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NOAA Auditorium

Silver Spring, Maryland

February 3, 2015

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IntroductionChristine M. Carpino

Acting Director, Workforce Management

NNNNNational Anthemational Anthemational Anthemational Anthemational AnthemRichard M. Love. Jr.

Special Advisor to the NOAA Chief of Staff

AddressDr. Kathryn D. Sullivan

Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and AtmosphereAdministrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Presentation of AwardsNOAA Leadership Competencies Development Program Alumnae

Line and Staff Office Representatives

ClosingMs. Carpino

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2015 Bronze Medal RecipientsThe highest honor award granted by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans andAtmosphere, the Bronze Medal recognizes superior performance by federal employees.

National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information ServiceWanda HardingFor exceptional leadership in successfulaccomplishment of the JPSS Mission andProgram Key Decision Points and JPSS-1Mission Critical Design Review.

James KossinFor the development and transfer tooperations of novel hurricane forecasttechniques for eyewall replacement cycles.

Monica TodiritaFor exceptional leadership in managingthe development and delivery of theGOES-R EXIS and magnetometerinstruments.

Russell S. VoseScott ApplequistMichael SquiresImke DurreMatthew J. MenneClaude N. Williams, Jr.Christopher FenimoreKarin GleasonDerek ArndtJesse EnloeFor innovations in climate science,providing the authoritative source ofgeospatial data for operational climatemonitoring in the United States.

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National Marine Fisheries ServiceDavid (Randy) BlankinshipGregory R. FaircloughRussell B. DunnJacqueline WilsonRichard A. PearsonKatie S. DavisCarolyn SramekMargo Schulze-HaugenLynn R. RiosRichard A. BulickFor unprecedented customer service toprovide ecologically sustainable economicopportunity to tuna and swordfishfishermen in the U.S. Caribbean.

Peter L. BovengMichael F. CameronPaul B. ConnShawn P. DahleJohn K. JansenBenjamin HouBrett T. McClintockErin E. MorelandJay M. Ver HoefFor designing and conducting the firstcomprehensive surveys for the abundanceand distribution of ice seals in the BeringSea and Sea of Okhotsk.

Douglas W. ChristelAllison R. FerreiraFor developing and implementing thefirst-ever U.S. fishery in the internationalwaters of the Northwest Atlantic FisheriesOrganization.

Michael SchirripaMandy KarnauskasChristopher Kelble, OARJ. Kevin CraigFor advancing ecosystem basedmanagement via the first comprehensiveGulf of Mexico Ecosystem Status Reportwith more than 140 ecological indicators.

Jacqueline WilsonHolly McBrideC. Dianne StephanJoseph DesfosseKathryn GoldsmithHeather BalchowskyDavid GloecknerFor unifying and streamlining anelectronic dealer reporting system forAtlantic tunas, swordfish, and sharksacross 13 State and Federal systems.

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National Ocean ServiceStephan MortonFor embodying the Department’s spirit ofenvironmental stewardship by leadingcitizen volunteers to monitorphytoplankton, reducing coastal hazards.

David AlbergJames DelgadoLauren HeesemannJoseph HoytPam (Plakas) OrlandoShannon RiclesVernon SmithFor elevating NOAA’s mission to protectand interpret our Nation’s maritimehistory by commemorating the 150thanniversary of the loss of the USSMonitor.

Roy AndersonMark ArmstrongDon BreidenbachSteve BreidenbachEric DuvallMark EcklKendall FancherPhilippe HenselAjit SinghDru SmithFor performing a highly complex andunusual geodetic survey of unprecedentedaccuracy of the Washington Monument.

Martin BurnettCleve Robertson, Sr.Kevin CorcoranColden BatteyMike SellersKaren LaskowskiFor planning and completing vital capitalimprovement projects that resulted insafer operations and cost savings atNOAA’s Hollings Marine Laboratory.

Gregory DusekChristopher PaternostroPaul FanelliZhong LiPatrick BurkeJack HarlanFor the first operational implementationof the high frequency radar web productfor the National Ocean Service.

Amy MertenKari SheetsMichele JacobiFor delivering technology to improveNOAA’s Arctic preparedness and leadingtechnology standardization and bestpractices.

