Two notable retirees received the Distinguished Civilian Employee Recognition Award today, highlighting impactful careers and exceptional achievements with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District.
Lt. Col. Robert Green, Nashville District commander, recognized Patty Coffey, a former Deputy District Engineer, and Olga Beddingfield, a former Operations Project Manager, for their combined 80 years of federal service. The commander emphasized their impactful careers and made the award presentations at the Estes Kefauver Federal building in downtown Nashville.
“I had the opportunity to speak with the awardees for the last 45 minutes or so, but we didn’t even need to do that,” Green said. “Because you have become part of the lore, or the legend, of the Nashville District. There’re always these expressions like ‘Well we’re never gonna be able to do this the way that Patty did it, we’re never gonna be able to achieve the victories the way some of our seniors have done before.”
Green continued, “You both mentioned the ‘budget fights’ as one of the most interesting and rewarding achievements of your careers. The perspective you put on that was not, ‘keeping my pot of money for my section,’ but ‘how can we come together and establish processes that allow us to function better as a district and accomplish our mission so that we’re serving the people in the region.’ I thought that was incredibly impactful.”
Beddingfield retired on Jan. 1, 2021, with 41 years and six months of federal service. She began her career in July 1979 in the Nashville District Hydropower Training program at Old Hickory Powerplant. Throughout her career, she held various titles such as Hydropower Trainee, Hydropower Shift Operator, Power Plant Superintendent, and Power Project Manager. Her final position was as the Operations Project Manager for the Mid-Cumberland Area.
By the end of her career, Beddingfield was routinely sought out nationwide for advice and counsel on all things hydropower. She was a significant influence across the agency, having had experience in positions from Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was also a role model for women, having been one of the first female Hydropower Trainees and the first female Power Plant Superintendent.
Beddingfield thanked the commander for making the presentation and the Nashville District for selecting her as a distinguished civilian employee.
“I really believe that if you’re working for the Corps and you want to stay energized is to jump on opportunities,” Beddingfield said. “Go out there and do the best that you can do and learn what you can. Make as many relationships as you can across the country, make these human connections and build on them. So that when you have questions, you have people outside your district you can call on. And you won’t have that if you don’t avail yourself.”
Coffey began her 40-year career with USACE as an intern at Center Hill Lake in April 1980. Her career has been used to inspire young employees and show the opportunities available in the Corps through dedication and hard work. Starting with a Wildlife and Fisheries degree, she rose from an intern to the district’s top civilian leader, working her way through positions as Park Ranger, Biologist, Planning Branch Chief, Deputy Chief of Operations Division and eventually Deputy District Engineer.
Coffey’s leadership and interpersonal skills were critical in working with key hydropower marketing stakeholders, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and other regional hydropower stakeholders. Under this group a memorandum of agreement for the Secretary of the Army for Civil Works’ signature secured up to $50 million annually in customer funding through the Section 212 program to rehabilitate and modernize the district’s hydropower infrastructure.
However, one of Coffey’s proudest accomplishments was from earlier in her career as a biologist. She led the Tennessee State bald eagle restoration program by personally transplanting bald eagles from Alaska and re-homing them throughout appropriate environments in our state. It resulted in the first bald eagle hatching in Tennessee since the 1960’s. For her efforts, she was awarded the Tennessee Conservationist of the Year in 1991.
Coffey accepted today’s prestigious award, thanking the commander and Nashville District for giving her a great opportunity to work on fascinating projects and very meaningful work. “I remember when there were all these retirements,” she said. “People having the opportunity to speak, they were very eloquent, and I know I’m not modeling them right now, but I told the EEO officer at the time that there’s all these colorful people retiring, I think I’m gonna become a colorful person. And she said, ‘Patty, you already are a colorful person.’”
Green asked them each for a piece of advice for new employees. Coffey said, “Working with the Corps is not a spectator sport. The daily interaction with a whole variety of people with different life and professional experiences makes you a better employee. It takes that interaction and really coming together as a team to really deliver our mission.” Green summarized Beddingfield’s advice as making sure to avail yourself of all the opportunities. “The totality of which will make you be all that you can be, to steal an Army phrase,” Green joked.
Beddingfield and Coffey stayed mingled with the many employees and retirees who crammed the room to honor them, then went to the fourth floor to unveil their names on the Distinguished Civilian Wall of Honor outside the executive suite.
Nashville District civilian retirees with at least 20 years of service are eligible to be nominated for the Distinguished Civilian Employee Recognition Award. The recognition is reserved for exceptional retirees who have served honorably and contributed substantially to the reputation of the Corps of Engineers.
The Nashville District has now honored a total of 53 retirees with this award since the district’s inception in 1888. Every recipient has a nameplate added to a bronze plaque at the headquarters to honor the employee’s distinguished career.
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