On June 14, 2023, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) held its annual awards ceremony. During the program, award recipients were announced in the following categories: William B. Kelly Award, Excellence in Service Award, Linda Enoch Award, Erland Herfindahl Award, Superior Achievement Award, Team Award, Way to Go Award, Distinguished Career Service Award, Length of Service Award and the Ambassador’s Award.
Recognizing staff achievements and showing appreciation to those who give it their all each day is critical to USTR’s success. This year’s ceremony was especially important because it was the first time the ceremony has been held in person since the start of the pandemic.
During the ceremony, Ambassador Katherine Tai emphasized that, “this celebration of our people is not a once-a-year event. We want to invest in all our people year-round so that we are happier and more effective, together.” She also noted that as a small agency, each member of USTR’s staff brings something unique and valuable to our office, and further, that their hard work and dedication is making a difference in the advancement of President Biden’s trade agenda and bringing real changes to people’s lives.
Ambassador Tai also announced that USTR will start a new mentoring program. It will kick off with a speed mentoring session, followed by a nine-month program during which new staff will meet and learn from experienced staff. She also shared that USTR’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Council will bring back hour-long negotiating brown bag sessions, which received strong staff participation in the past but were paused due to the pandemic.
USTR is pleased to announce the 2023 award recipients:
William B. Kelly Award - This award recognizes an employee who demonstrates the highest standard of professional excellence in the trade field and demonstrates sustained contributions and leadership in advancing USTR’s goals, an exemplary degree of initiative and creativity, and great respect from peers and superiors.
Joe Johnson, Senior Director for Environment & Natural Resources
Excellence in Service Award - The Excellence in Service Award recognizes an employee who has made an extraordinary contribution in an administrative services and mission support position.
Tiffany Enoch, Human Capital Specialist in the Office of Human Capital and Services
Linda Enoch Award - The Linda Enoch Award recognizes dedicated service and excellence in administrative management, including the qualities of professionalism, initiative, creativity, and respect of peers.
Anita Kyler, Administrative Assistant for the Budget and Finance Office
Superior Achievement Award - The Superior Achievement Award recognizes employees for special efforts significantly above and beyond the requirements for their position.
Colette Morgan, Alan Treat, Christina Sevilla, Drauthon Antoine, Conor Harrington, Lynette Johnson, Scott Pietan, Danielle Fumagalli, Zoe Sophos, Margaret Wang, Amy Kreps, Katy Sater, Colby Branch, Della Little, Dan Matthews, and Justin Hoffmann
Team Award - In addition to honoring several USTR colleagues for their outstanding individual work, we also honor teams or groups that displayed either exemplary teamwork, resilience, problem-solving, continuous readiness, thoughtful leadership, remarkable collaboration, distinctive competencies, or commendable organizational skills that were of importance and value to USTR’s mission.
USTR Office of Human Capital and Services Team: Jamesa Hunter, Deb Tidwell, Tiffany Enoch, Taiwo Carmichael, Angela Brown, Emily Monitz, and Cassie Ender
U.S. – Taiwan 21st Century Trade Initiative Early Harvest Agreement Team: Tim Wineland, Jing Jing Zhang, Will Martyn, Heng Loke, Sloane Strickler, Amanda Lee, Leah Liston, Renee Hatcher, Tom Fine, Philip Butler, Christina Sevilla, Shantanu Tata, Bart Thanhauser, Ethan Holmes, Dan McCarthy, Allison Smith, and Sam Michel
