Each year, dedicated campaign workers bring the CFC to their agencies, installations, offices, and units. Thanks to their efforts, the federal community pledges tens of millions of dollars to thousands of charitable organizations, and together, they change the world. CFC Heroes go above and beyond the requirements to bring about extraordinary results. Each of the 36 CFC zones receives nominations for CFC Heroes and submits the best of the best to be considered for the national award. In 2021, OPM received 78 nominations and awarded 13 National CFC Heroes.
Congratulations to all the 2021 winners and additional nominees!
2021 CFC National Heroes
Sheronda Brantley - Texas Gulf Coast CFC
Sheronda Brantley strongly believes in the mission and services provided by the CFC; therefore, she was able to pass that enthusiasm along to her Keyworkers. It was infectious and set the atmosphere for how their campaign was run. She made it to her goal of 100% asking with the belief that if her coworkers were allowed to give, they would. And they did!
ETS1 Deirdre Collins & AT1 Lauren Outlaw - Hawaii-Pacific CFC
ETS1 Deidre Collins & AT1 Lauren Outlaw had no official campaign role, so they reached out to the Area Project Officer (APO) at the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) Hawaii-Pacific, Ms. Roxanne Bruhn, to volunteer. The new volunteer team introduced a fun, engaging weekly activity that would bring awareness of the CFC to the agency as a supplement to the work of the keyworker team. They strategize and create unique ways to engage their colleagues in CFC festivities, which consisted of hosting ten weekly campaign events, more than any other agency in the zone. The weekly events consist of arranging a silent auction, featuring three mystery boxes per auction, each with an exciting theme such as Spooktacular, Self-Care Spa Day, or a “Rise and Shine” Pack that encouraged participation, excitement, and helped to raise awareness about the CFC. The mystery boxes included gift cards, snacks, office supplies, and more donated by ETS1 Collins and AT1 Outlaw. These events provided many CFC touchpoints each week.
With the collaboration of Ms. Bruhn (the APO), ETS1 Collins and AT1 Outlaw helped the CFC for TSA Hawaii-Pacific excel. As the face of the CFC, they demonstrated the positive impact that happens when a group of dedicated, motivated, and creative people comes together with a common goal. This volunteer team contributed to inspiring the generous members of TSA Hawaii-Pacific to pledge $72,169.20! That represented a 50% increase over 2020 and a 326% increase over 2019 results. Total pledges raised in 2021 were the highest amount raised by this agency, going back as far as 2014. They achieved a 66% increase in participation over 2020, with 198 donors.
Marla Hendriksson - National Capital Area/Northern Virginia CFC
The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) overall lead for their CFC, Marla Hendriksson, laid the groundwork for a new, restructured internal team that strengthened and propelled them to victory. Armed with 200 campaign workers coordinating across 17 communication channels and platforms, Ms. Hendriksson hosted events and engagement activities each of the 17 weeks of the campaign, following the Cause of the Week calendar and improving on the outreach program. She even captured all of her strategies in an 80-page report to pass on to future campaign leaders to ensure this continued success. Her cumulative efforts and leadership saw the FDA office’s goal achievement range from over 136% to 211%, signifying the impact of her strategy.
Cynthia Kotary - Mountain States CFC
Cynthia Kotary of Mountain States CFC oversaw the CFC for the Boulder, CO-area Department of Commerce, including NOAA, NIST & NTIA – over 800 employees. AS with all campaign managers, she performed this as an additional duty. Ms. Kotary also helped those Boulder-area agencies raise more than $159,000; when a devastating wildfire burned 1,000 local homes and businesses to the ground, she rallied the Department of Commerce to help local charities. She secured OPM approval for a special post-campaign solicitation on behalf of charities supporting the victims.
Cynthia Odoms-Cheatham - National Capital Area/Northern Virginia
For seven years, Ms. Cynthia Odoms-Cheatham has improved and perfected her outreach plan and strategy in the Army's CFC program. She has been the face of the campaign and has become an inspiring leader among 17,000 Army active duty and civilian colleagues. She’s trained hundreds of campaign workers each year. She has always been an open support system and transparent leader, sharing routine analytics of each outreach strategy to allow for all to course-correct and track their wins as they go. She took materials and customized every single one for differing target audiences across Army offices and inspired some to go from zero participation to exceeding their goal – some even as high as 287%.
Jennifer Redding - Cascadia CFC
Jennifer Redding provided outstanding leadership for the Federal Aviation Administration’s 2021 CFC in the Cascadia CFC zone. While a new first-time CFC Coordinator, she built partnerships with other zones within the Region and was instrumental in advancing the goals of the CFC. She provided multiple communications every week tailored to the entire region instead of each zone (Cascadia, Pacific Northwest, and the Mountain States). Each zone surpassed its previous year's donations, increasing the Cascadia FAA results by 13.3%!
Captain Ashley Reynolds & MSgt David Schenck - Southeast Tri-State CFC
Captain Reynolds and Master Sergeant Schenck made the CFC come alive at Maxwell Air Force Base for its 60th anniversary year and took their vast and demanding roles as Campaign Managers of a substantial federal agency with vigor, going above and beyond expectations for their roles. They focused on promotional activities (events and marketing), taking the old fundraising adage “it takes 4-6 touchpoints before a donor takes action” to heart, and found creative ways to keep the CFC top of mind for personnel at Maxwell. In addition to other campaign milestone events, this Campaign Manager team navigated the ever-changing pandemic regulations to host two in-person charity fair events on a secure military installation and developed and implemented safe, fun, unique, and engaging ways for the attendees to interact with participating charities. They created CFC-themed photo props and encouraged attendees to take photo-booth style photos used to promote the campaign at the local agency. They shared the images with staff to promote the CFC in the entire zone. Their efforts resulted in increased total dollars pledged by $52,931.28, marking the first time in four years that pledges increased over the previous year at Maxwell AFB.
