Y-12 teams receive Defense Programs awards

  • Posted: Thursday, November 1, 2018, 5:50 pm

Y-12 Defense Programs employee Brian Gullett, center, accepts his team’s Award of Excellence from NNSA Assistant Deputy Administrator for Major Modernization Programs Michael Thompson and NNSA Production Office Deputy Manager Teresa Robbins.Y-12 Defense Programs employee Brian Gullett, center, accepts his team’s Award of Excellence from NNSA Assistant Deputy Administrator for Major Modernization Programs Michael Thompson and NNSA Production Office Deputy Manager Teresa Robbins.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — Some 230 Y-12 employees recently were recognized by the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Defense Programs for setting the bar high with their work and significant contributions to sustain our nation’s nuclear deterrent.

“These awards recognize the extraordinary effort made by those in the nuclear weapons complex who work to sustain our nation’s defense system. What some might consider impossible, you make reality,” said Michael Thompson, assistant deputy administrator for major modernization programs. “With your unwillingness to compromise or quit, you have risen to every challenge and surpassed the highest expectations. People in Washington, D.C., recognize that you are often in ‘hero mode’ performing your mission in old, antiquated facilities. It’s a good reminder to those of us who fight for resources to keep that in mind.”

DP Awards of Excellence recipients have made — in any phase of the nuclear weapons life cycle process — an identifiable and significant achievement in providing increased quality; productivity; cost savings; creativity; or enhanced weapon safety, security, or use control. The ceremony recently was held in Oak Ridge to honor six teams of award recipients.

“We often celebrate our success in delivering the deterrent through major milestones or annual commitments,” Consolidated Nuclear Security Vice President and Y-12 Site Manager Bill Tindal said. “Today we celebrate the innovation, creativity, and resourcefulness that make those major milestones possible. They are made possible through the efforts of individual Y-12ers working together towards continuous improvement.”

The DP Awards of Excellence were established in 1982 to recognize significant individual and team accomplishments across the nuclear weapons complex in support of NNSA’s nuclear weapons program. The awards recognize significant achievements in quality, productivity, cost savings, safety, or creativity supporting NNSA’s nuclear weapons modernization program. Federal employees and contractors are eligible to win awards. An executive review panel, with equal representation from each office, selects the winners annually.

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