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An Active Group of Talented PeopleThe A-T Solutions team is an active group of talented people who take achieving excellence personally – for our customers, for our colleagues within military and government organizations, for the communities in which we work and live, and ultimately, for the citizens around the world who are supporting the fight against the spread of terrorism. We are always tremendously proud and thankful when our team members’ valuable individual contributions are noticed and recognized. See below for the latest in employee highlights. Jan. 17, 2012 Mobile Training Team Brings Food and Fun to Local Kids
While there, they touched the lives of children in Tambler, a small village in the Saranghani Highlands on the island of Mindanao. The team passed through the village daily on their way to work.
A small church, open on the front with simple wooden benches for pews, is the village gathering spot. It was there that village children enjoyed a meal with A-TS Mobile Training Team (MTT) instructors and students. The MTT and their students donated food and collected money to buy the kids basketballs, soccer balls, and Frisbees. The local Training Officer Sgt. Marlon Kimmayong coordinated the effort. The instructors also donated more than $1,000.00 to a local orphanage and hosted a pizza and pool party for them at the Delores Tropicana Resort. June. 20, 2011 Director of Education Selected for Excellence in Teaching Award A-T Solutions Inc., a global, industry-leading anti- and counterterrorism professional solutions firm headquartered in the Tysons Corner area of Vienna, Va., announced today that Dr. Bob Dawkins, the company’s director of education and standards, has been presented with the American Public University System Excellence in Teaching Award. A-T Solutions has a partnership with American Military University, one of the schools within APUS, to ensure that individuals who participate in the company’s counterterrorism training programs are eligible for college course credit. “I am honored to be recognized for something I am passionate doing,” said Dawkins, an associate professor with AMU who has been teaching courses for the online university since completing his service in the military as an explosive ordnance disposal master technician in 2002. “The impact that these programs have on all of the students is incredible, and it’s extremely rewarding for me personally to be a part of helping so many war fighters and law enforcement professionals earn their degrees.” American Military University is an online university that educates those who serve with focused programs for national security and safety professionals. A-T Solutions has had a partnership with American Military University since 2002, when the company helped the university develop advanced counterterrorism training courses. Today, A-T Solutions offers 15 programs through which students can earn up to 52 hours of college credit from AMU. “Our partnership with APUS is a huge asset for the customers we serve with critical anti- and counterterrorism training services,” said Dennis Kelly, president and CEO of A-T Solutions. “A-T Solutions training courses help our customers and their employees earn college credits that can be applied toward college degrees and, ultimately, further advance their careers.” Dawkins joined the A-T Solutions team in 2003 and oversees all curriculum development and instructor qualifications for the company in the area of counterterrorism training. He is currently teaching 12 different courses at AMU for both undergraduate and post-graduate degree programs. April. 24, 2011 Audible Eggs Are Sweet Music to These Ears Some caring A-TS employees sacrificed their lunch hours on April 24 to make Easter extra egg-citing for some special kids. These A-TS volunteers assembled “beeping” Easter eggs for potential use by blind and visually impaired youngsters at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. With materials donated by the International Association of Bomb Technician and Investigators (IABTI), Ed Cooper, Program Manager for A-TS Homeland Security programs, coached volunteers in snuggling a small nest of wires, a battery, and a three-legged thingy (that looks suspiciously like what comes in a pizza box to prevent the cheese from sticking to the lid) into each of about 200 brightly colored plastic eggs, to create eggs that beep. Dawn Peifer, president of the Virginia Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments, said that using audible eggs at events like the White House Easter Egg Roll give children with visual impairments "the extraordinary opportunity to be ordinary." The White House Easter Egg Roll is so popular that the online lottery for tickets got more than 200,000 requests this year. When the First Family hosted more than 30,000 people from all 50 states in their backyard at the 133rd White House Easter Egg Roll, the 200 audible eggs were among the 14,500 hard-boiled and dyed eggs used in the egg roll and hunt. A tradition that dates back to 1878, this family event welcomes kids to hunt for and race Easter eggs on the White House lawn and enjoy storytelling, athletic activities, and a visit with the Easter Bunny. It doesn’t take much imagination to see how these audible eggs level the hunting field for kids that don’t see well or at all. Finding hidden eggs is hard enough for sighted kids. Imagine trying to do it blindfolded! Feb. 12, 2011 Chill Seekers Plunge into Icy Waters
