DoDEA Receives Training Officers Consortium’s Change Management Award

ALEXANDRIA, VA — June 16, 2016 — ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA - Mr. Thomas Brady, Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Director, was recognized on June 14th at the annual Training Officers Consortium (TOC) Distinguished Service Awards Program for DoDEA' s efforts to reorganize its structure to advance student achievement. Mr. Brady and DoDEA received the Change Management Award which is presented each year to an individual, team, or agency that has made significant accomplishments through training or facilitating a program or agency through a change management process.

Dr. Linda L. Curtis, DoDEA' s Principal Deputy Director and Associate Director of Academics, accepted the award on behalf of Mr. Brady and the entire DoDEA team at a ceremony at the Ft. Leslie J. McNair Officers Club, in Washington, D.C. Ms. Kirsten Webb, a key leader in DoDEA's restructuring effort accompanied Dr. Curtis and represented the DoDEA Headquarters' restructuring team.

TOC's Annual Distinguished Service Awards Program honors trainers and training programs that have made a significant contribution to the training & development community in building a highly skilled workforce. It is a well-respected honor across the federal government.

In presenting the award, TOC Award Committee presenter, Rhonda Carter, commented, "Change management in any organization, especially the federal government, is never easy but this organization did just that. Through a series of workshops and webinars cascading from senior leaders to headquarters staff to field personnel, the Department of Defense Education Activity was able to propagate a common vision, common language, and a set of tools for collaboratively implementing change," said Carter.

"The staff members have a clear vision of DoDEA' s top two priorities and their role in implementing them," she added, "They have improved competencies related to teamwork -- partnering accountability, influence, and problem solving."

The DoDEA restructuring initiative supports the implementation of two key organizational priorities to better position DoDEA to uniformly improve student achievement and put the DoDEA school system on the path from 'good to great.' Those two priorities are: strengthening DoDEA' s standards-based educational system, of which a key effort is implementing College and Career Ready Standards; and establishing organizational capacity to improve student achievement and school operations (Restructuring for Student Achievement).

In accepting the award for Mr. Brady and DoDEA, Dr. Curtis focused on the importance of the methods used to create change.

"Creating change is easy," said Dr. Curtis. "It happens all the time, but how you create that change is so vitally important. And you have to make sure you follow through -- that you create the change that you want and that you support your employees," she added.

"Change is possible," Dr. Curtis went on to say. "To make a difference in the world, you must first dare to be different. When the truth needs to be said, when the work needs to be done, and when the help needs to be given, you can make a difference."

The Training Officers Consortium, founded in 1938 in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit organization of federal trainers and other professionals from industry and academe who are interested in contributing to the knowledge and practice of human resources and training. Trainers, educators, and human resource development specialists serve as resources to other trainers in departments, bureaus, agencies, and offices of the federal government. Training by TOC is authorized under the Government Employees Training Act.

The Distinguished Service Awards Program was launched by the Training Officers Consortium in 1955 to stimulate improved government-sponsored training programs through recognition of individuals making significant contributions to the Federal training community in the field of human resource development (training, education, and development).

You can see photos from the awards ceremony on our FLICKR page.

You can see a video of the presentation on YouTube .

DoDEA plans, directs, coordinates, and manages Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade education programs for school-aged children of Department of Defense personnel who would otherwise not have access to a high-quality public education. DoDEA schools are located in Europe, the Pacific, Western Asia, the Middle East, Cuba, the United States, Guam, and Puerto Rico. DoDEA also provides support and resources to Local Educational Activities throughout the U.S. that serve children of military families.