Posted on June 10, 2026
By Shawn Davis
LOS ANGELES — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District Commander Col. Andrew Baker hosted his farewell town hall and the district’s Second Quarter Awards Ceremony June 3 at the LA District headquarters building in downtown LA.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been three years,” Baker said. “It’s been a crazy, very eventful three years for the district for sure. It has been an absolute honor for me to be here.”
Baker will relinquish command of the LA District to Col. Joshua Bost July 31. Bost most recently served as the district deputy commander of the USACE Great Lakes and Ohio River Division.
During the town hall, Baker highlighted several of the district’s project success stories during his tenure, including the Gila River Indian Community Solar-Over-Canal project in Arizona — the first of its kind to start construction in the U.S.; the Fort Irwin Simulation Center, which prepares the nation’s warfighters at the National Training Center, and some of the district’s collaborative projects with the Department of Veterans Affairs, including the VA mental health in-patient and out-patient facilities at Long Beach and the VA Spinal Cord Injury facility at San Diego.
Baker also spoke about one the district’s largest emergency management missions – the 2025 Los Angeles County Wildfires Debris Removal Mission. The LA District received a mission assignment from FEMA in January 2025, in support of the State of California following wildfires that ignited Jan. 7, 2025, in Altadena and Pacific Palisades. In just six months, USACE removed more than 2.6 million tons of debris from more than 9,500 properties, making this the fastest debris removal mission in USACE history.
“Each one of those properties represents a family – a story,” Baker said. “We’ve helped thousands of those folks take the first crucial step toward rebuilding their lives.”
Baker also discussed current and future LA District projects, like the Whittier Narrows and Prado dam safety projects; continuing the district’s navigation mission; and coordinating with local communities as the federal permitting agency for vital waterway projects.
Following Baker’s presentation, LA District Park Ranger Marlene Schmitt received her official title and badge during the district’s first-ever LA Park Ranger Pinning ceremony. Baker performed the honors of pinning the badge on Schmitt.
“For those of you who don’t know Marlene, she is here not because she needs to be; I think just about everybody in the Corps loves the work we do; loves the projects we do. Marlene is here because she really wants to be. She does it for the love of the program,” Baker said. “She’s increased our interpretive program. Her impact has been 400 percent, which is incredible.”
Baker went on to describe some of Schmitt’s duties, including her dedication as the district’s water safety mascot, “Bobber, the Safety Dog,” during outreach events – one of many things Schmitt does for the district.
Following the ceremony for Schmitt, Baker’s park ranger team also recognized him, presenting him with his own USACE Park Ranger campaign hat.
“They say that when you become a leader, you forfeit your right to think about yourself,” said Nick Figueroa, LA District park ranger. “I really do feel that you’ve done that with everybody when it came to helping everybody with the (Deferred Resignation Program), working with the health fitness program — everything that you have set out for, you’ve shown and proven that to us, and we really appreciate everything that you’ve done for us. We’re sad to see you go.”
The event concluded with a Second Quarter Awards ceremony. Awards and recipients are as follows:
• Joseph Ryan received the Kevin Inada Employee of the Quarter Award, which recognizes employees who exemplify a “taking care of people” philosophy.
• Frank Montelongo received the Commander’s Eagle Award for decisive actions and unwavering commitment.
• Shari Johnson was presented with the Jennie Ayala “Beyond the Call of Duty” Award for her willingness to go beyond normal expectations.
• Antal Szijj earned the Compass Award for demonstrating consistent and highly effective coaching and mentoring.
• Sonny Pothis was the recipient of the Mike Cogan Safety Employee of the Quarter Award for the second quarter of fiscal 2025.
• Genevieve Safi Holdridge and Theresa Schreckler received the H2O Helping Hands for Others Award for their selfless service and initiative.
• Arturo Orozco was recognized as an Outstanding PDT Member for his exceptional professionalism and leadership.
• The San Diego County Shoreline (Oceanside) Mitigation Study team was named the Outstanding Project Delivery Team and included Amy Thornton, Jonathan Hallemeier, Caleb Lodge, Juan Dominguez, Daniel Grijalva, Kymberly Lyons, Daria Mazey, Luis Sepulveda, Doland Cheung, Matthew Wesley, Eric Nguyen, Thomas Sentner, Erin Burns, Tiffany Troxel and Joseph Lamb.
Honorary awards also were presented to two teams for their dedication and significant contributions:
• The SPL Footprint Project Delivery Team was recognized for its pivotal role in advancing critical mission objectives. Members of the team included Arjay Augustin, Elaine Chyr, Joseph Gatti, Geneva Lee, Carlos Tabares, Latonya Taylor, Aaron Tieu, Glen Tucker, Michael Turanitza and Kimberly Warshaw.
• The Protection Working Group was honored for exceptional achievement in enhancing force protection for mission-essential assets. The team consisted of Shane Bush, Lesly Pineda, Edgard Soto, Margie Tizon, Glen Tucker and Michael Turanitza.
