Paul A. Rakowski, installation restoration program manager for the Naval Facilities Engineering Command in Norfolk, is the 2005 recipient of the Gerald P. McCarthy Award for Leadership in Environmental Conflict Resolution from U.Va.’s Institute for Environmental Negotiation. The award was presented on behalf of the Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute, a partnership program between the Virginia Department of Forestry, the Virginia Tech Center for Economic Education and the U.Va. Institute for Environmental Negotiation.
Rakowski was recognized for his leadership in creating partnerships between the Navy, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. These collaborations helped to bring about successful programs in order to restore the environment at Navy and Marine Corps installations in Virginia. Upon receiving the award at the graduation dinner for the 2005 class of the Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute on June 2, Rakowski stressed the collaborative efforts needed to bring about restoration. He said that he felt he was accepting the award on behalf of the U.S. Navy team and its partner organizations.