Through hard work, selflessness and dedication, Capt.
Joseph Stenger III, 62nd Fighter Squadron F-35 Lightning II instructor pilot, was
awarded the National Public Service Award from the American Society for Public
Administration and the National Academy of Public Administration on March 21,
2016.
“I won it as an individual but the NAPA Award represents
so much more than any one person's actions,” Stenger said. “I'm humbled and
honored to be the one receiving the award, but our team knows it is just as
much theirs as it is mine.”
Stenger serves as a co-founder and chief
executive officer for the online business, Flying Scarfs, which assists widowed
women in war-torn Parwan Province, Afghanistan. The company sells handcrafted scarfs
made by women in the province in an effort to provide a “hand up” rather than a
“handout.”
In 2011, Stenger deployed to Afghanistan in
support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Stenger and three other officers, Capt.
Ryan Bodenheimer, Thunderbirds pilot, Maj. Joshua Carroll, intelligence
reservist, and Capt. John Hudgins, 335th FS F-15E instructor pilot at
Seymour-Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, came together to help the
people of the province in a way other than engaging the Taliban.
The officers began the nonprofit organization,
which has now spread to Haiti and Kenya, with all proceeds going to the women in
these underdeveloped countries. They hope to promote microeconomic development throughout
the world providing women opportunities to succeed.
“To date, Flying Scarfs has grown in its
proceeds by 100 percent and the organization now has more than 100 women
working, giving these women an opportunity to provide a better life for their
families,” Stenger said.
In a part of the world where women fill the role
of cook and mother and who have lost almost everything, they have found the
strength to step forward and have broken a barrier for women that’s been in
place for thousands of years by creating a business for themselves.
“When you combine something you’re passionate
about with service, you can change the world,” Stenger said. “That passion will
take you beyond what you think is possible for yourself.”
The award was established to honor individuals
who make outstanding contributions and whose accomplishments can be viewed as
models of public service within and outside the work environment.
NPSA winners will be those who have, on a
sustained basis, done some or all of the following:
• Made a profound difference in improving
service to the public
• Been willing to take risks to achieve change
• Fostered a more democratic society
• Served as a champion of social equity
• Changed the way a governmental organization
operates so that it better achieves its goals
• Achieved substantial savings in government
operations
• Developed a cadre of other government leaders
• Previous nominees may be renominated provided
they meet the provisions of this announcement and their nominations are updated
to include their latest achievements.