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National Weather ServiceBarbara EubanksFor streamlining critical administrativeprocesses across NOAA’s nine NationalCenters for Environmental Prediction,and creating an agile team to support ourmission to protect lives and property.

Richard D. SmithFor his vision and dedication in theapplication of social media to advance thegoals of Weather-Ready Nation.

Joe N. ChrismanSteven D. SmithFor developing a unique NEXRAD radarscanning technique to significantlyimprove tornado warning lead time.

Chris GibsonJonathan RutzFor developing a situational awarenesstool to assess snow and ice impacts oncommerce.

Aimee M. FishCynthia C. PrellerAmy E. Holman, NOSFor extraordinary support of the State ofAlaska and NOAA during the AlaskaShield exercise, making it a major successin disaster preparedness.

Brian LaMarreDaniel NoahCharles PaxtonMichael GittingerRichard DavisTodd BarronBryan MroczkaJohn McMichaelErnest T. Jillson, Jr.Carolyn Nicole CarlisleCristina Urizar, NOSAdria Schneck-Scott, NOSAllison Allen, NOSFor implementing environmental andecological services targeted to improvehuman health, promote safe marinenavigation, and build coastal resiliency.

Melissa OuMichael CharlesScott HandelSarah MarquardtAdam AllgoodJon GottschalckFor planning, developing, andimplementing a flexible, dynamic onlineverification tool to evaluate the ClimatePrediction Center’s extended andlong-range outlooks.

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Huug van den DoolJin HuangQin ZhangFor the development of national multi-model ensemble capability to advance theskill of NOAA’s seasonal predictions.

Jeffrey A. ZoggCharles M. CallahanRichard F. SloanFor designing and supporting theimplementation of a process to showdetailed geographic areas threatened byriver flooding on public NWS web sites.

WFO Pueblo, ColoradoFor proactive life-saving actions anddecision support services during thehistoric wildfire seasons of 2012 and2013 in southeast Colorado.

WFO Springfield, MissouriFor providing excellent warning servicesduring a prolonged period of lifethreatening late night flooding acrosssouthern Missouri, August 5–10, 2013.

WFO Albuquerque, New MexicoWFO El Paso, TexasWFO Midland, TexasWFO Phoenix, ArizonaWFO Tucson, ArizonaWFO Flagstaff, ArizonaWFO Las Vegas, NevadaFor innovation that resulted in a life-saving North American monsoonawareness campaign across thesouthwestern U.S.

WFO Romeoville, IllinoisWFO Central IllinoisWFO Paducah, KentuckyWFO St. Louis, MissouriWFO Indianapolis, IndianaWFO North Webster, IndianaFor providing proactive and life-savingservices during the record November 17,2013 Midwest tornado outbreak.

Western Region Regional OperationsCenter

WFO Sacramento, CaliforniaCalifornia-Nevada River Forecast

CenterFor the provision of an integrated set ofinnovative decision support servicesduring the on-going California droughtemergency.

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Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric ResearchNeil ChristersonGary C. MatlockDerek ParksBarry L. ReichenbaughRichard D. RosenAvery SenJames ShambaughNathalie Valette-SilverShelby E. WalkerJohn Ewald, OCEAEric Bayler, NESDISDeborah Riddle, NESDISSara Veasey, NESDISL. Felipe Arzayus, NMFSFrank Schwing, NMFSJawed Hameedi, NOSStephan Smith, NWSFor producing NOAA’s first 5-yearresearch and development plan using arigorous process and inclusive engagementof NOAA scientists and stakeholders.

Carrie McDougall, OEJohn W. McLaughlin, OERobert C. Hansen, OEWilliam B. BendelFanthune MoengWilfred G. Von DausterVivian A. LeFebvreAlexander E. MacDonaldPhyllis GunnRhonda K. LangeFor achieving the 100th worldwideScience On a Sphere installation andcontinuing to grow its global engagementof the public in NOAA’s scientificresearch.

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Acquisition and Grants Office Jack O. Salmon, Jr.Margaret A. RankinEllen J. Clark, NOSBrendon J. JohnsonJoseph M. Welch, NOSTimothy J. WamplerBrian A. Johnson, NOSThomas F. Landon, NOSEdward Weber, OGCFor awarding a $71.5 million, 10-year acquisition in record time and restoring critical data collection capabilities lost in Superstorm Sandy.