Captain Naomi Villalobos - Oklahoma & North Texas Panhandle CFC
Capt Naomi Villalobos led Sheppard Air Force Base to have nearly 20 times more donors to the 2021 CFC than in 2020. With fundraising totals also nearly quadrupling, Villalobos and her team of volunteers from each Group and Squadron found success through leadership and peer-to-peer engagement. Her involvement in Wing leadership volunteers from across the Wing and creativity in joining the Base’s community events gained the support of far more individuals than Sheppard AFB has seen in recent years. She and her team infused fun into the campaign and created positive CFC engagement in 2021.
Audrey Washington - Chesapeake Bay Area CFC
In the middle of the CFC solicitation period, a leadership change provided some additional unexpected challenges to Audrey Washington, the campaign coordinator for the Capital District Region postal facilities. She took on the added responsibility of the Baltimore Region facilities as the result of a Postal Service reorganization. Although unfamiliar with the Baltimore Region leadership and structure, Audrey’s enthusiasm and determination allowed her to identify the appropriate personnel and gain their support. However, the region had not held a structured CFC solicitation for several years. Still, Audrey soldiered on, creating alternative strategies to ensure all postal employees in both regions were engaged and had the opportunity to contribute. She provided virtual training and ensured all keyworkers workers were on board and received the necessary supplies. Audrey’s belief that giving back and supporting the community is part of a postal worker’s DNA, along with her dedication to the campaign, resulted in increased pledges of 20% in the Capital District and 150% in the Baltimore District, providing a great foundation to ensure continued success in both these regions.
David Winsko - Hawaii-Pacific CFC
David Winsko volunteered as Unit Project Officer (UPO) for NUWC DET Pacific, where employees were stationed throughout the island. Mr. Winsko visited each unit site weekly to engage and inspire his colleagues to pledge and provide a personal connection. The weekly unit visits totaled approximately 300 miles of personal travel for the 2021 CFC period. Also, during the campaign, he routinely recognized the members of the keyworker team by name for their hard work and contributions to the success of the zones campaign. Using the personalized effort, Mr. Winsko increased the total dollar pledges by 49.6% over the 2020 CFC pledges. The total amount raised totaled $7,609.00 from a small unit of fewer than 150 employees. The 2021 pledges for the unit were the highest amount pledged in the unit’s 5-year CFC history. Total giving increased by 800% from 2020 to 2021.
CPT Roger Yant - Overseas CFC
CPT Roger Yant served as the Community Area Project Officer (CAPO) for the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa and Camp Lemonnier (CJTF-HOA/CL). He started with a virtual campaign consisting of an in-person brief and Secure Video Teleconference (SVTC) to all of CJTF-HOA/CL. He engaged with all CFC-O Keyworkers weekly and extended extra time and care to the newest keyworkers. He enlisted senior-level leaders and installation-wide support through social media and engaged with the installation’s Public Affairs Office. These engagements resulted in the weekly production of videos on the Armed Forces Network (AFN) featuring senior-level leaders from across CJTF-HOA/CL to highlight their advocacy for the CFC. Under the leadership of CPT Yant, CJTF-HOA/CL pledge totals were $27,390, a 59% increase from 2020 and more than double his initial goal.
2021 Additional Hero Nominees
Jamilla Ali - Ohio CFC
The appointment of Ms. Jamillah Ali by the IRS to serve as a Loaned Executive in the Cleveland area paid off in more ways than we can count. With only two Loaned Executives assigned to the Cleveland area in 2021 (down from four in past years), Ms. Ali took the lead among her peers and began to aggressively plan as much as she could to ensure that the Cleveland area experienced a successful campaign. Armed with a positive attitude and a strong “can do” attitude, she was instrumental in developing plans to successfully reach federal agencies and charities. The Cleveland region that Ms. Ali was assigned to work in has seen a $28,325 increase in donations raised this year. Ms. Ali’s skills and commitment were vital to the success of the 2021 Ohio Combined Federal campaign.
Ms. Jacqueline Alston - Peachbelt CFC
The extraordinary dedication, hard work, and enthusiasm Ms. Jacqueline Alston brought to her role of Agency Coordinator for the Department of Labor (DOL) in the Peachbelt Zone, was directly responsible for the 20% increase in contributions. Her innovation and willingness to try new approaches kept the campaign in the forefront of weekly activities. The constant flow of information about the campaign and the tangible benefits from the charities represented in local, state, national, and international spheres made a lasting impact on DOL employees and resulted in a successful 2021 campaign.
Richard Baker - Peachbelt CFC
With Mr. Richard Baker at the helm again this year, his leadership, enthusiasm and hard work made a big impact and definitely contributed to a successful 2021 campaign for the Department of Energy/Savannah River Operations Office (DOE) in the Peachbelt Zone 023. Mr. Baker used his talents to promote more CFC volunteerism by producing short videos on the ease of volunteering. Since Mr. Baker has taken over the lead role for DOE, his leadership has helped to reverse a
negative trend in donations from previous years at his agency. Job well done Mr. Baker! The Peachbelt Zone would like to thank you for your leadership and support.
