We Honor 93 Award-Winning USDA Achievers
by Charlene Baker, FSIS Human Resources Staff, Minneapolis, Minn

     USDA honored a number of its employees, for their outstanding achievements, at its "55th Annual Honor Awards Ceremony," which took place June 4 at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in Washington, DC.

     Sandra Anglade, USDA's Employee Recognition Program Manager with the Office of Human Resources Management and coordinator of the Ceremony, said that USDA honor awards were awarded to 93 recipients, including 31 individuals and 62 groups.

     149 nominations, which included 45 individuals and 104 groups, had been submitted earlier to the USDA Honor Awards Evaluation Committee. The five-member Committee reviewed those nominations and had then made its recommendations to Secretary Ann Veneman.

     Veneman delivered the keynote address and then she presented the major USDA awards to the employees. In her remarks she said that "the Honor Awards show how powerful our Department is when we function as a team--working together--learning more about our different agencies and our diversity, both in mission and people."

     "These awards are also a way to say 'thank you' for your dedication and service."

     The highest USDA honor awards are the Plow Awards. Three individuals and three groups received Plow Awards this year. Those recipients have that particular annotation by their respective names in the lists that follow.

     In addition to the 93 USDA honor award presentations, USDA's awards highlight included noting its 14 Presidential Rank Award recipients for 2000 (the December 2000 issue of the USDA News carried a story on those 14 employees), the USDA recipients of major awards sponsored by external organizations, and the 504 Departmental employees across the country who have 40 or more years of federal service. Singled out for individual recognition was Harold "Bruno" Mangum, a program specialist with FSA's state office in Raleigh, N.C., who has 65 years of federal service, all with USDA.

     The 31 Individuals receiving USDA honor awards included:

     For Expanding Economic and Trade Opportunities for United States Agricultural Producers: James MacDonald (Economic Research Service), Washington, DC; and James Sands (National Agricultural Statistics Service), Des Moines, Iowa; For Promoting Health by Providing Access to Safe, Affordable, and Nutritious Food: Mark Winne [Plow Award] (Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service and the Hartford Food System), Hartford, Conn.; Gary Beecher (Agricultural Research Service), Beltsville, Md.; Anthony Hall (CSREES and the University of California), Riverside, Calif.; Mohammad Koohmaraie (ARS), Clay Center, Neb.; and John Sofos (CSREES and Colorado State University), Fort Collins, Colo.; For Maintaining and Enhancing the Nation's Natural Resources and Environment: Nancy Burt (Forest Service), Rutland, Vt.; Raghavan Charudattan (CSREES and the University of Florida), Gainesville, Fla.; James Miller (FS), Auburn, Ala.; Tom Quigley (FS), La Grande, Ore.; Andrew Sharpley (ARS), University Park, Pa.; and Robert Staten (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service), Phoenix, Ariz.; For Enhancing the Capacity of all Rural Residents, Communities, and Businesses to Prosper: Brenda Aeillo (Rural Housing Service), Garden City, Kan.; Jonathan Day (CSREES and the University of Florida), Vero Beach, Fla.; Robert Gotkowski (Natural Resources Conservation Service), Bourbonnais, Ill.; Nancy Graybeal (FS), Portland, Ore.; Charles Kraenzle (Rural Business-Cooperative Service), Washington, DC; Jerry Schickedanz (CSREES and New Mexico State University), Las Cruces, N.M; and Dayleann Waymire (RHS), Covington, Ind.; For Operating an Efficient, Effective, and Discrimination-Free Organization: Rosemary Hall [Plow Award] (Farm Service Agency), Kansas City, Mo.; Alva Chase (Office of the Chief Financial Officer), New Orleans, La.; Nathaniel Deutsch (Departmental Administration), Washington, DC; Brian Frieden (FSA), Normal, Ill.; Frederick Kocher (FSA), Springfield, Ill.; Florence Pridgen (FS), Milwaukee, Wis.; and Jacalyn Shelton (Agricultural Marketing Service), Lubbock, Texas; For Heroism and Emergency Response: Melvin Massey [Plow Award] (National Association of State Departments of Agriculture), Reed Springs, Mo.; Victor Apodoca (FS), Pecos, N.M.; Eric Garcia (New Mexico State Police Department), Santa Fe, N.M.; and Doris Greiner (RHS), Washington, DC.