Office of Communications and External AffairsJohn EwaldBrady PhillipsKaty Vincent, NESDISFor making NOAA’s monthly climateanalysis accessible and understandable,and building a following of stakeholdersto enhance NOAA’s climate services.

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Office of the Chief Information OfficerHeather GilbertFor superior dedication in enhancingNOAA’s ability to manage incidents andimprove employee safety andaccountability during all-hazardsincidents.

Office of Marine and Aviation OperationsMichael LastingerFor heroism and lifesaving actions thatled to the rescue of a bicyclist who fell intothe water in San Francisco harbor onMay 17, 2014.

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Distinguished Career AwardsNOAA’s Distinguished Career Award honors cumulative career achievement ofsustained excellence, rather than a single defined accomplishment, in specific categories.In addition, this award recognizes significant accomplishments across all NOAAprogram areas and functions that have resulted in long- term benefits to our missionand strategic goals

National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information ServiceKent H. HughesFor sustained excellence and leadership inscientific management and support for theNOAA ocean mission during 42 years ofpublic service.

Felix KoganFor applying NOAA satellite data tomonitor global land surface conditionsand providing data for criticalapplications worldwide.

Susan McLeanFor sustained exceptional leadership, andfor establishing highly successfulpartnerships ranging in scope from withinNOAA to worldwide.

William G. PichelFor continuously advancing state-of-the-art satellite operational ocean remotesensing throughout 44 years of service toNOAA.

Thomas WrublewskiFor 36 years of valuable technicalguidance and outreach support of NOAA’spolar-orbiting and geostationary satelliteprogram.

National Marine Fisheries ServiceRobert (Rob) BistodeauFor unwavering dedication andexemplary leadership in informationtechnology expertise, support, and serviceduring more than three decades withNOAA.

Linda DespresFor 40 years of outstanding service in theaccurate collection of independent fisherysurvey data for NOAA’s NortheastFisheries Science Center.

Alec D. MacCallFor more than 40 years of developingpopulation modeling and resourcemanagement methods that improvedfisheries sustainability in the Californiacurrent.

Rodney (Rod) R. McInnisFor continuous and exemplary leadershipin advancing the stewardship of U.S.living marine resources over the course ofmore than three decades of service toNOAA.

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National Ocean ServiceGlen WatabayashiFor sustained exemplary performance inoil and chemical spill preparedness andresponse through more than 32 years ofservice to NOAA and the Nation.

National Weather ServiceDavid W. BehringerFor research at sea and development ofocean modeling and data assimilationcapability for seasonal to interannualclimate forecasting during 39 years insupport of NOAA’s mission.

James E. LeeFor outstanding contributions toNational Weather Service operations,technology, and policy during 28 years ofNOAA service.

Peter PickardFor four decades of contributions tomultiple projects within the SystemsEngineering Center, Office of Science andTechnology, and its predecessor IntegratedSystems Laboratory.

Patricia WnekFor outstanding contributions to theimplementation and improvement ofhydrology services at the Middle AtlanticRiver Forecast Center.

Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric ResearchRichard J. DoviakFor development of breakthrough radarmethods that have greatly enhancedoperational severe weather detection andadvanced meteorological research.

Ngar Cheung LauFor three decades of scientific excellenceand world-leading research in NOAA onatmospheric dynamics and air-seainteraction using models andobservations.

Akkihebbal R. RavishankaraFor excellence in managing and providingscientific vision for NOAA’s atmosphericresearch programs, and in leadinginternational science and assessment.

David J. StensrudFor exemplary service as a brilliantscientist, inspiring mentor, and generouscollaborator in 28 years with theNational Severe Storms Laboratory.

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Employees/Team Membersof the Month

DDDDDecember 2014ecember 2014ecember 2014ecember 2014ecember 2014Jamie LeCompte, OMAOTroy Rezek, NOS

JJJJJanuaranuaranuaranuaranuary 2015y 2015y 2015y 2015y 2015Maria Torres, NWSJeremiah Blondeau, NMFS

These awards reward excellence for demonstrated and sustained effort in advancingNOAA’s mission. The NOAA Employee of the Month Award honors an outstandingemployee chosen from among all occupations and grade levels except members of theSenior Executive Service and Office Directors. The NOAA Team Member of the MonthAward pays tribute to a non-NOAA employee.

