NEW ORLEANS --
Marine Forces Reserve honored its 2015 senior and junior Civilian of the
Year during a ceremony Feb. 5, 2016, at Marine Corps Support Facility New
Orleans.
To be honored as the senior Civilian of the Year,
the individual must be nominated by their leadership and selected by a board as
someone who stands out among their peers.
Anthony T. Davis, deputy branch head of the Training
and Readiness Division, Marine Forces Reserve, was recognized as the senior
Civilian of the Year for his hard work and dedication.
“There are a number of highly qualified people who
are nominated for this award each year, and you are really selected by a board
of your peers and seniors who think you’ve done the most that year and are
deserving of the award,” said Davis. “It means a lot, it really does, and I’m
appreciative of my leadership for taking the time to nominate me.”
“Mr. Davis has just hit it out of the park,” said
Paul E. Pratt, Davis’s supervisor and the deputy assistant chief of staff for
the Marine Forces Reserve Operations and Planning Division. “He has continued
to improve himself, and improve the organization as a whole.”
Pratt works with Davis on a daily basis and is
able to see the improvements and changes he has brought to the section. These were
key factors in his selection for the senior Civilian of the Year.
“He’s all about getting the mission accomplished
and trying to improve himself and the organization as a whole,” said Pratt.
“It’s not about him, it’s about the team moving forward and he does that.”
Like the senior recipient of the award, the junior
recipient must be selected by a board. However, a key requirement to be
nominated for the junior Civilian of the Year is to be a previous winner of the
Civilian of the Quarter in the same year.
Lauren C. Yaw, muster program lead for Marine
Corps Individual Reserve Support Activity, was named the 2015 3rd quarter
Civilian of the Quarter and the 2015 junior Civilian of the Year.
Yaw was chosen for her positive impact in the
workplace and her headway on the muster program; an event for Individual Ready
Reserve Marines to be evaluated on their overall readiness during a weekend
conference.
“The muster
program has come a very long way, and I’m very proud of that,” said Yaw. “We’ve
really made some radical changes to better the program and improve readiness
while decreasing some of the costs.”
Thomas M. Nelson, Yaw’s supervisor and the deputy
director for MCIRSA, enthusiastically explained that Yaw goes above and beyond
her normal job duties every day.
The winners take the initiative to do more than
they are asked, Nelson explained. “They do things that are outside of their
position and they make it happen.”
Working hard and doing your
absolute best is what Davis believes will help anyone stand out like he has and
succeed in the workplace.
“I just believe in coming
in and doing what you are supposed to be doing,” said Davis. “Hopefully you are
doing it with some excitement and at the same time you are doing your very
best.”
Similar to Davis, Yaw also offered
words of advice to anyone striving to stand out in their position.
“If you enjoy what you do,
if you are passionate about it, then hard work will come naturally,” said Yaw.
Both Yaw and Davis have big
plans for the upcoming year. They are excited to see what changes and
improvements they can accomplish to improve Marine Forces Reserve.