						J. MacDonald J. Sands M. Winne
						G. Beecher A. Hall M. Koohmaraie J. Sofos N. Burt R. Charudattan
					J. Miller T. Quigley A. Sharpley R. Staten B. Aeillo
						J. Day R. Gotkowski N. Graybeal C. Kraenzle J. Schickedanz D. Waymire
					R. Hall A. Chase N. Deutsch B. Frieden F. Kocher
						F. Pridgen J. Shelton M. Massey V. Apodoca E. Garcia D. Greiner

     The 62 Groups receiving USDA honor awards included:

     For Expanding Economic and Trade Opportunities for United States Agricultural Producers: the National Organic Final Rule Team [Plow Award] (AMS), Washington, DC, Kathleen Merrigan, Group Leader; the Agricultural Market Access Database Team (ERS), Washington, DC, Paul Gibson and Daniel Whitley, Group Leaders; the European Union Export Team (Food Safety and Inspection Service), Washington, DC, Mary Stanley, Group Leader; the Juniper Wood Composite Development Team (FS), Madison, Wis., James Muehl, Group Leader; the Multi-State Research Project--Northeast 183 (CSREES and the State Agricultural Experiment Station, Purdue University), West Lafayette, Ind., Peter Hirst, Group Leader; the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act Branch Internet Training Program Team (AMS), Washington, DC, Charles Parrot, Group Leader; the Slaughter Surveillance Validation Team (APHIS), Riverdale, Md., Michael Gilsdorf, Group Leader; and the Spokane Regional Office (Risk Management Agency), Spokane, Wash., Dave Paul, Group Leader; For Promoting Health by Providing Access to Safe, Affordable, and Nutritious Food: the Consumer Protection Task Force (FSIS), Oak Park, Mich., Stephen Parker, Group Leader; the Food Safety Initiative Team (Office of Inspector General), Washington, DC, Stephen Fowkes, Group Leader; the Food Security Team (Food and Nutrition Service), Atlanta, Ga., Virgil Conrad, Group Leader; the Healthy Eating Index Group (Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion), Washington, DC, Peter Basiotis, Group Leader; the Inspection Team from Establishment 9400 (FSIS), Wyalusing, Pa., Craig Shultz, Group Leader; the Partnership for Food Safety Education (FSIS), Washington, DC, Susan Conley, Group Leader; the Performance High Impact Team (FNS), Alexandria, Va., Steven Carlson, Group Leader; the Seamless Food Safety Distribution and Enforcement Group (FSIS), Chicago, Ill., Louis Leny, Group Leader; and the Welfare to Work Group (FNS), Alexandria, Va., Floyd Wheeler, Group Leader; For Maintaining and Enhancing the Nation's Natural Resources and Environment: the Living With Wildlife Team [Plow Award] (APHIS), Lakewood, Colo., Craig Coolahan, Group Leader; the Cache River Watershed Project Team (NRCS), Anna, Ill., Richard Miller, Group Leader; the Climate Change Negotiations Analytic Support Team (Office of the Chief Economist), Washington, DC, William Hohenstein, Group Leader; the Geo-Spatial Information System Partnership (NASS), Fairfax, Va., George Hanuschak, Group Leader; the Hancock County Soil and Water Conservation District (NRCS), Carthage, Ill., Lori Bollin, Group Leader; the Roadless Area Conservation Project Team (FS), Washington, DC, Scott Conroy, Group Leader; the Roland Wetland Restoration Team (FS), Bedford, Ind., Patrick Merchant, Group Leader; the Semi-Arid Land-Surface-Atmosphere Team (ARS), Tucson, Ariz., David Goodrich, Group Leader; Students Sharing Our Agricultural Roots (CSREES and the University of Florida), Belle Grande, Fla., Richard Raid and Russell Nagata, Group Leaders; Vegetation Simulator Fuels and Fire Effects (FS), Fort Collins, Colo., Ralph Johnson, Group Leader; and the Wood Magic Science Fair Program (CSREES and Mississippi State University), Mississippi State, Miss., Dan Seale, Group Leader; For Enhancing the Capacity of all Rural Residents, Communities, and Businesses to Prosper: the Value-Added Wheat Program Team [Plow Award] (CSREES and the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service), Stillwater/Alva, Okla., Rodney