“With so many great HR and EEO teams out there, we knew the competition would be tough,” said Vanessa Givens, Navy Region Southeast Deputy EEO Director. 

The Navy HR and EEO community awards program was established to recognize Navy employees for their accomplishments and contributions that result in exceptional improvement to services or practices in the HR and EEO community.  There are 10 award categories with more than 100 nominations submitted this year.

The “Team Impact” award honors teams for their contributions to their customers, organizations or profession.  The Navy Region Southeast EEO staff was recognized for the small team category (1-10 members).

The Navy Region Southeast EEO staff was selected for the award based on their “expertise, professionalism, and dedication” toward providing HR/EEO training and innovative solutions toward improving processes for workers with disabilities.

Throughout 2020, the team delivered vital training that was available to more than 2,200 Navy Region Southeast personnel through their “HRO on the Go” training program.  Each monthly 30-minute session, provided virtually, encompassed topics relevant to EEO, Staffing, and Labor and Employee Relations.  The training program has since been adopted by other commands. 

Additionally, in an effort to more accurately capture the number of individuals with disabilities (IWD) and individuals with targeted disabilities (IWTD) in the region’s workforce, the EEO team developed and executed a “Self-Identification of Disability Campaign.” The campaign focused on educating the workforce on the importance of conducting the self-identification, and providing step-by-step guidance on how to self-identify.  

Prior to executing the campaign, the region’s IWD and IWTDs percentages were 11.04% and 2.47%, respectively.  After the campaign ended, the IWDs and IWTDs percentages had increased to 13.00% and 2.75%, respectively.   This increase exceeded the Navy’s goals of ensuring the workforce is of comprised of at least 12% IWDs and 2% IWTDs. 

Givens emphasized the importance of the “Self-identification of Disability Campaign,” “Accurately reflecting the number of IWDs and IWTDs in the workforce is critically important because it eliminates barriers to equal employment opportunity, assists in increasing resources and funding to support affirmative employment programs, uncovers institutional deficiencies that may prevent equal participation in the workplace, and highlights the significant impact of IWDs and IWTDs have in the workplace.”

Rear Adm. Gary Mayes, Commander, Navy Region Southeast praised the team, consisting of Givens; Adrienne Johnson, NRSE EEO Complaints Manager; Severiano Melendez, NRSE Reasonable Accommodation Coordinator; Sarah Ayer, NRSE EEO Counselor; and Sara Beksi, NRSE EEO Counselor.

“During an incredibly challenging time, this team repeatedly came up with the best answers to maintain and improve our level of service to our people,” said Mayes.  “Though our team may be small, their commitment to the Navy Region Southeast mission and our workforce is huge. I am very proud of them and extremely happy to see them recognized for their tremendous achievements.”