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NEWS | Dec. 21, 2021

Air Force Installation Contracting Center change agents win Air Force acquisition awards

By Debbie Aragon Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center Public Affairs

Five Air Force Installation Contracting Center change agents recently earned top honors in the 2021 Secretary of the Air Force Innovation in Air Force Contracting Awards recognition program, including one at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. 

“We are so proud of all the Secretary of the Air Force Innovation awardees, especially those advancing operational acquisition across the Air and Space Forces,” said AFICC Commander Brig. Gen. Ali Trevino. “Additionally, we are grateful to all the supervisors, teammates and Change Agents alongside these amazingly talented mission-focused business leaders, who continue to collaborate, accelerate change and deliver combat capability across the enterprise!” 

AFICC, a primary subordinate unit of the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, manages and executes above-wing level operational acquisition solutions across the Air Force. 

Honored for their accomplishments from October 2020 to September 2021, award recipients are:

Rebecca Tinch, AbilityOne Award: Tinch is an AFICC price cost analyst at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. She revamped AFICC’s enterprise AbilityOne five-year strategic plan, securing almost 5,000 disabled American jobs. She also merged eight major command AbilityOne plans decreasing redundancy by 65%, established an enterprise AbilityOne resource library and central portal and synced Department of Defense and Air Force tools and training. Additionally, Tinch led a base supply center lease study, identifying issues and corrective actions vital to employing more than 45,000 disabled personnel. 

Thomas Williams, Outstanding Director of Business Operations Award: Williams is director of business operations, 766th Enterprise Sourcing Squadron, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. He led an 81-member team executing a $2.8 billion portfolio in support of the U.S. Pacific Command’s strategic plan. McNabb also helped a SECAF goal champion develop five new feedback initiatives that provided valuable real-time insight. He also hosted nine civilian all-calls, guided telework expansion and nurtured his team’s development with four new and 25 upgraded warrants.

Kori McNabb, Outstanding Civilian in Enterprise Contracting (Non-Supervisory) Award: McNabb is a lead contract specialist with the 766th ESS at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. She led a five-member team with a $427 million portfolio and oversaw 30 projects valued at more than $100 million. This included shaping the Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, architecture and engineer renovation and a $2.3 million hangar inspection for the first Pacific fighter wing bed down in 10 years. She also drove combat air forces and mobility air forces kit reorganization with a flexible acquisition strategy that cut a headquarters funding gap and recouped about $6 million annually.  Additionally, McNabb graduated from Air War College and was chosen for the AFICC leadership beta course, benchmarking the training program for Air Force-wide rollout. 

Randall Thornton, Outstanding Civilian in Enterprise Contracting (Supervisory) Award: Thornton is a supervisory contract specialist with the 764th ESS, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. He directed a 17-person team managing a $3 billion portfolio. He drove the innovative Germany Air Mail Terminal acquisition strategy, adopting commercial norms to drive competition up by 300%. During a period of 40% flight turnover, he ensured there were no mission impacts and, after reviewing 300 resumes and conducting 20 interviews, hired six new team members. Additionally, he mentored his team on critical leadership skills, convened 20+ mock warrant boards and held monthly contracting officer and contract specialist roundtables. 

Sheri De Coste, Contracting Ninja Award: De Coste is a contract specialist with the 773rd ESS, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. De Coste provided multi-faceted acquisition support to the 773rd ESS team and across the Air Force enterprise. She provided critical support to the $1 billion Department of the Air Force to Defense Health Agency transition, training and leading a five-person tiger team on the execution of 24 actions valued at $323 million, meeting Congress’ Oct. 1 full operating capability mandate.  In addition to balancing her daily $284 million portfolio in support of the Air Force Medical Readiness Agency’s 76 military treatment facilities, she was a site super user for the Air Force Contracting Information Technology and Federal Procurement Data systems, managing the squadron’s 40 user accounts and putting together four walk-thru guides. She also identified, developed, lobbied for, and won a contracting file share improvement which has been implemented Air Force-wide. 

“We received over 200 awards packages, all of which showcased the awesome power of mission-focused business leadership in action (across the enterprise),” said Maj. Gen. Cameron Holt, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force contracting, in announcing the winners. “You never cease to blow me away with your awesome ingenuity and dedication to this great nation.”