Mike Mascola is the 2023 NOAA Employee of the Year for Customer Service

GSL’s Mike Mascola has received the NOAA Employee of the Year for Customer Service!

Mike serves as the Facility Assistant for the Global Systems Laboratory (GSL) and provides exemplary Audio/Visual (A/V) support for the entire David Skaggs Research Center (DSRC) in Boulder, Colorado. Mike is a resourceful and creative problem solver. He is sought after by multiple organizations throughout the DSRC and across NOAA for his expertise and customer service.

Mike ensures DSRC events run smoothly, from A/V setup to room arrangement. A/V capabilities are generally taken for granted, and Mike often receives short notice that his help is needed. Still, he finds time to listen to the goals and requirements for an event, offers thoughtful suggestions, and is available in the background for a rescue. Recognizing the need for modern, user-friendly systems, Mike also undertook the ambitious task of upgrading three GSL conference rooms. These enhancements transformed hybrid meetings into professional and seamless experiences, facilitating collaboration among staff and visitors.

Mike provided seamless A/V support for numerous high-visibility VIP events involving the Colorado Governor and Congressional representatives focused on the Marshall Fire. His meticulous attention to detail and audio/visual technology expertise have consistently elevated these events, leaving a lasting positive impression.

Mike extended his support beyond his primary role by assisting GSL summer interns in preparing their final presentations. His patient guidance and commitment to ensuring their comfort with room setups exemplify his dedication to fostering the growth of others within the organization. During the student symposium, Mike sat through four hours of talks to be available to help them. He also supported a GSL offsite hybrid retreat, worked on a construction upgrade for GSL's upcoming Fire Weather Test Bed, helped with office moves, and worked on educational kiosks in the DSRC lobby. Mike is always exceptionally responsive, collaborative in his support, and a pleasure to work with.

As Facility Assistant, Mike also had a critical role in preventing further damage from the significant after-hours flooding event in the DSRC on Saturday, December 24, 2022. On this day, the DSRC building experienced a catastrophic sprinkler pipe failure above the 3rd-floor catwalk, releasing 250,000 gallons of water to the ground floor and destroying the main conference room. Two out of four core blocks had extensive flood damage, including a significant portion of the main lobby, offices, and workspaces. The flood triggered a fire alarm that notified local fire authorities and DSRC staff. Within an hour, Mike was onsite to assess the water damage in GSL's data centers and offices. In one data center, as water gushed from the ceiling lights and tiles, Mike manually shut down all power within the room. He placed plastic sheets over the server equipment and water-absorbent socks in key locations surrounding equipment racks. When it was safe, he carefully cleaned the data center, including computer racks and floors, and vacuumed up dirt and dust. Mike's mitigation and restoration efforts resulted in only a two-week downtime and the full restoration of all systems. This effort saved NOAA over $1M in possible lost Information Technology hardware and related systems.

In another near-disaster outside normal operating hours, the DSRC lost cooling capabilities in GSL's Jet supercomputer room when two chillers failed around 9 p.m. on March 14, 2023. Mike rushed to the building to set up temporary cooling measures and coordinated with the HPC team to manage Jet systems remotely. Cooling was restored by 10:15 p.m. Mike's immediate actions helped reduce the impacts of this outage and helped restore operations quickly.

Mike Mascola's unwavering dedication to NOAA's mission is extraordinary. His tireless efforts, often behind the scenes, consistently make NOAA shine. His actions, especially in times of crisis, demonstrate exceptional technical expertise and a profound commitment to the organization's goals. Mike's outstanding customer service, creative problem-solving abilities, and steadfast dedication embody the spirit and excellence that define NOAA's mission.