LEAVING A MARK


Another USAASC initiative that got the attention of DOD-level leadership and recognition from across DOD was legisla- tion, incorporated in the National Defense Authorization Act, to improve the acqui- sition workforce. “So we participated in human capital forums to identify the chal- lenges and how can we legislatively address one,” Sable said, who provided assistance in writing it. Te result was a body of legis- lation addressing, among other things, recruiting and hiring. “We had expe- dited hiring authority and direct hiring authority to bring on the kind of talent we needed in the workforce. We were at the cutting edge.”


WORK-LIFE BALANCE Spisak also saw a need to lead management practices in the area of balancing work and home lives.


Way before the COVID-19 pandemic forced most employees to telework in both the public and private sectors, Spisak was willing to provide USAASC staff members flexibility in their hours to accommodate situations at home that required their attention.


His openness allowed Kelly Terry to put her daughter’s medical needs first from the time she was diagnosed with cancer in 2007, through a period of remission, to her passing in 2013.


“The organization was so incredibly accommodating to me,” said Terry, then a USAASC regional director based at Pica- tinny Arsenal, New Jersey.


“I literally walked into work one day, I got the call from her day care [that she was sick] and didn’t come back for seven months,” said Terry. Spisak, Terry’s super- visors and colleagues “worked together to ensure the mission didn't become impeded.”


114 Army AL&T Magazine Summer 2021


A VERSATILE LEADER


Joan Sable received the Commanders Award for Civilian Service at the October 2014 USAASC all-hands meeting. Of Spisak, she said, “He could talk to anyone, anytime.”


“Te way they treated me, checked in on me, checked in on my family, was amaz- ing. And they were very cognizant of the fact that even [when] she had no evidence of disease, we still were getting treatment,” which required out-of-state travel.


“[Spisak] and his senior leadership allowed me the flexibilities to focus on my daugh- ter and my son,” she said.


“I am forever grateful for his leadership style. And the folks that he selects to be under him sharing, you know, that same thing, that mission is just one piece of who we are. And if we work together, we can still get it all done, no matter what’s going on. He understood the importance of taking care of people.”


LOOKING FORWARD What happens when Spisak has cleared out his office and his day-to-day priorities center not on the care and development of the organization and its individual members’ needs and responsibilities, but on what he’s going to accomplish first around the house? Tat remains to be


seen, but one thing is certain—whether he’s focused on hobbies, home improve- ment projects, or anything else, he will be sorely missed at USAASC.


Spisak “is the glue, quite frankly, that held that organization together,” Ostrowski said. “And he walks away with a ton of experience. And he knows roles [and where all the] skeletons are buried. He’s been there a long time, and he will be abso- lutely missed. Because you can’t replace that experience overnight. [Tere’s] just no way.”


MARGARET C. ROTH is an editor of Army AL&T magazine. She has more than a decade of experience in writing about the Army and more than three decades'


experience


in journalism and


public relations. Roth is a MG Keith L. Ware Public Affairs Award winner and a co-author of the book "Operation Just Cause: Te Storming of Panama." She holds a B.A. in Russian language and linguistics from the University of Virginia.


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