VA’s second annual Customer Experience (CX) Symposium, held Sept. 13-14, 2023, brought together more than 2,500 industry experts and leaders nationwide. They exchanged best CX practices and tools, and shared success stories and lessons learned from implementing CX practices featured at last year’s symposium.
“It Starts with Me,” VA’s theme for 2023, emphasizes the critical nature of every VA employee’s efforts and personal, individual responsibility to build trusted, lifelong relationships with those we serve.
VA Secretary Dennis McDonough and senior VA leaders recognized employees, volunteers and facilities for embodying “It Starts with Me” in customer experience, employee experience and trust.
CX Symposium 2023 Award Winners
Each award recognized VA employees, volunteers and facilities for their hard work and dedication to providing an exceptional customer experience. We congratulate the following award winners. Please find the complete list of CX award winners at CX Symposium 2023 Award Winners.
Secretary’s Honor Award for ICARE
- Inbound Operations Branch at the Board on the Paper File Team: Addie Sereal, Alexis Harton, Charde Pollitt, Charles Storks, Cyrus Leland, Ernest Asante, Jonathan Bland, Lashuna Cooper, Mardo Nunez, Regina (Lisa) Kirk, Terri Henderson, Terrell Williams and Ytica Mondor, Board of Veterans Appeals
- Shawn Buermann, account manager, Veterans Benefits Administration
- Dr. Joel Elzweig, section chief of Hospital Medicine; Anita (Nicki) Escott, physician assistant, Intensive Care Unit and Interventional Radiology; and Justin Joslin, registered nurse, VA White River Junction Health Care System
- Administration and Interment Staff: Andrew Line, Craig Arsell, Carlos Candelario, David Childers, Francisco Jimenez, Insu Paek, Jonathan Ramirez Colato, Keith Allen, Keya Causey, Kyle Shook, Michaelangelo Maamo, Maria Ramirez, Miguel Rodriguez, Michael Serrano, Oliver Villalobos, Reginald Flexen, Robert Mandeville, Sadera Arrington, Steven Lopez, Terrance Grayson, William Stewart and Adolpho Angulo, Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside, CA
- Cordell Smith, deputy director of Acquisition Policy, VA’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization
- Nathan W. Tierney, deputy chief information officer and chief people officer, Office of Information and Technology
Learn more about VA’s I CARE Award program and nominate VA employees at https://www.va.gov/icare/in-action.
Volunteer of the Year
- Barbara Brown, Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center
Own the Moment
- Bill Barksdale, VBA Roanoke Regional Office
- Robert Belcher, Massachusetts National Cemetery
- Sal Ambriz, Board of Veterans Appeals
- Mark Davis and Colleen Drake, Buffalo, New York Vet Center
- Dr. Erika Knox, Alvin C. York VA Medical Center, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Red Coat Ambassador of the Year
- Witt Cook, Nashville, Tennessee Vet Center
- Stephen Hood, Martinsburg VA Medical Center, Martinsburg, West Virginia
CX Innovation Awards
The CX Innovation Award recognizes employees for their innovation and enhancement of the delivery of experiences above expectations. Visit CX Symposium 2023 Award Winners for the complete list of winners.
Exceptional Experience
The Exceptional Experience awards span several categories, including Best Experience, Most Improved, and Service Recovery. Visit CX Symposium 2023 Award Winners for the complete list of winners.
Veterans Health Administration
- Best Overall Experience – Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center, Iron Mountain, Michigan
- Best Experience Facility Complexity Level 1 – Charles George VA Medical Center, Asheville, North Carolina
- Best Experience Facility Complexity Level 2 – Lebanon VA Medical Center, Lebanon, Pennsylvania
- Best Experience Facility Complexity Level 3 – Erie VA Medical Center, Erie, Pennsylvania
- Most Improved Inpatient Experience – Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center, Spokane, Washington
- Most Improved Outpatient Experience – W.G. (Bill) Hefner Salisbury Medical Center, Salisbury, North Carolina
Veterans Benefits Administration
- Best VBA Customer Experience – Office of Administrative Review
Vet Center
- Excellence in Customer Experience – Lexington Vet Center, Lexington, Kentucky
National Cemetery Administration
- Highest Performing National Cemetery – Fayetteville National Cemetery, Fayetteville, Arkansas
For more information on VA Customer Experience or the VA Veterans Experience Office, visit https://department.va.gov/veterans-experience.
