Annual Awards Banquet Recognizes Outstanding Achievements

In August, the chapter hosted its Annual Awards Banquet to recognize the outstanding contributions of key members. The event took place at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center in Montgomery, Alabama, and drew a full house of military, industry and government personnel. The following individuals were recognized with chapter-level awards: Jason Frye, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), Young AFCEAN of the Year; Master Sgt. Carlton Young, USAF, Government AFCEAN of the Year; Tommy Pope, Industry AFCEAN of the Year; and Candace Akerson, Air University, Montgomery AFCEA Chapter President's Award. Additionally, the following individuals were recognized for their recent awards from AFCEA International: Senior Master Sgt. Neil Stewart, USAF, Meritorious Service Award; Capt. Jesse Wayne, USAF, Regional Distinguished Young AFCEAN of the Year; and Charisse Stokes, Distinguished Women in AFCEA Award. The chapter also was the recipient of the 2015 Model Chapter Award. Before the ceremony, the following education-related awards were distributed: $5,000 each to the robotics programs of Wetumpka High School and Macon County. The Education Foundation also conducted a High School Education Day where more than 300 local high school students were invited to the Air Force Information Technology Conference and escorted around the vendor floor to learn about careers in information technology both in the military and industry. The banquet featured a presentation from Lt. Gen. Michael J. Basla, USAF (Ret.), the senior vice president and Air Force client executive for CACI International. Gen. Basla discussed the importance of government contract incentives, which ensure that both sides "have some skin in the game." Furthermore, embedding the acquisition community in the operational side of the business will help to clarify the true requirements that will help to produce better and more efficient contracts, a practice that the AFLCMC is already engaging in. Despite his positive outlook for improvement in the contracting arena, Gen. Basla expressed concerns about the future of the Air Force with the impending budget and personnel cuts. With Air Force weapon system modernization being pushed out into the future, he wonders how long the United States will be able to maintain air superiority with aging air frames and an overtaxed workforce. Finally, he discussed the importance of correctly handling terrorism. Gen. Basla expressed a need for meaningful legislation that actually makes the United States more secure. To that end, he called for a cohesive national strategy to make our country stronger and more secure. The chapter congratulates all award recipients on their achievements and wishes all robotics programs continued success. The chapter also extends gratitude to Telos, ARRAY, Isobar, Unisys, ICS and Excellus Solutions for their generosity and continued support of the Montgomery Chapter Education Foundation. Finally, the chapter thanks Gen. Basla for donating his time to speak to banquet attendees.

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