By Natalie Duncan
FORT BELVOIR, Va. (April 29, 2015) – The Army Director, Acquisition Career Management (DACM), Lt. Gen. Michael Williamson kicked off the first-ever Army Acquisition Leader Preparation Course (AALPC) at the National Conference Center in Leesburg, Virginia, earlier this month.
The three-day pilot course was aimed to prepare two dozen centrally selected program managers, contracting commanders and product directors to assume new leadership responsibilities.
Williamson challenged the students to make sense of disparate information from multiple sources to inform their decisions; take ownership of their environment early; and apply lessons learned so that they don’t “relive others’ mistakes.”
Leaders from the office responsible for supporting the Army DACM, or Army DACM Office, developed and coordinated the pilot ensuring participants were exposed to a broad range of perspectives from accomplished leaders and seasoned practitioners across DOD, other federal and civilian agencies, industry, think tanks and academia.
The Hon. Frank Kendall, under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics, gave the keynote address, applauding Williamson for undertaking this effort as a means to “move our workforce to be more focused on results, and less on process.”
The Hon. Heidi Shyu, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics, and technology and the Army acquisition executive, underscored the importance of effective communication, identified the challenges associated with managing an acquisition program, and discussed keys to success as a program manager.
Williamson intends to make AALPC “an enduring requirement,” he said.
Leaders from the Army DACM Office helped Lt. Gen. Michael Williamson kick off the first-ever Army Acquisition Leader Preparation Course (AALPC), designed to prepare Army acquisition leaders assume new leadership responsibilities at the National Conference Center in Leesburg, Virginia, April 13-16. (Photos by Stephanie Watson, U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center)
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