My role is important because I bring nine years of operational Army experience to the table. Te acquisition profession- als in our office work hard to deliver the best sustainable tactical electric power generation equipment to the warfighter. However, many of them don’t have cur- rent Army operational experience to help guide the decision-making process. I use my experience with operational Army units to inform our engineers and logis- ticians about capabilities suitable to meet warfighter requirements.
How did you become part of the Army Acquisition Workforce, and why?
By accident. After nine years on active duty, I went to work in private industry. After 10 months with an information protection company in New Jersey, I was promoted to a position of greater responsibility in Northern Virginia, but I missed the Army. I joined the Virginia Army National Guard to be around Sol- diers again and, after about one year, I began working for my unit full-time to backfill officers from the unit deployed to Afghanistan. Tis led to a position at the National Guard Bureau’s (NGB) Require- ments Materiel Division as a systems integrator, fielding heavy trucks to all states and territories. After four months, I was sent to the acquisition course in Huntsville, AL, and was assigned to Project Manager Expeditionary Energy and Sustainment Systems (PM E2S2) as an APM. I also transitioned to the active Guard Reserve force.
What do you see as the most important points in your career with the Army Acquisition Workforce, and why?
My experience at NGB was definitely a turning point in my career. Tat role was my first nonoperational Army posi- tion and I quickly found myself working
on logistics issues at the national level. In addition, I attended the force manage- ment course at Fort Belvoir and learned
“how the Army ran”—how Congress dis- tributes resources to the armed forces and how those resources turn into capabilities for the Army. In the operational Army at BCT and below, few people understand these processes, and they need our help to navigate them.
Another important point in my acquisition career is when I deployed to Afghanistan for several months, just two weeks after reporting to my program management office. Tis experience jump-started my program management education because I had the opportunity to provide capabili- ties to Soldiers in combat and solicit their feedback in real time.
Can you name a particular mentor or mentors who helped you in your career? How did they help you? Have you been a mentor?
I have had great mentors at different stages of my career. In the AL&T Workforce, BG Brian Cummings at PEO Soldier has been and continues to be a great mentor. He is a senior leader with a clear vision who genuinely cares about his subordinates’ success and knows what they should do to achieve success. BG Cummings, then the PM E2S2 program manager, sent me to Afghanistan with essentially no experi- ence because he knew it would set me up for success later in my AL&T career.
One of the most important things about mentoring to me is being able to provide information to a subordinate that I have learned through experience. Mentoring was easy as a seasoned combat veteran in the operational Army, and I hope to do more mentoring as I build on my AL&T Workforce experience.
What’s the greatest satisfaction you have in being a part of the Army Acqui- sition Workforce?
One of the most satisfying things is the work we do on behalf of the warfighter and the American people, unbeknownst to them. Soldiers are often unaware that their recommendations get our full atten- tion when our fielding teams or logistics assistance representatives hear about some systemic issue with our products. We go to extraordinary efforts to analyze failing components, develop parts that are more reliable and slip them into the production line. Tese improvements appear seam- less to the users but require enormous effort from our engineers, logisticians and technicians.
What advice would you give to some- one who wants to get where you are today?
Dive into the workforce and learn as much as you can learn in the first year or two, and then endeavor to improve your organization. Be willing to attend as many meetings about your program as you can: Even meetings tangentially related to your program will provide valuable insights for you. Find out who your stakeholders are and meet them. Volunteer to travel to events where you can interact with war- fighters in operational units. Talking with representatives of operational units will keep you informed about what the current and emerging requirements are.
Finally, seek mentors to take advantage of their experience. Talk to your engineers and technicians and ask them to explain the fundamental principles of your sys- tem. Knowing what your engineers know will increase your credibility with war- fighters, your engineers and your peers.
—MS. SUSAN L. FOLLETT
ASC.ARMY.MIL 187
WORKFORCE
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