The faces in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District Office of Counsel, also known as OC, look very different than they did just two years ago. Since Spring 2022, the team has undergone its largest staff transition since 2018. Coupled with post-COVID turnover, Louisville District Counsel, Janice Lengel, knew something needed to be done to help her employees connect with other district employees and strengthen the relationships of project delivery teams.
“From observation, I knew OC wasn’t the only office that had significant staff turnover,” said Lengel. “My goal was to provide a networking opportunity in a collegial laid-back atmosphere not only for others in the district to meet OC staff but for them to meet new team members from other offices.”
Lengel decided the best way to accomplish this goal was to host an Open House event, which was held Nov. 15, 2023. OC staff pitched in to make sure the event was a success by clearing out old boxes and furniture, decorating, contributing refreshments and organizing a friendly, but competitive, chili cookoff.
Assistant District Attorney, Max Mohr, described the event as “an opportunity for USACE personnel to meet and get to know new members of Office of Counsel and further develop professional relationships.”
Upwards of 100 district employees, including middle management, stopped by OC throughout the day to mingle and enjoy the provided refreshments.
“The result was a great turnout,” said Assistant District Attorney, Robert D’Andrea. “I was able to meet clients from Contracting, Construction, Regulatory, Civil Works, Real Estate and Project Management, including those I’ve worked with before and others I hope to work with in the future.”
Significant staff turnover within OC presented significant workload challenges during Fiscal Year 2023. Many members of the OC staff volunteered to step outside of their practice areas and work extra hours to ensure the district met its execution goals.
“It was an ‘all hands-on deck’ and very tough fiscal year for the team; however, all OC team members in all practice areas stepped up to help and worked collaboratively to get the job done,” added Lengel. “So, in addition to an Open House it was important for me to recognize staff with an awards ceremony which [Louisville District Commander] Col. Mann coined as ‘OC Appreciation Day.’”
Louisville District Commander Col. L. Reyn Mann presented the following awards to OC staff:
The Louisville District Commander’s Coin was presented to Mette Bahde, Thomas Barrett, Jackie Bassett, Tyler Belcher, Timothy Dodson, Timothy Eaddy, Benjamin Fitzgerald, Heather Foxx, Matthew George, Ruschell Greer, James Inman, Emily McKinney and Sarah Urchek.
The Louisville District Commander’s Award for Civilian Service was presented to Matthew George, Erin Konopa, Vicky Schneider and Lisa Taylor.
A Certificate of Appreciation was also presented to the Office of Counsel Paraprofessional Team; Jackie Bassett, Timothy Dodson, Timothy Eaddy, Benjamin Fitzgerald, Ruschell Greer and Rebecca Stone.
The Great Lakes and Ohio River Division (LRD) Star Award was presented by Kristin Budzynski, Division Counsel, to Nicole Angst.
“I am so very proud of my team’s accomplishments,” Lengel said. “We ended the FY meeting execution goals in our various practice areas and with zero bid protests on the procurement actions. We review nearly all actions of the district. Thousands of actions come through OC from the other district offices for legal sufficiency determinations usually on very tight schedules. We serve on PDTs and are integral team players helping to develop solutions and prevent problems that could impact execution goals for the district. It turned out to be a banner year for us despite the staffing turmoil.”