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 2022, OPM received 88 nominations and awarded 11 National CFC Heroes. Congratulations to all the award winners and nominees!
2022 Winners
Steve Benko - Greater Tennessee Valley CFC
Mr. Steve Benko, Director of Program Management & Integration, Mission Support Directorate, Missile Defense Agency has served as the Campaign Coordinator for the agency for the past 2 years as well as a LFCC Member this year. Under his management and with support of his leadership, Mr. Benko was able to secure 100 Keyworkers for his agency and collectively hosted 28 events. This agency has successfully been in the top percentile of top accounts in Greater Tennessee Valley.
Christine Henderson - New England CFC
As campaign manager for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, an anchor account within the New England CFC, Christine Henderson demonstrated tremendous leadership and guidance to this year’s campaign. Christine conducted a well-rounded campaign that included Public Affairs, promotion, Leadership, communications, and innovation to ensure that they reached as many employees as possible at the shipyard, a notoriously difficult place to coordinate a public fundraising campaign. Christine’s ability to organize her keyworkers and secure their buy in to support all aspects of the campaign were key to her success. Congratulations to Christine on these impressive efforts for which we believe she deserves the CFC Hero nomination.
Kristin Hotopp - Heart of the Midlands CFC
With a remote work force and 100% virtual campaign Kristin Hotopp with USCIS, created a strategic plan to reach them all. She had AMAZING engagement on her events and grew the donors by 44% and pledges by 20% over the previous year. This is a HUGE lift with an office as large the USCIS’s and all being remote. Her campaign included weekly lunch/learn events involving charities, employee testimonials, a Pie Face event, Virtual Haunted House, Lunch Raffle w/ leadership and an Art/Photo contest, all reaching over 1,000 attendee’s total. Her impressive, detailed campaign plan brought in almost $40,000 in pledges is proof that by sharing your personal story, you can touch the heart of so many!
TiAndra Houston - National Capital Area CFC
TiAndra served in her first year working with Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) as the Deputy Campaign Manager for the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS). She volunteered with the goal of learning about the CFC and contributing to the planning and execution efforts critical to her role as a CM. TiAndra brought a personal dynamic and interactive “people skill” to the campaign—evident in her interaction with each volunteer and potential donor. Her efforts led to an increased number of volunteer hours by 2,000 percent (20 fold!) more than any previous year.
Captain Steven Mitre - Hawai'i-Pacific CFC
Capt Steven Mitre’s primary goal was to conduct and implement an awareness and education campaign, which inspired action in the way we know Marines are already engaged in the community: volunteerism and leading. During the campaign, he actively promoted through various media engagement, command involvement, and educated Navy and Marine Corps personnel at national-level events, including the Law Enforcement National Night Out (NNO 2022), which held more than 1,000 personnel, spanning various law enforcement and military support agencies, and other federal entities. Based on the comparative analysis report at the conclusion of the 2022 campaign, the 2021 & 2022 MCBH total differential is: 2021 – ($4,754) / 2022 – ($5,575). One of the greatest features of this year’s MCBH CFC was the opportunity to take account of the volunteerism conducted during the campaign year. MCBH led by Capt Mitre was able to submit multiple Group Volunteer Pledges, which are estimated to be at or exceeding $100,000 in total volunteer value for MCBH.
Alexander Muschek - National Capital Area CFC
Mr. Alexander (Alex) Muschek is responsible for managing the entire Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) of the National Capital Area (NCA) campaign for Department of Homeland Security (DHS), consisting of nine separate Agencies and nineteen separate offices combining for a total of over 35,250 FTEs. DHS-NCA recorded the most contributions collected in a giving season with total donations exceeding $2.3M, and shattering the Department’s goal by over 11%. Alex also made it a point to extend support beyond the NCA by making contact and providing support to DHS employees across the nation.
Lt. Lisa Siebert - Pacific Northwest CFC
Lt. Lisa Siebert from the U.S. Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Unit in Portland, Oregon, spent many hours of her own time to go above and beyond the normal call of duty for a CFC coordinator. She personally planned and executed four separate events at her work station, using personal touches such as hand-decorated cards, greeting people personally at the gate with donuts, and taking time to design how-to-give instructions for donors. Her efforts led to a 106% increase in giving over 2021 results and 133% increase in the number of CFC donors.
TSgt Charles Stroemer - Desert Southwest CFC
TSgt Charles Stroemer from Holloman Air Force Base planned, coordinated, and executed a successful “Show Up or Show-Out” Holloman AFB Car Show that included 43 exotic, classic, high-end, and “tricked out” cars. The event attracted approximately 150 people and was a great awareness generator for Hollomon AFB’s CFC drive in 2022. Thanks greatly to TSgt Stroemer’s efforts, Holloman AFB blew its 2021 result out of the water by raising $18,464 (vs. $9,590 in 2021)—a 95.5% increase!
Jennifer Ward - Alaska CFC
Jennifer Ward is a CFC Superhero! During the 2022 campaign, Jennifer continued to serve as the Chairperson of the Alaska LFCC even though she moved to Phoenix at the beginning of the campaign to take a new job with the Department of Interior. From over 3,600 miles away, Jennifer coordinated with the Alaska Zone Manager to identify over 40 CFC Coordinators for Alaska. That alone was a monumental task, but when Jennifer heard that the LFCC in her new zone (Desert Southwest) needed new members, she volunteered for that duty as well, raising more than $339,000 for the Alaska CFC and $1,477,620 for the Desert Southwest CFC.
Dallas Webb and Bryan Murdie - Heartland CFC
Dallas Webb and Bryan Murdie served as coordinators for the Federal Emergency Management Agency Region 7. They worked to create an exciting and informational atmosphere in their building through hybrid, in-person and 100% virtual events. To help boost interest and awareness, they held monthly events, maintained an informational table and bulletin board in their lobby and presented the CFC at every All-Hands Region 7 meeting. Their creatively in marketing the campaign through personalized posters, emails, and additional marketing items, helped build a fun and positive energy around the campaign.
