Announcing the January ’23 OPS Honors Awardees
Each month, Office of Protection Services Director Mark Wallace recognizes those who have been nominated by their peers as exemplary colleagues.
The OPS Honors Awards have three categories: District Officers of the Month, Administrator of the Month, and Supervisor of the Quarter. Thank you to everyone who has embraced this new award process –– if it weren’t for your submissions, we would not have had a pool of wonderful candidates to choose from. If you haven’t submitted kudos to these awards yet, it’s easy to do so by emailing your nominations to opsawards@si.edu.
Please join Director Wallace and the rest of the Office of Protection Service in congratulating January’s awardees:
District 1 Officer of the Month
Officer Crystal Holt
Donald W. Reynolds Center
Officer Holt was nominated by Lt. Mike Minks, who wrote: “Crystal Holt was nominated for her quick notification and response to a trash can on fire. She responded with a fire extinguisher and put out the fire. Also, she completed the incident report to notify the chain of command.”
District 2 Officer of the Month
Officer Peter Burgess
CRC, Suitland Zone
Officer Burgess was nominated by Ta’kara Bell, who wrote:
I would like to recognize MPO Peter Burgess for taking the initiative to help ensure the safety of a staff member. On Jan. 30, MPO Burgess noticed a staff member enter the Museum Support Center main gate with a rug stuck in the back tire of their vehicle. MPO Burgess pointed out the rug, and the staff member had not even realized they had been driving with it stuck in their tire. MPO Burgess tried to remove the rug by pulling it out, but when that did not work, he asked the staff member to put their car in reverse and back up, which caused the rug to become unstuck, and he was able to safely remove the rug. Because of MPO Burgess’ quick actions, this staff member was able to safely continue on with their day.
Staff member Van Nguyen sent an email to the Suitland Security Unit saying, “Can you thank the gate guard who manned the main gate around 9:30 a.m. yesterday morning for me? My car had a small rug wrapped around the back right wheel, and he was kind enough to help me get it untangled. It was quite an evolution.”
“I’ve been with the Smithsonian OPS unit for about 8 years,” Officer Burgess said. “I think the most important part of being a member of the Office of Protection Services is that we provide safety and security for all the workers and visitors that come into museums every day without having to worry. We also provide security for artifacts, pictures, and vehicles that people have donated to the Smithsonian so everyone from all over the world can come see a part of history. I sincerely want to thank my supervisors, especially Sgt. Ta’kara Bell for nominating me for this award. And I also want to sincerely thank Sgt. Steven Brown and Commander Perry Singletary for always being there for me.”
District 3 Officer of the Month
Officer Sara Riffle
National Zoological Park Police
Officer Riffle was nominated by Lt. Anthony A. Green, who wrote:
“On Jan. 20, NZPP Ofc. Sara Riffle, while assigned to SCBI, assisted a disabled motorist outside of gate #1 on Rt. 522. Ofc. Riffle assisted with retrieving a can and helping the motorist get gas to continue his travels.” Ofc. Riffle began working for SI in February 2017, and said that “providing excellent customer service is always important, and I was happy I could assist.”
Administrator of the Month
Cindy Callahan
Budget Analyst
Ms. Callahan was nominated by
Kim Beck, who wrote: “Thank you for the professional expertise you bring to OPS. You consistently provide sound and patient advice, while quietly doing a thousand things to ensure our budget is in order and we are doing what we need from a compliance perspective. I also place tremendous value on your thoughtfulness. No matter how busy we are, you remember we are all human. I don’t say it enough –– thank you. I appreciate all you do, Cindy!”
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Posted: 17 February 2023
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