Phi-Anh "Ann" Lutz received the 2022 Career Achievement in Government Award, which recognizes an employee with over 15 years in the workforce whose experience enhances her job, division, and organization.

As a U.S. Merchant Marine Academy graduate, she sailed for 300 days as an engineer candidate on diesel and steam-powered U.S. flagships to nine different countries before beginning her career as a flight test engineer for the Air Force Research Laboratory.

These ships include a tanker, container ship, bulk carrier, and a military ship with sealift command. In addition, she earned a patent for her team's electromagnetic sliding space environmental protection satellite doors design.

She was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and brings real-world warfighting perspectives to her job. As flight commander, her 117-member team achieved a 95.8 percent quality assurance pass rate for 500 aircraft maintenance inspections.

During deployments, Lutz resolved 65,299 defective security measures in Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan and conducted training and advising missions for Afghan National Security Forces.

Lutz managed $144 million in systems on an $800 million White House-directed program, ensuring 100 percent warfighter capability.

Now, she leads an artificial intelligence project identifying hazardous materials in Air Force weapons systems, significantly reducing processing time from years to minutes.

Lutz also mentors high school students and volunteers with elementary school students, showing them the wonders of STEM.

"It is an honor to be recognized among women engineers with support from our supervisors and coworkers," Lutz said in her acceptance speech. "I graduated with an ABET-accredited degree from the Merchant Marine Academy, and our football team beats Coast Guard yearly," she added.

"My high school dance team coach had a huge influence on me. Unfortunately, she passed away last April from cancer. Cheryl was cheerleading captain for the Washington Redskins (now The Commanders) and a disciplinarian. She would not let us get away with anything. When I had to miss dance camp to attend summer pre-college engineering courses, she still promoted me to co-captain in my senior year. I dedicate this award to my coach in heaven, Mom and Dad, who emigrated from Vietnam, and my daughter. God bless America."