FFFFFebrebrebrebrebruaruaruaruaruary 2015y 2015y 2015y 2015y 2015Tom Carey, NESDISRicardo Domingues, OAR

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The highest honorary award given by the Departmentof Commerce, the Gold Medal is granted by theSecretary for distinguished performance characterized

by extraordinary, notable, or prestigious contributions thatimpact the mission of the department and/or one operatingunit, and that reflect favorably on the department.

The Silver Medal is the second highest honorary award givenby the department and is granted for exceptional performancecharacterized by noteworthy or superlative contributions thathave a direct and lasting impact within the department.

Contributions must focus on qualitative and quantitativeperformance measures reflected in the department’s strategicplan and be in one of the following areas:

• Leadership• Personal and professional excellence• Scientific/Engineering achievement• Organizational development• Customer service• Administrative technical support• Heroism

These honors were bestowed this past January by theDepartment of Commerce.

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Gold Medal Recipients

LeadershipAngela Somma, NMFSDwayne Meadows, NMFSLaura Cimo, NMFSNancy Daves, NMFSJohn Carlson, NMFSFor the first listing to protect profitablemarine species under the Convention onInternational Trade in EndangeredSpecies of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Personal and Professional ExcellenceSean Hastings, NOSKaren Reyna, NOSMichael Carver, NOSLisa Wooninck, NOSJessica Redfern, NMFSMonica DeAngelis, NMFSElizabeth Petras, NMFSStephanie Altman, OGCTrisha Bergmann, OIAFor excellence in collaborating with theU.S. Coast Guard and the maritimeindustry to move shipping lanes awayfrom endangered whale feeding grounds.

Ronald E. Messa, Jr., NMFSFor detecting, investigating, andapprehending the conspirators involved inan international multimillion dollarfraud scheme to falsely label shrimp.

Paul E. Pegnato, NESDISFor his tireless efforts in managing themultiple construction projects that supportthe NESDIS major satellite programs and24/7 operations.

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Scientific/Engineering AchievementWhit Anderson, OARGabriel Vecchi, OARRusty Benson, OARThomas Delworth, OARAndrew Wittenberg, OARKeith Dixon, OARRich Gudgel, OARWilliam Stern, OARFanrong Zeng, OARShaoqing Zhang, OARFor outstanding research, leading toimproved capability to predict seasonal-to-decadal variations in regionalhydrological conditions and extremes.

John Bates, NESDISJeff Privette, NESDISWalter Glance, NESDISNancy Ritchey, NESDISKen Knapp, NESDISDrew Saunders, NESDISThomas Karl, NESDISMichael Tanner, NESDISFor creation and operationalimplementation of a new, extensiblecommunity standard for the productionand preservation of climate data records.

Environmental Modeling Center, NWSNational Centers for Environmental

Prediction Central Operations,NWS

Meteorological DevelopmentLaboratory, NWS

For an efficient transition to a newoperational weather supercomputingsystem, ahead of schedule, at substantialsavings to the government.

Office of Science and Technology, NWSOffice of Operational Systems, NWSOffice of Climate, Water and Weather

Services, NWSNational Severe Storms Laboratory, OARFor developing and implementing dual-polarization technology on the NextGeneration Weather Radar network toimprove weather hazards warningservices.

William G. Pichel, NESDISJohn F. Sapper, NESDISPablo Clemente-Colón, NESDISCarven A. Scott, NWSKathleen A. Cole, NWSFor research, development, andoperational implementation of high-resolution coastal wind products fromsatellite synthetic aperture radar data.

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Vijay Tallapragada, NWSQingfu Liu, NWSWilliam Lapenta, NWSRichard Pasch, NWSJames Franklin, NWSSimon Tao-Long Hsiao, NWSFrederick Toepfer, NWSSundararaman Gopalakrishnan, OARThiago Quirino, OARFrank Marks, Jr., OARFor developing and implementing a high-resolution hurricane weather research andforecast system model, a major advance inoperational hurricane intensityprediction.

Vasily Titov, OARMarie Eble, OARChris Moore, OARLewis Kozlosky, NWSPaul Whitmore, NWSCharles McCreery, NWSKara Gately, NWSDavid Walsh, NWSGerard Fryer, NWSDailin Wang, NWSFor protecting life and property bytransitioning the short-term inundationforecasting for tsunamis system tooperations.

