Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Hawaii held its annual command awards ceremony April 26, recognizing a total of 63 federal workers - 12 exceptional individuals and five teams.

"I am extremely proud of the outstanding work performed throughout 2016 by all of our employees at NAVFAC Hawaii," said NAVFAC Hawaii Commanding Officer Capt. Richard Hayes III. "However, I am truly impressed by those individuals and groups that were identified as having consistently executed their duties above and beyond the norm. They are an incredible asset to the whole NAVFAC worldwide team."

NAVFAC Hawaii's 2017 Employees of the Year are:

Adam Mikes - 2017 Employee of the Year (Leader/Supervisor/Manager) -
Mikes is originally from Phoenix, Arizona, and a supervisory civil engineer. He is a positive problem solver who works well in groups, successfully turning criticism into constructive action. Mikes seamlessly managed the successful merger of two construction teams and their transfer to another building; all with minimal funding. He provided outstanding mentorship with the correct mix of action and patience to engineers both in and outside of his section. In addition, he took the lead in updating the Facilities Engineering & Acquisition Division reimbursable list to ensure each project was properly and timely charged.

Warde K. Yamamoto - 2017 Employee of the Year (Professional, Administrative & Technical)
Yamamoto is a resident of Kailua, Hawaii, and a lead mechanical engineer. He is a primary subject matter expert for Naval Engineering Training and Operating Procedure (NETOPS) #18 Version 4 and provided certification for non-military construction project planning packages totaling over $300 million. Yamamoto's expertise on work classification issues was heavily relied on by both coworkers and customers alike. In addition, he was regularly tasked with mission critical project and those of high command interest and unselfishly provided his time to meet urgent requests and deadlines.

Desiree K. Kawakami - 2017 Employee of the Year (Clerical & Assistant)
Kawakami is a resident of Mililani, Hawaii, and a management and program assistant. She provided exceptional support to approximately 180 military and civilian members of the Capital Improvements (CI) Community. Kawakami seamlessly and effectively managed employee files, training, the Government Purchase Card, and numerous supplies.

She eagerly participated in training and became the Capital Improvements Defense Travel System and Command Information Office liaison. Kawakami willingly assisted with temporary duties as the command's Executive Secretary and CI Program and Business Management Division Program Analyst during critical vacancies and was a consummate team player.

Dean Johnasen - 2017 Employee of the Year (Trades & Crafts)
Johnasen is originally from Kau, Big Island, Hawaii, and an equipment operator. He was the Lead Operator for an important sewer main replacement project and his technical expertise in trenching was critical for this time sensitive mission. He maintained an optimistic attitude while working 24-hour shifts in adverse conditions surrounded by high voltage lines. He orchestrated a plan to speed up the process by spilt trenching which allowed for 20 foot sections to be completed at a faster rate, saving $750,000 in labor charges. In addition, Johnasen spent countless hours training and mentoring other equipment operators and promoting quality values throughout the organization.

Jan E. Takamine - 2017 Employee of the Year (Outstanding Mentor)
Takamine is resident of Manoa, Hawaii, and an attorney. As Lead Counsel, she advised the commanding officer and senior members of the command in all legal matters. She mentored six associate counsels developing a cross-training program to expand the office's expertise. As the command's Employee Development Program Coordinator in 2016, Takamine guided nine journeyman, blue collar employees, through the successful completion of year-long program that involved a large amount of personal time. She provided her expertise and advice to help with their development into future leaders during biweekly meetings, report reviews, oral presentations, and shadow assignments.

Lori T. Katahira - 2017 Employee of the Year (Exceptional Community Service)
Katahira is a resident of Honolulu, Hawaii, and an industrial hygienist. She is a proud supporter of Hawaii's Public School System and President of the School Community Council for Ma'ema'e Elementary School (third year) in 2016. Katahira volunteered for Parent Teacher Student Association Board (since 2009) and in the classroom twice a week. She actively fundraised for the Boys and Girls Club and participated in beach and school cleanups, worked at educational booths at fairs, volunteered at youth sporting events, and donated to shelters and human services organizations.

File Repository for Electronic Date (FRED) Team - Team Excellence Award
This five-member team developed a MicroSoft Access front-end to a file directory that stores as-built drawings. FRED acts as an interim central data repository solution between two important date sources Total Records Information Management (TRIM) and Department of Navy Tracker systems. In addition, the team developed Standard Operating Procedures and business rules for accessibility, storage, and distribution to non-NAVFAC-command personnel. FRED allows NAVFAC employees across the whole command enterprise from headquarters in Washington D.C. to all NAVFAC commands in the field access to information. It is currently saving 1,500 work hours ($120,000) annually in the development of planning documents, validation of existing conditions, design renovations, and maintenance of existing equipment and systems.

The above named exceptional employees received command plaques from NAVFAC Hawaii, and were also submitted to the Honolulu-Pacific Federal Executive Board's (FEB) 61st Annual Excellence in Federal Government Awards Program for recognition. On May 5, the FEB will be present them with a certificate acknowledging their important contributions to their federal agency at a ceremony to be held at the Hickam Air Force Base Officers' Club, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

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