DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Air Combat Command has named one of Dyess' Civil Engineers as their 2013 Outstanding Civil Engineer Manager for the civilian supervisor category.
Colette Saucier, 7th Civil Engineer Squadron real property officer, was recognized for her time as a supervisory facilities and equipment specialist during fiscal year 2013.
Many of Saucier's accomplishments have occurred out of sight of Airmen on base, however her impacts are seen throughout. Saucier played a pivotal role in the 7th CES's ability to achieve 97 percent completion for facility manager training prior to the 2013 Combined Unit Inspection. She is recognized for providing quotes to ACC for Dyess' five-year-paint plan that received $308,000 in funding, which provides the unit with the supplies it needs to keep the base in professional appearance. Additionally, she is credited with preparing building information on base for a future work order tracking system by incorporating asset-management principles, which are guidelines the Air Force will be following when it release the next generation information tracker.
"Colette was always very diligent and had so much attention to detail that nothing would slip by her," said Dave Peterson, former 7 CES deputy chief of operations. "She is so good at managing her people to the point it makes each one of them better. It was a joy working with her because you knew she was the person you could go to with a question and get a definite answer."
Saucier has spent the majority of her career working in civil engineer squadrons. She believes the squadrons she has worked for have always had individuals who epitomize the Air Force core values.
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"What I love about civil engineers in the Air Force is that everywhere I have been, each office has individuals who are extremely dedicated," Saucier said. "These people give everything they can and are willing to go further than what's asked of them to ensure the job gets done."
Saucier's career with the Department of Defense began with her first job in her home town of Plattsburgh, N.Y., at Plattsburgh Air Force Base. Only months after graduating high school, she was hired as a GS-02, filling a clerk typist position for the 380th Civil Engineer Squadron.
Aside from a short two-and-a-half year stint with the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Hawaii, Saucier has spent the last 38 years and her entire working career with the Air Force. In 1995, she came here with her husband, retired Master Sgt. Gregory Saucier.
While recounting her time in the supervisory position, she commended the Airmen she claims as, "a part of my team."
"This award is for everyone in my section because if it weren't for them I would not be receiving it," Saucier said. "My team earned this, I was there helping pull things together and supporting other people who were completing the work."
Saucier's personal goals, which contribute to the success she has had in her career, are giving her customers the best options available to them, using the scarce funds available to her in the most effective manner possible and providing her patrons with first-rate customer service.
"The two things that motivate me the most are the strong work ethic instilled in me at an early age by my parents, and what I have learned to be the golden rule: to treat others as I wish to be treated."