ACQUISITION EDUCATION, TRAINING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
ACQUISITION TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Applications to the Acquisition Tuition Assistance Program (ATAP) will be accepted Jan.4 through Feb. 5, 2021. ATAP provides tuition assistance to eligible Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) civilians and Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 51 Contracting (51C) Noncommissioned officers (NCOs). AAW civilians can pursue business hours toward bachelor’s and master’s degrees or required business hours toward Army Acquisition Corps (AAC) membership. MOS 51C NCOs can pursue required business credit hours toward bachelor’s degrees to meet their Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certification and education requirements. To find out more about the ATAP program, go to
https://asc.army.mil/web/career-development/programs/acquisition-tuition-assistance-program/.
NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICERS NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL
For the first time in Army Acquisition history, 51 Contracting noncommissioned officers are now eligible to participate in the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) 815 program as part of Advanced Civil Schooling. NPS 815 is a resident, 18-month defense-focused program whose students graduate with an MBA focused on acquisition and contract management. The program provides students an advanced education with an interdisciplinary approach to solving problems and analyzing policy by applying advanced quantitative, financial, economics, information technology and other state-of-the-art management techniques. Noncommissioned officers fulfill Level III DAWIA certification training requirements upon completion of the NPS 815 program. On-post student housing options are available at a nearby Navy installation. For enrollment information, go to https://asc.army.mil/web/career-development/programs/nco-advanced-civil-schooling/.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE SENIOR ENTERPRISE TALENT MANAGEMENT / ENTERPRISE TALENT MANAGEMENT SELECTEES
The Senior Enterprise Talent Management (SETM) and Enterprise Talent Management (ETM) programs are Army initiatives created to produce senior civilian leaders with an enterprise perspective. Selectees for these prestigious programs are high-performing senior civilian leaders with outstanding potential for assignment to positions of greater responsibility and impact across the Army. Congratulations to the 23 Army Acquisition professionals who have been selected for the 2021 SETM and ETM programs.
Academic Year 2021-2022 Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, Acquisition Course
Liza Esmond, U.S. Army Medical Command
Gary Keller, Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier
Robyn Litle, PEO Missiles and Space
Elizabeth Murren, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology
John Notte, PEO Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors
Andrew Strand, PEO Enterprise Information Systems (EIS)
Elanor Winchester, PEO EIS
Academic Year 2021-2022 Army War College, Resident
Dean Brabant, Army Contracting Command (ACC)
Michael Crapanzano, U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM)
Steven Dawson, PEO Ground Combat Systems (GCS)
Pamela Lovasz, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
Kelvin Magee, ACC
AY 2021-2023 Army War College, Distance Education
Stephen Cengeri, PEO GCS
Robert Roussel, Army Futures Command (AFC)
Samantha Smith, Army Materiel Command
SETM – Temporary Duty Assignments
Thomas Laperuta, AFC
Mark Nedzbala, USACE
Korene Phillips, AFC
Academic Year 2021 Executive Leadership Development Program
John Christopher, Army Test and Evaluation Command
Davida Crawford, PEO Aviation
Ashley Ward, Army Aviation and Missile Command
Academic Year 2021-22 Command and General Staff Officer Course
Parul Patel, CECOM
Arthur Sharp, USACE
The SETM and ETM programs prepare Army civilians to assume positions of greater responsibility and are designed to afford selected GS-12s through GS-15s (or equivalent) an exceptional professional development, senior-level educational or experiential learning opportunity. SETM and ETM were developed to provide a variety of training and development opportunities to senior leaders who are ready to accept those challenges. To learn more, go to https://asc.army.mil/web/career-development/programs/setm-etm/.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
2020 SECRETARY OF THE ARMY AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN CONTRACTING
Congratulations to the winners of the Secretary of the Army Awards for Excellence in Contracting for fiscal year 2020. The annual awards recognize exemplary efforts toward contracting excellence by highlighting contracting organizations and individuals that excel in customer satisfaction, productivity, process improvement and quality enhancement. The winners attended a virtual awards ceremony on December 9, 2020. To read more, go to https://asc.army.mil/web/news-2020-secretary-of-the-army-awards-for-excellence-in-contracting-winners-announced/.