Japan Critical Mineral Agreement Team: Ben Allen, Leigh Bacon, Victor Ban, Charita Castro, Donna Chung, Diamonde Cruz, Danielle Fumagalli, Kate Hadley, Justin Hoffmann, Michelle Ker, Gwen Manseau, Katy Mastman, Sam Michel, Erin Rogers, Katy Sater, Allison Smith, Perry Spiegel, Sloan Strickler, Bart Thanhauser, and Harrison Vey
U.S. – Switzerland Pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing Practices Mutual Recognition Agreement Team: Sarah Short, Sloane Strickler, Jason Buntin
Negotiating Team for Conclusion of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsides and Process for Acceptance of the New Agreement: Joe Johnson, Gwenann Manseau, Roy Malmrose, Alan Treat, Sean O’Connor
WTO Trade and Development Team: Zeba Reyazuddin and Emanuela Montanari-Stephens
WTO Dispute Settlement Reform Team: Ross Bidlingmaier, Nathaniel Halvorson and Melody Temidara
Trade and Technology Council Team: Rob Ahern, Leo Roytman, Claudia Calderon, Charita Castro, Rebecca Gudicello, Justin Hoffmann, Sarah Short, Susie Hodge, Matthew Jaffe, Brian Janovitz, Gwen Manseau, Arthur Tsao, Julia Howe, Ann Main, Jen Carton, Mike Rogers, Silvia Savich, David Weiner, Andrew Medley, Sean O’Connor, Neil Beck, Christina Kopitopoulos, Leah Liston, Olya Lutchyn, Roy Malmrose, Michael O’Donovan, Katy Sater, Antonio Douglas, and Robb Tanner
USMCA Labor RRM Team: Andrew Tardiff, Mark Eskenazi, Deborah Birnbaum, Thomas Au, Alex Gancayco, Annelies Winborne, Katy Mastman, Brenna Dougan, Claudia Calderon, Donna Chung, Austin Pedersen, Sofia Ruiz, Sidney Musser, Andrew Medley, Carlos Romero, Dan O’Brien
Way to Go Award - The Way-to-Go Award is an award that gives peers the chance to recognize each other for outstanding efforts and contributions resulting in significant benefits to USTR, and for going above and beyond the requirements of their own job to help other colleagues, demonstrating exemplary teamwork or customer service.
Sonia Franceski, Yvonne Jamison, Victor Ban, Matthew Hindman, Shannon Nestor, Christina Olson, Heng Loke, Wallis Yu, Tsering Dhongthog, Janice Shields, Jeremy Streatfeild, Annelies Winborne, Laurie-Ann Agama, Osvaldo Gomez-Martinez, Charita Castro, Andrea Boron, Andrew Devine, Susie Hodge, Deborah Birnbaum, Sung Chang, Laura Buffo, Sydney Musser, Brenna Dougan, Yvonne Jamison, JoAnne Allen
Distinguished Career Service Award - The Distinguished Career Service Award recognizes recent USTR retiree(s) whose career reflect long and exceptional devotion to duty and exemplifies significant contributions to the economy, efficiency, uniquely important projects, recognized expertise in some phase of USTR’s technical, professional or administrative work or other improvement in USTR operations.
Rhonda Lindsay, former Administrative Assistant for Services & Investments
Jim Sanford, former Assistant USTR for Small Business, Market Access, and Industrial Competitiveness
Tom Horrigan, former Security Specialist for Administration Office
Length of Service –
5 years of service: Tia Potskhverashvili, Maria Choi, Michelle Yang, Randall Oliver
10 years of service: Osvaldo Gomez-Martinez, Amy Kreps, Deborah Birnbaum, Bart Thanhauser, Matthew Siordia, Nathaniel Halvorson, Margaret Wang, Brian Janovitz, Annelies Winborne, Shannon Nestor
15 years of service: Brian Cochran, Yatrik Desai, Jerry Duran, Rosa Waddy, Sushan Demirjian, Rebecca Gudicello, Justin Hoffmann, Ari Sulby, Leigh Bacon, John Stirk, Andrew Medley
20 years of service: Leslie Yang
30 years of service: Chris Wilson, David Weiner, Thomas Fine
35 years of service: Deborah Tidwell, Lynette Johnson, Terry McCartin, Andrea Curaca Malito
Ambassador’s Award - The Ambassador’s Award is given in recognition of extraordinary efforts of an executive employee who demonstrated excellence, leadership, tenacity, or a set of specific actions that goes significantly beyond the requirements of their position and makes notable contributions in advancing U.S. trade interests.
Rachel Howe, Assistant United States Trade Representative for ICTIME