Holcomb and Robert LeValley, Group Leaders; the All Hazards Early Warning System Working Group (Rural Utilities Service), Washington, DC, Marci Hilt, Group Leader; the Covington Area Office (RHS), Covington, Tenn., Thomas Taylor, Group Leader; the Delta-Schoolcraft and Marquette-Alger Intermediate School District (FS), Escanaba, Mich., Dennis Stanek, Group Leader; the Literacy Team (CSREES and West Virginia University Extension Service), Morgantown, W.Va., Ruthellen Phillips, Group Leader; the Oglala/USDA Partnership Team (RHS), Huron, S.D., Patrick Gross and Timothy Potts, Group Leaders; the Oregon Conservation Planner Certification Cadre (NRCS), Portland, Ore., Roy Carlson, Group Leader; the Program Support Operations Research Group (RHS), Washington, DC, Richard Davis, Group Leader; the Rural Home Loan Partnership Initiative Team (RHS), Lewiston, Maine, Michael Hope and David Kent, Group Leaders; the Southern Illinois-Southeast Missouri Outreach Project (NRCS), Mt. Vernon, Ill./Dexter, Mo., Roscoe Allen and Walter Smith, Group Leaders; Team Oregon of Rural Development (Rural Development), Portland, Ore., Jerry Sheridan, Group Leader; the Three Mile Reservoir Agency and Supporting Affiliates (NRCS), Creston, Iowa, Robert Brown, Group Leader; the Trinity/Ore-Cal Resource Conservation and Development Group (NRCS), Weaverville, Calif., Scott Eberly, Group Leader; and the White Earth Reservation Science and Math Program (CSREES and the University of Minnesota Extension Service), Crookston, Minn., Deb Zak, Group Leader; For Operating an Efficient, Effective, and Discrimination-Free Organization: Audits of Electronic Benefits Transfer Systems (OIG), Beltsville, Md., Marlane Evans, Group Leader; the Clerical/Support Staff (Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration), Destreham, La., Glenda Lasseigne, Group Leader; the Combined Administrative Management System Team (NRCS), Beltsville, Md.; Hans Heidenreich, Group Leader; the Contracting and Acquisition Branch (FSA), Kansas City, Mo., Khristy Baughman, Group Leader; the Document Management Imaging System Project Team (FSA), Kansas City, Mo., Susan Karr, Group Leader; the Funds Reservation System Project Team (RHS), Washington, DC, Dean Daetwyler, Group Leader; the Interactive Data Analysis System Development Team (NASS), Washington, DC, Mark Apodaca and Robert Hood, Group Leaders; the MAJCO, Incorporated, Investigation and Prosecution Team (OIG), East Lansing, Mich., Andrew LaFleur, Group Leader; the National Arboretum's Big Bugs Exhibit Committee (ARS), Washington, DC, Elizabeth Ley, Group Leader; the Operation Forbidden Fruit Task Force (OIG), New York, N.Y., Gary O'Brien, Group Leader; the Science and Technology Initiative for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (CSREES), Washington, DC, Deborah Cavett, Group Leader; the Southern Tier/African American Heritage Group (FS), Murphysboro, Ill., Mary McCorvie, Group Leader; the Upland Cotton Task Force (OIG), Memphis, Tenn., Sandra Haste-Conner, Group Leader; and the Work Force Services Staff (OCFO), New Orleans, La., Donald Lewis, Group Leader; For Heroism and Emergency Response: the Cass-Clay Flood Recovery (CSREES, North Dakota State University Extension Service, and the University of Minnesota Extension Service), Fargo, N.D./Moorhead, Minn., Bradley Cogdill, Group Leader; the Flavivirus (West Nile Virus) Team (APHIS), Riverdale, Md., Randall Crom, Group Leader; the Heritage Resource Crew (FS), Duluth, Minn., William Clayton, Group Leader; the Oklahoma Tornado Response Team (CSREES and the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service), Ada, Okla., Jack Frye, Group Leader; the Sun Valley Avalanche Center (FS), Ketchum, Idaho, Ann Marie Devereaux and Kelly O'Neill, Group Leaders; and the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Working Group (APHIS), Robinsville, N.J., Linda Detwiler, Group Leader.