Shonni Hanks Nelson—2010 Engineering Technology Applications Employee of the Year

Shonni is the fleet program manager for the Alaska and Pacific Northwest Regions. Before accepting her current position in 2009, she served as acting national fleet manager and team leader for the fleet business process reengineering (BPR) study. Shonni was instrumental in standardizing fire engine specifications and consolidating procurement orders into regional contracts, which improves safety, and saves time and money. She developed a process to standardize and consolidate fleet access codes nationally, resulting in greater efficiency and accuracy in accounting and reporting.

In 1982, Shonni received an associate's degree in accounting from Central Oregon Community College. She began her Forest Service career in 1986 as a procurement assistant at the Fremont National Forest. In 1989, she began working in fleet management as a working capital fund (WCF) clerk. She served as the Service First team leader when the fleet management organizations of the Fremont-Winema National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management Lakeview District were combined. She is the only Forest Service fleet manager to receive the BLM Fleet Manager of the Year award.

Shonni enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, fast cars, hotrods, and working on her "bucket list," which includes traveling to tropical destinations with her husband.