Kristi Wilson and Anthony Pham - Heartland CFC
Kristi Wilson and Anthony Pham with the Environmental Protection Agency Region 7, were able to hold a record breaking campaign for their office despite dealing with the new hybrid nature of their campaign. They held creative and engaging events each month throughout the campaign. Region 7 employees and management were updated weekly on campaign progress and also competed between divisions on a fun close out CFC event. Kristi and Anthony not only held a fun CFC campaign this year, but they also created a SharePoint site to help new EPA coordinators in the future to do the same.
2022 Additional Nominees
GMC Watie Alberty - Overseas CFC
GMC Alberty showed exceptional leadership skills from day one, carefully handpicking a team of dedicated individuals to work alongside him. Throughout the campaign, he provided his team with comprehensive training and support, ensuring that everyone had a clear understanding of their tasks and responsibilities. With GMC Alberty's support, CFC staff was able to visit the USS Milius, where an "All Hands" meeting was held, educating sailors about the CFC and how they could contribute. After collecting all the paper pledges, he was to review and verify the submissions, ensuring their accuracy. Leadership informed CFC staff that the goal for this campaign was to exceed the amount raised in the previous year. The USS Milius raised an impressive $10,000, tripling their previous year's total of $3,100, a testament to GMC Alberty's leadership and the dedication of his team.
Joyce Aoyama - Cascadia CFC
Joyce’s job in 2022 went beyond just the usual task of making contact and asking people to give—she embraced the role of changemaker by setting out to not only raise money but lay the groundwork for a better future. Her personal touches such as 100% in-person contact, being willing to engage in hard conversations, and creating a custom-made thermometer paid off. She increased participation by 150% in 2022 over the previous year, while donations increased by 120% and the amount raised was NARA’s highest going back for many years.
Lacey Arentsen - Gateway CFC
As a representative of the Defense Information Systems Agency, Lacey Arentsen served as a CFC Campaign Coordinator in 2022. Her 14-year commitment as a CFC volunteer resulted in a record-breaking CFC campaign after two years of uncertain times in our nation’s history. Through a series of fun, interesting, and creative challenges, Ms. Arentsen increased the average contribution by 47.3% in just two campaign seasons. The Gateway Zone commends Ms. Arentsen’s dedication, passion, and hard work on behalf of the CFC.
Angela Ashue and Chidinma Amadi - Southern California CFC
Angela and Chidinma were an amazing duo who, despite being appointed late into the campaign, worked together to ensure 100% of the Federal employees in their agency were provided the informed opportunity to give. They wasted no time in energizing leadership support and setting up the zone's most successful events and circulating the needed inspiring information. The quick planning and execution of these successful events and robust campaign by this campaign management team led to a total of $62,119 pledged for the 2022 campaign. This agency achieved a 20% participation rate, a rate much higher than zone average. Their results how what Federal employees can accomplish when they work together, and this duo worked together tirelessly to inspire their coworkers, whether near or far, to make a pledge to the 2022 campaign!
Marisa Bailey - Western Pennsylvania & West Virginia CFC
Marisa Bailey led a very successful campaign at the Pittsburgh US Attorney’s Office. She was thrilled to be able to host the first CFC event in their office in several years. Thanks to her efforts to increase awareness in her office, the US Attorney’s office increased their donations 41% from 2021 to 2022 and increased their donors 17%.
Richard Baker - Peachbelt CFC
Not only did Richard Baker successfully lead the DOE Savannah CFC, but as an active member of the Peachbelt LFCC he volunteered to speak multiple times at other Federal agencies on behalf of the CFC. His universal support of the cfc helped other agencies reach their goals in 2023. Hosting several in person and virtual events in 2022, Mr. Bakers efforts led to more than 30 charity event engagement opportunities for participating CFC Charities. Due to Mr. Bakers enthusiasm and promotion of these events, they were fully attended by federal employees and invited charities! Mr. Bakers diligence and passion for the CFC were infectious. They had 260 volunteer hour and increased their giving by over 2% of their total in 2021!
Lt. Timothy Benoit - Southeast Tristate CFC
In two years as a CFC keyworker, Lt. Timothy Benoit has helped to raise over $176,000 from over 400 members of the Naval Aviation Schools Command on NAS Pensacola. He worked diligently to refine his CFC briefing strategy, including meeting with about 300 members of his unit in groups of 30. He ensured they had all materials, personal stories, and information needed to make a contribution, even providing doughnuts at his own expense to each group he briefed. The end result was over 67% CFC participation rate among those he briefed. Lt. Benoit's thoughtful strategy employed in his command alone was responsible for 10% of the SE Tristate CFC campaign totals for the past two years.
Quentin Boughton - Indiania, Kentucky, & Southern Ohio CFC
Quentin Boughton continues to serve with excellence in the Combined Federal Campaign for the Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Under his leadership he manages communications to 4000 employees, coordination with keyworkers, collaboration with leadership and all marketing efforts. He helped implement the DFAS Virtual Charity Fair and $2 Tuesday which were two successful events that helped to bring in the majority of the contributions. DFAS ended the year with $70,545.28 in contributions.
Karen Brown - South Central Virginia & Albemarle Bay CFC
Ms. Karen Brown answered the call once again to join the 2022 campaign as a Campaign Coordinator and Campaign Manager for the USPS in the CFCVAB/Richmond VA Distribution Center. Her passion for the CFC is phenomenal. She has worked tirelessly with the CFC for the past 25 years, starting as a keyworker and taking on more responsibility to increase contributions and awareness to over 8000 USPS personnel. Ms. Brown has collected, so far, over 211 paper pledges in-person. In spite of numerous road blocks to the campaign, Ms. Brown has kept the USPS as one of the top Agencies for giving year after year. In 2022, USPS employees have donated $77,539 with paper pledges still to be processed.
