HONOLULU -- Personnel with U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific received several awards during the 55th Annual Excellence in Federal Government Awards Luncheon and Expo April 21 at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, here.
The event, conducted by the Honolulu-Pacific Federal Executive Board, highlights the accomplishments of individuals who work for the federal government and strive for excellence in their particular field and federal agency.
MarForPac’s Current Operations and Plans section (G-3) took the award for team excellence. G-3 personnel are responsible for planning and organizing all operations and exercises the Marine Corps conducts in the Asia-Pacific Region, to include military support during humanitarian relief operations such as the tsunami relief operations in Japan.
Among the individual awardees was Ted Hashimoto, G-3’s All-Hazards Branch head, who won the Mentor of the Year Award for his contributions to training and mentoring the most junior to the most senior service members in his section, earning him the nickname “Sensei” among his coworkers.
“I’m extremely humbled and honored to receive this award,” Hashimoto said. “We have a great combined military and civilian team in MarForPac and I would like to thank my supervisors for nominating me for this award.”
According to Enrico G. Deguzman, the deputy G-3 officer and Hashimoto’s supervisor, during his 11 years with MarForPac, Hashimoto has proven himself to be an invaluable subject matter expert concerning force protection in the Asia-Pacific Region. He has filled the roll of the deputy G-3 officer on numerous occasions, deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2003 and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004.
Dennis Chiu, Facilities, Sustainment, Restoration and Modernization Program manager for MarForPac’s Facilities Branch, took the Federal Employee of the Year Award in the professional, administrative and technical category.
“I was more surprised than anyone when I was nominated,” Chiu said.
As the FSRM Program manager, Chiu oversees maintenance and improvement of Marine Corps facilities in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Japan and Korea.
Over the past year, Chiu developed and managed a process to track project design funds, a system which inevitably led to saving thousands in taxpayer dollars.
Last but certainly not least, Colette Fisher, a budget technician with MarForPac’s Plans and Polices section (G-5), won the Federal Employee of the Year Award in the clerical and assistant category. According to her supervisors, Fisher continuously strives for self improvement. No issue is ever too difficult for her to accomplish and her commitment to the unit’s mission is evident in her error-free management of more than $648 thousand in official travel funds.
“Her efforts during the past year have resulted in near flawless execution and management of the division's budgetary administration and analysis actions,” said Col. Russell Smith, assistant chief of staff, G-5. “Ms. Fisher was nominated for the award because we in the MarForPac G-5 think she epitomizes the spirit of excellence that these awards were established to acknowledge,”
Fisher was flattered by the recognition.
“There is nothing better than being recognized for one’s hard work and efforts by their supervisor,” Fisher said. “It's a morale booster and makes it easier for all of us to come to work to do the job you're hired to do.”