Airmen receive Gen. Larry O. Spencer Innovation Award during AFA ceremony

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Victoria H. Taylor
  • Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) --  Capt. Michael Kanaan, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance enterprise lead, was presented with the Gen. Larry O. Spencer Award during the Air Force Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference, Sept. 17, in National Harbor, Maryland.

The award, presented by Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David L. Goldfein and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright, recognizes Kanaan as a thought leader in the digital field across all Air Force functions, who noticeably shapes the highest levels of operations, messaging and funding.

Preceding the presentation of the individual award, Master Sgt. Louis Lusco and Senior Airman Dakota Williamson, accepting on behalf of their 17-person Maintenance Top Coat Team at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, were recognized in the team category.

The annual award, created in 2015, is named after former Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Larry O. Spencer, who helped create an innovative culture for Airmen to follow, and championed the “Every Dollar Counts” campaign along with the Airmen Powered by Innovation website.

"The real innovation is out in the field, and we need to cultivate those ideas and encourage those Airmen," Spencer said in 2015 during the unveiling of the award. "There are great ideas out there and we owe it to our Airmen to listen to them."