Member of Team Edwards nominated for DOD award

  • Published
  • By Kate Blais
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Team Edwards member Julie Brater, Air Force Flight Test Center Safety Office, secretary to the chief, has been selected as the Air Force Materiel Command's 2011 nominee for the 8th Annual Department of Defense David O. Cooke Excellence Award in Public Administration.

The award is named after David O. Cooke who served the federal government and DOD for nearly 50 years and is often remembered for promoting a cooperative spirit among leadership and improving operations. This award recognizes non-managerial career civilian employees who demonstrate great leadership potential as future federal executives.

Brater was nominated for this award when she was the executive assistant at the Edwards Chapel, a position she held for more than five years.

"Father Ullman took the time to write the package," said Brater. "When you're a secretary there's little bits [of work done] all over the place and he was able to take the little things that I did and write about them and express how much it contributed to the mission, I was really grateful for that."

Each major command, field operating agency, or direct reporting unit can only submit one nominee, putting into perspective the impact Brater's work and effort had on the Chapel and her colleagues.

"She was the heart of the chapel in many ways," said Lt. Col. Timothy Ullman, 95th Air Base Wing chaplain. "Her professionalism and excellence were seen in every task, project, and program, and her volunteer efforts were done quietly, but with enormous impact. She was our first-line of care and concern to our clients"

Her duties included coordinating scheduling for all Chapel facilities, record keeping, assisting the wing chaplain organize the staff and when individuals sought help at the Chapel, it was Brater's job to find them immediate assistance.

"I can't even begin to count the thousands of people who came through our doors whom she greeted, assessed their needs, and obtained the assistance they required," mentioned Ullman.

Although she has switched offices since the beginning of the year due to budgetary concerns, Brater still assists the Chapel once in awhile and still gets calls from Edwards personnel assuming she's still over there.

"I worked at the chapel for a long time," said Brater. "I really appreciated the folks that I worked with over there. I'm kind of amazed by [the nomination], I'm very honored. The [Chapel] staff made me feel good about what I was doing."