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News | July 17, 2024

2023 Award Winners in Administrative Support and Administrative Technical Fields

By DCAA Staff Writer

DCAA recently announced the winners of annual awards in the professional support staff and administrative technical categories.

The Administrative/Technical Employee of the Year Award is presented to someone whose made significant contributions that follow certain criteria for each category. Many awardees accomplish major contributions to DCAA’s mission, exemplify DCAA values, and demonstrate outstanding expertise in their field.

Administrative/Technical Employee of the Year: Aisha Chun

Ms. Aisha Chun is the Data Governance Officer for Operations and was awarded the prestigious DCAA Administrative/Technical Employee of the Year Award for 2023. Her exceptional leadership and technical expertise significantly improves data governance within DCAA and the DoD.

Throughout 2023, Ms. Chun made substantial contributions to data governance. She modernized the VIPER and Audit Program, both internal websites frequently used by DCAA staff. Her work enhanced the user experience and reduced navigation time by 50 percent. Each page has received well over 15,000 views, with VIPER having over 29,000 views thanks to her improvements. Ms. Chun also led the development of the Governance 360 internal website. This site centralizes governance information, standards, and best practices. She established comprehensive data governance standards and guidance that enhance data quality, consistency, and security across both DCAA and DoD websites.

Beyond her technical expertise, Ms. Chun regularly provides expert consultation, combining her technical knowledge and problem-solving skills to identify and address performance issues. Her active engagement and direct support have significantly improved functionality throughout the agency. Her contributions align with DoD’s data, analytics, and artificial intelligence strategies, exemplifying her commitment to excellence and innovation.

Professional Support Staff Supervisor of the Year: Barry Estes

Mr. Barry Estes is a Professional Support Staff Supervisor who joined DCAA over three years ago and brought decades of experience from his enlisted and civilian careers. His commitment to exemplary performance at the Northrop Grumman Corporate Audit Directorate (NG CAD) earned him the 2023 Professional Support Staff Supervisor of the Year award.

Mr. Estes’ positive outlook and expertise are instrumental to his office’s success. Despite significant staffing changes, he helped successfully implement a new centralized approach to Professional Support Staff assisting local offices. During the transition, his positive attitude, consistent advocation, and flexibility marked him as a key role model within his office and the agency.

He led a major project to help the Professional Support Staff team develop proficiency, obtain required training, and identify best practices. Using data from a three-month sample, he designed an efficient method to optimize tasks and eliminate duplicative work. His efforts resulted in a successful centralized support structure that uses fewer resources, accomplishes more tasks, and received position feedback.

Professional Support Staff Employee of the Year: Lauren Frost-Jordan

Ms. Lauren Frost-Jordan is the Supervisory Office Automation Assistant in the Northern Virginia area and was named the 2023 Professional Support Staff Employee of the Year. She supports the Northern Virginia offices in multiple ways, such as serving as the training coordinator for three branch offices and managing training requirements and deadlines for over 150 people.

Ms. Frost-Jordan is reliable, efficient, and a leader who constantly supports both new and veteran staff. In her role as the primary contact for Requests for Personnel Action, she issued over 100 requests in 2023. Supporting 12 teams across three offices, she provides new hire training, shares her knowledge, and volunteers to support where needed.

She has frequently acted as Administrative Supervisor and demonstrated her management skills and willingness to provide key support to personnel and office needs. Her positive attitude, willingness to help, and technical expertise make her an essential part of the Northern Virginia team. Her work in multiple areas of support and her commitment to the ongoing developmental needs of the auditing community highlight her leadership and teamwork.