A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/738498
O'Hare Modernization Project . His professionalism and desire to complete the procedures project on time resulted in a seamless and timely runway opening. Lucretia Britt is a Cartographic Technician at Memphis Center. She is known by all who work with her as a self - starter and as some one who can't help but find or develop more efficient ways to do business. Whether it is setting up and transitioning staff to new software, collaborating across lines of business, or using her background in Quality Assurance to assist her manage r and team mate s, Lucretia is known throughout – and beyond – her facility as having abundant integrity, initiative , and work ethic, and is a role model for what a Federal employee should be. Glenn Garasic, a controller at Potomac TRACON, was honored with an Aviation Save Award. He helped a Cessna C - 182 pilot who began to panic when he flew into weather conditions for which he was not rated. Remaining calm and professional, Glenn helped the pilot regain control of the aircraft and safely land at the nearest airport. J ason Thompson, a controller at the tower in Wilmington, N.C. , also received an Aviation Save Award. He safely guided a distressed pilot who encountered a sudden change in weather while conducting Visual Flight Rules navigation. With a calming voice and exp ert guidance, Jason gave the pilot weather updates and communicated with an adjacent facility, allowing it to clear its airspace so the pilot had room to maneuver. Jason's efforts helped the pilot safely land. Sharon Kurywchak, Deputy Director in Mission S upport Services, received the Meritorious Achievement Award, the Secretary's third highest award. Sharon is receiving this award for her work as Acting Air Traffic Manager at O'Hare Airport during the final stages of the O'Hare Modernization Project. Under Sharon's leadership, schedules and requirements were met and the new runway and tower both opened on time. A tenacious but level - headed leader, she solicits input from colleagues and FAA customers alike before making decisions. The ATO's Supervisory Devel opment Initiative (SDI) team won this year's Making a Difference in the Workplace Award. Through SDI, we provided 558 first - level managers with training on subjects including labor relations, performance management, safety, conflict resoluti on, and time ma nagement – all of this under program budget! The SDI team went on to develop the outline for the ATO's Continuous Leadership Development initiative, which helps managers hone more advanced leadership skills. This year's FAA Strategic Achieveme nt Award went to the Spectrum Planning and International Team for their leadership in the development of international spectrum and policy standards at the 2015 World Radio Communications Conference. The team, which included Michael Biggs, Donald Nellis , and Robert Fra zier, worked with hundreds of other nations to reach agreements on spectrum and communications issues relating to global flight tracking and unmanned aircraft systems. You can see the names of all of the award winners here . Let's congratulate these employees, in person if we can, or on the comment board. And on that note, let's also make a point of acknowledging all our co - workers, whenever we have a m oment, for their contributions to our mission. In doing so, we'll continue to instill a "People Always!" culture. Thanks everyone, Teri Teri L. Bristol ATO Chief Operating Officer