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VICKSBURG, Miss. – ERDC boasts many first-ever accolades. One team member recently captured the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) first-ever “Supervisor of the Year” title, garnering kudos as the outstanding example for future nominees.
Environmental Laboratory’s (EL) Chief of Ecological Resources Branch Antisa “Tisa” Webb will receive the award at the Senior Leaders Conference in August in Little Rock, Ark., after being chosen from among thousands of nominees throughout the Corps.
In announcing this honor, ERDC Director Dr. Jeffery Holland said, “Tisa was selected and recognized for outstanding leadership, loyalty, passion, and commitment to her staff and those across ERDC,” noting that USACE’s 30,000-plus member organization has many accomplished and successful supervisors, many of whom were nominated by their commanders for this prestigious award.
“Tisa’s passion for people and specifically leadership development drives her to serve USACE and ERDC in human capital roles including the Leadership Development Program (LDP), which she has led for the last nine years,” Holland said.
Nominated by EL Deputy Director Jack Davis for this first Human Capital Office award, Webb says she is humbled by this recognition and for representing many supervisors with the same responsibilities and workplace pressures.
However, one of her four-year team members, EL Research Ecologist Sarah Miller, shared her firsthand understanding of why Webb deserved the top supervisor title.
Doing what’s right instead of easy
“Tisa is not afraid to fight the good fight. I have seen her handle a number of complex and often contentious situations with fairness and an employee-centered ethical consistency I truly admire. She is unwavering in this respect. She does what is right rather than what is easy, often taking on so much more of the negative consequences of unpopular decisions or directives than most of us ever realize,” Miller said.
“She is a fantastic supervisor, just as much for what she does behind the scenes as for what we see day to day. She has the humility to understand that no one, including herself, is perfect. She truly believes we all should constantly strive for self-improvement, and that we all deserve solid support for ourselves and our work at all levels,” she said.
Webb’s loyalty is to the researchers and engineers she supervises.
“My desire is to serve. I choose to serve the people I work with. I want to support them (no matter what) so they are successful,” Webb said.
Webb’s Ecological Resources Branch includes 34 scientists, engineers and contractors who provide a full range of research, tool development, and support for watershed and ecosystem planning, restoration, and natural resources management for USACE, the Army and the nation.
Scientific career beginnings
When asked about her career choice, Webb shared that, “I enjoyed life sciences in high school (French Settlement, La.). At the time, my maternal grandmother was in the last stages of bone cancer, and I decided I wanted to study and do research – thinking first down the path of medicine, but quickly realized that was not my calling, so biology was the next logical choice.
“Mrs. Kathy Hutchinson was my high school science teacher, mentor and dear friend all these years later. Ronald Bencaz was my high school math teacher. These two teachers realized that the small town school curriculum was not enough for those select few of us planning on science/math degrees in college. I remember how in my senior year, they gave up their free time and taught us higher level math and science courses to help us out.”
With a bachelor’s in biology, her initial ERDC employment began in 1990 as a contract student, as she pursued a master’s from Northeast Louisiana University (NLU) (now ULM).
She earned a master’s in ecology in 1994 from NLU and continued working as an ERDC contractor until 2001 when she became a federal employee. In 2002, she was among the first EL LDP participants, and in 2003, she was selected to USACE’s Emerging Leader Conference (ELC) as one of three ERDC representatives. Upon returning from ELC, ERDC began the Emerging Leader Alumni Group (ELAG) and Webb was among the charter members. The purpose of ELAG is to assist in developing solutions to ERDC challenges that will strengthen collaboration and ensure continued professional development opportunities of ELAG members.
Mentors setting the example
Sharing ERDC mentors who shaped her award-winning supervisory skills, Webb said, “There have been many, but three stand out in molding my career. Dr. Jean O’Neil taught me everything she knew about habitat evaluation, index model development and the culture of EL. She was more than just a teacher; she was my role model as a female ecologist.
“Dr. Mike Passmore was my branch chief, partner in the LDP program and career mentor. He taught me skills related to understanding your customers’ needs and constantly reminded me of the district’s perspective. He also taught me how to set career goals and watch for opportunities to advance my career.
“Dr. Holland was my ELAG mentor and I still consider him as my mentor. He has given me pearls of wisdom in my current role as branch chief. He was the one who advised me to always ask my employees “How can I Help?”
Supervisory attributes
“Tisa has figured out the myriad details not only of her job, but what it takes for her researchers to do theirs,” Miller said. “I’ve been consistently impressed with the amount of information she receives from above, and how she filters it and tailors it to best help all of us to do our jobs efficiently.
“She has a passion for service, and a dedication for self-improvement; but she also unequivocally supports her researchers’ efforts to improve ourselves in our work and personal lives,” Miller said.
“By wanting the best for the people who give her their best, Tisa and all who work with her have been propelled forward,” Holland said.