Thomas Baszler and Patrick German - New England CFC
Thom and Patrick worked together sharing the role of recruiting and training Keyworkers to reach the workforce. They organized and completed the training with the Outreach Coordinator and utilized the New England Zone website to help train all their Keyworkers. Throughout the campaign, they engaged and kept the senior VA leadership at both locations up to date on all things CFC. In spite the added challenge of more than 50% of the workforce working remotely, they were able to engage and contact 100% of the workforce by involving all the departments in their marketing plan. Utilizing the weekly Cause messaging, and website content they were able to raise $26,159, an increase of $6,800 from the previous year. Their ideas and innovation inspired colleagues resulting in over 50 donors for the 2021 Campaign. They used their imagination and thinking outside the box ideas to showcase the New England website while raising money for the Campaign.
Marco Bedingfield - Ohio CFC
Mr. Marco Bedingfield, USPS Operations Plant Campaign Manager and 2021 CFC Co-Chair pulled out all the stops to ensure that every one of the 10,000 Postal employees and contractors (no matter if they worked 1st, 2nd or 3rd shift) in his area would have the informed opportunity to give to the CFC this year! During the CFC campaign, he conducted dozens of campaign presentations, he met and checked in regularly with his Keyworkers, providing instruction, passing out materials, hanging posters, answering questions/concerns, discussing their communication plan, and motivating them to achieve 100% contact. Marco conducted several outreach events that included the universally loved “Walking Taco” CFC gathering, once again proving that free food is a fantastic motivator! To date, Mr. Bedingfield and his team have raised $127,465, which is a 25% increase ($30,950) over 2020 donations!
Edward Bogucki - Eastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey CFC
Edward Bogucki served as the 2021 CFC campaign manager for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Philadelphia office. This year was Edward’s first time as a campaign manager, deciding to take the lead this year because he has been an avid supporter of CFC charities. Despite the staff being remote, Ed took on the task of organizing a kickoff event for the CFC with over 100 attendees, which was one of the largest events in the zone. Overall, pledges for the agency increased 22% over 2020.
Quentin Boughton - Indiana, Kentucky & Southwestern Ohio CFC
Quentin is responsible for the DFAS Indianapolis campaign, the second-highest grossing campaign in the Indiana, Kentucky and Southwest Ohio Zone. He also serves on the LFCC as an active member. Quentin was instrumental in the success of DFAS’s charity fairs and worked hard to ensure every one of the 4,000 employees at DFAS Indianapolis had the opportunity to participate in the CFC.
Suzan Bowman - Greater Tennessee Valley CFC
Suzan Bowman led the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Combined Federal Campaign nationally, with emphasis on the employee concentration area within the Greater Tennessee Valley CFC zone. Her commitment to the community and her 20+ years supporting charities through the CFC helped her inspire and organize activities and initiatives that secured a 37.3% increase in national pledges and a 41.3% in local zone pledges.
Karen Brown - South Central Virginia & Albemarle Bay CFC
For more than a decade now, Karen Brown has selflessly volunteered as the Campaign Manager for the USPS in the CFCVAB/Richmond VA Distribution Center. In her role as Campaign Manager, Karen ensured that each of her 8000 USPS personnel had the opportunity to participate in the CFC by personally organizing and attending 28 Kickoff Events and Presentation Booths at Post Offices throughout the Richmond and Hampton Roads areas, collecting their paper pledges, and walking donors through the process of online giving. Karen also recruited and trained dozens of keyworkers and conducted weekly presentations to keep the Richmond USPS Leadership abreast of contributions. To date, Karen’s USPS employees have donated over $83,606 with paper pledges still to be calculated. Under Karen’s guidance and direction, USPS Hampton Roads has seen a 90% increase in their donations from $3719 in 2020 to $7,059 in 2021 with anticipated pledges still to be processed.
Rebecca Brown - Western Pennsylvania - West Virginia CFC
Rebecca Brown served as Campaign Manager for the Department of Veterans Affairs VBA Pittsburgh Regional Office. She executed a large-scale marketing initiative including events, guest speakers, weekly communications, and presentations. Thanks to her efforts, her agency exceeded amounts pledged in 2020 by 14%.
Susie Conklin - Upstate New York CFC
On behalf of the Upstate New York Combined Federal Campaign and its many charities, we want to nominate Susie Conklin, of the USCIS Buffalo Verification in Buffalo, New York. as a CFC Hero for her invaluable time and dedication acting as the Campaign Manager for the 2021 campaign and previous campaigns. Under her leadership and guidance in 2021, she raised $3165 with 10 donors. During the 2021 campaign, with most of her staff working virtually, Susie expertly managed the entire campaign remotely and held entertaining virtual events and marketing.
Laurie Darling - Heartland CFC
Laurie Darling brought consistent communications and fun to her campaign. She put together CFC goodie bags to kick off their campaign and held an in-person charity fair to allow for face-to-face interactions with the charities. Thanks to her efforts, her office had an increase of 128% in participation and 76% increase in donations over last year. These were the highest results reached by her office in the past 4 years.