The kid’s eyes weren’t playing tricks on him ― Dr. Nafario, AKA A-T Solutions CEO and President Dennis Kelly, led a handful of those fun-loving yellow fellows, into 31-degree water on Feb. 12. And it wasn’t a despicable scheme or crazy experiment. About 15 A-T Solutions employees braved the icy waters off historic downtown Fredericksburg’s Sophia dock with more than 150 other intrepid swimmers to raise money and awareness for Wounded EOD Warriors and their families. Hosted annually by the Wounded EOD Warrior Foundation, the Polar Bear Plunge gathers active duty EOD warriors, families, friends, and supporters to cheer on volunteer “plungers,” some dressed as super heroes. The 4th annual event grossed more than $30K for the Wounded EOD Warrior Foundation. A-T Solutions employees’ sponsorship donations alone contributed $5K to the cause. All proceeds benefit the Wounded EOD Warrior Foundation, a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization established in July 2007 to provide financial assistance to wounded EOD warriors and their families when an injured warrior returns stateside for care. The resources provided by the Foundation to the wounded and their families go beyond those provided by the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs, and allow families to stay together and support each other during the difficult healing and rehabilitation process. “EOD technicians are an elite group of men and women highly trained to disarm, diffuse, and dispose of unexploded ordnance and terrorist devices,” says Sherri Beck, event organizer and Wounded EOD Warrior Foundation president. She points out that jumping in cold water dressed as a cartoon character to raise funds is a small sacrifice compared to those made by EOD warfighters. Dec. 29, 2010 A-T Solutions Helps OOA Deliver Humanitarian Aid to Refugees in Kabul
The USO celebrated another milestone this week for “Operation USO Care Package” by packing the 2 millionth care package. Paul McQuillan, USO Metro Board Member and A-T Solutions Executive Vice President of Business Development, was recognized for his involvement and support to the program since its start. Several times each month, more than a hundred dedicated USO volunteers from the Metropolitan Washington area gather at a warehouse in Virginia to assemble Operation USO Care Packages. These packages are distributed at special “send-off celebrations” for those deploying and returning to overseas locations.  Oct. 24, 2010 A-T Solutions' Team Runs in Army Ten-Miler A-T Solutions' Open Mixed team ran the Army Ten-Miler on Sunday, Oct. 24, finishing 23rd out of 116 Open Mixed teams. Produced by the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, the Army Ten-Miler proceeds support Army Morale, Welfare and Recreation, a comprehensive network of support and leisure services designed to enhance the lives of soldiers and their families. Participants were Charles Wise, David Lonnquest, Robert Dubois, John Power, Susan Littlejohn, and team coach Jamie Marki.
November 25, 2009: Brian H. Calder, A-T Solutions Technical C-IED Team Lead, Honored by Queen Elizabeth
These days, Brian says, in his lilting Scottish brogue, he and his family are “living the American dream.” Soon after retiring from the British Army, Brian joined A-T Solutions and moved with his family to United States. “I had been watching A-T Solutions for years. I thought it would be a good fit for me. I knew that leaving the military after 23 years would be an adjustment, and A-T Solutions is as close as you can get to that sense of military camaraderie that I missed.” “In America, there seems to be a high priority on the family life. Everyone is very involved in the kids and their activities. Now that I’m with A-T Solutions, I am not away all the time and we can be a proper family.” Brian is a green card holder and is considering seeking his U.S. citizenship. “We are living the good life, I love it here, even the deep fried turkeys for Thanksgiving,” he says with a chuckle. “Everything’s bigger here — the cars, the houses. The American way of life is fantastic!” |
Jon DeMartino and eight fellow instructors (Keia Patti, Monte Quillin, Chuck Schaaf, Dee Jennings, Dave Anthony, Stuart Blackton, and Chris Broome) traveled to Mindanao, Philippines to train Filipino police officers in explosive incident countermeasures through the Department of State.
“Wait!” shouts the wide-eyed kid. “Was that Dr. Nafario and his mischievous minions from “Despicable Me” who just jumped into the water?”
A-T Solutions C-IED training director Jim O’Neil helped Senior Master Sgt. Peter Smith hand out candy to children at the Aschiana Refugee Camp near Kabul, Afghanistan, during a humanitarian aid mission led by members of Afghan Hands and supported by Soldiers of Operation Outreach Afghanistan (OOA). O’Neil arranged for A-T Solutions to purchase 43 blankets locally to help augment the winterization package of clothes, shoes and blankets that Afghan Hands had donated to help keep refugees in the camp warm during the coming cold winter months.
Dec. 4, 2010 USO Recognizes A-T Solutions for Support of “Operation USO Care Package” Program
Brian H. Calder, an A-T Solutions Technical C-IED Team Lead, was recognized for his “gallant and distinguished services in Afghanistan” by Queen Elizabeth at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Nov. 25, 2009. The Queen conferred on Brian the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award as his wife, mother, and son proudly looked on. The ceremony made Capt. Calder, now retired from the Royal Logistic Corps, a member the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, a chivalrous order. “It was a great honor and once-in-a-lifetime experience. A really special day for my whole family,” says Brian.