ROCKY MOUNTAIN EAGLE AWARD WINNERS

Jay Maitri, Mark Stevenson, Tim Anderson, Bob Brobst, Jeffrey Rodrigue-Bailey

Julie Bednar, Stella Nash, Lisa Simon

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR  | Timothy Anderson, USDA FNS

Tim is a native Coloradan who received a BA from Colorado State University in Fort Collins and a MLS from Regis University in Denver.  Tim discovered his passion for assisting vulnerable populations when he began working for the City and County of Denver as a Food Assistance Case Management Coordinator in 2010.  Seeking a greater understanding of the policy that shapes public assistance programs, Tim moved to the Colorado Department of Human Services in 2012.  Tim since moved to the Mountain Plains Regional Office of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service in 2014 and proudly serves as a Senior Program Specialist specializing in SNAP policy.

Tim is most content coaching his son, Riley, in youth sports or watching his daughter, Kelsey, in dance classes.

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR | Jeffrey Rodrigue-Bailey, DCMA Lockheed Martin

Jeffrey Rodrigue-Bailey is a Contract Administrator for Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) in Littleton, Colorado.  During his two year tenure with DCMA he has administered over $6 Billion in government contracts, de-obligated $20 million of unused funds, completed 100% contract dispute resolutions, and closed contracts in excess of $780 Million.  Additionally, Jeff has 20 years with the federal government including his active duty service in the United States Air Force.  In addition to his Master of Business Administration Degree he possesses multiple Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certifications including Level II in Contracting and Level I in Financial Management. Jeff is a dedicated member of his community and serves by volunteering for the Excel Day of Service at the Englewood Family Tree to help victims of child abuse and domestic violence.  Most recently he was selected as the Vice President of Public Relations for the Littleton Toastmasters, an organization dedicated to enhancing professional communication, speaking, and leadership.

SUPERVISOR OF THE YEAR | Mark Stevenson, DOD DHA

Mark J. Stevenson, FACHE, CHIE has served as the Director, Aurora Operations, TRICARE Regional Offices North & South since 2010. He is responsible for two $23B+ federal health care contracts with oversight and delivery of health care services for over 6.0 million beneficiaries in 33 States, a 400,000+ provider network as well as the adjudication of over 36M claims annually.  Mark has over 30 years of experience and success in managing healthcare programs, facilities, leading teams, policy, and patient care delivery in the federal and private sectors including the DoD, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Express Scripts, Inc.

Mark is a distinguished Veteran, retiring from the Navy after 25 years on active duty in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy.  He holds a BS degree in Healthcare Management from Southern Illinois University, an MHA degree from Chapman University, and an MS degree in Management from the Naval Postgraduate School. Additionally, he hold numerous certifications in health care management and is an Adjunct Professor in Webster University’s MHA program.  Mark is Board Certified in Health Care Management and a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) & serves on various boards and committees within ACHE as well as the Board of Directors for the Epilepsy Foundation of Colorado.

EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR | Julie  Bednar, DOI IBC

After obtaining a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Administration from Colorado State University, Julie began her federal civilian career in 1991 as a GS-4 Secretary with the Internal Revenue Service. Within a year, Ms. Bednar was promoted to Personnel Procession Clerk in the Denver IRS HR Office. Her jobs at the IRS included working as a Personnel Clerk, HR Assistant, HR Specialist and finally as a Lead HR Specialist.

Julie transferred to the Department of the Interior, Interior Business Center in 2001. Starting as an HR Specialist, she quickly rose through the ranks to Lead HR Specialist, HR Supervisor, HR Officer, and culminating in her current position as Deputy Associate Director for the IBC’s HR Directorate. Her wide range of experience in federal human resources includes all fields of HR including classification, staffing, benefits, employee relations, labor relations and HR systems.

In July, Julie will have 25 years of federal civilian service.  She enjoys outdoor activities, good food and spending time with her husband, two dogs, family and friends.

CUSTOMER SERVICE | Stella Nash, USDA FNS

Stella Nash is originally from Gould, AR.  She is a Registered Dietitian, having completed her Dietetic Internship at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, IL. She completed her undergraduate work in Dietetics at the University of Arkansas- Pine Bluff, and her Master’s Degree in Nutrition Education at New York University.

