Reverend Derrick Hammond, left, and Consolidated Nuclear Security’s Senior Director of Transformation J. Travis Howerton were named the latest winners of the Herman and Pat Postma Young Professionals Award by the East Tennessee Economic Council at the annual awards celebration held Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Oak Ridge. (Photos courtesy ETEC)
Reverend Derrick Hammond and CNS’s senior director of transformation J. Travis Howerton were named the latest winners of the Herman and Pat Postma Young Professionals Award by the East Tennessee Economic Council at the annual awards celebration held Friday, December 8, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Oak Ridge.
The Postma Young Professional Medal was created by the East Tennessee Economic Council to honor the accomplishments of young professionals who have made an impact and fostered a community culture in the region. Former Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Herman Postma epitomized this spirit during his life; and his wife, Pat, continues the tradition of service today through her involvement in the Oak Ridge community, a press release said.
Pat Postma and Ted Sherry made the award presentations.
The Postma Medal, however, is about more than outstanding work, the press release said.
Hammond, as an example, is not your ordinary pastor. He has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Auburn University. He also completed the dual master’s degree program at Samford University, earning a Master of Divinity and a Master of Business Administration. Hammond has published work with the National Baptist Convention, the African American Pulpit, Our Daily Bread, and the Union Gospel Press. In 2013, he received national accreditation as a Certified Church Administrator by the National Association of Church Business Administration.
In addition to his pastoral duties, Hammond is heavily involved in local and surrounding community affairs. He is a graduate of the Chamber’s Leadership Oak Ridge program and serves as an active member of the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation Board, Emory Valley Center Board, United Way of Anderson County Board, Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club, East Tennessee Economic Council, and Beeson Divinity School Alumni Advisory Board. He also serves as the finance commissioner for the Knoxville District Baptist Association, and an adjunct instructor for Tennessee Technical University and the Institute of Continued Learning of Roane State Community College.
Hammond and Davyda, his wife of 18 years, moved to Oak Ridge in August of 2014, when he accepted his call to the pastorate, the press release said. He has two children attending Oak Ridge School High School: Ruth, who is currently a junior, and Alexis, who is a sophomore.
While he has only been in Oak Ridge a short time, Hammond has shown outstanding leadership to bring different Oak Ridge communities together to dialogue, understand one another, and bridge gaps, the press release said. He has played a very active leadership role in the Pathways program to assist at-risk youth with workforce experience to encourage their educational and professional development.
Howerton, a Knoxville native, is the senior director for transformation within the Business Management and Transformation organization at Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, which is responsible for the management and operation of the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge.
In this role, his duties include line management of the Merger and Transformation organization, leadership of the CNS Cost Savings program, management of the Booz Allen Hamilton support staff, line management of the Information Solutions and Services organization, and responsibility for the Business System Modernization project and Enterprise Resource Planning consolidation.
Howerton is a community leader as well. He is involved with the East Tennessee Economic Council and Leadership Oak Ridge. He is a board member of the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, and the Cyber and Information Security Consortium.
Before joining CNS in 2016, Howerton served as the deputy director for the Information Technology Services Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and was responsible for day-to-day IT and cyber security operations. There he ensured efficient programmatic execution for cyber security operations, the application portfolio, research and development support systems/applications, networking, infrastructure/data center operations, library capabilities, and enterprise architecture. He also was the line manager for ITSD, with 200 employees and an annual budget of more than $50 million, the press release said.
Previously, Howerton served as the chief technology officer for the National Nuclear Security Administration. In that role, he provided technology strategy and direction for the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex, with an annual technology budget of nearly $1 billion.
Howerton began his career as a software engineer and has held various roles in the U.S. Department of Energy, including security program manager for the Y-12 Site Office, YSO chief information officer, director for the Cyber Sciences Lab, and chief technology officer.
Howerton has a bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Tusculum College (Greeneville, Tennessee) and a master’s in computer information systems from Boston University.
Howerton and his wife Beth and their two daughters reside in Oak Ridge.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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