​The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Foundation Career Service team received the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation Award for Community Support at the GEOINT 2018 Symposium in Tampa, Florida, April 23.

The award recognizes an individual or team for outstanding staff, contract proposal administrative or program management support.

Lenwaski Campbell, NGA Foundation Career Service hiring and recruiting lead, accepted the award on behalf of the team for its work in developing and advocating multiple initiatives in career development.

“The Foundation Career Services team has been called "high performing," and much of the reason for that label is just hard work and long hours,” Campbell said. “The award feels good to us as recognition for that hard work.”

The team worked hard on multiple accomplishments such as a career guide for employees in the Foundation career service that outlines career progression and was the model template for other NGA career services.

The team also planned and led workshops for employees to encourage them to take the lead in the GEOINT transformation by increasing and updating their skills and embracing the data-driven culture the agency is promoting. The workshops also explained new and existing processes and procedures to alleviate employee anxiety about the changes and encouraged them to be their own best advocates for career development and growth. 

“To make our employees’ supervisors familiar with their employee development responsibilities, the team designed a workshop to teach supervisors how to be strong partners with and champions for their direct reports,” Campbell said.

The workshop is now included as a core module for NGA’s supervisory training curriculum.

The team also played a major role in the professionalization of the foundation GEOINT workforce by standardizing and accrediting NGA’s GEOINT certification program. GEOINT certification assures mission partners their issues are addressed by experts with requisite technical education and experience, verified through a rigorous and consistent process, Campbell said.

The team’s efforts are evident in the increasing professionalization of NGA’s GEOINT workforce and the continuing evolution of foundation GEOINT career development principles and processes, according to the USGIF Awards Program nomination packet. 

The USGIF Awards Program annually recognizes the exceptional work of the geospatial intelligence tradecraft’s brightest minds and innovative organizations.

The program highlights the achievements of those within the global GEOINT community and boosts morale, inspires the community, and increases interest in the field, according to USGIF’s website .