Lincoln Military Housing Mid-Atlantic Navy/Marines Announces the 2017 Partner of the Year Award
For the sixth year, Lincoln Military Housing (LMH) Mid-Atlantic Navy/Marines, presented its Partner of the Year award to the Navy and/or Marine Corps Housing team members who excel as a liaison between Lincoln Military Housing residents and local military commands.
The 2017 award winners are Housing Referral Specialist, Joanna Strong, of Naval Welcome Center, Hampton Roads, and Housing Director, George (Ross) Keene, of Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
These individuals serve as an advocate for the service member and their family and work hand in hand with the Lincoln Military Housing team to ensure our military families receive outstanding service. Each nominee is chosen based on criteria such as having excellent communication, exhibiting a positive attitude, a team player, dependable, effective problem-solving skills, and the willingness to go the extra mile for our military families.
Joanna Strong at the Norfolk Welcome Center has been an instrumental part of our partnership since startup in 2005. Her kindness to the leasing team during a stressful time for both LMH and Navy Housing never went unnoticed. Joanna has referred more housing applications to the leasing team than any other counselor. She always ensures LMH speaks to every member at her desk and makes the process of the service member as seamless as possible.
For many years, Joanna was the liaison with the EFM coordinators and worked closely with the leasing team on assigning based on the needs of the EFM family. She is nicknamed our "angel" as she is always helping families in dire situations get to the Lincoln crew to be taken care of quickly.
More recently, Joanna received a well-deserved promotion. The leasing team worried that with all of her new responsibilities she would slow down on referrals. Anyone else would! Not Joanna. Her new position has given her the opportunity to work with our site teams and has not slowed her down her referrals. We are so fortunate to work beside her each day.
George (Ross) Keene is the Housing Director for Naval Air Station Patuxent River (Pax River). Ross is a Retired Navy Chief (2012) and lived with LMH at Pax River during 2005-2006. He was assigned as the acting Housing Director May 2017 and officially took the role in August 2017. Since joining the Pax River Housing team, Ross has diligently offered support wherever needed, from attending pre and final inspections, playing a role in helping to partner our community events with MWR events and assisting the District Manager with resident concerns. Following one of our snow storms, Ross happened to be in the office on a Saturday catching up on some work and helped one of our pregnant CSR's clear the sidewalk and entryway to the community center, as one of our residents had it reserved for a special event. During STAR month Ross devoted his time to the kitchen, cooking our maintenance team one heck of a breakfast! His support to the Pax River Housing family has proven to be a true partnership, and we are very fortunate to have him on the team.
"These individuals serve as an advocate for the service member and their family and work hand in hand with the Lincoln Military Housing team to ensure our military families receive outstanding service. Our partnership with them is invaluable to ensuring each military family is provided with a quality home in a vibrant neighborhood," said Jim Cox, Director of Military Affairs, Lincoln Military Housing.
Nominees for the Lincoln Military Housing Partner of the Year Award are selected by Lincoln Military Housing employees that work alongside these exemplary men and women. The award is presented each year at the annual Gold Medallion ceremony.