Marine Corps photograph by Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Brandenburg

Col. Mark Hollahan, branch head of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Branch, Manpower and Reserve Affairs, (left), presents a plaque to Master Sgt. Billy Richardson, the equal opportunity adviser for Marine Forces Reserve, for his selection as the Equal Opportunity Adviser of the Year during a ceremony held at the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., Aug. 8, 2017. Richardson, a native of Las Vegas, was selected for demonstrating a consistently high level of performance that significantly and positively impacted his command’s equal opportunity program. Equal opportunity advisers are readiness multipliers and proactive, cognitive change agents that serve as the “eyes and ears” for the commander. They are subject matter experts that recognize and assess indicators of discrimination and sexual harassment that can be detrimental to combat readiness and mission effectiveness.