WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio (AFLCMC) - Don Thompson Jr., Director, Acquisition Excellence & Program Execution, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, hosted the 2025 AFLCMC Acquisition Management Awards Ceremony which was held on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, March 18, 2026.
The hybrid ceremony brought together organizations from multiple locations across the United States, connecting virtually to honor the teams and individuals who demonstrated exceptional leadership, management, and support in delivering war-winning capabilities throughout the year.
“This year’s award nominees made significant contributions in various mission areas across the enterprise,” said Thompson. “They produced exceptional outcomes while accelerating the deployment of our most technically advanced capabilities, ensuring mission readiness despite the many challenges they faced throughout the year.”
For this award cycle, 26 judges from 16 two-letter organizations volunteered their time to comb through over 200 award packages, ultimately narrowing them down to winners in 36 categories.
Thompson noted a 7% increase in the number of nominee packages submitted over previous years and thanked the supervisors and leaders who cultivated many high-performing individuals throughout the organization. He also thanked them for their work on the write-ups and for submitting the packages.
“You touch every aspect of the Air Force” said Thompson to the nominees. “You developed innovative strategies, and you matured technologies to align stakeholders across the enterprise. You responded to worldwide conflicts by placing lethal capabilities in the hands of operators down range with speed. Your hard work reflects the core values of our organization and the United States Air Force. We are incredibly proud of you.”
Several senior leaders were on hand to celebrate the occasion, including AFLCMC’s Executive Director Dennis D’Angelo.
“There has been a lot of push for acquisitions to take on more of a war-fighting mentality, said D’Angelo. The award packages prove that we do that every minute of every day. You should be very proud of what you do because there is someone out in the field who needs your technology today to keep them safe and to bring them home. You make a huge impact, every day, and people out there are counting on you to deliver. Never underestimate your impact to the mission by your proximity to the fight.”
The award winners for 2025 are:
EXCELLENCE in ACQUISITION LEADERSHIP TEAM AWARD
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Special Projects Team (WI) Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
OUTSTANDING PROGRAM OFFICE AWARD
Combat Avionics Program Office (ES) Robins Air Force Base, Ga.
OUTSTANDING SYSTEMS PROGRAM MANAGER AWARD ACAT I (Military)
Lt. Col. Christopher Grover (ES) Robins Air Force Base, Ga.
OUTSTANDING SYSTEMS PROGRAM MANAGER AWARD ACAT I (Civilian)
Erica Meyer (WJ) Arlington, Va.
OUTSTANDING SYSTEMS PROGRAM MANAGER AWARD ACAT II (Military)
Lt. Col. Timothy Shuck (WN) Hill Air Force Base, Utah
OUTSTANDING SYSTEMS PROGRAM MANAGER AWARD ACAT II (Civilian)
Oryan Joseph (LP) Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
OUTSTANDING SYSTEMS PROGRAM MANAGER AWARD ACAT III (Military)
Capt. Aaditya Joshi (WI) Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
OUTSTANDING SYSTEMS PROGRAM MANAGER AWARD ACAT III (Civilian)
Benjamin Smith (WI) Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
OUTSTANDING SYSTEMS ACQUISITION MANAGER AWARD (O-4 / O-5)
Lt. Col. Keith LeBlanc (WJ) Arlington, Va.
OUTSTANDING SYSTEMS ACQUISITION MANAGER AWARD (O-3 & below)
Capt. Corey Mack (C3) Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.
OUTSTANDING SYSTEMS ACQUISITION MANAGER AWARD (GS-13/14 or equivalent)
Tyler Underwood (WJ) Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
OUTSTANDING SYSTEMS ACQUISITION MANAGER AWARD (GS-12 & below or equivalent)
Anastasia Leon-Prado (WB) Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.
OUTSTANDING SERVICES PROGRAM MANAGER AWARD SCAT I & II (Military)
Capt. Gregory Sanders (HN) Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.
OUTSTANDING SERVICES PROGRAM MANAGER AWARD SCAT I & II (Civilian)
Dona Reifenberg (AQ-AZ) Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
OUTSTANDING SERVICES PROGRAM MANAGER AWARD SCAT III (Military)
2nd Lt. Sara Wine (ES) Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.
OUTSTANDING SERVICES PROGRAM MANAGER AWARD SCAT III (Civilian)
Shana Plummer (HN) Joint Base San Antonio - Lackland, Texas
OUTSTANDING SERVICES PROGRAM MANAGER AWARD SCAT IV & V (Military)
Capt. Griffin Peene (HN) Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.
OUTSTANDING SERVICES PROGRAM MANAGER AWARD SCAT IV & V (Civilian)
Tierra Thomas (AQ-AZ) Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
OUTSTANDING SERVICES ACQUISITION MANAGER AWARD (O-4 / O-5)
Maj. Jessica De Long (WN) Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
OUTSTANDING SERVICES ACQUISITION MANAGER AWARD (O-3 & below)
Capt. Brittney Simpson (EB) Robins Air Force Base, Ga.
OUTSTANDING SERVICES ACQUISITION MANAGER AWARD (GS-13/14 or equivalent)
David Hawk (WL) Robins Air Force Base, Ga.
OUTSTANDING SERVICES ACQUISITION MANAGER AWARD (GS-12 & below or equivalent)
Mattie Barton (WA) Hill Air Force Base, Utah
OUTSTANDING BUSINESS SYSTEMS PROGRAM MANAGER AWARD (Senior)
Lt. Col. James Herold (HN) Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.
OUTSTANDING BUSINESS SYSTEMS PROGRAM MANAGER AWARD (Junior)
Amber O’Grady (GB) Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
OUTSTANDING ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT STAFF OFFICER AWARD (Military)
2nd Lt. Karl Hingst (AQ-AZ) Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.
OUTSTANDING ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT STAFF OFFICER AWARD (Civilian)
Armando Segarra (WJ) Arlington, Va.
OUTSTANDING FOREIGN MILITARY SALES PROGRAM MANAGER AWARD (Senior)
Aaron Milligan (EB) Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
OUTSTANDING FOREIGN MILITARY SALES PROGRAM MANAGER AWARD (Junior)
Capt. David Skelton (EB) Hill Air Force Base, Utah
OUTSTANDING PROGRAM MANAGEMENT TRAINEE AWARD (GS-11 & below)
Randi Small (EB) Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
FALL FORWARD TEAM AWARD
B-2 Advanced Communication Integrated Product Team (WB) Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
ACQUISITION INNOVATION TEAM AWARD (large team)
Weapon Capacity Team (EB) Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
ACQUISITION INNOVATION TEAM AWARD (small team)
HC-130J Rapid Innovation Tiger Team (WI) Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT BOSS of the YEAR AWARD
Jessica Scott (WF) Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio