Sppt 120415 flipbook

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December 4, 2015

South Potomac Pilot NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR THE NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY SOUTH POTOMAC DEFENSE COMMUNITY

NSF Dahlgren NGIS is Honored for Outstanding Service By Barbara Wagner, Staff Writer

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INSIDE:

This Week in Navy History Page 3

Recently the Navy Gateway Inn and Suites (NGIS) of Naval Support Facility (NSF) Dahlgren took time during this season of thanksgiving to honor their outstanding team of employees. Koko Moreno, general manager at NGIS Dahlgren, welcomed not only the employees to the event but Naval Support Activity South Potomac (NSASP) Executive Officer Cmdr. Chris Zayatz, NGIS Regional Lodging Director LaDonna Sanders and Jim Feldman, NSASP’s MWR and Fleet and Family Readiness Director. Feldman opened the event offering gratitude for the continued excellence in service throughout the past year, noting that in spite of the heavy snows the area had experi-

U.S. Navy Photos by Barbara Wagner

The NSF Dahlgren Navy Gateway Inn and Suites (NGIS) staff takes a moment on Navy Lodging Appreciate Day to celebrate a successful 2015 lodging season with their peers. enced in 2015, NGIS Dahlgren staff went above and beyond to maintain the high standards of service for which they are known. “I know sometimes I can be a pain in the neck especially, when it’s a Saturday evening and I’m calling people at home,” Feldman said drawing

chuckles from the group. “Just know that your efforts are truly appreciated.” Feldman recognized two employees in particular for their efforts during the frigid temperatures — Katrina Fields and James Smith, who were on hand and braved the elements to ensure that NGIS Dahlgren’s

doors remained open and that guests were comfortable. Zayatz was on hand to also express the appreciation of the base command for the efforts of the NGIS employees, noting that often times the staff at NGIS Dahlgren are the first faces many see when onboarding at NSASP.

Koko Moreno, NSF Dahlgren NGIS general manager, was honored along with the NGIS Dahlgren team recently during Navy Lodging Appreciate Day on Nov. 18. “I hear nothing but good things from the people who we have had stay here,” Zayatz said. “Comments about how

See Honored, Page 6

An Exercise in Collaboration – NSF Dahlgren Gets New Fitness Director By Barbara Wagner, Staff Writer Between juggling a cross-county move, purchasing a new home, planning a wedding and starting a new position as the Naval Support Facility (NSF) Dahlgren Fitness Center Director, Rachel Kaufmann is trying to troubleshoot dryer repair, or at least that was what a recent Monday morning was like for this newcomer to base. “I have to be able to do a little bit of everything,” Kaufmann laughed. “We have to be flexible and utilize what resources we have.” A dryer on the fritz is just one of the things that happen when you are breaking in a new facility. Kaufmann is learning first hand in her short time here – her first day on the job was Oct. 13- that a new building is wonderful, but it does come with some quirks. “It’s exciting to me, but it’s also stressful because we are still going through the breaking in process. Things

break, people have concerns and it’s a challenge. But it’s a good challenge and I’m glad I am here early throughout this process so I can learn as things go wrong what to do next time,” Kaufmann said. “The facility is awesome though, much more than I expected and I am looking forward to the challenge.” While Kaufmann is an Illinois native, she joins NSA South Potomac from Fresno, Calif. where she previously held the position of Fitness and Promotions Coordinator at California State University (CSU) – Fresno. While in Fresno, Kaufmann shared that she had an opportunity to expand her skills through the diversity of the work she did on both the administrative and on the floor fitness work there at the university’s fitness center. “I was very active in promotions for the facility, fundraising, reservations, recruiting instructors and intermural facility management,”

Rachel Kaufmann, NSF Dahlgren Fitness Center Director. Kaufmann said. Kaufmann also ran the fitness programming including group and small group management. Although Kaufmann’s fiancée is a Marine, she has never personally worked in a military environment so there too is another aspect of the job that she is settling in to. “I have just jumped in and I have so many questions, but

every day I have fewer and fewer and I learn a little bit more about how things are and should be here,” Kaufmann said. “I have been in the recreation field for a while so a lot of it is familiar to me, but this is my first experience working on a military installation.” With a Masters of Arts in Education focusing on Sports Administration from Wingate University in N.C., Kaufmann is delighted to be back in the south. Having lived in several states around the county she finds the congenial attitudes to be refreshing. “I love the south, I love the fact that when we drive through our neighborhood people smile and wave, there is a genuine friendliness that I missed,” Kaufmann said. At NSF Dahlgren, Kaufmann is looking forward to finding ways to collaborate within the community and expand how the fitness center raises awareness on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle that includes exercise.

“At CSU-Fresno I worked with our health services department on a program we called ‘Work It Out’ for students who may have been dealing with anxiety or depression and were referred by the counselors,” Kaufmann explained. “We see a lot of those issues, especially with students who are away from home for the first time. The program partnered these students up with a work-out buddy and we were able to focus on the benefits of exercise on mental health.” The program is now in its third year and Kaufmann was proud of the fact that prior to her departure in September, the Chancellor of all 23 campuses of CSU Program was in contact to see how they could implement this successful program at the other campuses as well “That was my main project there at CSU-Fresno,” she said, “and I’d really like to see

See Fitness, Page 6

FREE CLASSIFIED ADS FOR MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES E-mail nsasp_pao_dlgr@navy.mil or Call (540) 653-8153


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