MASSENA -- U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg honored Massena-based employees from the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS) at the 55th Annual U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary’s Awards Ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 26.

At the event, Secretary Buttigieg recognized individuals and teams across DOT who performed their duties in an exemplary manner to meet the Department’s strategic goals and accomplish its mission.

A cadre of GLS engineering and maintenance employees, comprised of Michael Ledger, Robert Barkley, Spencer Haggett, Eric Hebert, Carl Bender, Jonathan Chapman, Anthony Curley, and Travis Leggue, received the Secretary’s Team Award for their outstanding work during the Seaway’s annual winter maintenance season. Their efforts identified improvements with stoplog lifting beams and hooks. The team developed swift solutions to address both short-term and long-term fixes, which helped to avoid preventative maintenance delays during the winter.

Christopher Phillips, Supervisory IT Specialist, was a part of the intermodal DOT Cyber Security Operations Team, who received the Partnering for Excellence Award for organizational excellence in reducing enterprise cyber risks.

Lori Grenier, Accountant in the GLS’s Massena office, was presented the Secretary’s Excellence Award, which is granted to employees who have achieved outstanding performance in all aspects of their work and deserve special commendation. Grenier received the award for excellent performance in the administrative functioning of the GLS and performing multiple roles within the financial management team while ensuring the GLS maintains the highest levels of financial management and accountability.

Secretary Buttigieg awarded a Meritorious Achievement Award (Silver Medal) to Tammy Finnegan, Human Resources Officer. Finnegan is responsible for the GLS’s many human resources needs and successfully led several unique and challenging HR projects to successful outcomes. This is the third highest award bestowed by the Secretary in recognition of exceptionally meritorious service to the Department or Federal government.

GLS Administrator Adam Tindall-Schlicht said, “We are all proud of the accomplishments of these GLS employees and pleased that the Department of Transportation is recognizing their superior performance in the North Country region of Upstate New York. The GLS’s workforce is comprised of professional and dedicated public servants and these Secretarial awards recognizing their exceptional achievements, in both routine and emergency situations, are well-deserved.”