A Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) civilian human resource specialist was recently honored with the Department of Defense Outstanding Employee with a Disability award by Anthony M. Kurta, performing the duties of undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

Kelly Thomas accepted the award at the 37th Annual Department of Defense Disability Awards ceremony at the Pentagon. The ceremony honored 21 service members and civilians with disabilities for their outstanding contributions supporting the DoD mission.

"I commend you all on the phenomenal strides you've made to improve the state of disability employment," Kurta said. "The mission of personnel and readiness is to enhance the readiness of the all-volunteer force. And one of our key strengths in that all-volunteer force is our diversity."

Thomas is a member of the workforce development branch, training and development team and services the entire NAVSUP workforce, over 6,000 civilian employees and military personnel, located across CONUS and OCONUS activities. She excels at serving the NAVSUP Enterprise as the Program Manager of the Honorary and Organization Awards Program and the Individual Development Plan and Competency Manager Programs. She is passionate about each and every employee within the NAVSUP Enterprise being recognized and awarded for their contributions and efforts that attribute to the success of the NAVSUP Enterprise.

"I have always had the utmost respect for all those who serve, both military and civilians, and it is my privilege to serve alongside them. It is gratifying to know that the work I do each day has made a positive impact on the men and women of the DoD and NAVSUP in particular," said Thomas after her award. "To be recognized in this manner by my peers is very humbling. To be honored in this way is never expected but always appreciated!"

In addition to her daily workload, Thomas conducted training for all NAVSUP personnel on the Individual Development Plan (IDP) and developed the NAVSUP instruction that governs the program. Because of these efforts, she directly impacted the success and drastic improvement in the number of employees across the Enterprise of having an approved IDP in place. Thomas is considered the NAVSUP expert in the Total Workforce Management System used for IDPs.

"Today, employing a diverse, inclusive workforce helps NAVSUP better execute our mission and serve our customers," said NAVSUP Commander Rear Adm. Jonathan Yuen. "NAVSUP is committed to welcoming all individuals who bring new and innovative ways of thinking."

NAVSUP's mission is to provide supplies, services, and quality-of-life support to the Navy and joint warfighter. With headquarters in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and employing a diverse, worldwide workforce of more than 22,500 military and civilian personnel, NAVSUP oversees logistics programs in the areas of supply operations, conventional ordnance, contracting, resale, fuel, transportation, and security assistance. In addition, NAVSUP is responsible for food service, postal services, Navy Exchanges, and movement of household goods.



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