TACOMA, Wash. – Jayson Lelli, emergency manager at Tacoma Power, was presented with a Patriot Award by Ohad Lowy, south sound area chair, and Morgan Zantua, employer outreach representative, for the Washington Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Committee, an office of the Department of Defense, recognition of extraordinary support of his employee serving in the Air Force Reserve.
Lelli, was nominated by Air Force Reserve Sgt. Christina Chew, an emergency manager analyst with Tacoma Power. “Since joining Tacoma Power, Jayson has been a huge advocate for my Reserves duties,” said Chew. “He is the first to mention to others when introducing mean that I am part of the Reserves. His commitment to duty for his community is something all of is the service can not only appreciate but relate to. He is the best boss I could have ever asked for and an even better mentor.”
“The Patriot Award was created by ESGR to publicly recognize individuals who provide outstanding patriotic support and cooperation to their employees who have answered their nation’s call to serve,” said Lowy. “Supportive supervisors are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation’s Guard and Reserve units.”
“National Guard and Reserve members bring tremendous skills and capabilities to our workforce, and employer support for their military service is critical to maintaining the strength of our Guard and Reserve units,” added Zantua. “By valuing the military service of their Guard and Reserve employees, employers are directly supporting the readiness and retention of our All-Volunteer Force, and our national defense.”
“As a first-time employer of an Air Force Reservist I was unsure of what to expect with regard to the time requirements on Christina’s schedule. I did however understand when during the hiring process that there would be an impact to Christina’s availability due to her weekend training requirements, annual orders and potential for deployment. But now that I have worked with Christina for almost a year and a half, I cannot express how impressed I have been with her work ethic, work life balance, and willingness to learn,” said Lelli after receiving the Patriot Award.
“Christina has not only excelled in the field of Emergency Management for which she was hired but she has also embraced the unique requirement of being a Power utility Emergency Manager. She has taken classes to better understand how electricity works, fully understand how power is generated, transmitted, distributed and ultimately gets to your home and worked to adjust typical Emergency Management practices to fit a Power utility application,” said Lelli. “Christina has done all of this while maintaining a leadership role in the Air Force Reserves and looking to better herself by being accepted to a GIS Master’s program at the University of Arizona. Christina has far exceeded any expectation I had when hiring her and if she is a typical reservist I would welcome the opportunity to work with many others like her.”
ESGR is a Department of Defense office that develops and promotes supportive work environments for service members in the National Guard and Reserve through outreach, recognition, and educational opportunities that increase awareness of applicable laws. ESGR also provides assistance in resolving conflicts between Service members and their employers. For more information about ESGR outreach programs or volunteer opportunities, call (800) 336-4590 or visit www.ESGR.mil/WA.
Pictured: Jayson Lelli (2nd from left), emergency manager at Tacoma Power, was presented with a Patriot Award Ohad Lowy (2nd from right), south sound area chair, and Morgan Zantua (far right), employer outreach representative, for the Washington Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Committee, an office of the Department of Defense, recognition of extraordinary support of his employee serving in the Air Force Reserve. Lelli, was nominated by Air Force Reserve Sgt. Christina Chew (far left), an emergency manager analyst with Tacoma Power.