Trevor Brownlow - Mississippi Delta/Gulf Coastal Plains CFC
Mr. Trevor Brownlow served as the sitewide 2022 Campaign Coordinator responsible for outreach to the 2300 Federal employees representing 18 federal organizations (civilian and military) at John C. Stennis Space Center. He was recognized at Mid-Campaign Volunteer Celebration Event as a GOLD Award Winner for exceeding 50% of Total raised in 2021 by Mid-Campaign Date (achieved 65.2%). Mr. Brownlow increased contributions from $43,423 in 2021 to $67,068 in 2022 exceeded their campus goal of $45,000 by almost 50%. He was a dedicated and dynamic Changemaker in the 2022 CFC.
Briana Budel and Heather Gula - Mountain States CFC
As co-coordinators for the VA Boise Healthcare System in 2022, Briana Budell and Heather Gula were responsible to make 100% contact with an office of 1200 employees, running events and outreach activities, and thanking/recognizing all participants. They took on this responsibility just as the medical center was in the midst of transferring all records to a new medical record system, which caused a great measure of added stress to the entire facility. Due to Briana’s and Heather’s efforts, the VA Boise Healthcare system experienced a dramatic increase in donations over the 2021 result, growing from $11,116 to $17,462—a 56% increase.
LCPO Gregory Chery - Overseas CFC
Despite facing challenges such as the difficult economic climate and people not wanting to sign up for a CFC account, LCPO Chery pressed on and was innovative in his approach. He devised the idea of hosting a weekly “Cause of the Week” table, which became CFC “headquarters” for NAVCENT – a landing zone where any potential donors could inquire about the campaign, giving, and cause support. In addition, LCPO Chery remained positive and hosted the weekly table throughout the entire campaign, remaining dedicated to the CFC mission and thousands of charity participants. His efforts in educating and raising awareness for the CFC resulted in tremendous increases in pledges, NAVCENT saw a 90% increase in pledges and raised $7,758, compared to $4,001 in 2021. These results speak to LCPO Chery’s leadership, determination, and drive to make a positive impact through the CFC. His unwavering commitment to the CFC and the thousands of charities and ability to overcome obstacles resulted in a successful campaign and a significant increase in funds raised for charity.
Lorraine Cook - Western Pennsylvania & West Virginia CFC
Lorraine Cook with the US Postal Service, Pittsburgh NDC in Warrendale led a very successful 2022 CFC. With the support of her leadership and her team of keyworkers they held a variety of events and promoted the CFC with fun and promotional items. All of their employees were invited to fill out Cause Boards to share the cause that means the most to them so people see the real reason behind the CFC. Due to Ms. Cook’s successful efforts, Pittsburgh NDC increased their donations 41% in 2022 and their number of donors increased 54%.
Lisa Correia - Greater Tennessee Valley CFC
Lisa Correia with Redstone Arsenal, has served on the Greater Tennessee Valley LFCC for 2 years as well as serving as coordinator for her PEO office. It was with Lisa’s help we were able to recruit more coordinators for Redstone Arsenal which ultimately led to an increase in donations and participation. She worked tirelessly to keep CFC in front of donors and worked with leadership and other facility teams to help spread the CFC messaging. Lisa was the face of the CFC for GTV as she served as contact for not just her office but all offices at Redstone Arsenal.
Fausia Dela Cruz - Hawai'i-Pacific CFC
With a team of twelve Keyworkers, Ms. Fausia Dela Cruz organized a successful event to raise awareness and drive engagement for the CFC. Ms. Dela Cruz displayed a team effort approach and recognition, which made a significant impact on the participation for 2022. The campaign efforts turned into a Team competition to see who will have the most on their Team donate to CFC. When the campaign was briefed in early December of 2022, the team rallied again to achieve their goal of supporting thousands of charities and giving back to their local community. The outcome was very successful and amounted to an impressive donation amount of $16,072, which is within the same contribution of 2021, but their average gift increased from $305.81 to $459.20 in 2022.
Ann Denholm - Heart of the Midlands CFC
Ann Denholm with the US Army Corps of Engineers, NW Division, 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 as well as the coordinator for her office. Ann also served on the incentive committee for the zone in 2022. Ann is always willing to help anyone in need and is one of the most active coordinators and LFCC members that Zone 12 has!
Katherine Diaz - Garden Empire CFC
As the Campaign Manager for the United States Probation Office, District of New Jersey, Katherine (Kathy) Diaz worked tirelessly to ensure all 80+ employees were given the opportunity to donate through the CFC. Kathy was not only the Campaign Manager for her office but oversaw the campaign for offices located outside of her zone, despite the fact that those pledges are not attributed to her zone's tracking. This is Kathy's third year working with the CFC and her enthusiasm and dedication while battling her own physical challenges, having been the recipient of a liver transplant years ago, is truly inspiring.
MSgt Stephen DiMando - Ohio CFC
MSgt Stephen DiMando served as the first full-time Loaned Executive for the 2022 Zone 028 Dayton District CFC; he came aboard the team without any notice and hit the ground running from Day 1. He was able to achieve great networking across our multi-county coverage and get over 125 members between Campaign Managers and key Workers to join the team before his 90-day departure. MSgt DiMando started a weekly training with campaign managers across Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and catapulted our fund-raising numbers in a matter of weeks. He mentored a young Staff Sergeant that joined the team as a Loaned Executive, and together they worked diligently to get us to a great point before they returned to their work centers after their tenure was done. If it wasn't for MSgt DiMando's leadership, we would have been left in a bind because of the sudden departure of the first Loaned Executive.
Paula Farina - New England CFC
As the seasoned Campaign Manager for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), Paula Farina did an exceptional job in 2022 for the CFC! From the creation of customized campaign materials to the creation and maintenance of their Intranet and social media, Paula created a well rounded communication’s and campaign plan. She worked with her keyworkers to create innovative and fun internal cfc events to help create and awareness and promote the campaign throughout NUWC. For her inexhaustible efforts to support the NUWC CFC and assure that all 5700 employees are contacted, Paula Farina is a New England CFC Hero.
