Senior Program Manager and ONEIL Oshkosh Site Manager Jessica Schwartzmiller Receives Employee-Owner of the Quarter Award
Chris Mofield |Defense Business Unit Manager presenting Jessica with the employee of the quarter award. (Click to Enlarge)
Please join us in congratulating Jessica Schwartzmiller on receiving the Employee-Owner of the Quarter (EOQ) award! The EOQ award recognizes and shows appreciation to an employee-owner who demonstrated exceptional performance over the previous quarter. For all her work managing important programs meeting our customers’ needs and expectations as well as managing our Oshkosh office location, we are proud to present Jessica with the Q1 2023 award.
According to Chris Mofield, Jessica’s manager, “Having worked with Jessica for most of her 20+ years with ONEIL, it has been my absolute pleasure to see her grow into the leadership role she currently holds in Oshkosh. Our largest customer account is the one I worry the least about, knowing it is managed by Jessica and her team.”
Jessica’s career with ONEIL began in 2001 as a part time employee and with good reason as she was still in high school. During Jessica’s 20+ year tenure with ONEIL, she has worked in nearly every aspect of what we do from her original role as the office’s administrative assistant to her evolution to that of desktop publishing, on to illustration/animation and to technical writing. After all these roles and responsibilities and the invaluable experiences that came with them, she now finds herself in the dual role of Senior Program Manager for our partnership with Oshkosh Defense and that of Site Manager for our largest satellite office location in Oshkosh, WI.
Due to her extensive knowledge and experience with every aspect of ONEIL’s work for Oshkosh Defense Jessica finds herself extremely well respected within this relationship – something both businesses value. Jessica is the ultimate team player who not only does whatever it takes to get the job done but also is able to sense when others on her team need assistance. As a result she will seamlessly take some of their burden on herself to keep others afloat. While on the surface this may seem like an easy thing to do, the seamlessness with which Jessica is able to do this is a testament to her knowledge of every project being worked on by her team. She always puts her team first and is the definition of a servant leader.
We asked Jessica to share her thoughts about her ONEIL career.
Briefly share your career trajectory and what originally brought you to ONEIL.
I was approached by my business teacher in high school about participating in a ‘school to work’ program. At the time, my mom (Julie Norton) was the Site Manager of the ONEIL Oshkosh office, and they worked out a part time opportunity. I started working at ONEIL as a high schooler in 2001. I continued to work at ONEIL while attending college and really never had a reason to leave. I enjoyed learning new positions, taking on new challenges, burning the midnight oil more often than not, and most of all, I enjoyed (and still very much enjoy) the people that I work with.
What do you enjoy most about your work at ONEIL?
Easy – the people. There are 7 of us in the Oshkosh office who have been working at ONEIL for over 20 years. I have spent more than half my life with them here. We’ve been through some tough times, some great times, and everything in between which really creates a family bond. We currently have 29 employees in the Oshkosh office. It’s a small office environment where we can come in to work each day, work hard, laugh, learn, and know that ‘the mothership’ (Miamisburg, Ohio office) is full of others also ready to assist, help, and work hard right along with us. The new perk of being able to bring our dogs to work is also near the top of the list.
What motivates you to go above and beyond in your role?
Another easy one, the people and my relationship with Jesus Christ. This job is very difficult, and I absolutely cannot do it. But God can and He has surrounded me with the right people in the right positions both here at ONEIL and at the customer. In the book of Judges, there is a man named Gideon who is insecure and fearful (an unqualified nobody – that’s me!). God calls Gideon to a position of leadership with a small and particular army (that’s our small, handpicked-by-God team) and seemingly impossible tasks ahead (that is the changing schedules, expectations, scopes, workloads, deadlines, fires in between, etc.). Gideon and the small army are successful because God leads them through the seemingly impossible to victory and it’s all for His glory.
Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” I know very well what it’s like to be completely overburdened. My coworkers are quick to jump in to assist not only me, but others throughout the office. I love being able to do the same for them. That’s what makes a strong team.
My sister in Christ/friend/coworker gave me a gift with a quote on it that pretty much sums it up: “I pray hard, work hard, and leave the rest to God.” ~ Florence Griffith Joyner
It is Jessica’s work ethic, attitude, and ability to meet challenges head on that make her employee of the quarter. We are proud to have her on our team, and we look forward to even more of her outstanding contributions in the future.