The Coast Guard has announced the winners of the 2023 Civilian Employee of the Year (CEOY) and Non-Appropriated Fund Employee of the Year (NAF EOY) Awards. In a Nov. 6 ceremony at Coast Guard Headquarters, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda L. Fagan and Deputy Commandant for Mission Support Vice Adm. Tom Allan honored the eight winners. Every year, the service recognizes eight civilians for going above and beyond.
“These outstanding civilian employees exemplify the Coast Guard’s Core Values,” said Kathryn Jones, chief of Civilian Workforce Relations (CG-1C4). “We applaud the winners for their many contributions to the service, workforce, and community.”
A full list of CEOY winners is below:
Nathaniel L. Eichler, Prevention Law Division (CG-LMI-P)
As attorney-advisor in the Office of Maritime and International Law, Eichler provides operational legal advice to over ten program offices. He serves as legal advisor to the marine Board of Investigation surrounding the collision of the M/V Dali with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore Harbor. He played a key role in efforts to combat sexual assault and sexual harassment, leading interagency efforts to implement new legislation on reporting and investigating sexual assault and sexual harassment on commercial vessels.
Shawn S. Koch, District Seven/Homeland Security Task Force-Southeast (HSTF-SE)
As Chief of Staff of HTSF-SE, Koch oversaw the mobilization of over 2,000 personnel and coordinated a network of federal, state, local, and international assets to address irregular maritime migration. His coordination of over 30 agencies was instrumental in the interdiction of 17,379 migrants from over 25 countries. Koch led efforts that resulted in an 84 percent success rate in detecting, interdicting, processing, and repatriating illegal migrants.
James D. Brunson, Coast Guard Yard Baltimore
Brunson’s stellar performance as a lead mechanic on multiple Coast Guard cutter classes led to a temporary promotion to work leader. In this capacity, Brunson’s leadership increased the ability of the Coast Guard Yard to meet an extremely high demand to cover over 50 road shows to install various systems on cutters across the nation while meeting various depot repair needs. He went above and beyond to ensure that repairs and installations were covered, working nearly 400 hours of overtime to meet critical milestones.
Megan L. Clouser, Civil Engineering Unit (CEU) Miami
As Natural Resource Management Specialist, Clouser led or supported 20 Environmental Compliance Evaluations. She identified issues and worked with Florida state authorities to resolve them, avoiding over $500,000 of fines to the Coast Guard in the process. She also penned a successful grant application to National Geographic for a $350,000 award toward improving and protecting the Miami Tiger Beetle Habitat on Coast Guard property. On top of all her work, she devotes over 50 hours per week volunteering for animal rescue organizations.
Miriam A. Lopez, Coast Guard Base Borinquen, Puerto Rico
As the base’s sole Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) Accounting Technician, Lopez went above in beyond while facing leadership gaps in two critical positions at Base Borinquen. She ensured continuity of key services and took proactive steps to support MWR programs facing impending bankruptcy and to ensure their long-term financial health.
Donald W. Riddle, CG Yard Baltimore
In addition to skillfully handling a wide range of duties and skills as administrative assistant at Coast Guard Yard Baltimore, Riddle established the first 3D Additive Manufacturing Print Lab at the Coast Guard Yard. He fabricated unobtainable parts for various systems, helping to render obsolete cutter systems operational. In doing so, Riddle saved the Coast Guard tens of thousands of dollars.
The two NAF EOY award winners are:
Charlette F. Frierson, Community Services Command (CSC)
As CSC E-commerce Digital Marketing Manager, Frierson created and designed the Coast Guard Exchange’s new Shopify website and implemented marketing initiatives. Her work led to increased in-store foot-traffic and online engagement.
Tara L. West, Coast Guard Exchange (CGX) Port Angeles, Wa.
As Store Manager, West consistently helped improve product selection. She even worked with a local meal preparation company to bring in prepared food to support members at Port Angeles—where there is no galley. West used customer experience surveys to gain insights into their preferences and improve product selections.
CG-1C4 will release a call for nominations next year’s CEOY and NAF EOY Awards in Spring 2025. CEOY nomination packages consist of various forms and must be endorsed by a Flag Officer or member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) before they are submitted to CG-1C4. For more information on the selection criteria and the Awards, please visit the CEOY Homepage. If you have any questions, please contact CG-1C4.
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