NOAA’s sister bureau, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, included aNOAA employee on a successful Gold Medal nomination for Scientific/EngineeringAchievement. Those winners are:

David P. Jorgensen, OARLong Thanh Phan, NISTErica D. Kuligowski, NISTFranklin T. Lombardo, NISTFor helping to develop building codes thatdirectly consider tornados via the firststudy to combine an innovativesimulation of EF-5 tornado wind fields,engineering determination of buildingfailures, and an original model of humanresponse to emergency warnings andtornadic conditions.

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Customer ServiceJason Cope, NMFSEdward Dick, NMFSAlec MacCall, NMFSChantel Wetzel, NMFSFor creating an innovative method thattriples the number of annual high-qualitystock assessments and increases allowablecatch limits for fishermen.

WFO Norman, OklahomaFor providing exceptional and innovativewarning and information services duringan extended period of significanttornadoes and flooding in Oklahoma.

Chris Wheeler, NESDISKevin Ludlum, NESDISTimothy Schmit, NESDISKeith McKenzie, NESDISCynthia Hampton, NESDISThomas Renkevens, NESDISYo Kung John Tsui, NESDISEric Madsen, NESDISHyre Bysal, NESDISJennifer Lewis, NWSFor outstanding critical support extendingbeneficial life from aging geostationaryweather satellites, greatly improvingcoverage over South America.

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Personal And Professional ExcellenceJulia “Jolie” Harrison, NMFSMegan Ferguson, NMFSJason Gedamke, NMFSSofie Van Parijs, NMFSJay Barlow, NMFSKarin Forney, NMFSLeila Hatch, NOSFor developing internationally recognized,innovative technology, CetSound, toquantitatively assess human-inducednoise impacts on marine mammals.

Scientific/Engineering AchievementFiona Horsfall, NWSMarina Timofeyeva-Livezey, NWSJenna Meyers, NWSBarbara Mayes-Boustead, NWSClinton Rockey, NWSMichael Churma, NWSDavid Unger, NWSNicole McGavock, NWSMike Halpert, NWSAnthony Arguez, NESDISFor developing a revolutionary localclimate analysis tool that integratestrusted data and scientific analysistechniques for rapid responses to localclimate questions.

Alexander Ignatov, NESDISFor the development and implementation ofthe NOAA web-based sea surface temperaturemonitoring system, which monitors quality ofsatellite radiance and SST data andassociated SST field measurements.

Annarita Mariotti, OARRoger Pulwarty, OARMartin Hoerling, OARChad McNutt, OARKingtse Mo, NWSBrian Cosgrove, NWSJin Huang, NWSArun Kumar, NWSMichael Ek, NWSThe group is honored for outstandingscientific assessment of the origins of the2012 central Great Plains drought, whichhas helped to identify pathways forimproved predictions of future droughtevents.

Silver Medal Recipients

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Administrative/Technical SupportAlbert Samuels, NMFSRichard Chesler III, NMFSTodd Nickerson, NMFSStuart Cory, NMFSJesse Leslie, NMFSShannon Bettridge, NMFSGregory Silber, NMFSDuane Smith, OGCFrank Sprtel, OGCThe group is honored for partnering withthe U.S. Coast Guard to increasecompliance with a 2008 rule to limitvessel speed and reduce collisions withendangered North Atlantic right whales.

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We appreciate the work of many individuals across NOAA whocontributed to the success of our efforts to recognize our colleagues’

outstanding achievements.

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Amber Wilson-McIntyre, ODUSCharlene Dunn, OCFO

Cheryl Alexander, NMFSCheryl Jones, OAR

Christina Heyse, NESDISCynthia Burley, WFMODelores Frazier, NWS

Jean Carter Johnson, OCAOKathy Lewis, ODUSKristen Tronvig, PPI

Kristin Kniskern, NESDISLydia Kenlaw, OCAOMarie Toussaint, AGONancy Jackson, OMAOOctavia Saine, OGCSloane Strother, NOS

Tishema Miller, OCIOYolanda Cooper, OAR

Office of Communications and External AffairsJerry Slaff

Workforce Management OfficeKaren Robin