WASHINGTON (Jan. 30, 2023)—The 2022 Army Acquisition Executive’s (AAE) Excellence in Leadership Awards were announced at a Pentagon ceremony Jan. 10, that brought together members of the acquisition community to recognize individuals and teams whose performance and contributions directly reflect outstanding achievements in support of Army modernization.
The 2022 competition welcomed the addition of six new awards that recognize exemplary efforts toward contracting excellence, as part of an effort to transform the AAE Awards into the preeminent headquarters-level program that honors the total Army acquisition community.
The prestigious awards ceremony was hosted by the Honorable Douglas R. Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, who was quick to stress the national and global impacts by Army acquisition efforts. In the past year alone, he noted, Army acquisition led the military assistance response in Ukraine, the national emergency response to the COVID pandemic, and the vital day-to-day work of maintaining 525 acquisition programs, while building and delivering the future force.
“American Soldiers serve with distinction around the globe, they face threats that continually evolve, and their skill in meeting those challenges is unparalleled. They are able to do their job because of your outstanding work to equip and sustain them,” Bush emphasized. “In all of our endeavors, we have to remember that people are the Army’s most important asset, and that’s why we are here today – to recognize some of the amazing people on our team.”
Congratulations to the following 2022 AAE Award winners:
Acquisition Career Support Professional of the Year
Winner: Teresa Horning, Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), Ground Vehicle Systems Center
Business Operations Professional of the Year
Winner: Antonio Cushman, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ground Combat Systems
Defense Exportability and Cooperation Professional of the Year: Journeymen
Winner: David Hadley, PEO Missiles & Space
Defense Exportability and Cooperation Professional of the Year
Winner: Omar Ray, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology), Current Operations Division
Engineer and Systems Integration Professional of the Year
Winner: Macam Dattathreya, PEO Ground Combat Systems
Logistician of the Year
Winner: Sophia McKenzie, PEO Soldier
Science and Technology Professional of the Year
Winner: George Matook, DEVCOM Soldier Center
Product Management/Product Director Office Professional of the Year (O5 Level)
Winner: Col. Benjamin Boring, PEO Combat Support & Combat Service Support
Product Management/Product Director Office Team of the Year (O5 Level)
Winner: Mobile Protected Firepower Gold and Black Team, PEO Ground Combat Systems
Project Management/Project Director Professional of the Year (O6 Level)
Winner: Anthony Gibbs, Project Manager Combat Ammunition Systems, JPEO Armaments & Ammunition
Project Management/Project Director Office Team of the Year (O6 Level)
Winner: Project Management Office Maneuver Combat Systems, PEO Ground Combat Systems
Contracting Professional of the Year
Winner: John McCabe, Army Contracting Command – Orlando
Contracting Unit/Team of the Year
Winner: Rapid Disaster Infrastructure Team, S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Omaha District
Construction Services Professional of the Year
Winner: Karen Hargrave, USACE, New Orleans District
Innovation in Contracting Strategies Individual or Organization
Winner: Morgan Ziatyk, Army Contracting Command – New Jersey
Grants, Cooperative Agreements and Other Transaction Authority Professional of the Year
Winner: Christopher Ciupinski, PEO IEW&S
Barbara C. Heald Deployed Civilian of the Year
Winner: Christine Berry, Army Contracting Command – Rock Island
To learn more about the Army Acquisition Executive’s (AAE) Excellence in Leadership Awards, go to: https://asc.army.mil/web/aae-awards.
