She undertook the great responsibility of project oversight and financial analysis while her coworkers deployed in support of the 2011 Mississippi River Flood. Additionally, she quickly developed a complete understanding of the complex skills required to execute the Mississippi River and Tributaries maintenance program.
These are just a few of many things Program Analyst Lisa Word accomplished before retiring after 32 years of federal service.
Word began her federal career in 1981, working as a seasonal data transcriber. She later moved on to the Memphis Defense Depot in 1982, where she held various positions until the depot closed in 2001.
Word returned to federal service in 2008, working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It was in March of 2011 that Word assumed the role of program analyst, where she stayed until her well-deserved retirement in December of 2021.
Word was (and still is) an expert in her field, providing program analysis for three Memphis District pump stations, including the W.G. Huxtable Pumping Plant, the Graham Burke Pump Station, and Drainage District # 17 Pump Station.
Because of Word’s work, these stations always had the required amounts of diesel fuel, lube oil, and other supplies needed to run properly. Because of her, these essential pumping stations remained operational year after year. Perhaps even more importantly, her actions ensured the stations continued pumping through several of the flood seasons this district would endure.
And as if she didn’t already do enough, this hardworking employee volunteered to assist with Hurricane Laura and other flood emergency response efforts during her time with the district.
Word's unwavering commitment to the mission is undeniable. Her efforts and expertise in her field directly contributed to the success of the Memphis District.
For all of that and more, the Memphis District team is forever grateful.
Thank you, Lisa, for your impressive 32 years of hard work and dedication, not only to the Memphis District, but also to the Mississippi Valley Division, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a whole, and to this great nation we all call home.