Photo By Tanya King | Lt. Cmdr. Christian Auger, Michael Ishibashi, and Cecille Peñaflorida were recognized...... read more read more
Lt. Cmdr. Christian Auger, Michael Ishibashi, and Cecille Peñaflorida were recognized recently as Naval Facilities Engineering Systems (NAVFAC) Command Far East military, civilian, and host-nation engineers of Fiscal Year 2021, respectively.
Peñaflorida is the first female and architect to receive the Host-Nation Engineer of the Year award.
“This year was full of challenges and these three leaders not just persisted, but easily rose to the top,” said Capt. Tim DeWitt, NAVFAC Far East commanding officer. “Congratulations to each of them on a job well done and for their significant accomplishments.”
Lt. Cmdr. Christian Auger
Auger leads the Commander, Fleet Activities Sasebo, Public Works Department (PWD) team and attributes his success as the public works officer to the entire team as well as to NAVFAC Far East leadership.
“NAVFAC Far East leadership trusted PWD Sasebo team to do what we said were going to do and when we encountered road block or hurdles, they enabled us to find solutions to execute our plans,” said the Morrison, Colo. native. “The team understood what we were trying to accomplish and found solutions that enabled us to be successful.”
One of the biggest accomplishments Auger said he is most proud of this year was executing all contract awards and more than 2,000 transportation requests amid the pandemic.
“In the year of COVID, I am proud of the team’s responsiveness, dedication and resiliency, and ultimately sticking with the team,” said Auger, who asserted that the most rewarding part of his job is the positive impact it has on the fleet. “Within a global pandemic we were still able to do what we needed to do.”
Michael Ishibashi
Ishibashi, a native of Kauai, Hawaii, is a NAVFAC Far East senior project manager in Yokosuka, Japan. The award is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of his past and present co-workers and mentors, he said.
He was responsible for leading a project team for the design and construction of the Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Navigation Seamanship and Ship-Handling Trainer (NSST). The high-visibility project directly supports the warfighter, Ishibashi said, by addressing key training deficiencies identified after the 2017 USS McCain and USS Fitzgerald ship collisions in Japan.
“Through the dedication and hard work of the collective team, we worked through many planning, design, and contracting challenges to award the design more than two months ahead of schedule,” said Ishibashi. “I am so fortunate to have teammates and co-workers that work tirelessly towards our team goals. Everyone puts in the time and effort to go above and beyond so that the whole team can succeed. I could not ask for anything more than that.”
Cecille Peñaflorida
An architect from Quezon City, Philippines, Peñaflorida leads the Public Works Project Management and Engineering Branch at Naval Support Facility, Diego Garcia, in the British Indian Ocean Territory. Daily, she manages a team of 14 in-house design engineers and architects and a six-person construction management group.
Combining her first and last name, her coworkers affectionately call her “Pencille” (pronounced pencil) because it is the main tool she uses for the job she said she’s always dreamed of being.
“In college I had three career choices—architect, architect and I forget what the third choice was,” she said while laughing. “Ever since I was young, I really wanted to draw and design. It is very fulfilling supervising my crew and seeing whatever we design get constructed.”
Support from higher management, a very hard-working team, and loving family back home were key factors in her success, said Peñaflorida.
“Pencille is always full of energy and openly greets challenges head on – with COVID-19 and the logistical hurdles we are facing on-island, this has been a great year to prove her innovation and creativity to solve problems,” said Facilities, Engineering, and Acquisition Director Lt. Cmdr. Chris Willich, who nominated her for the award. “Her extensive knowledge has enabled her to become a go-to source of information and sets the standard for others to follow.”
| Date Taken: | 12.02.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 12.02.2020 22:55 |
| Story ID: | 384123 |
| Location: | YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 267 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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