Verlinda Davis - Sunshine CFC
CBP Miami’s Campaign Manager, Verlinda Davis excels in planning, preparation, and organization! Reaching out to previous campaign workers and OC staff to ensure she knew the strengths and weaknesses of previous CBP Miami campaigns, Ms. Davis established a comprehensive and consistent campaign plan that were the base for her success in 2021! She did a fantastic job of engaging her campaign volunteers and CBPs communications and media office to implement a campaign that utilized every CFC communications piece, marketing toolkit and engagement opportunity available. With weekly meetings from kickoff to finish, an informed workforce and leadership team- MS Davis reached 100% contact and achieved a 30% increase in donations this year over last.
Valerie Decheine and Nancy Duong - Northern Lights CFC
Valerie and Nancy are passionate about the CFC and local causes. They say their success was attributed to their colleague’s generosity, but it was their work that inspired them to give! They tripled donations and doubled participation in their office.
Ann Denholm - Heart of the Midlands CFC
Ann is passionate about the CFC and local causes. She continues to run a great campaign year over year with close to 50% donor participation of entire office. She also serves on the LFCC and was the coordinator for the office. Ann also served on the incentive committee for the zone in 2021. Ann is always willing to help anyone in need and is one of the most active coordinators and LFCC members that Zone 12 has!
MSTC Nathan Dibley and SCPO Chris Stewart - Gateway CFC
MSTC Nathan Dibley and SCPO Chris Stewart demonstrated that during times when agencies have not been able to gather as in the past, the CFC not only provides an opportunity to support others in need, but also for each other as a way to connect on behalf of a common cause. By joining forces through the CFC, two detachments were able to meet shared objectives for the community and for Coast Guard members.
Peter Dobbins - Heart of the Midlands CFC
Top campaign in the zone raising almost $90K. This amount is a 3-year high and big increase over last year's numbers by almost 15%. Peter's plan for 2021 was very strategic, involving leadership and specific keyworkers insuring 100% reach in their office. They also held an event at 7am on Giving Tuesday in their lobby putting them face-to-face with all employees coming into the office for work that day. This single-day event raised over 10K alone.
Remell Douglas - Eastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey CFC
Remell Douglas, CFC coordinator for USPS DE PA2 District, had great success helping her co-workers pledge online or through the mobile giving app. She traveled to over 30 locations throughout the Greater Philadelphia area to educate postal employees how to pledge online or by using the mobile giving app. Remell’s efforts to boost online pledging in her region worked! She single-handedly increased e-pledges by 50%! Remell is a true CFC hero and a wonderful example of how one’s passion for a cause can impact those around them.
Rebecca Fowlie - Midwestern CFC
Rebecca Fowlie, from the U.S. Probation Office for the Northern District of Illinois, strives to spread the word about the Combined Federal Campaign, far and wide. During the 2021 campaign, she promoted the CFC in the district court’s newsletter, in the national probation and pretrial officers’ newsletter, and in a presentation about how volunteering and donating to charitable causes are good for personal wellness. Rebecca also works with her fellow coordinators in the district court, sharing information and collaborating on campaign ideas. She goes above and beyond to increase employee awareness of the campaign in her district, her agency, and across the country.
1st Lt Gallagher and MSgt Panchal - Alaska CFC
Lt Gallager and MSgt Panchal worked together as coordinators for the 354th Fighter Wing at Eielson Air Force Base. They got a head start by meeting with the previous year's coordinators to implement best practices and lessons learned. They led a team of hundreds of Keyworkers, effectively marketed the CFC around the base, and sent Tuesday "Cause of the Week" emails to over 6,200 personnel. Team Eielson conducted the CFC in a 4-week window and achieved a 4-year best in total dollars pledged. They achieved a 60% increase in participation over the 2020 CFC.
Rebecca Greco - Western Pennsylvania - West Virginia CFC
Rebecca served as the Campaign Coordinator for the Western District of Pennsylvania U.S. Attorney's Office in Pittsburgh. She embraced the fundraising principle that it takes four to six touchpoints before a donor takes action and wanted her touchpoints to go beyond the standard communications. She also wanted to bring an element of fun to her campaign. One way she accomplished this was through a drive-by crossword. Her results far exceeded her agency's goals - the number of donors tripled and the pledge totals were 1.5 times greater than the previous year.
Mark Harry - Indiana, Kentucky & Southwestern Ohio CFC
Mark is passionate about the CFC and local causes. He used his personal stories and experiences to add context to CFC communications and inspire his colleagues to give. His office saw a 37% increase in pledges year over year and a participation rate double the national average.
![Photo of YN1 Sam Hayer]()
YN1 Sam Hayer - South Central Virginia & Albemarle Bay CFC
YN1 Sam Hayer - South Central Virginia & Albemarle Bay CFCUSCG Petty Officer Sam Hayer served as the 2021 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) manager for both United States Coast Guard (USCG) Base Elizabeth City and Station Elizabeth City. As a junior petty officer, he coordinated strategic planning and execution of his units CFC program for 900 Active Duty and Civilian personnel routinely managed by a commissioned officer Lieutenant or above. YN1 Hayer’s actions were instrumental to the successful recruitment of 5 campaign workers and proactive communication of CFC benefits and solicitations across both installations. In keeping with the United States Coast Guard core values of Honor, Respect, and Devotion to Duty, YN1 Hayer’s enthusiastic efforts and commitment to the Combined Federal Campaign garnered USCG Base Elizabeth City to date over $8100 in donations for charitable organizations, an increase of over 44% from 2020.
