RISE TO THE TOP NICOLE KILGORE
COMMAND/ORGANIZATION: Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND)
TITLE: Deputy joint program executive officer YEARS OF SERVICE IN WORKFORCE: 13
DAWIA CERTIFICATIONS: Advanced in program management
EDUCATION: M.S. in biomedical sciences from Hood College; M.S. in national resource strategy from the National Defense University, Eisenhower School; and a B.S. in biology from Mount Saint Mary’s College
AWARDS: Commander’s Service Award (2014 and 2016); Superior Civilian Service Award (2015); Excellence in Federal Career — Outstanding Supervisor GS-13 and above, Bronze (2015); Excellence in Federal Career — Rookie Employee of the Year, Science & Technology and Program Support, Silver (2011); Army Civilian Service Achievement Medal (2010 and 2011)
Nicole Kilgore is the deputy joint program executive officer for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND). In this role, she leads civilian and military multidisciplinary teams whose mission is to protect warfighters and the nation from CBRN threats by generating affordable and state-of-the-art capabilities like the joint service general purpose mask, which allows warfighters to survive and maintain ground operations in a chemical and biological threat environment. Other life-saving projects Kilgore’s teams handle include the Next Generation Diagnostics System 1, which identifies biological hazards in human clinical specimens and provides diagnostic infor- mation to facilitate delivery of appropriate medical countermeasures; and the nuclear, biological, chemical reconnaissance vehicle sensor suite upgrade, which is a specialized vehicle equipped with a system to detect chemical, biological and radiological contam- ination in its immediate environment and warn Soldiers of the risk.
Before working with the DOD, Kilgore was the senior manager of virology and safety operations for Panacos Pharmaceuticals, a development-stage biotechnology company that seeks to develop next-generation anti-infective products through the discovery and development of small-molecule oral drugs designed to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other human viral diseases. As a scientist and acquisition professional, she brings a unique blend of expertise to CBRN defense. Initially, she joined the Army Acquisition Workforce to work closer to home, so she could better balance work and family life. However, she said, “Coming to the government was really a leap of faith for me. I had no idea what I was getting myself into and I left my first meeting in a total daze. I had never heard so many acronyms before in my life!”
Kilgore started as a contractor, then transitioned to a civilian position with the Joint Project Manager (JPM) Chemical Biological Medical Systems, now known as JPM CBRN Medical, as an assistant program manager, which allowed her to touch all aspects of the virology programs she was familiar with. “Specifically, I worked on the filovi- rus vaccine effort beginning at milestone A and was tasked with developing a strategy to take the product to licensure,” she said. Ebola, for example, is a type of filovirus. “It took three months to develop the strategy, only for us to have to redo the work when it wasn’t approved, initially. Budget constraints, technical risks and other factors required us to think outside of the box. But we developed a new, incremental strategy that offered greater flexibility and creativity. In the end, the program came back to life, and this gave me a unique perspective. I learned how the roles of contractors, scientists, civilians and service members all came together. I liked having the ability to keep some of these laboratory connections as I moved to other positions as a civilian.”
Troughout her career, Kilgore has held several positions of increasing responsibility within JPM-CBRN Medical. Serving as the joint product manager for the Platforms for Rapid Integrated Solutions for Medical (PRISM) is one opportunity that stands out for her. “Tat group was really ahead of its time,” Kilgore said. “So much of what we discuss now for fielding platform technology for the delivery of medical countermeasures started back with PRISM. It really sped up licensure and response processes so that we could
108 Army AL&T Magazine Spring 2023
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