Lt Col Judith Mathewson, Ph.D. Candidate in Counseling at the Orlando Site, received the Blacks in Government (BIG) and Department of Defense (DoD) 2009 Meritorious Service Award during the DoD Forum and Awards Program, held in Baltimore, MD, from the 24th – 28th of August, 2009. 

Lt Colonel Judith Mathewson’s outstanding accomplishments were profiled by the Blacks in Government (BIG) and the Department of Defense (DoD):

Lieutenant Colonel Judith Mathewson, Air National Guard, has distinguished herself in the performance of outstanding service serving at the Department of Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, (DEOMI). She provided enthusiastic support by personally mentoring and promoting women and minorities within the Armed Forces and challenged over 450 enlisted and junior officers to continue their education and career development. She is an untiring OIF/OEF veteran activist and distinguished herself in public service as a Florida Supreme Court-certified volunteer mediator.

She personally collaborated with 75 different agencies to support returning National Guard, Reserve, and active duty veterans requiring psychological, financial, educational, housing, and employment assistance through non-profit organizations entitled Welcome Home, Vets, Inc. and Operation America Standing in Support (OASIS).

She created the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) Good Grief Camp for over 8,000 children and served as Board member who’s loved ones died in the line of duty. She taught 260 teenagers in leadership skills development training through the Military Order of World Wars (MOWW), fundraiser for the homeless veterans’ transition programs, Multiple Sclerosis Society, and volunteered at the local food kitchen for families in crisis.

The dedicated efforts of Lieutenant Colonel Mathewson bring great credit upon her, the National Guard Bureau, the United States Air Force, and the Department of Defenses.