Samantha Hoover and Marc Randolph - Gateway CFC
Samantha Hoover and Marc Randolph of VA – St. Louis Health Care System co-led a successful CFC that experienced multiple setbacks resulting from the ongoing pandemic and its impact in health care facilities. Quick to adapt, Sam and Marc determined that providing CFC a consistent platform during times of uncertainty was the best way to navigate through campaign challenges and despite a later than desired launch, they were able to increase pledges by nearly 10% with almost 15% fewer donors prior to pandemic.
Senior Chief Petty Officer Steve Hoover - National Captial Area CFC
Senior Chief Petty Officer Steve Hoover, a Campaign Manager at ONI/NIA, was innovative in the way he messaged and shared CFC information with his Executive leadership team, colleagues, and co-workers. His rigorous training program, development of original materials, including CFC business cards with instructions on how to donate, and weekly “Where Are We” progress meetings directed more attention to the CFC program than ever before in his office. The cumulative efforts of Senior Chief and his team resulted in a major increase of participation of over 232% in number of donors, volunteer hours, and donations.
Laglenda Hudson - Sunshine CFC
Our Campaign Manager for the US Citizenship and Immigration Office in Tampa, Laglenda Hudson wins our award for most engaged CM for 2021! She took advantage of every campaign worker training and engagement opportunity, utilizing toolkits, campaign newsletters, zone wide events and weekly zone virtual lunch and learns to make her campaign in 2021 a success. From the start, she engaged her leadership and ensured everyone at the agency was informed about campaign event opportunities and campaign progress. Thanks to her dedication and commitment to the 2021 campaign, her agency doubled their donations over 2019 and increased this year’s donations by 20%!
Lindsey Ingram - Greater Tennessee Valley CFC
As CFC Chairperson for NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Lindsey Ingram organized a team of Coordinators and Keyworkers who kept the fundraising energy high throughout the giving season. Using email and other virtual means to engage team members who were unable to gather in person due to pandemic protocols, she embraced the concept of communication being the key to a successful campaign that raised 13.2% more in pledges and an 86.3% increase in volunteers compared to the previous year.
Eileen Kennedy and Mandy Singh - New England CFC
As Co-Campaign Managers, Eileen and Mindy created fun and interest in this year’s CFC campaign by incorporating a series of creative contests. They created three signature contests and received an overwhelming response from their co-workers for all three. The events were at strategic points in the campaign: Campaign Kickoff, Giving Tuesday, and the Campaign Finale. Each contest brought out the personalities of the employees and was a great opportunity for them to share photos of family and pets as well as what is important to them and why they give. For each contest Eileen and Mandy used the “The Wheel of Names” to draw the winners at random and shared the short video clip when we sent out the final product and announced the winner. With every engagement notice or reminder they always included the hyperlink to donate as well as a graphic with their contact information, welcoming employees to contact us if they had any questions or needed assistance. They also always made sure to respond to every email and every entry with a personalized thank you and use some of the CFC graphics with their response. The graphic was changed with each engagement activity. The added personal touches and contests helped the FDIC successfully grew the account from $13,491 to $19,312, an increase of $5,821 (143.1%).
Ari Kugelmass - Greater New York CFC
Ari Kugelmass has served for five years as the Campaign Coordinator for the Veterans Affairs New York Regional office. COVID created more than a few obstacles and challenges getting the word out about the CFC, but Ari rose to the challenge, engaging colleagues in interactive, fun and creative socially distanced activities, including a very well-attended kickoff event and an “ugly sweater” contest. Ari was instrumental in getting his coworkers involved in and attending CFC virtual events. VABNY is a relatively small location with 175 personnel. But, they proved that small can be mighty by pledging $10,700 through the 2021 CFC. In addition, Ari’s agency leads the Greater NY CFC Zone in volunteer hours with the highest number of volunteer hours pledged (80) with a value of $1200.
Nicolette Ledford - Ohio CFC
As the CFC Campaign Manager for Defense Finance and Accounting Agency Columbus, Nicolette Ledford put her experience in Public Affairs to great use, deploying a comprehensive communications plan to keep leadership, campaign workers and employees engaged throughout the 2021 CFC. Working with top DFAS leadership, Nicole was part of the team that successfully pulled off an agency-wide DFAS Kickoff and Charity Fair that was shared virtually with more than 150,000 DFAS employees throughout the world. DFAS Ohio saw a 12% increase in donations this year! Raising $78,881.64 in 2021 vs $70,146 in 2020.
Steven Malitsky - Eastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey CFC
Steve Malitsky served as the Campaign Manager for the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center in Egg Harbor, NJ. There are a dozen federal agencies based on the campus with a total of 3000 federal employees and contractors. Steve successfully promoted the CFC theme, "You Can Be The Face of Change." by making weekly 9-ACT Broadcast messages to ~3000 personnel and organizing their Annual CFC Run/Walk, this year marking the 40th anniversary. FAA Hughes Technical Center raised $63,517 from 73 donors, a 13.6% increase over the 2020 campaign total!
Chandra Martin - Michigan CFC
Chandra Martin simultaneously served as one of the Michigan 1 CFC District Coordinators and as the Keyworker for the Troy Post Office. Her diligence to duty and her unwavering efforts far exceeded what was expected of her. Chandra mailed out pledge materials to offices on her personal time and she always made herself available. She successfully coordinated charity speakers to speak at Post Offices. Chandra was instrumental with the success of the Troy Post Office ranking #1 for CFC contributions in the Michigan 1 District with $9,315 for 2021.
