The Coast Guard is soliciting nominations for the 2020 Wanda Allen-Yearout Ombudsman of the Year Award.
This award recognizes the active duty or reserve unit ombudsman who has demonstrated the greatest contribution to the Coast Guard and their families.
To be eligible, an ombudsman must:
- Have served as an ombudsman for at least six months at the nominating command by Dec. 31, 2020;
- Be registered and assigned in the Coast Guard ombudsman registry;
- Have successfully completed Coast Guard Ombudsman Training (CGOT) or approved alternative; and be in good standing with all ombudsman requirements.
Command cadre spouses serving in the role of ombudsman are not eligible for award consideration.
Previous Wanda Allen-Yearout recipients are eligible for consideration after five years. They may be nominated by the same unit from which they previously won.
Nominations should be in standard memorandum format using 12-point Times New Roman font with one-inch margins, not to exceed two pages. The memorandum will specify how the nominee has demonstrated the following:
- Enhancing communication between the command and families;
- Serving as a principal source of preparation, assistance and support to Coast Guard families during times of local or national emergency, mobilization, deployment, or evacuation and individual and command crisis;
- Assisting in identifying unit needs for support services and providing appropriate referral services to address family concerns and issues;
- Being a positive role model and promoting a healthy sense of community for command, families, and ombudsmen by performing noteworthy special projects and accomplishments that enhance the ombudsman’s overall effectiveness and efficiency; and
- Demonstrating the highest standards of professionalism and confidentiality.
All units within the geographic boundaries of a District who desire to nominate their ombudsman must submit nominations to their Regional Ombudsman Coordinator (ROC) by Feb. 1, 2021.
Information, nomination criterion, and required documents for District level are outlined here.
ROCs are responsible for:
- Reviewing nomination packages for alignment with policy and tracking;
- Screening nominations for eligibility and Ombudsman Program compliance;
- Forwarding all packages to the appropriate District Command Master Chief by Feb. 16, 2021 for a panel selection of each District Ombudsman of the Year.
Each District nomination package must be received at COMDT (CG-1112) by close of business March 5, 2021 via the respective ROC and must include:
- The District Commander’s endorsement signature that all eligibility requirements and selection criteria have been met;
- The nomination, which addresses the selection criteria in Paragraph 5;
- Biographical information, to include information about the spouse and family;
- A draft citation.
A Coast Guard Headquarters selection panel will meet to review the District and select the 2020 Wanda Allen-Yearout Ombudsman of the Year.
The Ombudsman of the Year and their spouse will be will be invited to Coast Guard Headquarters to be presented with the award, conditions permitting.
Unit commanding officers are strongly encouraged to submit award nominations to recognize the selfless service of their unit ombudsman. It is also recommended that commands take this time to update information in the ombudsman registry. This can be accomplished here.
The point of contact for Wanda Allen-Yearout Ombudsman of the Year award is Christine Degraw, COMDT (CG-1112) at 202-475-5142.
The points of contact for the district nominations are Ms. Lori Carrington, Atlantic Area Regional Ombudsman Coordinator, 757-670-5886 and Mr. Ryan Fahlenkamp, Pacific Area Regional Ombudsman Coordinator, 510-437-3782.