ARS Employee Wins Award for Travel Services

PEORIA, Ill., Feb. 13, 2002—JoAnn Giamette, an Area Transportation Assistant for the Agricultural Research Service, will be presented today with the agency's annual Gold Award for Excellence at a ceremony in Beltsville, Md. Giamette and other winners will receive a plaque and a monetary award at the 1 p.m. ceremony at the ARS Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center.

Giamette is responsible for many aspects of government travel for ARS employees in the midwestern states. She schedules between 15 and 20 relocations of employees each year, some of them originating from abroad. She also handles the paperwork for an average of 170 foreign trips each year.

In addition, Giamette has worked to make travel procedures more efficient while providing training and assistance to ARS employees in the agency's Midwest Area, which includes Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Diane Strub, Midwest Area administrative officer, said, "The quality of customer service provided by JoAnn to the Midwest Area is exemplary. Thanks to her leadership, knowledge and dedication, the Midwest Area travel support is a very well run and efficient service area."

Many of Giamette's tasks require her to work with people from around the world. She deals with various agencies of the government including the U.S. Department of State as well as foreign embassies. She also spends many hours negotiating with moving companies to ensure efficient, cost-effective and customer friendly moves for ARS employees and their families.

Giamette's citation is for "outstanding customer service to the Midwest Area in her commitment to excellence and delivery of transportation assistance." She has been with ARS since 1990 and in her current position for four years. Prior to that, Giamette was an ARS accounting technician.

ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.