S1/E22: 2021 Unsung Heroes of Federal Service, Team Hero - Arthur, Kathy, & Stacy

Name: Arthur Allen (arthur.allen@va.gov)

Short Bio: Arthur Allen is an infrastructure Project Manager in Service, Delivery Management section of VA’s IT Operations and Service division within DevSecOps of OIT. He has been with the Department of Veterans Affairs since June 2015. He has led a diverse team of IT professional responsible for the implementation of several enterprise-wide infrastructure projects (SCCM – 2012, Google Chrome-Pexip, ITSM Tool [ServiceNow] EHRM Facilities Server Room (Data Center) Assessment/Remediation and Microsoft Teams). These projects satisfied two of VA’s strategic principles, namely, Innovation and Teamwork. At the same time, the projects satisfied three of OIT’s Strategic Imperatives specifically providing Exceptional Customer Service, IT Modernization, and Seamless and Secure Interoperability. Arthur is a retired U.S. Air Force Officer that can claim he enjoyed his Atlantic crossing aboard the USS Cape St. George while training Navy CIC personnel. His favorite hobbies are traveling, photography, and jazz music.

Name: Kathy Lipkea-Durkop

Short Bio: Kathy Lipkea-Durkop is an Implementation Manager with the Service Management and Planning (SMP), Service Delivery Management (SDM), National Implementation Management Team. Ms. Lipkea-Durkop has been with the Department of Veterans Affairs since April 1991. She worked several administrative positions before joining the Office of Information Technology (OIT) in February 1998. Her 23 years of OIT experience ranges from VistA Application Support, System Analyst, Deputy Facility Chief Information Officer, Former Region 2 OIT Project Manager to her current position. She has led the implementation of several enterprise-wide infrastructure projects to include VA Applications Consolidated Servers (VACS), Microsoft Teams, and the Real Time Location System (RTLS). The Microsoft Teams implementation fulfilled VA’s strategic principles, namely, Innovation and Teamwork.

Name: Stacy Washington

Short Bio: Stacy Washington is a Manager, Technology Consulting Group (TCG) in VA National TeleStroke Program.  She has been with the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) since August 2007.  She has led diverse teams responsible for the implementation of several enterprise-wide infrastructure projects the Office of Information Technology (OIT) and as a Project Manager with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Healthcare Transformation (OHT).  OHT is a program office in the Office of the Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health (PDUSH) and provides the USH | PDUSH with program management, healthcare systems engineering, and strategic implementation services.  She led the successful migration of VA Pulse Social Platform to Microsoft Office 365 (O365) and SharePoint Online (SPO) and provided custom MS Teams and SharePoint Online (SPO) training to the VA employees. 

She demonstrates the VA’s ICARE core values and characteristics on each Project using her interpersonal skills to include my ability to resolve potentially difficult situations, which reduced resistance to change.

Her favorite hobbies are traveling, cooking, and DIY projects.