George Masso - Texas Gulf Coast CFC
George Masso with FBI McAllen has done an amazing job increasing the participation and donations in his office over the last several years. In the 2021 CFC, Mr. Masso saw a 47% increase in donors at his office and a 15% increase in funds pledged. He has educated his co-workers so well that his office had a very impressive 23% participation rate in the 2021 Combined Federal Campaign.
Hannah Mercer - Northern Lights CFC
Hannah brought the CFC back to the 934th. This is a huge accomplishment! She utilized the Open Season Fair to kick off the CFC. It allowed her to easily disburse printed materials and answer questions about the CFC. She also serves on the LFCC.
Angie Nichols - Alaska CFC
Angie sent two CFC emails each week to her colleagues at the Bureau of Land Management for the State of Alaska. One email featured the CFC Cause of the Week. The second was more personal and highlighted local (Alaska) charities to demonstrate why she participates in the CFC. This personal touch inspired the BLM to raise $31,235, nearly doubling their $18,000 goal.
Tyrone Ospino, Michelle Hayes, and Frank Tran - Midwestern CFC
The CFC team of Tyrone Ospino, Michelle Hayes, and Frank Tran of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Region III, lead with their hearts. They focus on outreach and encourage and inspire their colleagues. They place importance on thanking everyone just for listening to the CFC message. And their message is especially poignant – to do the best you can, whether that is giving of your money or your time, based on your heart. Their heartfelt message has led to an increase in results of almost 25% over the past two years.
Senior Airman Brendon Parshall - Mountain States CFC
Senior Airman Brendon Parshall served as a keyworker for the Communications and Information Directorate (CID) at Hill AFB. Not only did he help Hill AFB raise over 20% more in 2021 than the previous year, but his creative poem based on The Grinch was featured in the base newspaper and social media, encouraging others from outside his assigned unit to participate in the CFC.
Jennavive Paustian - Pacific Northwest CFC
Jen was the coordinator and sole Keyworker for an agency that has over 3,000 employees and spans three different CFC zones. She adapted campaign methods to the virtual environment: articles, website, meetings, and email messages. She received accolades from executive sponsors and senior management for running a smooth campaign and effectively engaging with field staff. Thanks to her leadership and dedication, the Bonneville Power Administration raised $93,000.
Alexandra Picavet - Heart of the Midlands CFC
The NPS campaign was one of the single most improved in the zone. This year they raised approximately 15K and was up 35% from the previous year - also serves on the LFCC and Communications Director for her office. Alex’s bright spirit and can-do attitude was so needed in a challenging year for the CFC.
PO1 Mary Priddy-Nash - Overseas CFC
PO1 Priddy-Nash served as a CFC project officer at a forward deployed location. She personally reached out to over 650 personnel, and publicized the campaign through posters, thoughtfully crafted emails, and many one-on-one conversations. Her efforts nearly doubled the goal at her location, increasing the total pledged by 84% over the previous year.
1LT Elizabeth Psiaki - Overseas CFC
1LT Psiaki coordinated the CFC for more than 580 potential contributors serving across Europe. Despite a 30-day temporary duty assignment during the campaign that took her away from her office, she inspired her colleagues to nearly triple the amount pledged in the unit from the previous year. She even made homemade baked goods that she distributed as she personally talked with her colleagues about the CFC.
Marcus Rhodes - Heartland CFC
Marcus Rhodes is not only a LFCC member in the Heartland Zone but is also now known as DJ Marcus throughout the region. Knowing the challenges that faced coordinators this campaign with remote working and unable to hold in-person events, Marcus brought his love of music to the CFC. Marcus worked with the team to host the 1st ever CFC Regional Kickoff Dance Party. The kickoff was not only fun and engaging but also left coordinators motivated to host their own CFC events despite virtual meeting burnout.
Roseville Post Office Keyworker Team - Michigan CFC
The Roseville Post Office Keyworker team overcame tremendous obstacles and ran a successful campaign during the busiest time of the year for the United States Postal Service. They created inventive and creative ways for all the employees at their facility to give to the CFC. Through adversity, the Roseville Post Office successfully raised $8,406 and ranked #2 in the Michigan 1 District for CFC contributions.
Capt John (Jack) Rosson - Mountain States CFC
Capt John (Jack) Rosson oversaw the CFC for the newly combined Peterson-Schriever Garrison, which consists of 4000+ military and civilian personnel across two different bases. Not only did he successfully manage the herculean task of determining which units in the CFC giving platform needed to be deactivated or renamed for the 2021 campaign, but he also split time between the various bases, planned two major charity fair events, developed a team of 70 Unit Project Officers with supporting Keyworkers, achieved 100% contact, achieved the Garrison’s monetary goals – he also made Peterson-Schriever Garrison the number one military base campaign in the Mountain States zone.
Karen Rudolph - South Central Texas CFC
Ms. Karen Rudolph, as the Director of Staff for the 502d Air Base Wing which is responsible for managing the largest military joint base in the US, Joint Base San Antonio, played a critical role in the success of the CFC Zone 019 South Central Texas 2021 Combined Federal Campaign. Ms. Rudolph’s efforts and determination were instrumental in CFC Zone 019 South Central Texas exceeding previous years donations by 1.4% and a significant increase in volunteer hours of 829%. The Department of Defense, military, and military retirees resulted in 51% of total pledges within the Zone and more than $530,000 in total pledges. Ms. Rudolph is to be commended for her dedication, passion, and hard work on behalf of the CFC!
