for a job—so I got my first federal job, as a protocol clerk, then a protocol specialist for about five years, at the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery Center at Fort Bliss. Tat was really cool. I got to meet a lot of heads of state and dignitaries.
In 2010 I came to the National Capi- tal Region with my husband, who’s now retired from the Army, from Fort Bliss. Te Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Systems (PEO EIS) initially hired me as an executive assistant, but about eight months in, I completed my MBA and the chief information officer of PEO EIS asked if I’d be interested in being an integrated project team lead in Product Manager Power Projection Enablers (PM P2E). Of course I said yes, and I was reas- signed to PM P2E in July 2011. I shadowed the assistant product manager, who was working on a network operations refresh, and then he left, so I got to finish his proj- ect. And when that was done, PM P2E sent me to Southwest Asia. Really, I was just sit- ting in the right place every time.
What’s one thing most people wouldn’t know about your job?
I equate it to the movie “Inside Out,” which takes place inside kids’ heads and all the emotions are portrayed as characters. My job is definitely an emotional roller coaster. One moment you’re up, one moment you’re down, the next moment you’re the “anger” character. We never know what’s going to happen on any given day. You can come in and a contract got awarded: greatest day ever. Or you can come in and somebody cut a cable on one of your job sites and it took down somebody’s network. You just never know.
What do you see as the most important points in your career with the acquisition workforce, and why?
Te first time I went to Southwest Asia— that’s when I knew I was in the right position. I got to see the capabilities my office puts out being used in the field: Wow, is that cool.
Also, any training is good—even just going to conferences,
I’m thinking, “Oh boy,
what am I going to learn?”—but two stand out: the CES [Civilian Education System] class at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and the capstone for Level III certification. Before I took the CES class, I probably was a person who checked the box for “does not work well with others,” so getting to work on that in a group setting was very helpful. In PM P2E, we work with a lot of support person- nel, and you have to get what you need out of everybody.
I came back from the capstone training as a better employee—I met people who work on ACAT [acquisition category] I programs or who work in research and development. In our corner of the acquisition world, we’re fielding COTS [commercial off-the-shelf] products, so we’re not developing or mak- ing anything, and we don’t necessarily see all the parts of the acquisition life cycle. Meeting people from all around the acqui- sition world was key.
Can you name a particular mentor or mentors who helped you in your career? How did they help you?
It would be impossible to name a single mentor. Many have coached, trained and mentored me over the years, profession- ally and personally. A former supervisor in 2004 advised me to seek a career in acqui- sition before I even knew what the Army Acquisition Corps was. It’s almost like she had a crystal ball to look into my future and see that one day I would land here. I got my MBA at a former supervisor’s urging. She said, “You’re a smart girl, you should go get your master’s degree.” And I listened. I’ve
been very fortunate. After breaking into the field, I received a lot of guidance on how to become a great project leader. Lastly, a mentor told me to never do anything that is illegal, immoral or unethical, and that is what I live by daily.
What’s the greatest satisfaction you have in being a part of the Army Acquisition Workforce?
Apart from knowing that the Solider is using the capabilities that I have delivered to keep us safe, I love that I get to come to work and have an opinion and take a stance. I wear the hat of my job title but I also wear the hat of being the guardian of the tax- payers’ dollars, and I love to argue. Tis position lets me argue with vendors, cus- tomers and contractors—and sometimes with internal leadership, even—because while we want to get the warfighters what they need, it doesn’t have to cost an exorbi- tant amount of money.
In a previous life, I must have been a true bean counter. I love what I do. When you’re little, your parents tell you that you have to stand for something, and this is a chance to do that. Soldiers get what they need and they’re happy, and the government is happy because we didn’t spend all their money to do so.
What advice would you give to someone who aspires to a career or position like yours?
Knowledge is power, and practice makes progress. Never be afraid to tackle the hard assignments, and be accept- ing of change: a career in acquisition is very dynamic. Lastly, be flexible and compromising.
—MS. MARY KATE AYLWARD
ASC.ARMY.MIL
45
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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