For the second year in a row, two staff members were recognized as U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management (LM) Employee of the Year. 

Both Rich Rogers and Jeanie Gueretta were honored for their hard work and dedication during a virtual town hall held Sept. 30, in place of LM’s annual All-Hands Awards Banquet, due to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Rogers said he was multi-tasking when he learned he was given the award. 

“I was listening but also watching my 18-month-old son, who gets into everything. Then I hear my name, and I’m like, ‘Whoa, wow!” said Rogers. “Stop everything. I can’t believe this.” 

Gueretta was also completely surprised by the announcement. 

“They did a great job of keeping it a secret,” Gueretta said. “It was very humbling and a nice feeling to be honored in that way. I feel very blessed.” 

The Philip C. Leahy Award recognizes LM employees who demonstrate the qualities of a team player, as described by John C. Maxwell’s The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player. The book lists qualities such as: dependable, enthusiastic, prepared, self-improving, selfless, and tenacious. Philip C. Leahy personified the qualities of a team player by accomplishing his Manhattan Project mission and establishing a legacy of success that LM carries to this date. 

Nominations for this award come from both peers and supervisors and are judged by the LM deputy director and two office deputies. The Leahy winner (or winners in this case) with the most noteworthy contributions are also selected as LM Employee of the Year. 

In 2020, seven staff members received the Philip C. Leahy Award out of 20 nominations. The 2020 award winners included Jonathan Damiano, Bill Frazier, Jeanie Gueretta, Josh Linard, Tashina Jasso, Richard Rogers, and Sue Smiley. After a thorough review, the award committee determined that both Rogers and Gueretta had earned the Employee of the Year award.