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| Georgia Air National Guard Chief Master Sgt. William Pinkney, state equal employment manager for the Georgia Department of Defense, counsels a Soldier on the importance of diversity in the workplace. (Georgia National Guard photo by Spc. Amanda Luksic) |
DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Marietta, June 12, 2006 – Georgia Air National Guard Chief Master Sgt. William Pinkney, Georgia Department of Defense equal opportunity manager has been awarded the prestigious Chief Master Sgt. Benito Saucedo, Jr. Meritorious Service Award from the National Guard Bureau (NGB) for 2006 for programs and initiatives that promote equal opportunity and encourage diversity in the Georgia National Guard and the local community. The award is the highest presented by NGB to equal opportunity and equal employment opportunity professionals, and those in the diversity and human relations fields.
“This is a very prestigious award,” said Pinkney from his office at the state DoD complex in
As far as he’s concerned, he’s not the only one involved.
“This is a team accomplishment. My staff takes equal opportunity as a ‘mission essential task’ and enhances that mission to safeguard Soldiers and Airmen,” he explained.
In receiving the Saucedo award, Pinkney has been recognized for his leadership, his direction and his vision in managing critical issues of equal employment opportunity and diversity in the 12,000-member Georgia DoD workforce.
Seen as the “heart beat” of the agency’s employment and diversity programs, it seems Pinkney has placed the Georgia National Guard at the forefront of human relations activities through education, community involvement, and mentoring.
“Receiving this award validates what I my staff does in support of equal opportunity,” he continued. “We make sure everyone, Soldier, Airmen and civilian employee, are treated fairly so that they can get their job done.
What it all boils down to, he added, is that it’s all about people.
“This also speaks volumes about
The Saucedo award points out that Pinkney’s actions have had significant and direct impact on the organizational readiness of
Pinkney’s innovative actions have saved the Georgia DoD more than $25,000 in training costs during severe budget cuts, and realistically saving thousands of additional dollars by avoiding a potential postponement of the deployment of more than 4,000 48th Brigade Combat Team Soldiers, and more than 1,500 Airmen because of the lack of equal opportunity awareness training.