her career, Amber has faced and overcome tremendous personal
adversity. As one of the first female Federal Air Marshals, a
Section Chief in the Training and Workforce Development Branch, and
her current position, she has consistently delivered top-notch
results.
"Blogger Bob" Award
In memory of Curtis "Bob" Burns,
who was dedicated to building TSA's social media presence as
"Blogger Bob," this award recognizes an employee or team who
positively influenced public engagement by identifying, crafting,
promoting and implementing creative solutions that significantly
impacted the traveling public's views and interactions with the
agency.
This year's award winner is the Strategic Communications &
Public Affairs Media Relations team. The team, which includes seven
regional spokespeople and two press assistants, held 272 proactive
media events, answered more than 1,250 local media queries,
published 575 local press releases and posted just over 2,000
tweets from their regional "X" accounts. Their outstanding work
reached more than 2 billion people and garnered the agency just
over $200 million in earned media
coverage. The team also proactively conducted media events at 107
airports and earned coverage for airports of all sizes, including
Guam, Saipan and Puerto Rico.
Public Service Award
This award recognizes TSA
employees who volunteer with nonprofit or community service
programs or activities, contributing to meaningful results for
individuals or the larger public good.
The 2023 Public Service Award recipient is Heather Proctor, a member of Domestic Aviation
Operations at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Heather is an
outstanding example of a distinguished public servant through her
service as a volunteer for the American Cancer Society (ACS),
American Legion, Bastrop Church, Austin Police Department and local schools.
For ACS, she is a senior member of the organization's "Relay for
Life," a cancer fundraiser that she has served for the past 10
years. Heather is an assistant instructor for community-based,
basic handgun safety courses for the public, as she helps guide new
gun owners through federal and state rules and regulations of gun
safety and how to shoot a pistol for self-protection in a local gun
range. Her energy is matched only by her enthusiasm and ability to
lend herself to so many causes throughout the year. She is a credit
to her local community and TSA.
Other 2023 TSA Honorary Award winners include:
Airport of the Year,
CAT X-I:
|
|
Team George Bush
Intercontinental Airport
|
Airport of the Year,
CAT II-IV:
|
|
Team Wichita Dwight D.
Eisenhower National Airport
|
Unsung Hero Award
for
outstanding "behind-the-scenes" performance:
|
|
Robert Crawford of Law
Enforcement/ Federal Air Marshal
Service
|
Transportation Security
Officer
(TSO) of the Year:
|
|
Gregory Deschenes from
Bradley International Airport
|
Lead TSO of the
Year:
|
|
Scott A. Lambert from
Chicago O'Hare International Airport
|
Supervisory TSO of the
Year:
|
|
Jennifer Toms
from Albuquerque International
Sunport
|
Transportation Security
Manager of
the Year:
|
|
Charles Johnston II of
Ted Stevens Anchorage International
Airport
|
Coordination Center
Employee of
the Year:
|
|
Andre Giacalone from
Ted Stevens Anchorage International
Airport
|
Federal Security
Directors of the
Year:
|
|
William Csontos from
Bradley International Airport and
Gregory Hawko from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport
|
Deputy Federal Security
Director
of the Year:
Assistant Federal
Security Director
of the Year – Screening:
|
|
Jesus Serrano of Tampa
International Airport
Donald Wilburn from
Dallas Fort Worth International
Airport and Rusty Edwards, Law Enforcement/Federal Air
Marshal Service.
|
Canine Handler of the
Year:
|
|
Randall Bownds from
George Bush Intercontinental Airport
|
Inspector of the
Year:
|
|
Anthony M. Nolasco from
George Bush Intercontinental
Airport
|
Transportation Security
Specialist
(Explosives) of the Year:
|
|
Steven Martinez from
Luis Muñoz Mar í in International
Airport
|
Federal Air Marshal
(FAM) of the
Year:
|
|
Roland Morneault from
the Charlotte Douglas International
Airport
|
Supervisory Air Marshal
in Charge
(SAC) of the Year:
|
|
Stanley Lee from the
Atlanta Field Office
|
Supervisory FAM or
Assistant
SAC of the Year:
|
|
Esther Fausett from the
Washington Field Office
|
Management,
Administrative and
Professional Employee of the Year:
|
|
Beat Gsell of Los
Angeles International Airport
|
Passenger Support
Specialist of the
Year:
|
|
Julia Perry from Denver
International Airport
|
Security Training
Instructor of the
Year:
|
|
Amanda Burger from
Spokane International Airport
|
National Deployment
Force Officer
of the Year:
|
|
Carrie Lennon from
Indianapolis International Airport
|
Intelligence or Vetting
Analyst of
the Year:
|
|
William Wilkinson from
the National Transportation Vetting
Center - East
|
Transportation
Security
Administration Representative of
the Year:
Federal Air Marshal
Service Field
Office of the Year:
Headquarters Office of
the Year
(Program office, Directorate or
Division):
|
|
Haley Gallagher from
TSA International Operations
Miami Field Office
Intelligence and
Analysis
|
A complete list of winners and nominees is available here.
The Transportation Security Administration was
created to strengthen the security of the nation's transportation
systems and ensure the freedom of movement for people and commerce.
TSA uses an intelligence-based approach and works closely with
transportation, law enforcement and intelligence communities to set
the standard for excellence in transportation security. For more
information about TSA, please visit our website at
tsa.gov.
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SOURCE Transportation Security Administration