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NEWS | Dec. 17, 2018

NSWC Indian Head EOD Technology Division Employee Awarded Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Medal

NSWC Indian Head EOD Technology Division

INDIAN HEAD, Md. ─ The Naval Sea Systems Command awarded the U.S. Navy Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service to the Deputy Chief of Contracting Ruth Adams at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division, at a presentation held on base today.

This is the third highest award granted to career civilian employees by the Navy and is reserved for Navy employees who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service of major significance to the Navy.

“It was my honor to present this medal to Ruth today,” said NSWC IHEODTD Commanding Officer Capt. Scott Kraft. “We are fortunate to have an employee like Ruth who has dedicated her life to a career in service of others. As a command we strive for excellence. Ruth not only met that challenge, she surpassed our expectations by consistently going above and beyond the call of duty throughout her career. You see what someone like Ruth does for our command and Navy, and it inspires us all to do better. She is someone we all truly respect and look up to.”

Adams was awarded the medal for her distinctive accomplishments from October 1981 to September 2018. As the deputy chief of contracting, she made significant contributions to improving IHEODTD operations and ensuring her employees and customers always have the services and tools they need to accomplish their jobs.

Over the past two years as the DCCO, she has successfully managed and provided the oversight of more than 6,000 actions accounting for obligations in excess of $960 million. These actions supported the command’s technical codes, Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Combatant Command, Naval Sea Systems Center Logistics Center, Naval Ordnance Safety and Security Activity, Naval Sea System Command directorates and other designated activities.

Adam’s work displayed her outstanding service and personal commitment to supporting the warfighter throughout her career as a contracting professional. Adams has provided more than 37 years of invaluable service and superb support to the NSWC and NAVSEA.

She consistently demonstrated exemplary leadership skills without losing focusing on customer and employee satisfaction. In doing so, she has done an outstanding job in making the IHEODTD Contracting Department one of the best in the Naval Sea Systems Command.

"I cannot think of anyone more deserving for this award," NSWC IHEODTD Chief of Contracting Renee Brown said. "I have worked with Ruth in several capacities over the last 28 years and one thing that has always remained constant is Ruth's dedication and commitment to the mission of Indian Head and the warfighter."

Adams began her government career as a GS-01 clerk typist and worked her way up to her current position as the deputy chief of contracting. As her career progressed, so did her passion for the command’s mission and the desire to contribute to timely delivery of quality hardware.

In 1997, as a program analyst in the Cartridge Actuated Device/Propellant Actuated Device Manufacturing Branch, she was responsible for all hardware inventory and procurements in support of manufacturing of U.S. Air Force PADs. She was also a lead on updating the inventory control cards in a card file and implementing an electronic parts inventory for the branch. This effort eventually led to the Shop Workload Management System, which is still in use today. 

In 1998, she recognized the need for a new process to procure hardware for the Aircrew Escape Propulsion System device items, which was behind schedule for ejection seat motors deliveries to the Air Force and Navy.  She was instrumental in the establishment of the qualified bidder’s list for these parts and her efforts made IHEODTD the first activity in the Navy to implement a QBL. Within two years, the command shipped all back logged units and had a surplus inventory. Twenty years later, the QBL is still in use and continues to evolve to meet mission needs. The QBL currently includes 76 parts, encompassing 17 different programs, with many more to be added in the near future.

“It is such an honor to receive this award. I have worked with so many people over my years in government service, and I owe much to my team members whose dedication and hard work made this award possible. This is a great way to end a career.” Adams said. “I look back through my career and remember certain things I did and how we handled certain events: Desert Storm, 9/11 – everything is a special memory to me,”

Due to her extensive knowledge in acquisition and quality, command leadership selected her to participate in a current project that brings top-notch professionals together to revolutionize the acquisition process.

“Ruth’s commitment and dedication to the Navy and our command exemplify our core values,” said NSWC IHEODTD Technical Director Mr. Ashley Johnson. “She is another shining example that the power and success of Indian Head is our people – the Navy depends on us to fly farther, hit harder and save lives.”

 

NSWC IHEODTD - a field activity of the Naval Sea Systems Command and part of the Navy's Science and Engineering Enterprise - is the leader in ordnance, energetics, and EOD solutions.  The Division focuses on energetics research, development, testing, evaluation, in-service support, and disposal; and provides warfighters solutions to detect, locate, access, identify, render safe, recover, exploit, and dispose of explosive ordnance threats.

-NAVSEA-