Dinesh Katti, professor and interim department chair of civil and environmental engineering, was awarded the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve’s Patriot Award April 22.

The honor is recognition from Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense program established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve members and their civilian employers. The Patriot Award was created to recognize individuals for their support and understanding of employees’ military service.

Jan Lofberg, budget coordinator for the department, nominated Katti for his support of her military service. Lofberg recently retired from the North Dakota National Guard, as a staff sergeant.

Her nomination stated Katti has been her supervisor for eight years. “He has been nothing but supportive during all these years, during my military obligations of guard drills, annual trainings, schools and state active duty,” Lofberg wrote. “He has provided me with the necessary resources to be able to keep up with my civilian job while I was absent due to military obligations. He has sent me off without a guilty conscience and has stated how proud he is of me. In my 26 years of military service, I have never had a better boss that has supported me and I am proud to work with him.”

The award presentation is featured on the “ESGR in the News” webpage. The story is titled “North Dakota State University supervisor receives Department of Defense Patriot Award.”

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