Michael Flores - Oklahoma & North Texas CFC
Michael Flores is a seasoned CFC Coordinator, and through his consistency with the CFC, he has been able to establish a foundation for the CFC to flourish at the Department of Veteran’s Affairs - VBA in the Eastern Oklahoma region. He was able to increase the total raised from 2021 to 2022 by almost $5,000 - making the VBA the third largest account in Zone 016.
Phil Fluegemann - Northern California CFC
Mr. Phil Fluegemann has been a visible CFC Champion for the past 13 years of his career. Not only leading the helm of his agency’s local campaign to the outstanding success of being the top performing agency in the zone, but also participating in zone leadership as a pivotal LFCC member. Phil has ensured that success of his agency and the zone will not end with his retirement by ensuring he leaves behind a culture of CFC giving, continuity practices, and finding an excellent and equally committed federal employee to take his place in the lead role. His impact on CFC participating charities and their beneficiaries is immeasurable.
Tanya Michelle Gilbreath - North Texas CFC
In her first year as the Campaign Coordinator for the West Texas VA Health System, Tanya Michelle Gilbreath and her team raised over $15k, more than any year since 2016! She has helped to continue the growth started in 2018, when the West Texas VA went from non-existent, raising $0 in pledges, to now, raising over $15,765 in 2022! Her biggest accomplishment is that she already has volunteers lined up for the 2023 CFC, who are excited and enthusiastic about the coming year, and is making the CFC a fun part of the VA culture in West Texas!
Arnita Grandys - Peachbelt CFC
This was the first year Arnitra Grandys served as a campaign manager for the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center. She was responsible for developing the campaign plan as well as getting everyone in her agency involved. She organized several successful events such as the Pie in the Face Challenge, which had great attendance and results. She made sure all employees had the opportunity to learn about the CFC and made sure the weekly communications were shared out to everyone. Arnitra’ s involvement and commitment helped her agency reach 143.3% participation in this year's campaign as well as a 5% increase in giving!
Don Haley - Western Pennsylvania & West Virginia CFC
Don Haley was a valuable asset to Zone 29 during his tenure as LFCC Co-Chair. He went above and beyond to grow the success of this zone. Don worked to grow the representation on the LFCC as well as increase the number of CFC Coordinators in federal offices. He was always willing to pick up the phone or send an email to try to engage someone else in the CFC. He reached out to his fellow DOJ offices in the zone as well as crafting creative messages to send to all federal leadership to encourage giving and in particular the use of volunteer hours to help the charities. Zone 29 is stronger in part due to Don’s efforts while serving on the LFCC.
Racheal Holland - Northern Lights CFC
Racheal was a first-time coordinator who ran an exceptional and enthusiastic campaign. She brought the FUN back to the HUD Minneapolis CFC. She embraced the hybrid structure working to engage all her colleagues. events (both in-person and virtual) and, as a result, the HUD Minneapolis Field Office saw increases in both dollars raised and number of donors for the fist time.
Amy Holloway - Eastern Pennsylvania & Southern New Jersey CFC
Although planning and implementing campaign events is usually a task for campaign managers, Ms. Holloway personally plans and holds multiple fun and informative events with prizes. She hosts weekly Lunch and Learn events that feature information on eligible charities and the people who are their beneficiaries and uses her personal resources to donate prizes to the winners of the games during events. Through Ms. Holloway’s efforts, $3,856 were raised by her local office for CFC participating charities. Additionally, she promoted the CFC to her colleagues that are based in Baltimore, Maryland (reporting under the CBA zone), making her overall impact significantly greater than just the pledges of her office.
Capt. Nicolette Iatraopoulos and MSgt Terri Brown - Southeast Tristate CFC
Capt. Nicolette Iatropoulos and MSgt. Terri Brown led Tyndall AFB's 2022 CFC campaign, raising 300% more than in 2021, including doubling their participation numbers. They succeeded in building an effective CFC team on Tyndall AFB, successfully raising awareness of the campaign base-wide through training and managing 29 keyworkers, hosting two base-wide CFC events, briefing the commands, and more. This was a herculean lift on Tyndall AFB, where giving had been down the past few years as the base has worked to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Michael. Truly amazing!
Kelly Ishmael - Midwestern CFC
Kelly Ishmael focuses her office’s campaign on the premise that "every dollar can make a huge difference" and that the CFC "has a charity for everyone." She prominently displays CFC materials and a barometer to track the campaign’s progress, adding to it when they inevitably surpass their goal. Kellie has created a culture of giving in her office, and she is very proud of her office for their giving spirits. With a participation rate of 62.5%, in the 2022 campaign donations in her office increased by 47% (in fact, under her coordination, the office has consistently increased their total donations year over year). Her office is very passionate about the work they do for the public, and Kelly believes that shows up in the CFC giving too.
Monica Journee-Guillory - South Central Virginia & Albemarle Bay CFC
Ms. Journee-Guillory volunteered as Campaign Coordinator when the Pandemic hit, and the Inland Revenue Services had severe disruptions. This did not deter her from returning to take on the role for the 2023 Campaign. She has constantly made 100% contact with employees in over seven (7) offices and kept leadership abreast weekly of campaign results. She has passionately taken on the responsibility of Campaign Coordinator and her dedication to the Campaign has increased revenue by over 16% and it is her goal to continue to improve and enhance the 2023 campaign.
Nicole Langston-Baker - Mississippi Delta/Gulf Coastal Plains CFC
Ms. Nicole Langston-Baker served as a 2022 Loaned Executive for Zone 20 / MDGCP as well as leading efforts as a Keyworker at the largest CFC supporter in her zone - IRS, Memphis, TN. Her responsibilities included representing the CFC at Zone wide and Regional CFC leadership meetings and campaign events. She provided training, support and maintained records of account activity for the Veterans Administration and Department of Agriculture accounts in three state area (AR, LA and MS).
