Jun

Congratulations to the 2021 ELITE Award Winners

Each year, the Office of Facilities Management and Reliability recognizes employees who go above and beyond the call of duty, while representing the values from which the ELITE award draws its name: Excellence, Leadership, Integrity, Teamwork, and Effectiveness.

On May 12, in a virtual ceremony hosted by Nancy Bechtol, Smithsonian Facilities director; Cargie Vaughn, ELITE Awards Chair and Associate Director of Museum Support Services; and OFMR Deputy Directors Maurice Evans and John Bixler, eight OFMR employees were honored with an ELITE Award, with one of those honorees receiving the special distinction of the Always On MVP.

The special Always On MVP designation honors a staff member who exemplifies excellence in OFMR standards through their timely response, dependability, and drive to deliver solutions regardless of challenging circumstances.

ELITE Award Winners

Always On MVP
Isaiah Kidwell

Isaiah Kidwell has been the definition of elite this past year. As South Mall Zone’s only Maintenance Mechanic. Isaiah is tasked with just about every ticket that comes in. He constantly shows off his excellence with his customer service skills. Every job he us tasked with he immediately contacts the customer to schedule the job. His high craftsman skills always leave the customers happy and shows off his effectiveness. He is a constant team player and works with any and everyone that needs his help. He has shown tremendous leadership this past year, stepping up and assisting with the day to day running of the crafts shop, including ordering material and setting up big jobs.

During one job this past year, he was tasked with repairing trim on a door at the Arts and Industry building. After he repaired the trim, he decided to check all the doors to make sure there wasn’t any issues on any other doors. Sure enough, he discovered a crack in the glass to the main employee door. Seeing as how often this door gets used and the incredible safety hazard this was, he sprang into action with a plan to repair it. He first secured the broken glass with industrial tape so it wouldn’t fall out and hurt someone. Then after a couple days of tracking down some replacement glass he spearheaded the operation to safety, removed the broken glass, and installed the new glass. This operation was a big one with huge safety implications but thanks to his skills and knowledge, the repair was made without a hitch or a scratch. This one job saved the Smithsonian thousands of dollars and illustrated Isaiah Kidwell’s excellence, leadership, integrity, teamwork, and effectiveness.

John Kinner

When Maintenance Mechanic Jon Kinner learned that SERC had acquired a “well-lived in” 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house (for use as a visiting-scientists’ residence), he asked what he could do to help. Fast-forward a few months, Jon had renovated the entire structure. Not even a pandemic could stop him.

His efforts included painting the entire interior, installing new countertops, cabinets, appliances, removing/replacing the garage door, interior doors (and their hardware), repairing and staining the deck, replacing the electrical lighting and ceiling fans, and installing new plumbing fixtures throughout the entire house. Jon didn’t work in a vacuum. He was a team player and coordinated his efforts, but Jon certainly led the charge and completed the lion’s share of these renovation efforts.

Jon’s autonomous work was accomplished so swiftly and at such a high level of quality that our SERC partners were overwhelmed with these results. OFMR completed the renovation ahead of schedule and at a high-level craftsmanship. During the renovation, Jon demonstrated mastery in a wide variety of trades. His dedication and drive overcame all challenges and deadlines while he worked in his usual “always on” manner.

Jon’s efforts and shining results speak for themselves and for all OFMR. Thanks to Jon Kinner, SERC can take pride in its new visiting scientist housing unit. OFMR has a stronger reputation and the Smithsonian’s Facilities at SERC were significantly improved at a fraction of the cost of contracted work.

KeShawn White

KeShawn White has been a hard worker ever since she started working at NMAH. She always makes sure all her tasks are complete with no hesitation, no ifs, ands, or no buts. She gets the job done. KeShawn comes to work every day willing to help others, even when there are things not optimal or organized.She is always in a great mood, exudes positivity that is contagious, all while staying focused on the jobs at hand. KeShawn White is a true leader who needs to be recognized for all her accomplishments and for being “always on.”

Noel Neal

Noel Neal worked throughout the entire pandemic. She is astonishing when it comes to keeping peace and showing integrity. She thrives on everything she does. Things are far from perfect at our workplace. However, Noel reports to work early and with a smile on her face every day ready to work. She strives to become better as she acknowledges that there is always room for growth and improvement. She attends additional training to keep her fresh and up-to-date. Noel is adaptive and a very honest employee; She’s always giving words of encouragement and I have never seen her in a situation that she couldn’t properly handle. The positive energy she possesses transfers over to others. Noel Neal really deserves to be recognized as an ELITE employee.

Jason Kirby

As a Maintenance Technician, Jason Kirby conducts maintenance troubleshooting and repaired more than 54 mobile assets in a timely manner with an expeditious turnaround time frame. His unwavering work ethic contributed to the repair of more than 100 shortcomings and deadline faults found on vehicles assigned to the SI Department. Jason assisted in scheduled and unscheduled repairs on more than 154 pieces of equipment. He tactically administered expedient wrecker support, by safely towing over 15 recovery missions. His hard work and dedication enabled Suitland to seamlessly operate with little to no down time during all winter events. Jason Kirby provided outstanding technical support, allowing Smithsonian to continue missions and training events. His diligent work ethic was instrumental in maintaining the fleet.

Linda Williams

Linda Williams demonstrates exceptional foresight and initiative while serving as the Management Support Assistant. She consistently performed her demanding duties in an exemplary and highly professional manner, always displaying dedication to the mission accomplishment. Linda Williams facilitates timely, clear, and concise communication within the Operations Section so that everyone is aware of issues or concerns with administration processes of the mobile assets flawlessly. She has accurately answered complex and unique customer inquiries in person, on the telephone, or via email and provides timely information and options concerning all phases pf motor vehicle, gas cards, and FleetWave web-based fleet management software. Ms. Williams’s professional and technical experience was key to sustaining operation during the pandemic by evaluating and implementing alternate means of support to the Smithsonian SI Dept. Linda Williams that is a true example of teamwork and integrity.

Scott Craig
Kenneth Green

From April through October, the North Mall Zone Electricians Scott Craig and Kenneth Green supported the Natural History Museum Exhibit Team by performing a major electrical upgrade to the electric and lighting systems throughout the Mammals Exhibit Halls. The project involved installing, modifying, and programming over 800 new control circuit cards and control panels which control all the public exhibit lights and audio in the Mammals Halls. The upgrade to these systems led the team to numerous areas of the building as they traveled wiring and power sources. The project started while the museum was closed but in June, NMNH reopened to the public. The team had to modify the work processes to ensure the lighting remained on during the day not to distract from the visitor experience. The team implemented creative solutions to keep the lights functional during the public hours while at the same time moving the project to completion. They still also had to respond to regular work tickets and perform PMs as well. In the end, the team spent countless hours working alongside our exhibit partners to understand their needs and to ensure the lighting provided the optimal visitor experience. The electrical team demonstrated a dedication to customer service and professional excellence that epitomizes “always on.”

Calling All Volunteers!
The OFMR Awards Committee is seeking new volunteers to help with activities to recognize staff members for their extraordinary work. If you are interested in joining the committee, please contact Cargie Vaughn at vaughca@si.edu.