USDA recognized 12 employees and one group as "Unsung Heroes" during its recent observance of Public Service Recognition Week.
The Organization of Professional Employees of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (OPEDA) runs the "Unsung Heroes" contest. The purpose of the "Unsung Hero" designation is to identify those employees who have been "unusually dedicated and efficient and had a positive attitude."
This is the 21st year of the contest, which was conducted USDA-wide. Following a Departmentwide solicitation, over 50 employees were nominated by fellow USDA employees. The final selection was made this past spring by a team of USDA officials. Related information and photos can be found atwww.opeda.net.
OPEDA, which was founded in 1929, is the largest and oldest professional organization at USDA.
USDA's "Unsung Heroes" for 2008 include:
(1) Diane Berger, a Financial Review Specialist with Rural Development in Washington, DC, who volunteered to take on additional responsibilities because of the loss of a seasoned, key employee in her unit, and thereby developed into the 'go-to-person' in such areas as: her office's implementation of OMB's Performance Assessment Rating Tool (PART) requirements and RD field office use of RD's Guaranteed Loan System (GLS) nationwide data system which processes, tracks, and services the guaranteed loans and grants provided by RD's Business and Cooperative Programs.
(2) Paul Bjorg, a Soil Conservation Technician with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Grand Forks, ND, who, while often working 'behind the scenes,' has engaged in such efforts as: coordinating a Soil Salinity Workshop for agricultural producers in several counties in North Dakota's Red River Valley, assisting with the Rain Barrel Project in the Grand Forks County Soil Conservation District, helping to develop a statewide Rural Homeowners Handbook, titled the "Rural Living Handbook," in part to educate urban residents moving into a rural setting in North Dakota, and assisting with the Soil Conservation District's annual Ecology Education Camps for seventh graders in Grand Forks County.
(3) Agnes Endres, a Resource Management Assistant with the Food Safety and Inspection Service in Philadelphia, who, while waiting for a train at a subway platform in Philadelphia, noticed that a man had fallen off the platform and was lying motionless on the train tracks below. So, amidst a now-panicky crowd, she ran to an emergency call box, pulled the alarm, and informed the transit operator about the incident--thereby ensuring that an approaching train was stopped in time to avoid a potential tragedy.
(4) Sharon Ervin, a Program Complaints Specialist with the Farm Service Agency's Office of Civil Rights Branch Office in Montgomery, AL, who, beyond her regular duties, volunteered for such special projects as developing and maintaining the Review Guide used by FSA to conduct civil rights and equal employment opportunity management reviews of FSA offices nationwide. In that voluntary activity, from 2000-07 she then tracked those management reviews and prepared an annual 'Summary of Findings Report' which she then sent to FSA headquarters in Washington, DC.
(5) Bob Hoppe, an Agricultural Economist with the Economic Research Service in Washington, DC, whose analysis of family farms and farm structure for ERS has included the fact that, for the past three years, he has led the production of the agency's annual report on "Structure and Finances of U.S. Farms: The Family Farm Report." In addition, for the last six years he has produced a brochure from that report. Both publications are then widely distributed, by a number of USDA agencies, to interested groups around the country.
(6) Kent Matsutani, a Project Manager with NRCS in Fort Collins, CO, who, while serving as the agency's Assistant Director for Programs in Honolulu from 2004-07, led NRCS's farm bill program activities in the Pacific Islands Area, with the result that those activities provided support for 75 percent of Asian Pacific Islander minority producers. Specifically, on behalf of those producers he initiated the first Conservation Innovation Grants Program, contracted the first Farm and Ranchland Protection Program, initiated the first Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units Grants, and finalized the first Wetland Reserve Program Easement.
(7) Jim Piatt, a Meatcutter with the Agricultural Research Service's Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) in Beltsville, MD, who has combined his extensive knowledge of animal anatomy and muscle structure with his concern about the care and handling of BARC's research animals, as well as with his talents at being mechanically inclined. The result has been that he has contributed significantly to the efficiency of BARC operations and has helped to ensure that quality care is afforded BARC's research animals.
(8) Harry Solhjoo, an Engineer with ARS's Southern Regional Research Center in New Orleans who, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, discounted his own personal safety and personal hardship and worked both in the short-term and the long-term to bring displaced Center employees safely back to New Orleans and bring the Center itself back into full operation. His contributions to these efforts even included receiving training in mold remediation so that he could monitor the Center for the presence of toxic mold in hidden areas of the Center so that coworkers would be safeguarded against its adverse health effects.
(9) Johnny Toles, Director of FSA's Office of Civil Rights in Washington, DC, who has accomplished two 'firsts' in the history of his agency. First, from April 24-26, 2007 his office conducted FSA's first training session for all of the agency's State Civil Rights Coordinators. Second, for the period of FY 2007 FSA did not have any outstanding civil rights issues listed in either the Government Accountability Office Audit Report for FY 2007 or the two Office of Inspector General Semiannual Audit Reports covering both of the six-month-periods of FY 2007.
(10) Sara Vazquez-Negron, a Program Analyst with the Food and Nutrition Service's Mid-Atlantic Regional Office in Robbinsville, NJ, who, while serving as the Region's Hispanic Emphasis Program Manager from 1987-2007, served as the driving force in planning and successfully presenting various Hispanic Emphasis programs that had been described as thought-provoking and fun while expanding the vision and ideas of participants, and who, in 2007, partnered with the Federal Women's Program in FNS's Mid-Atlantic Region to hold the Region's first annual 'Dress for Success' clothing drive which provided business attire to low-income persons seeking jobs in the Jersey City, NJ area.
(11) Marie Watson, the Secretary to the Area Veterinarian in Charge for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's Veterinary Services operations in Michigan, based in East Lansing, who, over her 19-year career in that office, has helped to train many of the new employees in APHIS's Veterinary Services operations in Michigan. As a result, in 2006 she became the official "Area Training Coordinator," covering Michigan.
(12) Josie Woodley-Jones, Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, who, as a proponent of career development, volunteered in 2007 to serve as a member of the Professional Development Task Force for the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. In addition, since 2000 she has served as a mentor to USDA's 1890 National Scholars. In both situations she has provided informal coaching, encouragement, and leading by example to inspire young people in their professional and personal lives.
(13) APHIS's Wildlife Services program in Guam, which has maintained continuous control and containment efforts to keep the Brown treesnake from escaping from Guam and then invading Hawaii. The 58 full-time employees and 16 canine teams in this program consistently achieve the goal of zero Brown treesnake sightings in Hawaii, to date, through a focus on all commercial and military air and sea ports of exit, the use of 3,000 Brown treesnake traps, nightly spotlight searches, use of toxicants, deployment of detector dogs, and public education. These efforts have resulted in the removal of some 7,000 Brown treesnakes annually from Guam ports of exit.