Her leadership in the 2022 CFC was significant and this recognition is well deserved.
Angela Lee - North Texas CFC
Under Angela Lee's campaign leadership, the Department of Housing and Urban Development- Fort Worth Regional Office, has seen consistent growth in results and participation. In 2022, she helped increase monetary pledges by an additional 8%, and participation by an additional 12%, raising $18,221, their highest raised since 2019! She has also helped foster a true relationship between the federal and local governmental offices that intersect in regard to housing in Fort Worth, and the charities who help to fill the gaps.
Susan Lehman - Northern Lights CFC
Susan engaged employees and leadership with continuous communication throughout the 2022 CFC. She organized a charity event followed by an ice-cream social! They had great participation for this event, even while working in a hybrid office structure. Overall totals raised at the FHA- MN District have doubled in the last 3 years. Participation doubled in the last 2 years, with 60% of the office participation in the CFC. Susan is to be commended for her dedication, passion, and hard work on behalf of the CFC!
Captain Rachel Lo - National Capital Area CFC
Captain Lo served as keyworker for SAF/SA Office, a new Air Force organization. Captain Rachel Lo, Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) Campaign Coordinator for the Department of the Air Force SAF/SA Office. She had face-to-face conversations with 100% of the members of the SAF/SA team and the SAF/SA leadership to raise awareness. The SAF/SA is proud to have exceeded their CFC goal by 302.5% thanks to Captain Lo’s efforts.
Aaron Luther - Desert Southwest CFC
Border Patrol Agent Aaron Luther from the El Paso Border Patrol Station created his own "walk through" of the pledge system—a step by step guide on how a person could sign up and self-register without the physical presence of a keyworker or coordinator. Not only did his communications appeal to the inherent work ethic and pride of the El Paso station, but Agent Luther volunteered to be tasered if his work shift met its goals. As a result, the El Paso Border Patrol Station increased its year-over-year giving from $6,240 in 2021 to over $10,000 in 2022 – a 60.5% increase. The Station also increased the number of donors from 9 to 30—a whopping 233% improvement over the previous year!
Yvette Mardis - South Central Virginia & Albemarle CFC
The term “hero” is too small a word to capture what Yvette Mardis means to the CFC. She has dedicated five years to championing the campaign at NASA Langley Research Center that has raised over a million dollars under her leadership. Starting with building a team of 50 keyworkers, Yvetter developed and implementing a campaign strategy that would ensure all 3,296 of her colleagues heard about the CFC and were inspired to give. During the 2022 campaign alone, NASA Langley Research Center was the highest CFC revenue-producing agency in the South Central Virginia and Albemarle Bay CFC zone with $279,000 in pledges.
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 speakers for Post office kick-off events and was instrumental in the success of the Troy Post Office CFC contributions of $9134 in 2022.
Katrina Maxwell - Eastern Pennsylvania & Southern New Jersey CFC
Ms. Maxwell served as the 2022 Campaign Manager for the Philadelphia VA Medical Center and was responsible for campaign planning and implementation for her agency of 2400 employees. Understanding the importance of hosting engaging CFC events as well as connecting charities to federal employees, Ms. Maxwell organized five CFC events throughout the campaign including a 5k walk/run, three charity fairs, and a bonus event! This level of planning and implementation in addition to her regularly scheduled duties do not happen without a sense of personal determination and dedication to the mission of the CFC! Ms. Maxwell’s efforts and planning have led to pledge totals from Federal employees at the Philadelphia VAMC to an amazing increase of 31% over 2021 totals.
Stephanie McDonald - Garden Empire CFC
Stephanie McDonald was the Campaign Manager for Picatinny Arsenal which consists of about 6,000 civilian and 100 military employees and includes 26 separate Department of Defense (DoD) agencies. Stephanie increased the number of keyworkers from 9 for 7 agencies to 66 for 20 agencies, significantly expanding the program’s reach. Coordinating with senior leadership and the zone LFCC, she set up a program that can be seamlessly passed from campaign manager to campaign manager each year. Through her tireless efforts, Picatinny ended the campaign at a higher percentage than the zone overall, and her comprehensive engagement program will continue to realize gains for years to come.
Arielle McNutt - Ohio CFC
Arielle McNutt, Campaign Coordinator, ran an incredibly successful 2022 campaign for the VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System. In total, Arielle raised over $120,000 for the 2022 CFC, an increase of over 17% from last year and one of the highest totals in recent years. Donations increased dramatically in 2022, accounting for $22,000 of the total raised – a 30% jump from 2021. Arielle’s efforts resulted in an outstandingly successful 2022 CFC.
Christy Meyer - Upstate New York CFC
As the Watervliet Arsenals 2022 Campaign Manager, Christy Meyer worked tirelessly to promote the CFC, work with canvassers, engage the chain of commands support, and creatively keep the CFC active throughout the entire campaign. Christi often brought in treats to promote the CFC and enlisted the Public Affairs Office to help with keeping everyone updated. For the final campaign push, Christi stood out the main gate and ensured everyone entering the facility had a CFC card handed to them with the QR code! Through her efforts, they raised over $27,500, a $12K gain over 2021!
Ricot Michel - Greater New York CFC
Mr. Ricot Michel embodies the fortitude and resilience that was needed to assume the position of Campaign Manager for the TSA at LaGuardia Airport following the untimely passing of his predecessor. It is because of that unique embodiment that Mr. Michel was not only able to marshal the TSA campaign but to ensure its success in a condensed timeframe. For his efforts, Mr. Michel was able to ensure the TSA LaGuardia Campaign realized a 49% increase in contributions compared to the previous year. Mr. Michel is commended for his endeavors.
