UNIT: Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal
TITLE: Deputy Director for Aviation
AAC MEMBER SINCE: 2001
TOTAL YEARS OF ARMY SERVICE: 30
AWARDS: Dellamonico Award, UASA Redstone Civilian Management/Executive Award (2); Superior Civilian Service Award; Secretary of Army Award for Weapons Systems Contracting
EDUCATION: M.S., management, University of Alabama, Huntsville; B.S., social work, University of Alabama
What do you do and why is it important to the warfighter?
As deputy director for aviation at the Army Contracting Command – Redstone Arsenal, I support the Program Executive Office (PEO) for Aviation in developing, procuring and sustaining the Army aviation platforms. As a contracting professional, I am a key member of the overall acquisition team responsible for providing our Soldiers superior capabilities to execute their mission.
What are some of the milestones you’ve achieved?
I joined federal service as a U.S. Army Materiel Command intern in 1984 and have served in the contracting career field for more than 30 years. I’ve had the opportunity to support the Aviation and Missile Command, joint service efforts and multiple program executive offices in executing DOD’s mission. I was selected for leadership in January 1991 and served in a supervisory capacity in the Base Operations and Test Measurement Diagnostic Equipment and Unmanned Ground Vehicle Divisions of the Missile Command Acquisition Center. I volunteered to support Army Aviation when the aviation community moved to Redstone Arsenal as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Act realignment and have been a part of that mission since 1997. For more than 10 years, I served as contracting officer for the Longbow and Block III aircraft and sensors efforts and in acquisition leadership positions on the Apache program. I am very fortunate to lead a great team of folks as the deputy director for aviation in executing the largest portfolio in the Army. Our team directly supports the PEO for Aviation in the planning, execution and administration of contracts to support their mission with contract awards totaling $11 billion annually.
What is your greatest satisfaction in being part of the Army Acquisition Corps?
My greatest satisfaction is having the opportunity to make a difference in the development of our workforce, which ultimately influences our ability to provide superior support to the U.S. Soldier.
Since I recently completed 30 years of my contracting career, my career goals have become much more focused on the impact I can have on growth of those who follow me in the contracting profession. As a part of the Excellence in Government Leadership Program, we were asked to prepare our legacy statement-—mine reads, “All that she said and did was a positive influence upon others, instilling her core values of respect, integrity, fairness, compassion, social responsibility and empathy. She touched me by listening when I needed her ear, gave me guidance when I asked for her help, hugged me when I needed comfort, challenged me when I needed to question my actions or needed to take a firm stance on an issue, encouraged me to be than I thought I could be and set an example by living her core values.”
In celebration of the silver anniversary of the Army Acquisition Corps (AAC), Access is publishing “25 for 25” — twenty-five profiles of members of the AAC across the Army Acquisition Workforce. These profiles provide unique insight into the variety and importance of the work done by the AAC every day.