Dawn Siganoc - Greater New York CFC
Dawn Siganoc has served as the Primary Coordinator and Site Coordinator for the CFC program at the Internal Revenue Service, Brookhaven Campus for the past nine years. Dawn has been instrumental in implementing a successful pivot to a virtual implementation of the Combined Federal Campaign. This included organizing a CFC SharePoint page which was accessible to all 2000 employees on the campus and developing virtual activities such as a costume contest, trivia and a virtual candy jar. Dawn’s philanthropic work ethic and dedication has been instrumental in helping to raise over $42,000 for charities.
1st Lt. Reece Simpson - Heartland CFC
Lt. Simpson identified right away that he needed to recruit a team that really wanted to help make a difference. He worked with his Keyworkers and Wing Commander to push out messaging making sure CFC was a topic of discussion throughout the base. He put together a 5k kickoff event, pushed messaging out through Public Affairs, social media and other various marketing channels. Thanks to Lt. Simpson’s efforts, Whiteman Air Force Base had an increase of 568% in donations and 350% in participation over last year, which was also the highest amount of participation in the last 4 years.
Veda Smith - Mississippi Delta/Gulf Coastal Plains CFC
As a first-time CFC Campaign Manager Veda Smith took her role and responsibilities seriously. She worked tirelessly from beginning to end of the campaign. She promoted the campaign to 100% of her agency and gave every employee an opportunity to hear what the CFC was about and give. She managed a committee of 10 Coordinators and 65 Keyworkers to not only meet but surpass their goal by over 32%.
Lindsay Stevens - Northern California CFC
Lindsay Stevens is a four-year veteran CFC Keyworker who adjusted traditional on-site CFC marketing to the virtual realities of today. She created fun ways to help colleagues learn about CFC charity partners through a BINGO game that helped engage people with the campaign while creating some “buzz” throughout the office.
Lt Kasey Stout - Oklahoma and North Texas CFC
Lt Kasey Stout led Altus Air Force Base’s CFC fundraising total to climb 37% higher than that of the previous year. The number of CFC donors climbed by 200%. Thanks to her engagement of leadership, volunteers from each Group and Squadron and consistent communication strategy, Lt Stout grew Altus Air Force Base’s support of the CFC.
Amy Stuckey - Peachbelt CFC
The hard work and enthusiasm that Ms. Amy Stuckey brought to this year's campaign, made a big impact and definitely contributed to a successful 2021 campaign for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Peachbelt Zone. Ms. Stuckey's dedication resulted in her unit having a 117% increase in pledges and a 28% increase in donor participation. This made Ms. Stuckey's unit - Nation Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP) the top-giving CIO unit at
CDC. Awesome job Ms. Stuckey!
Rabbi "Paul" Swerdlow - Greater New York CFC
Rabbi “Paul” Swerdlow served in dual roles during the 2021 CFC: as the Campaign Coordinator for the VA Northport Medical Center and as a Greater New York CFC LFCC Member. As the CFC lead for the VA Northport office, Paul brought the CFC to life for the nearly 2,000 personnel working at the center. In honor of the 60th Anniversary of the CFC, Paul challenged his colleagues to find 60 people to make a pledge. For everyone who made a pledge during this time, Paul asked they send their name and charity of choice. When 60 pledges had been received, Paul drew one random name from all the names, and he personally donated to that charity.
Chief Chase Tallent - South Central Virginia & Albemarle Bay CFC
As the CFC Campaign Manager for the USS Truman, Navy Chief Chase Tallent was responsible for strategic planning and implementation of the CFC to ensure the over 4,000 active-duty personnel aboard ship understood the benefits of the CFC. Undeterred by the USS Truman's deployment for 80% of the active solicitation period, Chief Tallent recruited, motivated and lead 23 Department CFC Representatives to ensure that they reached 100% contact of all personnel in accordance with CFC guidelines and USN regulations. In anticipation of the limited number of computers versus the number of personnel on board, he was instrumental in working with the Command Religious Ministries Department (CRMD) in designating computers in the ship's library as CFC donation computers to maximize donation opportunities. Using the United States Navy core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment Chief Tallent dedicated efforts and enthusiasm for the Combined Federal Campaign garnered USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) to date over $8,100 in donations for charitable organizations to help those in need. This is an increase of over 100% from 2020 and 48% over 2019.
Kylie Teeple - Western Pennsylvania - West Virginia CFC
Kylie served as the USPS Pennsylvania 1 District Campaign Manager overseeing 7 Keyworkers and 900 offices. USPS districts do not always align with CFC zones and keyworkers were spread between two different CFC zones with two different Outreach Coordinators. Kylie did not let this phase her, she handled the challenge with a positive attitude and focus on the mission of CFC as a true Changemaker. Overall, she ensured 12,000 USPS employees knew how to give through the CFC.
Mimi Torello - Indiana, Kentucky & Southwestern Ohio CFC
Mimi is one of the most active coordinators in the zone, going above and beyond year after year to make her office's campaign fun and collaborative—even when most of the campaign had to be virtual. Her imaginative solutions to the challenges of running a hybrid campaign and can-do attitude played a large role in the growth of the FDA Forensic Chemistry Center’s results.
Efthimia Valiotis - Michigan CFC
Efi Valiotis has been serving the CFC as the coordinator for the US Office of Special Counsel-Investigation and Prosecution, since 2013. Her office has increased funds raised by over $3,800 since 2018, with an increase year over year. And with a small office of 9 employees, they had 100% participation this year.
