Deputy Attorney General Recognizes District of Colorado Employees

WASHINGTON – Members of the Administrative Division and a Criminal Division Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) for the District of Colorado were among the 162 members of the Department of Justice recognized by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA) Director James Crowell, IV at the 34th Director’s Awards Ceremony today in Washington D.C.  The United States Attorney’s Office for District of Colorado was one of 35 districts represented at the ceremony which was held in the Great Hall at the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building this morning.

In addressing the award recipients and guests, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said, “Today’s honorees earned the esteem of their colleagues.  But most importantly, they earned the gratitude of our fellow citizens — the people whose communities you made safer, whose lives you improved, and whose trust you rewarded. Today, we pause to honor and recognize a small portion of your work.”

The Colorado U.S. Attorney’s Office Administrative Division was recognized for their outstanding teamwork, efficiency, and effectiveness in redesigning and moving a large United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) within Denver, without any operational impact, while obtaining cost savings and large scale efficiencies. The team closed the USAO's former location of more than 16 years on a Thursday evening, and opened a fully functional redesigned office five blocks away on Monday morning. The operational capability of the USAO was at full strength throughout the process, with four trials handled just prior to the move. Approximately 170 Assistant United States Attorneys, staff members and contractors now experience enhanced operational effectiveness in a state-of-the-art USAO directly adjacent to four United States Courthouses.  Design elements now enhance effectiveness, while integrated communications link Denver to offices in Durango and Grand Junction, expanding the office’s critical public safety mission throughout Colorado.  Those recognized include: Steven Brooks, Thomas Dillard, Marilyn Ferguson, David Gaouette, Jeffrey Hernandez, Mark Pittington, Victoria Soltis, and Bonnie Vigil. 

Criminal Division AUSA Andrea Surratt, who is now with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Colorado, was awarded for work she did in the Southern District of New York just prior to transferring to Colorado.  She was recognized for her work in the creation of an Overdose Death Initiative, which has transformed the way overdose deaths are investigated across New York City.

“We are honored to continue to get Department recognition for the excellence of our employees at all levels,” said U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer.  “Our office has a history of regularly receiving these national honors because all our employees are deeply committed to improving life in Colorado.  Our Admin Division is the engine room that keeps our ship running on that course. Without their exceptional performance, none of our defense of the United States or public safety work happens. There is simply no better Admin Division in the country.”

EOUSA provides oversight, general executive assistance, and direction to the 94 United States Attorneys’ offices around the country. For more information on EOUSA and its mission, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao.