Capacine Abdul-Aziz, Director, Land Border Integration Division, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security 
Ms. Capacine Abdul-Aziz has served as Director of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Land Border Integration (LBI) Division since 2020. Under Ms. Abdul-Aziz’s leadership, CBP has completed a multi-year technology modernization program that replaced an obsolete License Plate Reader (LPR) solution with a modern solution. Since its implementation, the LPR solution has improved performance, reliability, security, and reduced Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of this mission critical system used to support CBP operations. The scope and scale of this modernization program, ambitiously launched during the pandemic, required an extraordinary level of communication, collaboration, and coordination with multiple stakeholders, including more than 100 ports of entry and US Border Patrol checkpoints nationwide. Ms. Abdul-Aziz established relationships with mission partners to prioritize the deployment of over 725 modernized systems to maximize impact and minimize disruptions to port operations. Ms. Abdul-Aziz accelerated the pace of the technology modernization by directing support organizations acquire an inventory of components that were scarce due to pandemic supply chain disruptions.
The positive mission outcomes achieved under Ms. Abdul-Aziz’s leadership have been truly remarkable. The LPR read rates – a key system performance metric – significantly increased and now exceeds the nationwide SLA operational requirement. System availability and reliability metrics also improved. Operations and Maintenance (O&M) processes were streamlined to maintain solution reliability and performance.
Calvin C. Coleman, Branch Chief, Office of Information and Technology, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security 
Branch Chief Calvin C. Coleman stands as a pillar of dedication at the CBP Office of Information and Technology (OIT)’s Integrated Logistics Division (ILD). With a tenure spanning over twenty-six years, Mr. Coleman has been a staunch advocate and supporter of the Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) technologies. His profound understanding of logistics and NII technology sustenance has been pivotal in fortifying the U.S. Customs Service and Customs and Border Protection’s mission to shield our borders.
Mr. Coleman’s exemplary grasp of the Department of Homeland Security’s Integrated Logistics Support (DHS ILS) ensures that assets are managed efficiently, configurations are streamlined, and maintenance planning is top-notch. As a result, CBP consistently meets and often surpasses its objectives. He’s overseen the operations of the CBP NII Depot in Lorton, Virginia, an essential hub offering round-the-clock support and primary repair services for all NII handheld equipment.
Beyond his technical prowess, Mr. Coleman’s dedication shines through as he’s committed countless hours, often working late into the night, supporting multiple National Special Events in the National Capital Area. His collaborative spirit is evident in his weekly interactions with multiple DHS offices. Such engagements, ranging from partnerships with the Office of Field Operations to the U.S. Border Patrol, have cemented success across several programs, ensuring optimal safety technologies for both CBP Officers and U.S. Border Patrol Agents.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER – DATA ADVANCEMENT
The MVP award is given to an official or team that modernizes and improves the operations and performance of an agency, component, or division to increase capacity, speed delivery, use innovation and improve performance. These leaders also focus on the future – developing strategies and plans to address our constantly changing, dynamic threat environment.
Elizabeth Puchek, Chief Data Officer, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services
Elizabeth Puchek, Chief Data Officer for U.S. Customs and Immigration Services is using data to shape the first-ever USCIS Data Strategy and build a data-centric culture to secure one of the nation’s most critical missions: immigration. But it’s not just about the strategy – data quality and data standards are her priority which blazes the trail for the further use of automation technologies that can take efficiency, speed, and accuracy to unprecedented levels. Puchek is leading USCIS to a data driven culture that sets the organization up for long term improvement and paves the way for further use of emerging technologies like AI, machine learning, Large Language Model chat GPT and more. In just under 90 days, Beth established and chaired a cross-directorate working group to develop the strategy’s four goals, launched an agency-wide communication campaign, and completed the formal review and approval process to gain the Director’s concurrence. The strategy formed the foundation for the new organizational design for the OCDO, which is responsible for managing data assets and fostering a data-driven culture at USCIS. She oversaw the development and deployment of Streamline Case Processing solution, which over the last three quarters has saved over 500K hours in process forms. Beth is supporting the strategic plan by promoting data consumption among all of her staff by publishing enterprise-wide dashboards—the Director’s Snapshot, the Domestic Receipts Dashboard, the USCIS Strategic Performance Measures Dashboard, and the Electronic Filing Dashboard–to help facilitate leadership decisions; to launch the Data Management Council, and to complete several data sharing agreements with the Department of Labor and Department of State that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of benefit adjudications. She also has her eye on the need for her data analysts to be on the same page, so she created an Analyst Basic Training to provide a consistent baseline for the agency’s data analysts and is currently expanding this training to provide Analyst Intermediate Training for more advanced topics. Puchek’s roots in homeland extend to 8 years at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) where she held progressively advanced roles, including Advisor to the Commissioner, Chief of Staff for Enterprise Services, and Director of Systems Engineering.