Stella leads the External and Internal Nutrition Committees, and the Health and Wellness Team for the USDA FNS Mountain Plains Regional Office as well as the State Nutrition Action Coalition for the Mountain Plains Region.  She is a member of the Federal Partners of Region VIII, Federal Interagency Council on the Homelessness, and the Workforce Development Council of the Colorado Federal Executive Board.  Additionally, for the past eleven years Stella has participated in the World Food Prize for Agriculture.

In 2005, Stella represented the United States of America at the International Congress on Nutrition in Durban, South Africa where she presented Poster Sessions on the USDA Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs and the nutrition education efforts of the Food Nutrition and Consumer Service.  Stella received the USDA  Secretary’s Honor Award for excellence in nutrition education and has presented workshops, published, appeared on radio and TV, and exhibited at many national and local conferences or meetings.

IMPROVED FEDERAL IMAGE | Lisa Simon, OPM WMDC

Lisa Simon joined the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) Western Management Development Center in Aurora, Colorado in July of 2011.  As an OPM Education Program Director, she serves as a strategic partner to a variety of federal agencies assessing organizational development needs and building leadership, management and coaching programs that support managerial and executive human capital development initiatives and investments. Her current client focus includes responsibility for delivery of OPM’s year-long leadership development programs in Colorado, Utah and New Mexico as well as supporting the strategic goals of several Department of Defense and civilian agencies through the design and delivery of comprehensive, multi-level leadership development programs.

Prior to joining OPM’s Western Management Development Center, Ms. Simon’s federal career has included leadership and management positions related to civilian and military human resource development including positions as the 10th Force Support Squadron Force Development Flight Chief at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Chief of Education Services for Air Force Space Command, Education Guidance Counselor at Peterson AFB, Adjunct Faculty for the USDA Graduate School, and the Civilian Training Officer at Tooele Army Depot, UT.  During a five-year break in federal service, she was instrumental in the creation and establishment of the Success First Alternative High School in Colorado Springs, CO where she served as a teacher and guidance counselor.  Ms. Simon began her federal career as a Department of Army (DA) Intern in 1987 and holds an MS in Psychology/School Counseling and a BA in Liberal Arts/Business Administration from Utah State University.

SPECIAL PROJECT or ACHIEVEMENT | Jay Maitri, HHS CMS

Jay Maitri is a Financial Analyst with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  In 2011, Jay began his career at HHS with the Office of Inspector General, Office of Audit Services (OAS) as a Staff Auditor.  While with OAS, Jay spent two-plus years on three Medicaid supplemental payment audits in Colorado and Utah that identified over $8 million in Federal share questioned costs.  

Prior to joining HHS, Jay worked for many years as a government contractor in a variety of leadership positions where he was responsible for safely removing unexploded military ordnance from former military training sites and bases throughout the United States and abroad.

Jay is a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran, where he served for over 10 years as a staff non-commissioned officer, and he is currently a non-commissioned officer serving in the Army Reserves as an explosive ordnance disposal technician.   

Jay graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting in 2010 and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Behavioral Science in 2005 from Metropolitan State University of Denver in Denver, Colorado.

SCIENTIFIC PROJECT or ACHIEVEMENT | Robert Brobst, EPA

Robert B. Brobst is a senior environmental engineer for the United States Environmental Protection Agency in Denver, CO. He has conducted inspections and process evaluations of wastewater facilities and biosolids land-application sites for the last 30 years. Currently, his responsibilities as a senior environmental engineer include Regional Biosolids Program Manager, Co Chair of EPA’s Pathogen Equivalency Committee, and Subject Matter Expert for biosolids.

Bob has conducted research in the beneficial use of biosolids in reclaiming arid lands and areas devastated by wildfires. Current research interest include enhancing biophysical properties of soil to remediate contaminated soils. In his spare time Bob is a faculty affiliate, teaching introduction to soils labs at Colorado State University, Department of Soils and Crop Sciences.  He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in soil physics at Colorado State University, Department of Soils and Crop Sciences.  He is a registered Professional Engineer in Colorado.