Top contracting officer wins prestigious USACE award

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Besting more than 400 eligible procurement contracting officers across the Corps of Engineers, Jennifer Murphy-Mason was recognized nationally as the Procurement Contracting Officer of the Year for fiscal year 2015.

The award was part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Excellence in Contracting Awards Program, which recognizes the contributions of top acquisition and contracting professionals who have achieved exceptional success both singularly and collectively. Each year only seven awards are presented to banner offices and individuals.

Demanding management program sets great expectations

Operator Trainee Les Rice poses before Thurmond Dam’s spillway gates July 6. Rice is a 4th-year operator trainee in the Savannah District’s Operator Training Program. The competitive program accepts only an elite crop of qualified candidates who must endure 4-5 years of demanding requirements surrounding dam operations.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – J. Strom Thurmond Dam currently operates at 98 percent proficiency but its operators are expected to perform above this percentage.

Operator Trainee Les Rice routinely meets these lofty expectations inside an examination room where he must demonstrate working knowledge of complex power systems and operations or risk losing his only source of income.