The Army Acquisition Hall of Fame award recognizes and honors former members of the Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) who have made significant and enduring contributions in support of the Army Acquisition Community. The program’s intent is to preserve the legacy of the Acquisition Community and inspire a sense of heritage, honor, and pride throughout the workforce.
The Army Director, Acquisition Career Management (DACM) Office of the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center (USAASC) is the official collection point for Army nominations.
Eligibility
Open to all former AAW personnel, both military and civilian, who are now separated or retired after a minimum of 20 years of federal service; and posthumously to AAW personnel who served a minimum of 20 years of federal service during their lifetime.
Nominees must be retired or separated from federal service at least one year before consideration.
Former non-career Senior Executive Service (SES) members and Political Appointees (employees appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate) are eligible for consideration.
There should be nothing in the professional or personal background of the nominee that will reflect negatively on the Acquisition community or the Army.
Consideration will be given to whether the nominee’s present position/association with any non-federal organization that is currently doing business with, or seeking to do business with, the government, creates any actual, or appearance of, official DoD endorsement, conflict of interest, or preferential treatment of that organization, should the nominee be selected.
Only nominations for individuals will be accepted. No unit or group nominations will be considered.
A nominee must have made a significant contribution that reflects favorably on the Army Acquisition community. The following criteria should be considered in defining “significant contributions:”
- Outstanding accomplishments over a sustained period
- A single effort or a sustained series of actions beyond the realm of normal duty performance
- Doctrinal, technical, or instructional contributions
- Efforts or actions inspiring to others
- Combination of the above
Temporary retirees for medical or other reasons and members of the Active Reserve or National Guard are not eligible until they have transitioned to permanent inactive or retired status.
Political appointees (employees appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate) may be subject to additional eligibility requirements.
Nomination Procedures
Anyone may nominate an individual for induction into the Army Acquisition Hall of Fame.
Individuals may not self-nominate.
Information provided-must be based on firsthand knowledge or thoroughly documented research.
Nominations may not include classified or personally identifiable information. Please review all packets for operational security concerns prior to submission. If you or your organization do not have a security officer, please contact the Awards Coordinator for assistance.
A completed nomination submission package will include the following items. Packets missing any of these items will not be judged until the item(s) are received.
- Signed nomination letter. This letter must include:
- Nominee’s full name, official rank/grade at the time of retirement, separation, or death
- The date of the nominee’s retirement, separation, and/or death
- Nominee’s (or next of kin’s) address, email address, and phone number
- Nominator’s current address, email address, and phone number
- A full career biography of the nominee. A copy of the nominee’s Officer Record Brief (ORB), Enlisted Record Brief (ERB), or Enlisted DA Form 2-1 is requested (if available), but not required, for verification. All Personal Identifying Information (PII) should be redacted.
- An unclassified narrative justification, totaling no more than three (3) pages or 1350 words, outlining the key accomplishments and achievements of the nominee that warrants induction into the Hall of Fame and his/her impact on the Army Acquisition profession. The narrative should include only accomplishments from the portion of nominee’s career for which he/she is nominated.
- A draft citation paragraph, totaling no more than 150 words, stating succinctly the justification for the nominee’s inclusion in the Hall of Fame. This should be at the end of the narrative justification, and does not count against the three-page limit.
- Nominators are encouraged, but not required, to include endorsement letters as part of the nomination packet. Endorsement letters are weighed favorably by Board Members. To keep nominations to a manageable size, however, endorsement letters will be limited to three (3), each of which should be no more than one (1) page in length.
Evaluation
Nominees will be evaluated on their significant and enduring contributions to the Army Acquisition community’s historic and ongoing missions. This would include a specific or continuous accomplishment that positively affected a large segment of the AAW, the Army or DoD, or the American people. Nominations will be considered based on demonstrated excellence and contribution to acquisition mission success in the following areas:
- Enduring Contributions to Mission will be those efforts undertaken by the nominee in the course of their working life supporting Army Acquisition efforts that enabled the organization to meet or exceed its mission requirements. These contributions may be broadly defined in nature and be related to the nominee’s acquisition functional area, personnel-related, process-related, or customer-related. Each contribution will be scored by the selection board in terms of impact of the contribution.
- Respect of Peers, Subordinates and Supervisors will be judged through the nominee’s awards or other recognitions, as identified in the nomination package.
- Commitment to the Acquisition Career Field will be those efforts undertaken by the nominee that are above and beyond their normal working life requirements, as identified in the nomination package. These contributions may include but are not limited to speaking engagements, teaching, authoring books or papers, and engaging with media; and should reflect a commitment to innovation, best practices, or increasing public awareness or understanding of Army Acquisition impacts.
An appointed panel representing a cross-section of Army acquisition, including current and past Army acquisition leaders will select and recommend nominees for induction. Final selection approval will be made by the Army Acquisition Executive.
