Marine Corps Base Quantico -- Aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, four members of the civilian workforce received special commendations as Civilians of the Year and runners-up. Michael Hancock, director of safety for Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico, is the Junior Civilian of the Year for 2015, and Denise Gillis, associate counsel for civilian personnel law in the Quantico Area Counsel Office (QACO), is the Senior Civilian of the Year. The respective runners-up are Adriana Martinez, an employee of Headquarters and Service Battalion, and Allan Mitchell, Installation and Environment Division.

A board made up of four senior Quantico staff members and one tie-breaker selected the winners from a pool of nominees. The winners, who were announced Jan. 13, were determined to have had an immeasurable impact on the Base.

Gillis has worked in the Quantico Area Counsel Office for a little over seven years. When she started, she had two children under the age of three, and had been commuting to Washington, D.C., so working in Quantico improved her quality of life.

“Seven years later, I am still so grateful for this opportunity,” she said.

Gillis handles all aspects of civilian personnel law both for Marine Corps Base Quantico itself and all of the 12 tenant organizations, such as Marine Corps Combat Development Command and Marine Corps Systems Command. Her job involves mediating between civilian employees and supervisors when there is a dispute, resolving issues of reasonable workplace accommodation and representing the base before the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC) and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). In 2015, she settled a number of cases before the boards, saving the government an estimated $2 million, QACO deputy counsel Glenn Hancock said.

“Denise is a litigator and maybe more importantly an advisor,” QACO counsel Julius Rothlein said. “Her advice has been strong over the years and therefore people listen. She treats everyone with respect and values what they have to say. Also she’s incredibly hard-working.”

Even though Gillis deals with sensitive personnel issues on an often daily basis, she still says the people of MCBQ are her favorite part of the job.

“The best part of my job is the interaction I have with many different people,” Gillis said. “The attorneys and support staff in my office are all great and have become a second family to me. Also, I represent all commands on the base and I get to meet a lot of people every day. I can honestly say my job is never dull!"

Gillis said she was “extremely honored” to receive the Senior Civilian of the Year award.

“Marine Corps Base Quantico has many hardworking, talented and dedicated employees and I am flattered that I was selected for this award from among this group,” she said.

Lieutenant Col. William Pacatte, commanding officer of Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico, nominated Michael Hancock, a 12-year employee of MCAF, for the Junior Civilian of the Year award. Pacatte said that in his 18 years of service to the Marine Corps, he has never come across an employee as passionate about the mission of MCAF as Hancock is.

“Simply stated, everything he does is for the betterment and safety of the Marines, sailors, and civilian Marines attached to MCAF Quantico,” Pacatte said.

Hancock said he was “extremely humbled and surprised” to receive the award.

“MCAF is full of high quality individuals who are also deserving of this, so I was very honored to have been submitted by the command’s leadership,” he said.

As a retired Marine, Hancock said he is proud to still have a role in the Corps and the chance to support its mission as a civilian.

For Pacatte, civilians like Michael Hancock are “the backbone” of MCAF Quantico.

“They provide the continuity in a sea of constantly rotating Marines, which is vital for MCAF Quantico to consistently provide uninterrupted and seamless support to the ‘no fail’ mission of HMX-1,” Pacatte said. “The knowledge and experience of the civilian workforce is not simply a force multiplier, it is a center of gravity.”

Both Hancock and Gillis said that the key to being a successful civilian employee of MCBQ, aside from working hard, is to have a strong desire to be part of a team.

“There are so many people on this base with a wealth of knowledge that are willing to help,” Gillis said.

In addition to a certificate of commendation from the base commander, the Civilian of the Year winners each receive a $750 cash award and 40 hours of leave. They are also entered into a pool to compete for MCICOM Civilian of the Year. The winners were to be recognized along with the runners-up and the Civilian of the Quarter winners at the Length of Service awards ceremony Jan. 22. The ceremony was cancelled due to the blizzard but will be rescheduled for a date in February.

— Writer: auphausconner@quanticosentryonline.com