Russ DeLoach, NASA’s chief of Safety and Mission Assurance, presented U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Denise Zona, former Human Factors and Safety Culture interagency advisor, with the “Yes, If” award at the recent Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) town hall meeting. DeLoach presented this award in recognition of Zona’s agency contributions for fostering a culture of continuous improvement as the lead on the Organizational Risk Safety Assessment (ORSA).

"Yes, If" award recipient, Lt. Col. Denise Zona

Zona is an aerospace psychologist and served as an interagency advisor on a two-year detail at NASA. As a member of the Air Force, she supported OSMA and served as an advisor to Tracy Dillinger, NASA's Senior Executive Psychologist and manager for NASA’s Safety Culture and Human Factors programs. Zona has returned to serving the Air Force full time as the Healthcare Operations Squadron Commander.

ORSA is a tool used to assess organizational risk and safety by addressing potential issues such as fatigue, burnout, performance management, leadership, teamwork, work motivation, job attitudes, work stress and organizational development to better support a safety-oriented work environment. To complete an ORSA, leaders conduct in-depth interviews and assessments to provide real-time insights and suggestions. 

The implementation of ORSA for OSMA provided vital insights to enhance safety perception and better identify known and unknown risks.

To successfully conduct an ORSA, Zona secured interview spaces and coordinated with both facilitators and interviewees to collect valuable information. Zona’s meticulous attention to detail ensured the success of this initiative, and her work has left a lasting impact on the agency. 

“Denise’s ability to analyze complex data and present findings in a clear and compelling manner demonstrates her unwavering commitment to Safety and Mission Assurance,” said nominators Isabel Hernandez, a Human Factors Pathways intern and NASA Human Factors training director, and Johnny Nguyen, OSMA Missions and Programs Assessment Division director. “She embodies the ‘Yes, If’ mindset, consistently finding solutions and opportunities where others might see obstacles.”

While at NASA, Zona’s leadership skills were inspiring. Her example encouraged others across the agency to embrace the same spirit of creativity and commitment in their work. Zona showcased how the willingness to approach problems with creativity is essential to continue cultivating a strong “Yes, If” mindset across the agency.

“Gaining insight for a leader into their organization, especially during times of change, is crucial,” said Nguyen. “For a leader to understand what they’re dealing with, and then to come up with effective strategies to best move the mission forward, is absolutely key in today’s environment. Therefore, Denise’s ‘Yes, If’ attitude and approach to developing and executing the Organization Risk Safety Assessment is a valuable tool for all of NASA leadership.”