Appears In
In a display of recognition for his dedicated service and unwavering commitment to Veterans and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), John Oswalt, Deputy Chief Information Officer (DCIO) for Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Records Management and Assessment Compliance and VA Chief Privacy Officer, was recently recognized with the 2024 Patriot Award by the Department of Defense (DOD).
The DOD Patriot Award is a prestigious honor bestowed on federal employees who demonstrate outstanding support for members of the National Guard and Reserve forces. Recipients of this award are nominated by members of the National Guard or Reserve who were positively impacted by the support they received from the nominee while balancing their military duties with their civilian employment. This esteemed accolade is a testament to Mr. Oswalt’s outstanding contributions, underscoring his profound impact on the lives of Veterans and his remarkable devotion to his duty and their honor.
The award presentation was held on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, in the presence of Office of Information and Technology (OIT) Executives and staff members. Mr. Dewaine Beard, OIT Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, and Brigadier General (Retired) Larry Gillespie of the DOD, presented the award to Mr. Oswalt and recognized the significance of his achievements.
Mr. Beard reflected on Mr. Oswalt’s contributions to the Veteran workforce and dedication to serving transitioning service members from active duty to their new role as U.S. civilians. Mr. Beard said, “I am super proud of John and his commitment to the [Reservist] workforce and to the VA. Thank you so much John for everything you’ve done. I just want his story and the stories I’ve told to inspire you all to value that workforce.”
Mr. Gillespie shared words of praise from fellow service members saying, “Mr. Oswalt consistently goes above and beyond what is required to support service members called to active duty. He provides both the time and public support to ensure that the service member is able to focus on their mission and have confidence that their civilian position is ready and waiting upon their return.”
Mr. Oswalt was nominated for the Patriot Award by OIT Service Management Office Director Randy Floyd. “In my service as a Cyber Warfare Colonel in the Army Reserve, I’m required to attend mission planning conferences at irregular times, often with very little notice. In addition, I still have regular Army work each month and two-week summer annual training events. John always fully supported me in those time off requirements and encouraged me to continue my Army training, taking time to listen and offering encouragement to persevere in that all-important second part time career,” he said.
Mr. Oswalt is a Senior Executive Service member within Compliance, Risk and Remediation, a service area within OIT. In August 2022, Mr. Oswalt assumed the role of Chief Privacy Officer and DCIO for the FOIA, Records Management and Assessment Compliance Division. As CPO, he administers VA’s Enterprise-wide Privacy Program on behalf of Mr. Kurt DelBene, Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology and Chief Information Officer and VA’s Senior Agency Official for Privacy. Additionally, as the DCIO, Mr. Oswalt directs VA Records, FOIA and Assessment Compliance activities concerned with the analysis, evaluation, and development of a robust gold standard VA FOIA Service, VA Enterprise Records Management Service, and a critical assessment compliance directorate.
