Competitive Development Group/ Army Acquisition Fellowship Program (a three-year developmental program for GS-12/13 equivalents); and our DAU Senior Service College Fellowship Pro- gram offered regionally at Warren, MI; Huntsville, AL; and Aberdeen, MD. We also offer tuition assistance programs for our acquisition personnel through the Army DACM Office of the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center’s (USAASC).
Te use of the Defense Acquisition Work- force Development Fund (DAWDF) to develop innovative training programs that target Army acquisition human capital initiatives and address gaps in our acquisition functional competencies has been instrumental in meeting established goals. DAWDF-funded programs have supported the improvement of certifica- tion rates, the building of functional and leadership development skills, increased attainment of acquisition core competen- cies, and the recruitment, retention and recognition of our best acquisition work- force talent.
Q. Can you talk a little more about your new PD pilot effort?
A. Tere is a barrier to entry into Central- ized Selection List (CSL) positions for our acquisition civilians, and I recognize that we have not articulated a clear program management path to success for them. My intent is to increase the number of civilians managing acquisition programs and to offer a centralized selection pro- cess for them to obtain cost, schedule, performance and management experi- ence. As I mentioned, I am working with the USAASC to pilot this opportunity in FY15, to gather lessons learned and to offer opportunities for civilians in three main categories: geographically, region- ally and centrally.
Civilians could be centrally selected, similar to the DA Secretariat CSL pro- cess, and decide to work in their own backyards or explore opportunities geo- graphically. Te availability of jobs is key, and we are working to ensure that after a three-year tenure in a PD, the follow-on assignments and developmental opportu- nities are awaiting these personnel who are stepping forward to take on these challenging acquisition responsibilities.
Q. How would you describe your leader- ship style?
DETECTING THREATS The U.S. Army’s Edgewood Chemical Biologi- cal Center (ECBC), working with the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, has developed a new way to quickly evaluate potential chemical and biological threats using smartphones, an encrypted reader and volatile organic compound (VOC) detection strips. The proliferation of low-cost technol- ogy available to the enemy means that the Army must remain agile and adaptive to new threats. (Image courtesy of ECBC)
A. I have been described by others as a strategic leader. It is important for me to empower others to take the reins and ensure that a mission stays on task. Sim- ply put, I want people to think through their choices and understand the short- and long-term impacts of their decisions.
Another aspect of my leadership style is that I try to always be accessible. I prefer conversations rather than briefings. I like to get out and talk to the staff about the projects they’re working on. I learn more about what is going on in my organization in one trek around the office than from several briefings. I’m not a big fan of email. I prefer to meet face to face or to pick up the phone and talk directly to someone.
I believe leaders have a responsibility to mentor; we need to share experiences, knowledge and thoughts. It is important to me that our workforce professionals succeed programmatically, professionally and personally. I often tell our program managers that they need to be the smart- est people in the room when it comes to their programs, because there are a lot of people who think they know the pro- grams better than the program managers do. My experience is that, in the absence
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