Carin Quiroga, Chief Data Officer, ICE
This past year has been an incredible year for the Office of the CDO. Succinctly put, Carin is able to make people care about data and its use in an unprecedented way. It is through her enthusiasm that she brings people to the table to discuss the exciting things, do the hard things, and align on the many many tasks it takes to follow through. In this year alone she has led an IT data modernization effort, opened a data bodega, and started a data empowerment program. The IT Data Modernization project took place at the enterprise level. It builds on ICE’s data modernization progress to date, and follows an executable roadmap towards ICE’s future as a data driven organization. As of August 2023 twelve (12) of the sixteen (16) identified priorities have moved into new phases of execution. This program has established clear owners, captured existing efforts and dependencies, and focused on incremental progress to modernize ICE’s data and IT ecosystem. Carin also opened the ‘Data Bodega’. An inaugural effort of removing data silos and providing ‘one stop shopping’ for what will someday maintain a catalog of all data available throughout ICE. Still in its infancy, this working group requires many discussions and engagement across many offices as everyone aligns on the security needs of a law enforcement agency. Phase I is well underway with a launch date expected at the end of September. This pilot will provide access to four (4) foundational non-sensitive datasets to better inform decision making at all levels of engagement. Another star in Carin’s year, has been the Data Empowerment Program. This program launched with a Data Literacy Survey in July 2023 and had a response rate of 49%. The aim was to gather a baseline understanding of the data literacy landscape at ICE. From the information received, the Data Empowerment Program will help employees advance their data literacy skills, thought sponsored lunch & learns, communication of various self-paced trainings available, sharing of data standards and policies, as well as related book, article, and podcast recommendations for keeping those interested up-to-date on the latest and greatest technologies and information available.
While these are just a few examples of the work being done in the CDO office. The effort of creating measurable change to make the agency more data driven, and in turn responsive to change is evident in everything Carin does. We think big, start small – and always make forward progress.
BACKBONE
Often the “back-end” side of the mission is the most neglected, and yet often the most important. Recipients of the Backbone award have accomplished extraordinary feats to ensure that the support functions of an agency maximize efficiency, support mission and account for new advancements and technology.
Alberto Flores, Porte Director, Laredo, CBP
Mr. Alberto Flores has been serving as the Port Director of Laredo for the past three years, since he replaced the previous director, Eugene Crawford. Between 2018-2020, Flores served as Acting Port Director for the Laredo Port of Entry. Mr. Flores has expressed a bright vision for the Port of Laredo: “As we begin to navigate the future, I look forward to working together with both long established and new partners to ensure we do as much as we can to utilize the latest technology and innovation to facilitate lawful trade and travel while keeping an ever-watchful eye on our border security mission.” Mr. Flores’ duties include managing 1,225 employees, the four international bridges, the international airport, the rail crossing facility as well as managing the immigration hearing facility.According to the CBP, Mr. Flores is responsible for processing approximately 17 million travelers and over $139 billion in trade each year.While serving as Port Director for Laredo, Mr. Flores has successfully navigated several extremely challenging circumstances including a pandemic, the closure of borders for non-essential activities for more than a year, and the most difficult immigration crisis. Throughout all these crises he has ensured that international trade continues and that this land port continues to be number 1 in the nation, where 60% of all international trade with Mexico crosses through this district. Mr. Flores has worked hand in hand with federal and local authorities from Mexico to maintain the fragile balance of having a secure border and ensuring that legitimate international trade continues; his conduct in supporting international trade is commendable.
Maggie Larkin, Lead Project Manager, Global Program, USCIS
Maggie Larkin, Lead Product Manager, Global Program, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), is this year’s Backbone Awardee due to her exceptional contribution to enhancing the delivery of software solutions aimed at improving the throughput, accuracy, and quality of Refugee and Asylum Cases. Maggie has demonstrated a profound commitment to utilizing Lean Startup Methodologies and a Metrics-based, value-driven approach, leading to transformative results. Maggie is instrumental in enabling the use of Lean Startup methodologies within USCIS, bringing a revolutionary approach to software development and value delivery. By embracing principles such as iterative development, rapid experimentation, and validated learning, Maggie has fostered a true culture of innovation and human-centered design, ensuring that USCIS stays agile and responsive to the evolving challenges in the timely intake, processing, and adjudication of refugee and asylum cases. Building on that success, she has led the effort to define and operationalize a metrics-driven approach that centers on measurable outcomes, ensuring that every software development effort aligns with USCIS’s mission to enhance the throughput, accuracy, and quality of refugee and asylum cases. Her approach to aligning her teams on mission-related objectives and clearly defined measurable key results has significantly improved collaboration, transparency, and decision-making between engineering teams, the business, and organization leadership. Maggie has not only implemented and championed these methodologies but has also been an inspiring leader, promoting these concepts and practices throughout USCIS. Her collaborative and inclusive leadership style has motivated cross-functional teams, fostering a culture of innovation, excellence, and collaboration. Her work has enabled the Global program to swiftly respond to emerging challenges and better serve those officers on the front line of the refugee and asylum crisis, in not only saved time but also in positively impacting the lives of countless individuals seeking refuge and asylum. Her work represents an outstanding example of public service excellence and enables USCIS to uphold America’s promise as a nation of welcome and possibility with fairness, integrity, and respect for all they serve.
