Air Force names 2008 LULAC Excellence in Military Service Award winner

RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- The Air Force has selected Captain Elisa Valenzuela from the Air Force Materiel Command as the winner of the 2008 League of United Latin American Citizens Excellence in Military Service award. The award recognizes members who have made significant contributions to the advancement of minority groups, the promotion of diversity and equal opportunity in the military and federal workforce.

Captain Valenzuela is the Director of Logistics, 851st Electronic Systems Group at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass. Displaying insightful and proactive anticipation of user needs, she assured planning, funding, transition and coordination of the new Global Hawk weapon system logistic fielding requirements between two program offices, contractor integrators and depot facilities.

During her 2007deployment to Iraq, she ensured $931 million of combat equipment was delivered on time and to the proper location, routinely traveling into hostile areas and under fire to support Airmen and Soldiers at forward operating bases across Iraq.

In 2006, Captain Valenzuela resolved time-critical interagency personnel transportation to theatre, rewriting the book on logistics deployment doctrine and saving $14 million by streamlining the timely movement of more than 300,000 troops.

The LULAC will present the award in July at the Armed Forces awards breakfast in Washington, D.C.

For more information or media inquiries, contact the Hanscom AFB Public Affairs Office at (781) 377-8543.