1stLt Allen Nancarrow - New England CFC
As a first time Campaign Manager for Otis Air Guard Base in MA, 1st Lt. Allen Nancarrow did an exceptional job, securing buy in from unit reps, the base PAO and subordinate wing commanders to help promote the CFC Across the base. Under his leadership, the campaign increased their donations by 45% from 2021 and have already committed to the Lt. leading the base efforts in 2023!
NASA George C. Marshall Space Flight Center CFC Coordinator Team - Greater Tennessee Valley CFC
The NASA- George C. Marshall Coordinating Team of Erin Richardson, Angela Lovelady, Carol Reynolds, Joel Wallace, David Truitt and Jason Norwood did an outstanding job as a new team to the CFC. The team worked with leadership to host a Food Truck Kick-off event with more than 25 Charities attending in person. Due to their activities and pre-planning initiatives, they were able to increase participation by 1%. MSFC has for the past 4 years, been the top performing agency in Greater Tennessee Valley.
Diane Neal - Heartland CFC
Diane Neal with the General Services Administration served as not only a Campaign Coordinator but also a Loaned Executive and LFCC member. Diane was able to use consistent and impactful communications to increase their office totals for the second year in a row. She worked with Leadership and her communications department to share results and campaign communications throughout the campaign. Thanks to her dedication to the campaign, not only did GSA have a successful campaign but as a Loaned Executive, she helped others in the Heartland zone to hold successful campaign as well.
Sam Okate and Heather Calvin - North Texas CFC
Sam Okate and Heather Calvin led the Federal Aviation Administration to raise more than $84k in 2022, which is a 4-year high in both pledges and participation rate! As first time CFC Coordinators, but longtime supporters of the CFC, Sam and Heather were able to build on the successes of the 2021 campaign, boosting engagement and pledges in the CFC throughout the FAA. Over the last two years, the FAA has continued an upward trend of support and engagement in the CFC, bringing participation and awareness in the charities supported for years to come. The CFC is better because of their leadership!
Glorietta Omoruyi and Victoria Jack - Texas Gulf Coast CFC
Ms. Omoruyi and Ms. Jack led their TSA crew at Houston Hobby Airport to success in the 2022 CFC. They jumped right in from the start hosting in-person training for their keyworkers and continued to engage in-person with fun events for their personnel. Their efforts resulted in a 326% increase in donations and a 300% increase in donors. They were excited to be one of the top TSA locations in the entire state of Texas even though they represent a smaller airport.
Susan Pamerleau - South Central Texas CFC
As a US Marshal, Susan Pamerleau is very busy running the Western District of Texas which is geographically the second largest district in the country. Ms. Pamerleau named a lead Coordinator in the districts main office and also had keyworkers named in each of the other seven divisions. Ms. Pamerleau is a hero because she shows just how important it is to have the support of leadership for a successful campaign. This district spans over three CFC zones and had donations come in from all three. They are the only one of four US Marshal districts in the State of Texas to participate in the 2022 CFC.
Lauren Petter - Peachbelt CFC
The US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4 CFC contributions increased by by 17% in 2022, largely in thanks to Lauren Petter's rookie Campaign Manager efforts leading the agency's CFC! She helped coordinate a team of Division Lead and Branch Key Workers, tracked donation and volunteer progress, organized events, promoted the CFC through emails, websites and presentations and communicated with EPA management about CFC implementation. Lauren fully embraced her role in a highly organized and enthusiastic way, leading and motivating key workers and employees with consistent and positive messaging.
SMSgt Eric Peyton - Oklahoma & North Texas CFC
SMSgt Eric Peyton led Sheppard Air Force Base in raising more money than ever before during the 2022 campaign season. Through communicating with everyone across the base, from top of leadership down, he was able to track progress that boosted morale and kept engagement high over the course of Sheppard AFB’s month-long campaign. SMSgt Peyton and his team were able to continue the tradition of Sheppard’s positive engagement surrounding the CFC, which creates a culture willing to give to the CFC.
Alex Picavet - Heart of the Midlands CFC
Thanks to Alexandra (Alex) Picavet, the National Park Service/Omaha campaign was one of the single most involved in the zone. This year they raised approximately $15,000 and grew the number of donors by 22% compared to the previous year. Not only did Alex serve as her local office coordinator, she also took on 25 additional National Park Service offices spread across the country as well as serving on the Heart of the Midlands LFCC. Alex’s bright spirit and can-do attitude was so needed in a challenging year for the CFC. Volunteers like this are examples of success for the CFC!
Kellie Pierson - Indiana, Kentucky, & Southern Ohio CFC
Kellie Pierson with the CDC - National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health ran a very successful campaign by coordinating with leadership, an 8-person committee and employees to meet and exceed last year’s giving. They contributed a total of $42,903.46 which was $8466.88 over last year.
Jacqueline Pipitone and Bridget Thurston - Midwestern CFC
Jacqueline Pipitone and Bridget Thurston are multi-year co-coordinators of the 2022 Combined Federal Campaign for the USDA Food and Nutrition Service Midwest Regional Office. This year, their coordination helped their office increase donations by 87%. They held a successful virtual event, tied in with this year’s Federal National Disability Employment Awareness Month theme “Disability, Part of the Equity Equation.” They requested participation from charities that help with supportive, inclusive employment practices or ready individuals (including those who are disabled, differently abled, or victims of trauma) for employment and assist in that process. They also utilized the weekly cause messages, leadership message templates, email badges, and seasonal graphics to promote the CFC virtually and reach employees working remotely.
Capt Bryan Rafferty - Ohio CFC
Capt Bryan Rafferty essentially served as chief Campaign Manager for the 32,000 personnel Wright-Patterson AFB, OH in the 2022 Zone 028 Dayton District CFC.
Capt Bryan Rafferty jumped into the 2022 CFC early as a Campaign Manager. Capt Rafferty was always seeking to do more to help the team. After the departure of the full time Loaned Executives, he assumed their duties for the last month of the Campaign and kept communication with all the other base Campaign Managers. He was available to answer questions, brief campaign results to senior base leadership, put up CFC signs, give out CFC coins, work with local charities and assist the Chair/Vice Chair where needed. Our hope is that Capt. Rafferty will assume a greater role in the 2023 CFC. At the end of the day, Capt Rafferty demonstrated to the community that he was The Face of Change.
