North American Aerospace Defense Command named its outstanding military and civilian workers for 2002 during a Feb. 24 luncheon at the Officers Club.
NORAD commander in chief and U.S. Northern Command commander Gen. Ralph E. "Ed" Eberhart was the guest speaker. More than 200 people attended the luncheon.
The winners were selected for their leadership and job performance, self-improvement, and base and community involvement. The military winners also met a board to answer questions on military knowledge, customs and courtesies, and current events.
Junior Enlisted Member of the Year
Senior Airman Siddequah A. Jones is the information manager for the NORAD/J36 Integration Command and Control Division. As the current ICCD organizational manager, she tracks all correspondence and taskers, including awards and decorations, and evaluation reports. Airman Jones also is the division's alternate cost center manager, Defense Messaging System processor, and one of six on-call information managers to process emergency action messages for the NORAD Operations Center.
Airman Jones' awards include the Air Force Achievement Medal. She is working on an associate's degree in political science and is nearing completion of her associate's degree in information management from the Community College of the Air Force.
NCO of the Year
SSgt. Jessica Sevening has been assigned to the NORAD Chief of Staff's graphics section since August 2000. She played a key role for the command following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with her graphics support to contingency meetings and video teleconferences. And she was instrumental during the 2002 U.S. Space Command transition and U.S. Northern Command activation, producing more than 900 programs to support the ceremony.
A graduate of the Airman Leadership School, Sergeant Sevening is working on her bachelor's degree in information technology management at Colorado Technical University in Colorado Springs. Her military awards include the Joint Meritorious Service Medal.
Senior NCO of the Year
SMSgt. Christopher MacMullin is superintendent, Director of Staff, Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center. He is responsible for leadership, management and guidance to more than 230 civilian, multiservice and binational workers in CMOC. He facilitated the Director of Staff's manpower and personnel merger and was a critical liaison with headquarters staffs during the standup of USNORTHCOM and the merger of USSPACECOM and U.S. Strategic Command.
A Senior NCO of the Quarter for both CMOC and Headquarters NORAD in 2001 and 2002, Sergeant MacMullin is an active member of the Air Force Sergeants Association, serving as the legislative affairs representative. His military awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal and Air Force Achievement Medal. He has an associate's degree in space operations technology through the CCAF and is working toward a bachelor's degree in mathematics.
Company Grade Officer of the Year
Capt. David Farmer is chief, Missile Warning Systems, in the CMOC C2 Directorate. Assigned to CMOC since May 2001, he is the first U.S. captain to earn upgrade certification to Missile Warning Center commander, a position normally held by an O-4. He is the only U.S. officer in the MWC not in a space or missile career field. During his shifts as MWC commander or deputy commander Captain Farmer delivered timely, accurate and unambiguous briefings to the CMOC command director on six missile events and eight space re-entry objects.
Captain Farmer is completing his master of science degree in information technology management from Touro University. He graduated from Squadron Officer School in 1999.
Reserve Company Grade Officer of the Year
Capt. Maria R. Smith is an air battle manager, NORAD Aerospace Warning Operations, and deputy chief of sensor operations. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks Captain Smith was one of the first persons to volunteer to support NORAD in Operation Noble Eagle. She is the command's lead ground environment officer for sensor operations and serves as the NORAD commander's primary action officer for the North American Air Surveillance Council.
Captain Smith earned a bachelor of arts degree (cum laude) from Western New England College in Massachusetts, and was the student commencement speaker. She also has a master of arts degree from Emerson College in Boston. Her military awards include the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal and the Air Force Achievement Medal.
Civilian of the Year (Category 1)
Gale Burtt has been the secretary in the CMOC J6 office since July 2000. She won in this category for the second straight year. During 2002, she consistently went beyond her secretarial duties to enhance mission accomplishment and morale. She anticipated the needs of the director and other J6 members, alleviating the director's workload by drafting replies to correspondence and congratulatory letters, and keeping track of personnel, suspenses and correspondence. She also managed the directorate's automated activity schedule, maintaining by-the-minute accountability of 20 workers with divergent, frequently changing schedules.
Ms. Burtt was the only CMOC nominee for the Pikes Peak Chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals Administrative Professional of the Year Award. A CMOC Civilian of the Second Quarter in 2001, she has earned six Time-off awards and nine performance awards during her career.