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  • December

    Santa Claus interrupts the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District's (SWG) quarterly award ceremony to congratulate the awardees and read off the names of all the employees who made this year's "nice list." SWG held its Fiscal Year 2024 First Quarter Awards Ceremony and Townhall at the Jadwin Building in Galveston, Texas, Dec. 14, 2023.

    SWG holds holiday-themed awards ceremony and townhall

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District (SWG) held its Fiscal Year 2024 First Quarter Army Professional Awards Ceremony and Townhall at the Jadwin Building in Galveston, Texas, Dec. 14, 2023. More than 150 District employees attended the ceremony and townhall in person, and many more virtually.

  • November

    (From left) Former Wharton Mayor Domingo Montalvo, Col. Rhett Blackmon, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District commander, and distinguished representatives from the City of Wharton and USACE break ground on the Colorado River Levee Project Phase 1 during a ceremony in Wharton, Texas, November 29, 2023. The project will address Wharton’s significant flooding issues due to its proximity to the Colorado River, Caney Creek, Baughman Slough, Peach Creek, and low elevations across the region.

    SWG, City of Wharton kick off Colorado River Levee Project Phase 1

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District and the City of Wharton, Texas, celebrated the official beginning of their Colorado River Levee Project Phase 1 with a groundbreaking ceremony in Wharton, November 29, 2023.

  • September

    Marie Taylor (podium), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District's central evaluation unit leader, gives an overview of the district's regulatory permit process during a public outreach workshop, September 21, 2023. The Army’s Regulatory Program is one of the oldest in the U.S. federal government. Initially, it served to protect and maintain the navigable capacity of the nation’s waters. Time, changing public needs, evolving policy, case law, and new statutory mandates have changed the complexity of the program.

    SWG hosts regulatory workshop

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District (SWG) hosted a workshop on their regulatory program September 21, 2023.

  • June

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District Commander Col. Rhett Blackmon delivers a recorded message for the district's Juneteenth observance, June 12, 2023. “Juneteenth commemorates the day enslaved Black people of Texas learned they were finally free from their bondage,” Blackmon said. “This momentous celebration has its roots right here in our own home of Galveston, Texas.”

    Galveston District hosts Juneteenth observance

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District held a Juneteenth observance ceremony, June 12, 2023. Galveston District Equal Employment Manager Dr. Rose Caballero served as guest speaker for the observance, held at the district’s headquarters and online via WebEx.

  • May

    Dr. Rev. Thich Hang Dat, left, AAPI Heritage Month speaker talks about the benefits of meditation as a personal practice for stress management. Galveston District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers celebrated Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, May 18, 2023, in the Jadwin Building Conference Room with dozens attending in person and dozens more watching online. Ms. Thanh Nguyen EEO Asian American Pacific Islander Program Manager organized the event with the aim to honor and highlight the diverse culture, heritage, achievements, and contributions of the AAPI community throughout history. This year's theme, "Advancing Leaders Through Opportunity," selected by the Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC), highlights the leadership potential within the AAPI community. We encourage our community to study, observe, and celebrate the AAPI today and every day in support and recognition of the history and culture of this community.

    SWG holds AAPI heritage observance

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District held an Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month observance with a ceremony and presentation at the District headquarters.

  • March

    Each March, the Department of Defense pays tribute to the women who, through determination and contributions, have shaped American history and whose efforts continue to pave the way forward. This year’s theme, chosen by the National Women’s History Alliance, is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.”

    SWG holds Women’s History Month observance

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District observed Women’s History Month with an online presentation March 21, 2023. This year’s theme, chosen by the National Women’s History Alliance, is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.”
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District Commander Col. Rhett Blackmon [left] recognizes several "Champions of the Coast" for their efforts during an awards ceremony, March 2, 2023. The ceremony recognized employees for their significant individual achievements and group accomplishments during the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2023.

    SWG holds FY23 2nd quarter awards ceremony

    District Commander Col. Rhett A. Blackmon and Deputy District Engineer Byron Williams recognized nearly 100 “Champions of the Texas Coast” during the Fiscal Year 2023 Second Quarter Awards Ceremony, held March 2, 2023, at the Jadwin Building and virtually via WebEx.

