Marines

Unit News

Base honors civilians who help installation respond, restructure

23 May 2013 | Mike DiCicco

Col. David Maxwell, commander of Marine Corps Base Quantico, told a crowd gathered at the Clubs at Quantico that the crises of the last month had illustrated the value of the base’s civilian workforce.

“Without fail, what we’ve seen is that whatever the problem is, Marine Corps Base Quantico seems to be able to turn on a dime and respond,” he said.

As the base continues to face a tight fiscal environment, Maxwell added, the ability to figure out how to alter operations to save money while continuing to support the base’s Marines and tenant activities often comes from the experience of having seen how things have been done, an institutional knowledge preserved by base civilians.

The occasion was an awards ceremony April 23, 2013, recognizing the junior and senior civilians of the first quarter of 2013, as well as the length of federal service for 11 base civilians.

Ken Pittman, community planner for the Public Works Branch was named senior civilian of the quarter. In addition to his regular duties, Pittman took over the job of real estate planner when the position was left open, managing 29 real estate deals, including an off-base lease for the Marine Corps University, the Fuller Heights Road project, an easement for the Virginia Railway Express, a change to a power substation agreement and multiple telecommunication lease renewals.

“These are long agreements, lots of meetings,” said Kirk Nelson, head of the Installation and Environment Division.

Nelson called Pittman’s hire from Great Smoky Mountains National Park “a major coup,” noting that taking an employee from such a job is not easy. “He’s a great asset we have right now, and we really appreciate all the work he’s done,” he said.

Junior civilian of the quarter was Rebecca Childress, prevention and education specialist with the Family Advocacy Program. Childress spearheaded two new programs — “Sex, Sensibility and the Single Marine” and “Cozy by the Fire” — as well as implementing several new classes, facilitating others and volunteering to conduct “Yoga for Mental Wellness” classes.

“Her programs are almost always full, and they usually have a waiting list,” said Mary Hicks, director of Marine Corps Community Services, adding that the programs are crowded because they provide what Marines and their families need and haven’t been able to find elsewhere.

In the course of the first quarter of the year, Hicks said, Childress’ teams touched the lives of about 1,200 people through classes and training sessions.

Maxwell thanked the civilians of the quarter for taking on new challenges and moving beyond their job descriptions.


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