ARS Secretary Wins Agency Award

BELTSVILLE, Md., Feb. 12--Annapolis resident Martha Hollenbeck will receive the annual Secretary of the Year award today from the Agricultural Research Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific research agency. The award will be given during a ceremony at the agency's Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center.

Hollenbeck is a secretary with the agency's National Program Staff, in the Animal Production, Product Value and Safety (APPVS) group, which oversees the agency's research in animal production, food safety, and human nutrition. Her responsibilities include arranging travel, monitoring the budget, and managing files.

"Martha Hollenbeck is a teacher to employees on her staff and others," said Joseph Spence, acting associate deputy administrator for APPVS. "She is usually the first to learn how a new computer program works and will show everyone how to use it. The staff often benefits from her discoveries."

The citation for the award reads, “For demonstrating professional support above and beyond the ordinary by being a teacher, counselor and a coach to her peers and superiors.”

Hollenbeck first worked for ARS in the 1960s while a student at the University of Maryland. She returned to ARS in 1984 and has worked as a laboratory technician, secretary and support services assistant for the agency. “In my 20-plus years at ARS, I have been fortunate enough to work in agricultural research in the laboratory, the greenhouse and the field, and in administrative support," Hollenbeck said. "I have found all the job areas rewarding and enjoyable."