  • February

    Chris Frabotta, Chief of Operations for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District, delivers a presentation on “Galveston District’s Beneficial use of Dredged Material,” during the winter edition of the biannual Stakeholder Partnering Forum (SPF) at Galveston Island’s Moody Gardens Convention Center. This SPF’s theme is “Partnering for a Sustainable Future.” The Galveston District conducts semi-annual SPFs with non-federal sponsors, customers and agency partners to collaborate on best practices regarding programs ranging from ecosystem restoration to flood risk management, maintaining and improving Texas coastal navigation systems, and regulatory oversight of U.S. waters. U.S. Army photo by Trevor Welsh.

    Galveston District holds Winter 2023 Stakeholder Partnering Forum

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District hosted the winter edition of its biannual Stakeholder Partnering Forum (SPF) February 15, 2023.

  • December

    Several U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District employees received Certificates of Achievement for their efforts in their respective programs and projects. District Commander Col. Rhett A. Blackmon (left) recognized more than 100 “Champions of the Texas Coast” during the Fiscal Year 2023 First Quarter Awards Ceremony, held December 1, 2022, at the Jadwin Building and virtually via WebEx.

    SWG holds FY23 1st quarter awards ceremony

    District Commander Col. Rhett A. Blackmon and Deputy District Engineer Byron Williams recognized more than 100 “Champions of the Texas Coast” during the Fiscal Year 2023 First Quarter Awards Ceremony, December 1, 2022, at the Jadwin Building and virtually via WebEx.

  • November

    Brig. Gen. Antoinette R. Gant was promoted to the rank of brigadier general on October 28, 2022, becoming the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) first active-duty African-American female general officer. Gant held her promotion ceremony at her alma mater, Prairie View A&M University in Texas. She graduated from Prairie View A&M University as a distinguished military graduate with a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering and a commission in the Army’s Engineer Regiment. She holds a Master of Science in engineer management from Missouri University of Science and Technology, and a Master of Science in national resource strategy from the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. She is also a certified Project Management Professional.

    SPD commander hopes to inspire new generations into USACE, STEAM careers

    Colonel Antoinette R. Gant proudly stands facing a packed room of family, friends, and colleagues. Her eyes are beaming. Her smile can’t be contained. She not only commands the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) South Pacific Division; she’s in complete command of the attention in the room. Her husband, son, and daughter join her on a small stage. With careful hands, her family unveils two shiny silver stars from decorative boxes. That’s the last time her family—and anyone else, for that matter—will see her in a colonel’s uniform.

  • October

    [From left to right] U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston Deputy District Engineer Byron Williams and District Commander Col. Rhett A. Blackmon discuss their collaborative efforts with non-federal partners during the Fall 2022 Stakeholder Partnering Forum, October 6, 2022. The forum helps the Galveston District identify opportunities to better support stakeholder commitments and emerging interests for planning studies, preconstruction, engineering and, construction, operations and maintenance.

    SWG holds Fall 2022 Stakeholder Partnering Forum

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District hosted the fall edition of its biannual Stakeholder Partnering Forum (SPF) at its command headquarters, October 6.

  • September

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District Commander Col. Rhett A. Blackmon (far left) awards the Matagorda Ship Channel Project Delivery Team with a group certificate of achievement during an award ceremony, September 29. (Starting second from left) Pictured are: Lisa Finn; Ashley Neil, Konstantinos Kostarelos; and Kari Gauntt. The team worked with the project's non-federal sponsor to design and provide oversight to improve navigation along the Matagorda Ship Channel.

    SWG holds FY22 4th Qtr awards ceremony

    District Commander Col. Rhett A. Blackmon and Deputy District Engineer Byron Williams recognized more than 100 “Champions of the Texas Coast” during the Fiscal Year 2022 Fourth Quarter Awards Ceremony, held September 29, 2022, at the Jadwin Building and virtually via WebEx.
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District Commander Col. Rhett A. Blackmon brings employees up to speed on the events leading into the new fiscal year during a townhall meeting, September 29. Having officially taken command back in July, Blackmon shared his insights on learning about all the different projects, meeting with non-federal partners, and getting to know the District during his first two months at Galveston.

