Mr. Ronald R. Richardson, Jr.
Director, U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center and Director, Acquisition Career Management
Mr. Ronald R. (Rob) Richardson, Jr. currently serves as the Director of the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center (USAASC). In this role, he oversees the Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) and supports the Army’s Program Executive Offices in the areas of human resources, resource management, program structure, acquisition information management and program protection.
Mr. Richardson has over 30 years of medical, information and weapon system acquisition experience as both a Department of Defense (DOD) civilian and a U.S. Army officer. Before coming to USAASC, he served as the Director of Acquisition and Operations for Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier. Prior to joining PEO Soldier, he was the Deputy Project Manager for the DOD Healthcare Management System Modernization (DHMSM®) Program, a $14B Major Automated Information System (MAIS) acquisition to replace the legacy Military Health System (MHS) Electronic Health Record (EHR) with an off-the-shelf (OS) system now known as MHS GENESIS. Before that, he was the Product Lead for Increment 3 of the Integrated Electronic Health Record (iEHR) Program in the DOD/Department of Veterans Affairs Interagency Program Office (IPO). Prior to joining the DOD/VA IPO, he served as the Director of Acquisition Review and Analysis for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army, Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)). Before joining ASA(ALT), Mr. Richardson served in a multitude of Military, Civilian and Private Sector positions culminating in his selection for Senior Service College.
Mr. Richardson received his M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University, and his M.S. in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He is the recipient of the Superior Civilian Service Medal (3), the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal (2), the Civilian Service Achievement Medal, the Army Staff Identification Badge and the Order of Military Medical Merit (O2M3). Mr. Richardson also holds multiple professional memberships and certifications, including Advanced Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Certification in Program Management (previously Level III) and previous membership in the Army Acquisition Corps.
Colonel Barry Williams
Deputy Director, U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center
Colonel Barry Williams, a native of Cloverdale, Virginia, was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of the Field Artillery branch upon graduating from the Virginia Military Institute in 1999.
His previous Field Artillery operational assignments include 1st Battalion, 15th Field Artillery in Camp Casey, Korea where he served as a Company Fire Support Officer. After his tour in Korea he was assigned to the 3d Howitzer Battalion, 3d Armored Calvary Regiment (ACR) in Fort Carson, Colorado where he served as a Fire Direction Officer, Firing Battery Platoon Leader and Battery Executive Officer. Upon completion of the Field Artillery Officer Advanced Course and Combined Arms Services Staff School, COL Williams was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 1st Field Artillery, Fort Riley, Kansas, as the Battalion Logistician (S4) for 16 months prior to taking command of Charlie Battery 4th Battalion, 1st Field Artillery while deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III. When Col. Williams’ Battery redeployed from OIF III he served as an Observer Controller/Trainer within the 2nd Battalion 70th Armored Regiment, Fort Riley, Kansas. Col. Williams’ final operational assignment was as the 1st Infantry Division, Headquarters and Headquarters Division Company Commander.
Col. Williams began his acquisition career in 2008. His first assignment was as a Contracting Officer, 604th Contingency Contracting Team (CCT) and Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. He later relocated to Army Contracting Command Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland where he served as a Contracting Team Leader. Col. Williams was also assigned to the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center as a Proponency Officer. Col. Williams served as the Executive Officer to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army, Procurement. Prior to attending Senior Service College at the National Defense University (Eisenhower School), he was a Military Assistant for the Under Secretary of the Army. Col. Williams most recently served as the Commander for the 408th Contracting Support Brigade located in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.
Col. Williams holds a master’s in National Security Resource Strategy from the Eisenhower School, a master’s in Contract Management from the Florida Institute of Technology, and a bachelor’s in economics from the Virginia Military Institute.
Sergeant Major Matthew F. Girard
Acquisition Proponent Sergeant Major
Sergeant Major Matthew Girard entered active service on March 17, 2004 as an Infantryman. His first duty assignment was to the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) where he served as a rifleman performing firing party missions in Arlington National Cemetery. Following his assignment with the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment, Sgt. Maj. Girard served in leadership positions from fire team leader to rifle platoon sergeant with the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division on Schofield Barracks, Hawai’i. From there he deployed to Samarrah, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2009-2011.
Upon return from deployment, Sgt. Maj. Girard was selected to serve as a detail recruiter in Clinton, North Carolina. He conducted recruiting operations at a small station and was selected as the battalion’s NCO of the year in 2010. He then reclassified into military occupational specialty 51C, beginning his tenure as an acquisition NCO in 2014.
Sgt. Maj. Girard’s acquisition assignments include, Contracting Team Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of the 616th Contingency Contracting Team and Deputy Division Chief for Mission Division on Fort Carson, Colorado; Senior National NCO for US personnel and Staff Assistant to the Contracting Operations Chief of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Allied Joint Force Command – Naples in Naples, Italy; Operations NCO and Battalion Sergeant Major for the 928th Contracting Battalion in Grafenwoehr, Germany; Operations Sergeant Major for Army Contracting Command on Redstone Arsenal, Alabama and as the Command Sergeant Major of the 408th Contracting Support Brigade on Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. Sgt. Maj. Girard has deployed to Zagan, Poland to serve as the Chief of Forward Contracting Element – North in support of Atlantic Resolve in 2018 and to Kuwait in support of Operation’s Spartan Shield and Inherent Resolve. He’s provided contract support to exercises across Europe in support of NATO and the United States Army. He also instructed at the Serbian Armed Force Non-Commissioned Officer Academy as a member of a NATO multinational training team. He currently serves as the Acquisition Proponent Sergeant Major with the United States Army Acquisition Support Center.
Sgt. Maj. Girard’s training and education includes; Airborne School, Air Assault School, Recon/Surveillance Leader’s Course, Recruiter Course, Mission Ready Airman Contracting Course, Battle Staff Non-Commissioned Officer Course, Army Intermediate Contracting Course, NATO Financial Systems Course, Joint Operational Contract Support Planning and Execution Course, and all levels of the Non-Commissioned Officer Education System. He graduated from Class 71 of the United States Sergeant Major Academy and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Post University in Waterbury, Connecticut.
Sgt. Maj. Girard’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (w/two oak leaf cluster), Army Commendation Medal (w/eight oak leaf clusters), Army Achievement Medal (w/five oak leaf clusters), Meritorious Unit Award, Army Superior Unit Award, Army Good Conduct Medal (6th award), Iraq Campaign Medal (w/two campaign stars), Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Expert Infantryman’s Badge, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Recruiter Badge, and the Schützenschnur in silver. He was inducted into the prestigious Sergeant Audie Murphy Club in 2010 and recognized as the Secretary of the Army’s Contracting NCO of the Year in 2016.
