NNSA announces annual individual security awards

NNSA recently announced annual awards for the Nuclear Security Enterprise’s federal and contractor security professionals and managers of the year.

“These awards recognize employees throughout the Enterprise whose contributions to NNSA represent excellence and dedication to our national nuclear security,” said Jeffrey Johnson, NNSA Associate Administrator and Chief of Defense Nuclear Security.

The recipient of the Bradley A. Peterson Contractor Security Professional of the Year went to Willis Ray, of Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC. Ray is an advisor to the Senior Director of Safeguards and Security at the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas and was instrumental in the development and implementation of COVID-19 safety protocols. He was also involved in numerous high-level initiatives at Pantex, including the day-to-day security operational aspects of the John C. Drummond Center, Technical Surveillance Countermeasures recovery actions, Material Staging Facility planning, and NNSA Team of Teams Security Improvement Sub-Team participation.

According to Johnson, “Willis plays an integral part in both security program and plant-wide initiatives, and his valuable efforts have contributed significantly to the NNSA mission.”

Daniel Escobar of the NNSA Livermore Field Office (LFO) in California received Federal Security Professional of the Year. Escobar served a detail as the Deputy Assistant Manager for Safeguards and Security at LFO. He continuously mentored co-workers, which strengthened the overall work being conducted at the field office. His willingness to travel for mission-critical work in the middle of the pandemic, when others could not, exemplified the teamwork NNSA relies on to accomplish its mission.

“Daniel executed well-planned, coordinated, and integrated oversight,” Johnson said. “His efforts contributed significantly to the security mission, protecting some of the country’s most vital strategic assets and information. Daniel is a true professional whose efforts strengthen the security community. His actions had a substantial influence on the advancement of U.S. national security objectives.”

Joshua Zamzow of Mission Support and Test Services is the Contractor Security Manager of the Year. He served as the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) Vulnerability Assessment Analyst and as the Performance Assurance Program Committee Chair. He also provided oversight for NNSS Emergency Management analysis and was a reservist First Sergeant in the California Army National Guard.

“Joshua’s leadership across NNSS and the NNSA community to implement the Design Basis Threat and Security Authorization Basis process deserves the highest recognition,” Johnson said. “He worked closely with NNSS Security and Protective Force contractor, SOC, LLC., and the Nevada Field Office, and achieved groundbreaking results.”

Blaine Westlake of the NNSA Production Office (NPO) in Amarillo, TX is the FederalSecurity Manager of the Year. As the Program Management and Survey Program Manager for NPO, Blaine significantly improved the oversight process at the strategic and operational level. 

“His active engagement in the Security Management Improvement Program Governance Sub-Group has advanced oversight collaboration across the Enterprise,” Johnson said. “Blaine proactively benchmarked operations and activities outside of NPO, which empowered his peers to gain a broad perspective and facilitate effective decision-making.”

Thanks to the service of these outstanding, dedicated individuals – and so many like them across the Enterprise – NNSA continues its critical mission to enhance and strengthen the security of the Nation.