FACING CHALLENGES WITH CONFIDENCE
L LT. COL. CASSANDRA N. FORRESTER
COMMAND/ORGANIZATION: Integrated Air and Missile Defense Project Office, Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space
TITLE: Product Manager, Integrated Air & Missile Defense Hardware
YEARS OF SERVICE IN WORKFORCE: 12
YEARS OF MILITARY SERVICE: 24
DAWIA CERTIFICATIONS: Level III in program management and contracting
EDUCATION: M.A. in business administra- tion, Central Michigan University; B.S. in finance, Florida Atlantic University; associ- ate’s degree, Palm Beach State College
t. Col. Cassandra Forrester isn’t afraid of a challenge. Growing up in Jamaica, where cooking was a big part of her family life, she was frequently shopping for ingredients, preparing dishes and planning meals with her aunt. At age 10, she decided she was ready to cook a meal on her
own. Her aunt wasn’t so sure. “She thought I would cut my fingers off,” Forrester recalled. “She was so nervous, she said she couldn’t watch.” But in the end, the meal went off without a hitch. “It went really well,” she said. “I’m a visual learner and I like putting things into practice.”
Today, Forrester is the product manager for the Integrated Air & Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System Hardware product office for the Program Exec- utive Office for Missiles and Space (PEO M&S). At first blush, air and missile defense is a long way from making boiled green bananas in her family’s kitchen. But Forrester encourages others to approach new tasks with the same confidence she did. “I have been fortunate to speak to newly accessed captains and majors at the Army Acquisition Center of Excellence course, as well as newly hired acquisition civilians,” she said. “Te advice that I mostly relay is, do not fear this new career path, ask questions, use helpful tools (AcqNotes, DAU [Defense Acquisition Univer- sity] website, etc.), seek a mentor and know your ethical and legal boundaries.”
She traveled a circuitous path to the Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW), first enlisting as a 92A logistics specialist in 1996 and later commissioning as an ordnance officer via Officer Candidate School. She first heard about the AAW during a deployment to Iraq, and the timing was perfect. “I loved my Army family and wanted to continue serving, but I needed to find a role that was a better fit” personally and professionally, she said. When she learned about the AAW, she saw it as a great opportunity. “I was captivated by the level of responsibility, autonomy and professional growth possible in the Army Acquisition Corps. I was excited about the opportunity to remain in the Army and still grow my business acumen.”
Her first acquisition position was as a contracting specialist and contingency contracting officer, and she found her previous experience to be quite helpful. “I have logistics management experience and planning, tracking and reporting expe- rience,” she said. “I’ve worked in ordnance maintenance and I ran an ammunition supply point as a lieutenant in Okinawa, Japan. Risk planning, issues tracking, these are all skills I developed when I was enlisted and as an ordnance officer.” Now, Forrester recognizes these as some of her most important skills and attributes.
At PEO M&S, she is responsible for the development, procurement, fielding and life cycle management of $3.8 billion in air- and missile-defense systems. Tose items include legacy Air Defense Airspace Management; Rocket, Artillery
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Army AL&T Magazine
Fall 2020
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