Melba Ramos - South Central Texas CFC
Melba Ramos with the CBP Office of Field Operations in Laredo, TX did an amazing job serving as Coordinator for this office that encompasses 8 Ports of Entry spanning over three CFC zones. Melba regularly and effectively communicated with both the keyworkers in each of those locations as well as the Port Directors. Involving this leadership in the communications sparked healthy competition and resulted in huge increases in their CFC donations. In the locations under the Laredo Office of Field Operations they raised more than $170,000 over what was raised in 2021 and had more than 500 additional donors.
Richard Reiken - Eastern Pennsylvania & Southern New Jersey CFC
Rich Reiken has volunteered to serve as the Campaign or Co-Campaign Manager for the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center in Egg Harbor, NJ for the past eleven years! Throughout the campaign, Mr. Reiken has planned and implemented various awareness initiatives for his more than 3000 coworkers spread across a large campus, including awareness tables, giving walls, printing and displaying posters in common areas, broadcasting emails, and organizing digital messaging both at the facility front gate and via campus wide closed-circuit monitors. Additionally, always following CFR guidelines, his innovative approach has provided the opportunity to continue implementing awareness events that include pretzel and donut giveaways, CFC trivia, parking spot raffles, non-profit fairs, and a walk/run. In addition to this year’s total, Mr. Reiken would also be directly responsible for the amount pledged from his agency since 2011. While data prior to 2017 is not currently available, assuming at least $32,200 each year for 9 years, plus 2022 and 2021 totals, his total impact can be estimated at over $333,000!
Kellie Resnick - Midwestern CFC
Kellie Resnick engaged her CFC team and successfully led campaigns at Clement J. Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center and outpatient clinics and Vet Centers across Eastern Wisconsin. She encouraged her campaign team to attend CFC trainings, and kept in constant communication with them throughout the campaign, providing support and encouragement. Her chili cook-off and online quiz events created positive CFC engagement. All of the VA offices Kellie coordinated saw increases in both dollars raised and number of donors.
Josh Roy - Upstate New York CFC
As part of the zone’s LFCC, Josh Roy has been instrumental in the campaign decisions which guide this very small CFC region. Within the Watervliet Arsenal, he has long been the go-to for all things CFC. In 2022, he helped raised the profile of the campaign and its overall impact significantly thru marketing efforts as well as achieving buy-in and engagement from the arsenal’s new CMD officer and PAO, which led to an increase in donors by 42% and an increase in donations by 167%.
CWO Gary Sanchez - Texas Gulf Coast CFC
CWO Sanchez believes in the mission of the CFC and has spent the last few years sharing the benefits of the campaign with his US Coast Guard colleagues at MSU Texas City. CWO Sanchez presented to his team at the start of the campaign and allowed the personnel to choose their own CFC goal. This allowed them to be invested and have a true interest in their own results. The efforts of CWO Sanchez resulted in a very impressive 55% participation rate. He takes the time to truly engage with each and every one of his co-workers and helps when anyone has questions or problems.
Gary Shaver - Upstate New York CFC
Gary Shaver ran a very active campaign for DFAS Rome that included the creation of a CFC section on the Rome home portal pages that contained CFC links to the zone’s website and pledge portal. The portal also featured a detail on each of the Cause Weeks and various advertisements and CFC messages of the week. Gary had significant campaign buy-in from his Deputy Director who provided periodic updates and messaging to encourage campaign engagement that helped to spread the word and create further engagement. To bring the mostly virtual staff together for fun, the office hosted a virtual charity fair and pumpkin carving near Halloween, a 2 for Tuesday Challenge and for their final push in January the High 5 Challenge. The momentum and numerous opportunities for CFC engagement led to an increase in donations by 26% over 2021 total.
Timothy Sheppard - South Central Texas CFC
Timothy Sheppard with the Veterans Benefits office in Waco did a great job in his first year as CFC Coordinator. This office had not actively participated in the CFC for a few years however, he jumped right in and introduced new employees to the CFC and reintroduced long-time employees to the CFC. Due to his efforts this office saw a 48% increase in donations and a 93% increase in donors.
Glory Shinas - Greater New York CFC
Ms. Glory Shinas personifies dedication and an incessant commitment to the success of the Combined Federal Campaign for U.S. Customs and Border Protection at JFK International Airport. Working in such a dynamic environment where CBP staff operate throughout what can best be described as a campus of international terminals and cargo facilities, Ms. Shinas rose to the occasion as the Keyworker to broaden the Combined Federal Campaign message and ensure that CBP employees were armed with the necessary information to fiscally support the campaign, should they choose to do so. For her efforts, Ms. Shinas realized a 77% increase in contributions compared to the previous year. Ms. Shinas is most certainly lauded for her commitment to the CFC.
Jacquelyn Slater-Kanaley - Sunshine CFC
For the fourth year, Jacquelyn Slater-Kanaley answered the call to return and volunteer for the 2022 campaign as a Loaned Executive. Her experience and dedication to the CFC make her invaluable: this year Ms. Staler-Kanaley was able to confirm Campaign Workers for 56% of the inactive agencies, which helped increase the outreach and awareness of the campaign. Her dedication and continuous support to the campaign contributed greatly to this year’s success. Her selfless dedication to the campaign are what CFC Heroes are all about.
Nikki Smith - Hawai'i-Pacific CFC
Ms. Nikki Smith served as Honolulu District's Primary Campaign Manager. As such, she ensured that she met with every person in every office under the district umbrella to ensure they were aware of this year's campaign. Ms. Smith designed a castle in the shape of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' logo. Each brick, which she would color in weekly, represented a $500 dollar pledge. Not only did she create two boards for her HQ office, but she went out of her way providing boards for our area offices. Through Ms. Smith's hard work, USACE Honolulu achieved 37% more than its goal of $12,000. POH donated $16,395 from 26 contributors. This is an increase of over 10% from 2021 contributions. This pledge amount is the most USACE Honolulu has seen in the past three years.
