Solano civic leader garners military award
November 01 2020Daily Republic
By Airman 1st Class Karla Parra
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE — Sandy Person received the Tampa Bay Trophy on Oct. 22 at Travis Air Force Base.
The award was presented by the Tampa Bay Defense Alliance, which recognizes distinguished civic leaders who go above and beyond to serve the military community.
Person is the industry engagement officer for the Travis Community Consortium. She works closely with the Travis community and the U.S. Air Force.
“Winning this award is an incredible honor,” Person said. “I’m so inspired to be part of such an amazing group of individuals who dedicate, sacrifice and give their lives to serve the men and women of the Air Force.”
As an Air Force civic leader, Person works alongside the chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, which allowed her to shine light on numerous community-support issues to enhance military families’ quality of life.
Her contributions aimed to improve affordable housing, military spouse license reciprocity between states and quality education for frequently transferring military families, as well as a host of other topics affecting airmen and their families.
During the presentation, the citation lauded Person.
“Ms. Person provided exemplary energy, compassion and sustained, enduring service to the men and women who provide our nation’s critical global mobility capability,” the citation read.
Person also played a pivotal role in forming the California Defense Alliance, where she continued to lobby for all uniformed services at state and national levels.
“We all feel good when we help each other, and the truth is we’re all in this together,” Person said. “One silver lining from Covid-19 is we are valuing our relationships more because we don’t get to take them for granted anymore.”
As the longest-serving member of Travis’ Golden Bear program, the highest recognition bestowed upon Travis’ most distinguished civic leaders, Person consistently supports mission readiness. In fact, she led community efforts with the installation’s Phoenix Spark Innovation team during the rise of Covid-19.
The citation continues: “She championed a West Coast Innovation Center that partnered Silicon Valley companies with the Travis Air Force Base innovation program . . . allowing the Air Force’s largest regional hospital to continue operations.”
Her contribution resulted in the purchase of 16 new 3-D printers which were used to produce personal protective equipment, the essential components to sustaining ongoing operations at David Grant U.S. Air Force Medical Center.
“I hope that my legacy inspires,” Person said. “The truth is we can all do better, we can all share and we can all find our unique way of bringing that gift and that commitment to the men and women who serve.”