Position and Unit: Contract specialist, Missile Defense Agency
Years of Service in Workforce: 10
DAWIA Certifications: Level III in contracting; Level I in program management
Education: MBA, Texas A&M University; BBA, Lipscomb University
Awards: Commander’s Award for Civilian Service; Achievement Medal for Civilian Service; Civilian Award for Humanitarian Service
Two fellowships build a wide-ranging career
By Mary Kate Aylward
Two fellowships—the U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC) Fellows Program and the Competitive Development Group/Army Acquisition Fellowship (CDG/AAF)—have taken Monica Clemons from business school to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology (ASA(ALT)), and from audit preparation to missile defense.
Taking advantage of the career-development opportunities available to acquisition workforce members—which she learned about through an early stint with the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center (USAASC)—has given Clemons broad and deep experience in the world of acquisition. Having reaped the benefits of these “too good to be true” fellowship programs, she’s a big advocate for other members of the acquisition workforce to take advantage of them, and of similar professional development opportunities. “Do not wait for your supervisor to tell you what classes to take or what to do with your career,” she urged.
When we spoke with Clemons, she was wrapping up an assignment at ASA(ALT). She’s now in her third assignment for the CDG/AAF, working as a contract specialist with the Missile Defense Agency.
What do you do, and why is it important to the Army or the warfighter?
I’m part of the CDG/AAF, a three-year program that lets me rotate through different organizations. I’m just finishing up my second assignment, working for ASA(ALT) in Washington, D.C., as an audit readiness analyst trying to help the Army prepare for an audit. In 2010, Congress required DOD to be auditable by FY18 by an independent public accounting firm, so DOD has been working since then on getting ready for that. ASA(ALT) established a cell to try to ensure that the acquisition, logistics and technology sectors are ready to be audited.
It has been super interesting to try to learn the magnitude of the audit that we’re going to be facing: It’s going to be big audit. It has been exciting to try to walk through all the challenges and to work with the program executive offices to try to overcome them. Our challenges are things like making sure that the accountant can understand the processes of the Army—they’re auditing all the business processes and trying to understand how the Army does business. Right now we’re in the “discover” phase: They’re learning our processes, and we’re learning what they want to see. There are things they recommend that we should change to make sure we have appropriate internal controls. The ultimate goal is to make sure that DOD has financial statements that are accurate and complete.
For my first rotation, I was a program analyst for the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) Product Office, where I helped develop contract requirement packages to support the JAGM program’s entry into the engineering and manufacturing development phase. The JAGM will close some of the capability gaps that our warfighters are experiencing on the field, and it was very exciting and rewarding to be part of that.
What led you to the Competitive Development Group fellowship?
At the time I applied, I was a contracting officer at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and I found myself having a hard time finding a job in major acquisition systems contracting—most required experience, but I couldn’t get the experience because I hadn’t done it before. The Competitive Development Group fellowship seemed like a good way out of that dilemma. Now I’ve had experience with major acquisition systems, and I’m grateful for it.
How did you become part of the Army Acquisition Workforce, and why?
I started my government career in 2005 under another fellowship program: the AMC Fellows Program. I heard about it from a friend who was part of the program two or three years before me, so when I graduated from college I applied and got accepted, and the rest was history. It was a great, great program; too good to be true. If I hadn’t had a friend who was in the program I wouldn’t have believed it. They relocated me to Texas to go to Texas A&M for my MBA. They pay you at a GS-7 level to finish your master’s degree—that’s all you have to do for your first year. After that, you work in two different career programs, one in your primary field and the other in your secondary field, with the goal being to obtain DAWIA Level III certification in your primary career field and Level II certification in your secondary field. Then they relocate you to wherever you can complete those assignments. They promote you every year, so after five years you graduate from the fellowship program with a master’s degree and experience in two different fields, and as a GS-13.
My first assignment as an AMC Fellow was in the contracting career field. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the contracting career field was a perfect match for me. I like numbers, I like organization, I like structure. And I like working hard and being challenged. Contracting gives you all those things. And, although contracting is my primary career field, I have professional development opportunities to pursue other positions, such as the one I currently hold, to increase my knowledge of other career fields.
What do you see as the most important points in your career with the acquisition workforce, and why?
Early in my career I volunteered for a three-month developmental assignment at USAASC in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. I helped the DASA(P) [deputy assistant secretary of the Army for procurement] organize a conference for contracting interns. Through that conference, I was able to meet pretty much all of the PARCs [principle assistants responsible for contracting] in the Army—they’re leaders in the contracting world. I was able to brief the DASA(P) and meet lots and lots of people, and by working at USAASC I was able to learn about a lot of career opportunities that sometimes the rest of the acquisition workforce isn’t aware of. This assignment gave me a different perspective and some networking opportunities that really helped me. That’s how I heard about the Competitive Development Group. I probably wouldn’t have otherwise.
I believe this assignment was a turning point in my career as it taught me the benefits of volunteering for special assignments and taking the risk of doing something outside my comfort zone. Since then, I have always tried to push myself to volunteer for or accept difficult assignments, and I have not been disappointed with any of them.
Can you name a particular mentor or mentors who helped you in your career? How did they help you? Have you been a mentor?
I have been blessed to work with a lot of great people who have influenced and helped me throughout my career in different ways. However, the one person who stands out is my previous supervisor at Fort Knox, Stephanie Bowman. She is not only a subject-matter expert in the contracting field but her leadership skills had a very positive impact in my life and career. She recognized something in me that I didn’t even see in myself. She placed her confidence in my abilities and challenged me with increasing responsibilities. By doing this, she showed me that I was capable of doing more than I thought possible, which increased my confidence in my abilities and skills. When I failed, she helped me figure out what went wrong and continued to support me, which allowed me to feel comfortable with taking risks in exploring innovative contracting solutions. I tried to model these leadership characteristics when I had my own team, but I feel I still have a lot to learn before I can fill such big shoes.
What advice would you give to someone who aspires to a position like yours?
Volunteer for assignments and manage your own career. Take advantage of opportunities to learn new things by volunteering for developmental assignments, leadership programs or special projects within your organization. Acquiring new knowledge and skills within and beyond your career field is essential for professional growth and provides a better perspective on the impact that your work has on other elements of the AL&T mission. Nobody is going to manage your career better than you because nobody has as much invested in it as you do. Identify the gaps in your resume that may keep you from achieving your professional goals, and seek opportunities that will provide you with the experience to close those gaps. If you are unable to relocate, seek opportunities within your organization by changing divisions or asking for shadowing experiences.
“Faces of the Force” is an online series highlighting members of the Army Acquisition Workforce through the power of individual stories. Profiles are produced by the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center Communication and Support Branch, working closely with public affairs officers to feature Soldiers and civilians serving in a variety of AL&T disciplines. For more information, or to nominate someone, please contact 703-805-1006.
Subscribe to Army AL&T News, the premier online news source for the Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology (AL&T) Workforce.