Tammie Speaker - Southern California CFC
Ms. Speaker has served as the Civilian Campaign Manager and lent her experience and expertise in CFC Management and command knowledge to the NIWC Pacific CFC for over 20 years. Ms. Speaker has worked to create and maintain a dynamic and strong culture of CFC giving within the command and with the consistently overturning military leadership. Her strategy of implementing a giving culture has prepared the commend for long-term CFC success as opposed to focusing on short-term gains. Ms. Speaker and her campaign not only surpassed their 2022 goal, but also achieved a 4% increase over their 2021 totals. The NIWC Pacific command is the highest performing military command in the CFC zone by far.
SMSgt Canadra Tillman - Southeast Tristate CFC
Lead CFC campaign coordinator SMSgt. Canadra Tillman, along with her co-coordinators, MSgt. Kanecia Bonner and MSgt. Christopher Hobbs, successfully led Maxwell AFB's 2022 CFC campaign to raise the most it has in the past four years - $92,430. This team's attention to campaign promotional efforts resulted in recapturing 16 units in participation (did not have contributors in 2021), for a total of 40 units participating in the 2022 CFC campaign. They successfully managed all aspects of the campaign, including training and managing a team of 52 keyworkers on Maxwell AFB, working with each to set internal goals for a more manageable campaign. And yes, they met all of their internal goals!
David Torres - Sunshine CFC
In spite of his impending retirement from federal service, David Torres stepped up and into the role as the MDC Guaynabo CFC coordinator. Mr. Torres took it upon himself to personally approach as many employees as possible, providing them with information regarding the different charities they could support. Due to the extraordinary efforts of Mr. Torres and his contagious enthusiasm towards the CFC program, we were able to surpass the $30,000 goal set for this year, achieving the amount of $38,844 to contribute to the CFC Campaign by the MDC Guaynabo Staff. MDC Guaynabo has a 24/7 operations and Mr. Torres ensured all shifts were encouraged to contribute to the CFC Campaign this year.
Mark Turner - Cascadia CFC
Serving in his eighth consecutive year as the CFC Coordinator, Mark Turner led all aspects of the 2022 CFC for the Bothell MERS Detachment. He secured leadership buy-in, achieved a 100% in-person ask of all employees, and developed a 20-question trivia contest with prizes for the winners and self-provided refreshments for everyone. Due to Mark’s diligent efforts, the Bothell MERS detachment far surpassed its goal by raising $23,609 dollars, and achieving an impressive 60.5% participation rate (26 donors out of 43 employees) along with a $908 average gift.
Jennifer Tuttle - Northern Lights CFC
Jennifer ran a very successful campaign this year! Due to the loss of some long-time donors and participation and funds raised had waned. She we made a goal of engaging more people by promoting the CFC through emails. She increased campaign donors by 33%!
Ruben Valdez and Sairy Cortes - Texas Gulf Coast CFC
Ruben Valdez and Sairy Cortes did an amazing job running the campaign at the very busy processing Port of Hidalgo. While the staff and the technology on site was occupied processing immigrants at all times, these Coordinators managed to visit with all 500+ employees face to face to educate them about the CFC and the benefits to the participating charities. Their efforts resulted in an increase from $5660 in pledges in 2021 to $69,826 in 2022. They also saw a 2417% increase in donors for an overall 30% participation rate for employees at the Port of Hidalgo.
Efthimia "Efi" 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 increase funds raised by over $3800 since 2018, with an increase year over year. And with a small office of 9 employees, they continue to have 100% participation.
Justin Wiencek - Mississippi Delta/Gulf Coastal Plains CFC
Mr. Justin Wiencek served as the 2022 Campaign Coordinator for the 500 Federal employees at the Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration's National Center for Toxicological Research one million square foot research campus in Jefferson, AR. He led a team of six Keyworkers who met weekly to develop and implement their 2022 CFC campaign strategy contributing to FDA's raising $1.38 million and 138% of their 2022 CFC goal. Mr.Wiencek exhibited commitment and dedication to the 2022 CFC. Thank you for being the Face of Change!
Carmen Yepes - Sunshine CFC
As the campaign manager, Ms. Yepes created a Campaign team of TSA CFC advocates! She recruited and trained a dedicated campaign team, created numerous awareness activities featuring CFC charities and secured her agencies leadership to actively support the campaign throughout the campaign. The CFC Awareness events at TSA assisted them in raising $28,093.00 in pledges this campaign year; a 21% increase from the 2021 campaign donations. The agency saw more people in attendance at events than in more recent years. This year’s campaign success is a testament of what teamwork, motivation and generosity can do even during these unprecedented times.
Hayli Young - Oklahoma & North Texas CFC
Hayli Young has increased the engagement of the United States Postal Service offices in the Texas Panhandle by continuing to engage more offices than in years prior. She has created even more involvement over the course of this year’s campaign by taking an account with no participation two years ago to being a leading account in Zone 016. She nearly doubled the total raised in 2021 by USPS employees this campaign season.
Michael S. Zadlo - Overseas CFC
Mr. Zadlo truly shined as a leader in the CFC effort, making sure all Directorates were on the same page and working together toward a common goal: increasing pledges and support for CFC charities. He took the time to keep everyone informed with regular updates, which not only kept everyone engaged but also offered an opportunity to answer any questions they had. Mr. Zadlo achieved 100% notification of all personnel at SETAF-AF and USAG Vicenza. The results speak for themselves: the campaign raised a remarkable $10,000 in contributions, an increase of 30% of 2021 results, surpassing all expectations. Mr. Zadlo’s leadership and hard work were essential in making this a reality, and his dedication to the CFC is truly commendable.