Rachel VanSlyke - Oklahoma and North Texas CFC
Under Rachel VanSlyke’s leadership, the HUD offices in Tulsa and Oklahoma maintained the historical donation percent, with an average donation of $1134 per donor and raised $13,607 for CFC. In addition, the staff committed 45 volunteer hours and donated 5 bags of non-perishable items to the Oklahoma Regional Food Bank on Giving Tuesday. Oklahoma HUD offices were among the top 5 agencies in Zone 16 giving and volunteered 20% of the zone’s volunteer hours. Mrs. VanSlyke brought innovative ideas to encourage support from a small staff for a virtual campaign.
Paco Valle - Upstate New York CFC
Mr. Paco Valle served as the CFC Coordinator for the Syracuse VA Medical Center in 2021 and for the four previous campaigns overseeing the campaign for more than 1780 VA employees. He personally leads the Syracuse VA Medical Center campaign which is the #1 hospital-focused CFC Campaign in all of Upstate New York and all VAs for several years in a row. Mr. Valle led efforts meeting with hospital Leadership committees, worked with the hospital administration for additional advertising, placed and managed information tables at hospital events to include Dec 7th (Pearl Harbor Event), the VA holiday party, and other internal events to generate support and donations. Paco’s positive energy and kind spirit should be awarded, and we are grateful for his service.
Capt. Cameron Walker and SMSgt Jessica Fleschner - Northern Lights CFC
The Grand Forks AFB campaign was one of the single most improved in the zone. This amount is a 4-year high and a big increase over last year’s numbers. Their plan for 2021 was very strategic, involving leadership and specific keyworkers insuring a large reach on base. They utilized Facebook to promote the CFC. In addition, they took full advantage of the mobile app!
XeQuiera Watkins-Barrow, Delshaun Ragin, and Tamika Reed - Texas Gulf Coast CFC
XeQuiera Watkins-Barrow, Delshaun Ragin, and Tamika Reed led a wonderful campaign at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center. They went above and beyond to educate and engage employees that did not even know about the CFC. They made personal visits to the clinics to speak with the nurses and staff on duty as well as set up tables outside the employee entrances to engage with people when shifts were ending and beginning. They held multiple events to share the stories of the great work the charities are doing. They passed the goal they set for themselves and saw a 47% increase in donors and a 37% increase in funds pledged.
Nicole Whiting - New England CFC
Utilizing her resources and imagination, Mrs. Whiting was able to overcome the obstacles the COVID restrictions put on the Postal Service and navigate the restructuring of the Agency to produce results for this year’s Campaign. This included Campaign Training for all her locations and Keyworkers, she also provided weekly updates to her supervisor and Keyworkers from the start of the Campaign. She spearheaded her efforts by assembling boxes of Campaign material, insuring all her Offices and Keyworkers were organized and had the materials needed. Mrs. Whiting utilized the Campaign videos, and had it played over the warehouse closed circuit tv throughout the season. Nicole Whiting was the Campaign Manager for the Greater Springfield area, responsible not only for the local Postal Office but also, a Network Distribution Center, Vehicle Maintenance Facility, and a Bulk Mail Center. As the Campaign progressed, she was able to inspire postal workers by sharing the website messaging and the individual Charity videos. Her dedicated efforts resulted in over 300 donors raising $90,453.
Scott Wolf and Jon Bradshaw - Gateway CFC
Scott Wolf and Jon Bradshaw of NGA-West co-led a successful CFC that utilized a shared leadership approach that resulted in an increased number of donors and amount pledged. This approach is based on succession planning and partnership, thereby fueling future campaigns with a head start in planning and execution.
Ann Woolman - Cascadia CFC
Her dedication to the CFC is evident in all aspects of her involvement as an LFCC member and as a multiple-year Loaned Executive. She brings a wealth of ideas and inspiration to ensure the Cascadia CFC is as successful as possible. Her knowledge and experience and innovation have enabled Cascadia CFC to continue to improve and succeed in extremely difficult circumstances. Ann is an INSPIRATION to us all!
Sharon Yatsattie - Desert Southwest CFC
Sharon Yatsattie has this unmatched determination that inspires and motivates people. Her commitment to making a difference in the community through the CFC was palatable. She willingly worked beyond her normal work hours to assist employees in making pledges and organizing fun events that helped bring awareness about the CFC and its charity partners.
Carmen Yepes - Sunshine CFC
As the CFC Campaign Manager for The Transportation Security Administration in Orlando, Carmen Yepes knew that the engagement of her agency’s leadership would be the driving force behind a successful 2021 CFC. With leadership support and endorsement of an agency CFC campaign goal, she and her engaged team of CFC advocates used leadership messaging and multiple technology platforms to ensure every TSA employee had an informed opportunity to give. With a variety of campaign events and daily CFC tables set up at their facilities, Carmen and her team not only reached 100% contact, but also increased donations by 63% over 2020!
Kimberly Young - Midwestern CFC
Kimberly Young, from the General Services Administration, Region 5, has during her tenure as a CFC volunteer and coordinator, increased employee engagement and provided an opportunity for her coworkers to connect with one another in this virtual environment. Kimberly plans engaging events to promote the campaign and gives others in her agency a chance to connect and feel the fun and camaraderie of a CFC event from their homes. Her enthusiasm and energy are infectious, leading to a consistent increase in donations over the past two years.
