TULSA, Okla. — Every year the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chief Counsel recognizes outstanding members of the Corps’ Legal Services community of practice. This year, two of these honorary awards went to two attorneys in the Tulsa District Office of Counsel.
The two prestigious awards for outstanding contributions to the Corps’ legal mission are the E. Manning Seltzer Award, which went to Deputy District Counsel Ron Goodeyon, and the Kimbel Award, which went to Assistant District Counsel Tom Angel.
“We are very pleased to see this national recognition for the great work that Ron and Tom have done for Tulsa District,” said Tulsa District Counsel Keith Klein. “They are both outstanding Corps attorneys whose superb legal skills have significantly benefitted the Tulsa District military and civil works programs.”
The E. Manning Seltzer award recognizes an attorney who has made special contributions to the Corps legal services mission, either through the development of a legal theory, a legal management innovation or practice, or outstanding performance in solving a legal or management problem. The Kimbel Award recognizes an attorney considered a “rising star” in the legal services community.
As the district’s contracting legal expert, Goodeyon supervised and/or personally completed more than 400 contract reviews and provided legal advice to the Contracting Division.
“When difficult situations arose, the Contracting Division turned to Ron time and again for on-target, well-reasoned legal advice, and creative solutions,” said Klein.
Through litigation, Goodeyon also successfully defended and resolved four complex contract appeals in which the contractor sought more than $4 million for additional work on a $200 million project. Goodeyon handled a variety of Requests for Equitable Adjustment and drafted a number of Contracting Officer Final Decisions for claims at Corps project locations that resolved the contractual disputes, and he resolved a dozen bid protests by obtaining GAO or agency dismissals or advising corrective action.
“Ron is an outstanding leader and role model who has earned the complete trust of the District Commander and his staff, and greatly enhanced the reputation and effectiveness of the Tulsa District Office of Counsel,” said Klein.
Angel worked on a wide range of real estate, contract, civil works, and environmental and regulatory issues. Angel was the lead on an audit by the North American Electricity Reliability Corporation (NERC) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ensuring no violations. He also performed numerous legal reviews of contracts and led an effort that resulted in settlement of a group of claims associated with one of the district’s military construction projects. Angel lent his expertise to the Real Estate Division by working with cities, lessees, railroads, and other non-federal entities to complete many high-priority projects.
Angel also worked two temporary details, one in the Louisville District and another in the Los Angeles District. He worked a number of civil and military works matters on the two details, including the Indianapolis Flood Damage Reduction Project Environmental Impact Survey, wetland mitigation, conservation easement templates, and NEPA studies.
“On these two details, Tom continued to shine as a problem-solving attorney,” said Klein. “While in Louisville, the work on the Flood Damage EIS included a contentious SEIS and public hearings. And in Los Angeles one of his major accomplishments was to identify options to obtain appropriate payment from a local government in connection with the lease of a major dam and lake.”
Angel recently accepted a position at the USACE Headquarters Real Estate Law Practice Group and will be relocating to the Washington D.C. area.