AFIMSC announces 2025 Annual Excellence Award winners

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas –

The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center announced the winners of its 2025 Annual Excellence Awards during a banquet March 26 at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.

The event honored the immense contributions of AFIMSC’s workforce, whose efforts directly support installations and missions around the globe, said Maj. Gen. Thomas Sherman, AFIMSC commander.

"The record of our nominees and winners is a tapestry of amazing accomplishments," he said. "Their work, fueled by heart and soul, creates impacts felt across our entire Air and Space Force."

The center’s command chief, Chief Master Sgt. Ronnie Woods, echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the journey to even be nominated is a significant achievement.

"Whether you win tonight or not, you need to walk out of here with your head held high because you have accomplished a lot," Woods said to the audience.

Congratulations to all individual and team winners.

AIRMAN OF THE YEAR: Airman 1st Class Jaysen Smalls

Airman 1st Class Jaysen Smalls, a commander’s support staff technician at AFIMSC headquarters, created a digital platform that streamlined 102 tasks for his unit's introduction program. The initiative cut notification times for 26 key leaders from two weeks to 48 hours, and was recognized with a best practice rating during an Inspector General inspection. He also directed a headquarters' contractor vetting program where he identified 51 errors and saved 600 man-hours annually.

As an airman basic, Smalls was selected to emcee the 2024 AFIMSC annual awards ceremony for 1,200 attendees. He also certified as a Sexual Assault Prevention and Response and suicide prevention instructor, training 165 people across six directorates and helping the organization exceed its training deadline by four months.

NCO OF THE YEAR: Tech. Sgt. Kailey DeLage

Tech. Sgt. Kailey DeLage is the Clinical Services Administration NCO in Charge for the 320th Correctional and Rehabilitation Squadron at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina. She served as the acting clinical superintendent for four months at a 479-bed Department of War correctional facility, where she led five sections that executed 114 intakes and 731 therapy sessions.

DeLage overhauled the facility's psychiatry clinic, securing two permanent psychiatrists for the first time in the Naval Brig's history and earning a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. As the sole Air Force representative in the brig’s E-6 Association, she led 20 joint-service NCOs in volunteer events and was named the multi-service servicemember of the year.

SENIOR NCO OF THE YEAR: Master Sgt. Andres Thomas

As command operations manager for AFIMSC Detachment 4 at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Master Sgt. Andres Thomas expertly managed a $74 million portfolio supporting 9,000 engineers across 19 countries. He helped double U.S. Indo-Pacific Command's missile detection and warning capabilities by leading the expansion of a $38 million radome site. Thomas also averted a potable water outage for 14,600 personnel by resolving a two-year contract certification issue in 12 days.

Thomas was selected to fill an officer-level branch chief position where he supervised technical experts and provided operations support for 1,200 engineers despite 43% manning, leading to his selection for the AFIMSC Society of American Military Engineers Goddard Medal. He also served as Top III President, establishing a mentorship panel for 18 company grade officers, and completed 39 semester hours toward his bachelor's degree with a 3.92 GPA.

First Sergeant OF THE YEAR: Senior Master Sgt. Bronsha Smith

As AFIMSC First Sergeant, Senior Master Sgt. Bronsha Smith founded center’s first Top 3 private organization and revived its booster club after a six-year hiatus, raising $10,000 for quality-of-life initiatives. He directed a task force that identified 107 barracks safety hazards and secured $121,000 for renovations, safeguarding 1,500 residents. During a 43-day government shutdown, he created a resource hub for 4,000 Airmen, equipping them with essential resources to ease quality of life stressors and lapses in payment.

Selected to lead the Air Force's First Sergeant Recommendation Panel, Smith guided the validation of 48 new command advisors. He also developed a symposium to mentor 65 first sergeants, which led to two major command awards and six promotions for attendees.

Company Grade Officer OF THE YEAR: Capt. James Stocks

Capt. James Stocks, Security Forces Weapons and Tactics Program Manager for the Air Force Security Forces Center, was hand-selected as the commandant of the Security Forces' Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course. In this role, he leads the school that develops expert tacticians and future leaders for 43,000 defenders worldwide.

Demonstrating leadership on a global stage, Stocks oversaw the planning and integration of Security Forces for RED FLAG 25-3, a premier combat training exercise. His efforts enhanced realism for 113 defenders from 20 bases while slashing costs by 50% from previous iterations. He also operationalized Air Combat Command’s first autonomous robot target project, securing a $2.8 million contract to enhance training realism and boost lethality.

Field Grade Officer OF THE YEAR: Maj. Parker Searing

As the deputy planning and analysis branch chief for the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, Maj. Parker Searing led a $46 million program to assess facility use across 78 bases, identifying 9.5 million square feet of excess space and developing 220 divestment opportunities. He also piloted an incentive program that resulted in the closure of 308 buildings, saving $3.3 million in annual sustainment costs.

