COM team member wins DoD award

  • Published
  • By Lori Burling Alves
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs volunteer
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  Capt. Theresa Thomas, 39th Communications Squadron Information Systems flight commander, is leaving Incirlik Air Base on a high note. Captain Thomas is a recent U.S. Air Forces in Europe nominee of the 2006 Department of Defense Chief Information Officer Recognition Program. She ends her two-year run at Incirlik next week. 

"I was actually surprised," said Captain Thomas. "I was very excited, especially to win something at the Major Command level." 

At Incirlik, Captain Thomas led a 69-person information systems flight, providing a data and voice gateway for Incirlik and six other units throughout Turkey. She oversaw the network operations, the computer security programs and the administrative communication programs for more than 3,500 military and civilian personnel within Incirlik and the surrounding area. Captain Thomas also maintained more than $40 million in assets in direct support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. 

She believes her contributions in the area of DoD information management, specifically in supporting the Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996, helped in winning the award. 

Captain Thomas won the USAFE award in the individual category, which includes both active-duty military members and civilian employees. She will now compete at the U.S. Air Force level.

"Information technology is becoming a rapidly changing area, and she's done a
great job of leveraging those changes here at the base to get the maximum results," said Maj. Michael Cote, 39th CS commander. "I think that's probably why she was selected by USAFE to move on to compete at the Air Force level,"

"Although this is an individual award, it's not just a win for me. This award basically demonstrates all the great things the 39th Communications Squadron has done here at Incirlik," Captain Thomas said. "It's an individual award, but it really encompasses all the work that we do here. It's a win for the team and for the people that I represent. It's about what the team has done here to make the world of information systems better." 

At her next assignment, Captain Thomas will be able to share her expertise at Hill Air Force Base in Utah.