DALLAS –
Defense Contract Management Agency employee Misha King received a Military Meritorious Service Award during a Blacks in Government ceremony here Aug. 6.
King, a public affairs specialist at DCMA headquarters in Fort Lee, Virginia, has been with the agency for almost seven years. She has served in both public and congressional affairs. Within her current role, King is the video projects lead and the site manager for several 360 SharePoint webpages within the Strategic Communication Division.
“I was surprised and deeply humbled to be nominated and then selected for the award,” said King. “Standing next to the other awardees whose resumes were extremely impressive inspired me to work even harder to make a difference in people’s lives, both at work and in my community.”
The award honors military members and Department of Defense civilian employees whose attributes best epitomized the qualities and core values of their respective organizations, and have contributed to the betterment of minorities within their workplaces and communities.
Outside of work, King is active in her community and spends most of her free time volunteering with MEGA Mentors. MEGA, which stands for Mentors Expecting Greater Achievement, is an organization whose mission is to help at-risk children become more successful in school. King is a member of the board of directors and co-chairs the Communication and Technology committee, and also participates in the group's lunch buddy program.
“Misha is a caring and dedicated citizen and veteran who donates her time and energy to help disadvantaged kids get the educational start that will serve them the rest of their lives,” said David Wray, DCMA’s director of the Strategic Communication Division and King’s supervisor. “She sets a great example for being of service to others.”
King was a public affairs specialist in the Army prior to becoming a civil servant. As a trained broadcast and print journalist, she deployed twice to Baghdad in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Wray, who also attended the ceremony in Dallas, first met King in 2005 while he was deployed to Iraq as a Navy officer.
“Misha’s skills and experience as a public affairs specialist, and her genuine care to provide great customer service, have served her, the agency, and the Strategic Communication Division well,” said Wray.
Three military and civilian employees from participating DoD components and each of the services, including guard and reserve, are eligible to receive the award each year at BIG’s National Training Institute that takes place in a different host city every year. King was DCMA’s only MMSA recipient this year.
BIG typically disseminates the MMSA nomination package to participating agencies yearly during the first week of October, and nominations are due back in May of the following year. Upon receipt of the package, DCMA’s Equal Employment Opportunity Office sends out a memorandum across the agency with instructions on how to submit an award nomination.