Searing spearheaded an initiative to correct 6,000 real property records, which lowered the Department of the Air Force's plant replacement value by $38 billion. Handpicked to lead coordination for three critical air defense sites in Hawaii, he synchronized environmental and development efforts to enable U.S. Pacific Air Forces' strategies. He also deployed as a command engineer for special operations forces in Kuwait.

Civilian of the year, Category I: Matthew Roberts

Matthew Roberts, financial technician with the AFIMSC Financial Management Directorate at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, led a 17-person team that processed 47,000 travel vouchers worth $151 million, cutting 480 hours of rework. He provided critical financial relief to 30 Gold Star families by expediting $75,000 in travel entitlements, ensuring they received payments within 72 hours.

Roberts developed a custom calculator that accelerated payments by 20% for more than 5,000 families during natural disasters. His diligence also prevented $6.2 million in improper payments by identifying and returning 3,600 non-compliant vouchers. In his personal time, Roberts dedicated 108 hours to assisting a local elder battling cancer, performing essential home maintenance and errands.

Civilian of the year, Category II: Keegan Hoover

Keegan Hoover, 338th Enterprise Sourcing Squadron section chief at JBSA-Randolph, managed a global portfolio exceeding $900 million, advancing U.S. national security objectives across four combatant commands. He directed a $495 million program to establish Qatar's first organic F-15 training cadre, personally overseeing the graduation of 56 pilots and bolstering a key partner's combat self-sufficiency.

Hoover also spearheaded two Ukrainian F-16 maintenance and training efforts and was instrumental in securing 66 F-16 fighters for Taiwan. He re-engineered an aircraft refurbishment schedule for Slovakia, cutting a $20 million tax bill and arming a frontline NATO ally with vital combat capability to secure its sovereign airspace.

Civilian of the year, Category III: Ellery English

Ellery English, 772nd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron section chief at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, managed a $15 billion force multiplier program, leading 150 people across 11 combatant commands. He was selected to lead contracting discussions for a key U.S. Indo-Pacific Command working group, earning a coin from the Pacific Air Forces’ commander for his efforts in fortifying theater deterrence.

Following a natural disaster declaration, English secured a $222 million hurricane recovery contract in 48 hours, negotiating $10 million in savings. He also directed the rapid execution of a $153 million contract for Ascension Island Airfield, enabling U.S. Africa Command's space launch operations, and quarterbacked a vehicle contract that generated $9 million in cost avoidance for U.S. Air Forces Central.

Volunteer OF THE YEAR: Thomas Pieknik

Thomas Pieknik, a mission support specialist with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, guided a critical fundraiser to raise over $58,000 and secure 24/7 care for 30 at-risk children, saving a local youth facility from imminent closure. He also steered five mobile food pantries that distributed 168,000 pounds of food, providing 30,000 meals to families and cutting the local food insecurity rate by 10 percent.

Pieknik orchestrated four blood drives that collected 125 units of blood, saving an estimated 375 lives and meeting 100% of the local hospital's emergency needs. He also piloted a recovery program that guided 360 servicemembers to vital health resources, leading to a 25% decrease in negative incidents and measurably boosting unit readiness.

MAJ. GEN. THERESA C. CARTER TEAMWORK & INNOVATION AWARD (Small Team): AFCEC Joint EOD Technology

The Joint EOD Technology team at Indian Head, Maryland, rectified a critical F-35 safety error by engineering a first-of-its-kind flare removal method after a mishap. The team identified a flawed technique and delivered an updated procedure to the force in less than a week, safeguarding personnel from 19 nations and 1,300 aircraft.

Innovating for the force, the team developed an augmented reality training program for the Stand-in Attack Weapon, saving the Department of War $3 million. They also led the Air Force's sole munition disassembly capability, exploiting 72 munitions and providing critical intelligence that protected 2,300 deployed servicemembers and $750 million in infrastructure.

Team Members:

Maj. Adrien Aquino
Paul Kull
Senior Master Sgt. Gene Tschida
Master Sgt. Steven Pigeon
Master Sgt. Kyle Gnuechtel
Master Sgt. Shane Bigham
Master Sgt. Randall Jackson
Tech. Sgt. Michael Bemis

MAJ. GEN. THERESA C. CARTER TEAMWORK & INNOVATION AWARD (Large Team): Civil Engineer FAM Team, AFIMSC/A3

The Civil Engineer Functional Management Team led NATO's largest-ever chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear exercise, merging 500 forces from 14 nations to enhance contingency plans. The team also built the first-ever combined civil engineer unit type code, aligning four service branches to support 54 austere locations and a $3.3 billion area of responsibility.

Demonstrating innovation, team members on the DAF SpaceWERX Innovation Team secured $155 million in contracts while reducing timelines by 33%. Another team member coordinated a $2 million contract for an artificial intelligence chatbot to help first-term Airmen integrate at beta bases. Their efforts to improve readiness and training have directly impacted thousands of engineers across the enterprise.

Team Members: