GEORGE MITCHELL
POSITION: Test, Measurement and Diagnostic Equipment, Program Executive Office for Combat Support and Combat Service Support, Redstone Arsenal, AL
CERTIFICATIONS:
Level III in production, quality and manufacturing and in program management
Please describe briefly your career path. In what ways did it resemble or not resemble the Program Management Career Model?
My career path resembles the Career
Model. I was part of the Year Group 2003 Competitive Development Group (CDG) cohort; completed the Defense Leadership and Management Program (DLAMP), which was the predecessor to the Executive Leadership Development Program; served in various critical acquisi- tion positions; completed a master’s degree in business administration; and attended Senior Staff College. I completed the mili- tary equivalent of the leadership courses, and have been assigned to several typical assignments, including assistant product manager, deputy product manager, dep- uty project manager, product manager and product director.
I began my acquisition career as a quality assurance engineer with the Defense Con- tract Management Agency (DCMA) and became a member of the Army Acquisi- tion Workforce in 2001, serving as a part of the Acquisition Lessons Learned Cell at the Center for Army Lessons Learned at Fort Leavenworth, KS. During my tenure with DCMA, I observed Army and Navy program managers in action firsthand and came to the conclusion that I wanted to
be one of them. During my time at Fort Leavenworth, I was introduced to the CDG program, to which I applied and was accepted. I was placed in an assis- tant product manager position, and then competed for and was selected for mul- tiple product manager jobs of increasing responsibility.
What do you think was the single most important thing you did to get where you are today?
I put myself in situations—training, jobs and detail positions—to see opportuni- ties for myself and for others to see and know me.
Did a mentor or mentors (or being a mentor) make a big difference in your career advancement? If so, how?
My first mentor, and one with whom I still speak occasionally, is MG William Bond [USA Ret.]. Besides being my commander while I was part of DMCA, he served as my mentor for the DLAMP program. In addition to talking with me about the importance of successfully serving in cer- tain jobs, the most important thing that he related to me was the importance of moving forward in your career—not to sit back but keep reaching for the next higher position.
AAC MEMBERSHIP: Yes. Also a member of the Defense Acquisition Corps.
EDUCATION: MBA, Webster University; Master of Strategic Studies, U.S. Army War College; B.S., United States Military Academy at West Point
YEARS IN WORKFORCE: 23
Were there career-broadening experi- ences that helped in a critical way?
Tere were a couple of jobs that I held that were career-broadening. Te first instance was my first supervisory position while part of DCMA Bell Helicopter. Although I had been a military commander as part of my active-duty Army career, I had never supervised civilians until then nor dealt with the associated supervisory chal- lenges. Also while part of DCMA, I was selected as the lead for an integrated prod- uct team that was drawn from throughout the agency and responsible for updating earned value management guidance and procedures—part of a three-month-plus detail in Alexandria, VA. While my prod- uct manager and product director jobs have also been career-broadening, my time as a deputy product manager and then deputy project director definitely expanded my perspective and placed me in situations that I had never encountered as an Army civilian.
What has been your biggest surprise as a member of the Army Acquisition Workforce?
My career has affirmed what my mentor told me several years ago: Have fun and enjoy what you do—and I do, every day.
ASC.ARMY.MIL
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WORKFORCE
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