TEAM AWARDS
- Systems, R&D, Logistics Support (Sustainment) Contracting Award
Branch H, Division D, U.S. Army Contracting Command (ACC) – Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland
- Contingency Contracting Award
Field Directorate Office, Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC) – Fort Sam Houston, Texas
- Installation Level Contracting Office or Directorate of Contracting
Regional Contracting Office, 413th Contracting Support Brigade – Hawaii
- Specialized Services and Construction Contracting
COVID-19 Alternate Care Facility Design Build Method Team, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) – New York
SPECIAL AWARDS
- Barbara C. Heald (Deployed Civilian) Award
Estella C. Juarez, ACC – Afghanistan
- Contracting Professional of the Year
Kelly M. Gorman, ACC – New Jersey
- Exceptional Support of the AbilityOne Program
Matthew R. Buchanan, ACC – Aberdeen Proving Ground, Natick Contracting Division, Massachusetts
- Innovation in Contracting Strategies
Operation Warp Speed Team, ACC – Aberdeen Proving Ground
- Contracting Noncommissioned Officer of the Year
Staff Sergeant Keith L. McDougal, 409th Contracting Support Brigade, ACC – Kaiserslautern, Germany
- Outstanding Contracting Specialist/Procurement Analyst
Melanie A. Caines, USACE – Omaha, Nebraska
CONTRACTING OFFICER AWARDS
- Specialized Services and Construction Contracting Award
John H. Tucker II, USACE – Omaha
- Installation Level Contracting Office or Directorate of Contracting Award
Curtis Arthur II, MICC – Fort Eustis, Virginia
- Contingency Contracting Award
Major Brian J. Burton, ACC – Rock Island, Illinois
- Systems, R&D, Logistics Support (Sustainment) Contracting Award
Idia I. Osaghae, ACC – Aberdeen Proving Ground
2020 ARMY ACQUISITION EXECUTIVE EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP AWARDS
Congratulations to the recipients of the 2020 Army Acquisition Executive (AAE) Excellence in Leadership Awards. The awards honor individuals and teams whose outstanding contributions and achievements merit special recognition. These annual awards provide an opportunity to showcase professionalism at its best within the Army Acquisition Workforce. The goal is to highlight not only team and individual accomplishments but also how they help their organization and the acquisition community at large. To read more, go to https://asc.army.mil/web/news-2020-army-acquisition-executives-excellence-in-leadership-award-winners/.
Following are the 2020 AAE Excellence in Leadership award winners:
- Acquisition Support Professional of the Year
Lt. Col. Susan Depies-Styer, Defense Contract Management Agency
- Business Operations Professional of the Year
George Sfakianoudis, Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO CBRND)
- Defense Exportability and Cooperation Professional of the Year
Gregory Pasikowski, Program Executive Office for Ground Combat Systems (PEO GCS)
- Engineer and Systems Integration Professional of the Year
Lenard Ramboyong, U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Control, Communications, Computers and Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center
- Logistician of the Year
Deborah Motz, JPEO CBRND
- Science and Technology Professional of the Year
Shawn Klann, PEO GCS
- Product Management/Product Director Office Professional of the Year (O-5 Level)
Lt. Col. Jeffrey Strauss, JPEO CBRND
- Product Management/Product Director Office Team of the Year (O-5 Level)
Infrared Countermeasures team, PEO for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors
- Project Management/Project Director Professional of the Year (O-6 Level)
Col. Ryan Eckmeier, JPEO CBRND
- Project Management/Project Director Office Team of the Year (O-6 Level)
Integrated Visual Augmentation System team, PEO Soldier
DEFENSE ACQUISITION UNIVERSITY NEWS
COURSE DELIVERY UPDATE
Defense Acquisition University (DAU) constructed the fiscal year 2021 draft training schedule for fiscal quarters 3 and 4 based on an assumption that DAU will most likely not return to teaching in-resident training during fiscal year 2021. As such, the fiscal year 2021 draft schedule for quarters 3 and 4 is heavily reliant upon Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) delivery, with a very limited amount of in-resident training, with reduced class sizes and social distancing practices in place. Please note that the training schedule for fiscal year 2021 quarters 3 and 4 will be available on January 26, 2021. If you are interested in taking DAU courses, their descriptions and schedules can be found on https://icatalog.dau.edu/onlinecatalog/. To apply for a DAU course, go through the Army registration portal, known as AITAS, at: https://www.atrrs.army.mil/channels/aitas/.
Please note that DAU has launched a new automated, artificial intelligence-based chat tool designed to assist you with quickly locating DAU’s content and services. Whether seeking assistance with courses, mission support, your DAU profile, campus status or a transcript, the DAU Assistant can help you find what you need. Look for and click on the red and white chat icon in the lower-right hand corner of DAU’s website, and then type in a question or keyword for a fast and helpful response. 
DACM POLICY
REQUIREMENTS FOR INDIVIDUALS SELECTED FOR CENTRALIZED SELECTION LIST
On November 26, 2020, Lt. Gen. Robert L. Marion, director, Army Acquisition Corps, signed a memorandum titled “Requirements for Individuals Selected for Centralized Selection List Acquisition Key Billet Project and Product Managers, Acquisition Directors, Contracting Commanders, and Centralized Selection Board Project and Product Directors.” The memo outlines the post-selection, pre-command training requirements, tenure and program management agreements, and the issuance of charters for centralized selection list acquisition key billet project and product managers, acquisition directors, contracting commanders, and centralized selection board project and product directors. Individuals selected for the above positions have specific requirements and prerequisites they must complete before assuming command or a key billet. This policy applies to positions slated in fiscal year 2020 and beyond. For more details, go to https://asc.army.mil/web/req-csl-selectees/.
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