Each nomination will be considered by three (3) consecutive annual Boards. If the nominee is not selected following consideration by the third Board, his/her packet will be placed in the Inactive Files. Inactive nominations become eligible for reconsideration after a three-year waiting period. Re-nominations must be updated with substantially new information. If the updated nomination is not chosen for induction during a second three-year period of consideration, it will be permanently placed in the Inactive Files.
Induction
The awards will be presented by the Army Acquisition Executive at a ceremony in the National Capital Region. All selected nominees will be invited to attend the ceremony.
All inductees’ photos will also be displayed in a permanent Acquisition Hall of Fame exhibit in the Pentagon.
2024 Hall of Fame Inductees
Maureen Cross
Years of Service: 1985 – 2023
Since joining the Army Acquisition Workforce in 1993, Ms. Cross served in a number of high-profile positions and established herself as a leader and team builder. In her role as the Director of the Army Systems Acquisition Review Council Secretariat within the Deputy for Acquisition and Systems Management Office, Ms. Cross provided program management oversight to more than 600 programs valued in excess of $30 billion annually. Ms. Cross’ comprehensive knowledge of regulation, policy, and statute made her a trusted advisor to senior Army acquisition leaders, and resulted in vastly improved program success. Ms. Cross’ profound and enduring contributions supporting the Nation reflect great credit upon the United States Army and honor the Army Acquisition Workforce.
Cathy Dickens
Years of Service: 1978 – 2015
As the Deputy to the Commanding General, U.S. Army Aviation Command, Ms. Dickens managed a multifaceted and diverse organization with an annual budget of over $4 billion and a global workforce of over 11,000 military and civilian employees. Throughout her career, Ms. Dickens served as a trusted acquisition authority, consultant, and advisor to a number of senior leaders, including managing and directing an acquisition program valued at $25 billion annually and active contracts of $110 billion. Ms. Dickens’ efforts saved taxpayer money while improving efficiencies to get Soldiers much needed equipment in the field. Her profound and enduring contributions supporting the Nation reflect great credit upon the United States Army and honor the Army Acquisition Workforce.
Gary Winkler
Years of Service: 1989 – 2011
Mr. Winkler served as the Army’s first Chief Knowledge Officer, and Principal Director for Governance and Acquisition where he provided oversight of Major Automated Information System programs and developed enduring Army policies, procedures, and tools to prioritize and manage the Army’s IT-based capabilities. As Program Executive Officer for Enterprise Information Systems, Mr. Winkler managed a $4 billion portfolio of 40 major programs for large scale, enterprise systems supporting finance, logistics, personnel, communications infrastructure, biometrics, medical and warfighting functions. His profound and enduring contributions supporting the Nation reflect great credit upon the United States Army and honor the Army Acquisition Workforce.
Retired Lt. Gen. Joseph Yakovac
Years of Service: 1971 – 2007
Lieutenant General Yakovac was instrumental in delivering capabilities to the field in his work with Program Executive Office for Ground Combat Systems and development of the acquisition workforce at large when he served as the Director, Army Acquisition Corps. Lieutenant General Yakovac’s focus was always on people, programs, and processes. He worked to instill a culture that encouraged people to work together across various domains and provided exemplary leadership and mentorship, developing future technical and acquisition leaders. His profound and enduring contributions supporting the Nation reflect great credit upon the United States Army and honor the Army Acquisition Workforce.
2023 Hall of Fame Inductees
Mr. James “Jim” Shields
Mr. James “Jim” Shields served the Army Acquisition Workforce with distinction for over 35 years. His dedicated career at Picatinny Arsenal, from 1983 to 2017, encompassed key roles, including Program Manager for the Joint Lightweight 155mm Howitzer in 2004 and Deputy Program Executive Officer Ammunition from 2009 to 2014. In recognition of his expertise, he was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2014 and served as the Program Executive Officer Ammunition until his retirement from civil service in 2017.
Mr. Shields’ enduring contributions are evident in a multi-billion dollar portfolio and a stockpile of Army ammunition used every day, comprising items such as flares and signals for increased survivability, multi-purpose tank ammunition for enhanced lethality and extended range, various families of small and medium caliber ammunition to enhance performance, assured positioning navigation and timing systems for precision weapons and munitions, safer terrain-shaping obstacles for force augmentation, detection and counter-explosive hazard capabilities to safeguard the Force, and dual-mode hand grenades designed to reduce the dismounted combat load. In addition to ammunition, the widespread impact of Shield’s personal, technical, professional and acquisition prowess in weapons development, production, and fielding can still be felt today.
Mr. Jeffrey “Jeff” Parsons
Mr. Jeffrey “Jeff” Parsons devoted over 34 years to a distinguished career in public service. Parsons concluded his 26-year career in the uniformed services as the Director of Contracting for the U.S. Air Force Materiel Command when he retired from active duty as an Air Force Colonel. Later that year, Parsons was appointed to the Senior Executive Service.
Mr. Parsons served as the Director of Contracting, Office of Command Contracting, Headquarters, AMC, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. In 2008, he was selected as the first Executive Director of the U.S. Army Contracting Command (ACC) and served as its senior leader until his retirement from civil service in 2011.
