Capt. Eric J. Hawn, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Washington commanding officer, announced Joseph Zurzolo, chief of design at Public Works Department (PWD) Annapolis, and Lt. Cmdr. Justin Greunke, Facilities Engineering and Acquisition Division director (FEAD) at PWD South Potomac-Indian Head, were selected as the Civilian and Military Engineer of the Year, respectively on Oct. 21.
“Congratulations to Mr. Zurzolo and Lt. Cmdr. Greunke and all of our nominees for their service, dedication and professionalism,” said Capt. Hawn. “I commend and thank all of them for their technical competence, outstanding contributions to the engineering profession and for serving as representatives of the great work that NAVFAC Washington delivers to our Navy and all of our Supported Commands.”
Zurzolo and Greunke were selected from a competitive field of talented engineers. The civilian engineer of the year nominees were David Rudloff (PWD South Potomac-Dahlgren), Kaleo Pedrina (PWD South Potomac-Indian Head), Javier Molinari (DCBL Core), Nicole Hernandez (EVBL Core), Jonathan Kilpatrick (PWD South Potomac-Dahlgren), Eugene Gavrilla (PWD Washington) and Chris Moore, Jr (PWD South Potomac-Dahlgren). The military engineer of the year nominees were Lt. Frances Hunter (PWD Annapolis), Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Anderson (ROICC Andrews), Lt. Cmdr. Richard Forney (PWD South Potomac-Dahlgren), Lt. Katelyn Pekala (ROICC Andrews), Lt. Cmdr. Justus O'Connor (FEAD Quantico), Lt. Timothy Horton (PWD Washington) and Lt. Cmdr. John Kaiser (PWD Bethesda-CMP Office).
Zurzolo, a native of Ohio who now lives in Delaware, is honored to represent NAVFAC Washington civilian engineers.
“It is an honor and a privilege to have been selected as NAVFAC Washington Civilian Engineer of the Year,” said Zurzolo. “It is really a big team effort to do our work, and I’m proud to represent the truly amazing team we have executing that mission.”
Zurzolo led design delivery, generating over $250 million Design-In-Place over the last three years. He led the team completing the design of the $10 million Repair MV Cables project and the $50 million Macdonough Renovation. He also led and mentored a team executing a waterfront/recapitalization program valued over $220 million, including complex repair projects such as Farragut Seawall, Santee Wavescreen, YP Pier, Quaywall, Utility Bridge, Ramsay Road, and Watershed projects. He conceived and executed an $80 million design solution to repair storm drainage at United States Naval Academy, recycling storm water for irrigation, meeting federal and state storm water requirements, and aligning with sea level rise projects. He also presented this innovative design to the American Society of Civil Engineers Maryland Section and Villanova University.
Greunke, a Kentucky native, is extremely grateful and honored to be selected NAVFAC Washington Military Engineer of the Year.
“I’ve seen a lot of great civilians and officers receive this award in the past, so it is humbling,” said Greunke. “This award is a testament to all the hard work the FEAD and PWD team at Indian Head put in every day, the reach back support provided by the Facilities Engineering Command Core, and all those who supported the restoration operations in Hawaii. This award would not be possible without all their hard work and dedication to mission accomplishment.”
Greunke is responsible for providing engineering expertise to ensure execution of facility and service-related requirements, and compliance with technical standards and processes developed by the NAVFAC Chief Engineer. His construction program oversaw 142 projects, including three congressionally funded military construction (MILCON) projects valued at $170 million. He was hand-selected to support restoration and decontamination operations for the Red Hill Fuel Depot in Hawai'i. As a leader in the Engineering Working Group, he supervised fourteen civilian Environmental Engineers in the performance of scope of work development, contract negotiations, and critical projects to meet Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, and Hawai'i Department of Health requirements, including point source tracing of contaminants in the water distribution system to map fuel migration; excavation of contaminated soils and materials; and skimming operations to remove fuel from the critical, freshwater aquifer.
NAVFAC Washington proudly participates in the annual National Society of Professional Engineers Federal Engineer of the Year Award program to recognize the exceptional contributions that our engineers make to the profession, to our supported commanders, and to the communities in which we live. Zurzolo and Greunke have been nominated to compete in the overall NAVFAC Engineer of the Year program for further recognition.