    SWG holds 4th Qtr townhall

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District held a townhall meeting, September 29, to address many of the trending topics within the District during the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2022.

  • August

    Kelsey Ciarrocca, a cartographer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District's Real Estate Division, was recently named USACE’s “Innovator of the Year” for her pioneering work with real-time data and Smartsheet—a cloud-based program. In a nutshell, she took large amounts of data, which would normally take days to process, and made it digestible for USACE and other entities to better work together. On top of that, Ciarrocca made the information accessible within fractions of a second.

    Kelsey Ciarrocca named USACE ‘Innovator of the Year’

    Kelsey Ciarrocca really believes in working smarter, not harder. You could argue that her philosophy put the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District on the map.

  • July

    A Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle—the world’s rarest and most endangered sea turtle species—nests on a new beach near the corner of Seawall and 86th Street. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District’s beach renourishment project helped make the nesting possible by replenishing Babe's Beach with sand provided through the District’s routine maintenance dredging of the Galveston Channel.

    Kemp’s ridley sea turtle lays eggs on replenished beach

    Galveston’s beaches are no strangers to visitors, especially during the summer. Each year, more that 7 million people come to vacation here. This year, however, a very special visitor made Galveston it’s preferred summer getaway destination. A Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle—the world’s rarest and most endangered sea turtle species—nested on a new beach near the corner of Seawall and 86th Street.
  • Col. Kenneth Reed (far left) passes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District command flag to Col. Rhett Blackmon (second from left) during a change of command ceremony at the Galveston District headquarters, July 15.

    Col. Rhett Blackmon takes command of Galveston District

    Col. Rhett A. Blackmon assumed command from Col. Tim R. Vail as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District commander during a change of command ceremony, held July 15 at the District’s headquarters in front of a crowd of family, District employees and distinguished visitors.

  • June

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Southwest Division Commander, Col. Kenneth Reed speaks to Galveston District employees during a townhall meeting at the Jadwin Building June 23.

    New SWD Commander holds townhall

    Galveston District employees heard directly from the Southwest Division Commander, Col. Kenneth Reed, during a townhall meeting at the Jadwin Building June 23.
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Galveston District Commander Col. Tim R. Vail [far right] gets ready to present the District's "Employee of the Year" award to one of four nominees during a quarterly awards ceremony June 23.

    FY22 3rd Qtr awards ceremony recognizes District’s best

    District Commander Col. Tim R. Vail and DPM Byron Williams recognized more than 40 SWG employees during the Fiscal Year 2022 Third Quarter Awards Ceremony, held June 23, 2022, at the Jadwin Building and virtually via WebEx.
  • Members of the Galveston District's Hydrographic Survey Section get underway to conduct a hydrographic survey of the Galveston ship channel. The 'Hydro' team primarily assists marine construction by monitoring the condition of the navigation channels and determining how much material is removed after dredging work.

    Section in the Spotlight: SWG Hydrographic Survey Section

    It’s World Hydrography Day! What better way to celebrate than by highlighting the professionals of the Galveston District’s Hydrographic Survey Section?
  • Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Michael Connor speaks at the Houston Ship Channel (HSC) Expansion--or Project 11--kick off event at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District headquarters, June 1. The Galveston District, Port Houston, and the Great Lakes Dock and Dredge Company are partnering to expand the channel. The HSC is a 52-mile-long channel with more than 200 public and private facilities alongside it. Expanding it is critical to safely and efficiently sustaining national energy security, domestic manufacturing growth, thriving U.S. exports, and expanding job opportunities.

    SWG celebrates Houston Ship Channel expansion kickoff

    The Galveston District, Port Houston and the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company jointly officially kicked off the Houston Ship Channel (HSC) Expansion—or Project 11—with a ceremony at the District’s Headquarters June 1.