During his tenure at ACC, Parsons commanded over 5,500 military and civilian personnel worldwide, who awarded and managed over 210,000 contractual actions valued at more than $92 billion per fiscal year. He also exercised command and procurement authority over two subordinate commands, the Mission and Installation Contracting Command and the Expeditionary Contracting Command. Parsons is credited with establishing all functional, operational, and structural components of Army Contracting Command. Under Parsons’ leadership, by 2011, the ACC accounted for 70% of all Army contract spend and efficiently delivered critical readiness, modernization and outcomes for Soldiers and their families, both domestically and internationally.
2022 Hall of Fame Inductees
Honorable Claude M. Bolton, Jr.
Hon. Claude M. Bolton dedicated more than 40 years of his life to public service. Following his distinguished military career that culminated at the rank of Air Force Major General, Bolton was nominated to be the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)) and served in that position from January 2, 2002, to January 2, 2008. As the Assistant Secretary of the Army (ALT), Bolton served as the Army Acquisition Executive (AAE), the Senior Procurement Executive and the Science Advisor to the Secretary of the Army. Bolton was also the senior research and development official for the Department of the Army and had principal responsibilities for all matters related to logistics. His responsibilities included providing oversight for the life cycle management and sustainment of Army weapons systems and equipment, from research and development through test, evaluation, acquisition, logistics, fielding and disposition. In addition, Bolton oversaw the Elimination of Chemical Weapons Program and had oversight and executive authority over the Project and Contracting Office charged with Iraq reconstruction.
Honorable Kevin M. Fahey
Honorable Kevin M. Fahey’s 37-year civil service career included positions as the Program Executive Officer for Combat Support and Combat Service Support, Program Executive Officer Ground Combat Systems at Warren, MI, as well as the Deputy Program Executive Officer Ammunition, Senior Technical Executive for Close Combat Armament Systems, Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ. Fahey also served as the Deputy Project Manager, Crusader and the Chief of the Systems Engineering and International Division for the Crusader Program, the Future Armored Resupply Vehicle (FARV) Program Development Project Officer and Chief of Systems Engineering, the U.S. delegate to the international 155mm Joint Ballistic Working Group and the M119 Development Project Officer.
Fahey was selected for the Senior Executive Service in February 2000, and on June 1, 2014, Fahey assumed the duties as the Executive Director, System of Systems Engineering and Integration Directorate, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology), before retiring in 2015. In 2018, Fahey was called back to serve. He was appointed as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition (ASD(A)) from February 2018 – February 2021. In this position, he advised the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (USD(A&S)), the Deputy Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Defense on matters relating to the Department of Defense Acquisition System, acquisition program management, and the development of strategic, space, intelligence, tactical warfare, command and control, and business systems.
Major General Harold J. “Harry” Greene
Maj. Gen. Harry Greene devoted 34 years to the Army. Greene received his commission as an engineer officer in 1980, after completing Reserve Officer Training Corps at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He held a doctorate in materials science, master’s degrees in engineering and a master’s in strategic studies. Greene served in Louisiana, Germany, New Jersey, Missouri and at the Pentagon, spending much of his career in acquisitions. Greene was promoted to brigadier general in late 2009 and served as deputy commanding general of United States Army Research, Development and Engineering Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, and the commanding general of Natick Soldier Systems Center. While at Natick, Greene urged the military to incorporate smartphones, video games and virtual worlds into military training. He became Program Executive Officer for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology).
Promoted to major general in 2012, he was Deputy for Acquisition and Systems Management in the same office. In January 2014 he was named deputy commander of Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan. During his final assignment, Greene served as a logistical support expert, helping the Afghan army develop better ways to acquire and provide resources for troops. Maj. Gen. Greene was killed at Camp Qargha’s Marshal Fahim National Defense University in Kabul, Afghanistan, while in service to the nation.
Mr. John L. Shipley
Mr. John L. Shipley dedicated more than 60 years of selfless service to the nation. He was selected as a member of the Senior Executive Service in December 1984. From May 1991 until his retirement in 2019, Shipley served as the Director of Special Programs (Aviation) for the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) at Fort Eustis, Virginia. He was responsible for the development, acquisition, modernization, fielding and sustainment of the U.S. Army’s Special Operations classified and unclassified fleet of uniquely configured aviation vehicles. The objective of these low density, high demand classified and unclassified aviation enablers, is to provide the capability necessary for the U.S. Army Special Operations Forces to execute their mission to find, fix and finish targets of interest anywhere in the world, under hostile conditions, in the most extreme operational environments and conditions for the war on terrorism. Shipley also served on the Army’s Aviation General Officer Steering Committee.
Completed nomination packets must be submitted to the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center (USAASC) Army Director, Acquisition Career Management (DACM) Office at awards submission platform, below.
Questions regarding the Army Acquisition Hall of Fame or the application and nomination submission process should be addressed to the awards coordinator, Ms. Rachel Longarzo, at rachel.m.longarzo.civ@army.mil.
