CONGRATS GRADS
Six Army Acquisition Workforce members graduated from the DACM’s LEAD program in a ceremony held on August 20, 2025, at the Defense Acquisition University, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. From back left, Joseph Neumann, Army Contracting Command – Detroit Arsenal; James Smith, PEO Enterprise; Melissa Pitts, JPEO CBRND; Marty Zybura, deputy to the Deputy for Acquisition and Systems Management; Ronald R. Richardson Jr., Army DACM; and Vicky DeGuzman, chief of the Workforce Development and Engagement division. From front left, Katrina Harris, PEO Combat Support and Combat Service Support; Jessica Gregris, PEO Command, Control, Communications and Network; Callie Bounds, JPEO CBRND; and Kim Gibbons, LEAD program manager. (Photos by Rebecca Wright, USAASC)
Year Group 2024 participants graduate from the LEAD program
By Rebecca Wright
On August 20, 2025, six Army Acquisition Workforce members graduated from the Leadership Excellence and Acquisition Development (LEAD) program. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center’s (USAASC) Director, Acquisition Career Management (DACM) Office, LEAD is a 24-month leadership development program that offers selected participants expanded training, leadership and other career development opportunities to build skills to develop future Army acquisition program managers.
Held at the Defense Acquisition University located on Fort Belvoir, Virginia, the ceremony was hosted by Kim Gibbons, USAASC program manager for LEAD. The Year Group 2024 graduates had a bit of a rare experience compared to previous program groups. Due to recent government restructuring and the Army’s emphasis on efficiency and faster capability delivery, this round of the program was compressed from the standard 24-months to 16 months.
INTRODUCING NEW LEADERS
Kim Gibbons, USAASC LEAD program manager, introduces the Year Group 2024 graduates.
Ronald “Rob” Richardson, Jr., the Army DACM and director of USAASC, welcomed this year’s graduates and delivered opening remarks congratulating the graduates and said LEAD is “more than just a leader development program; it is intended to be an experience.” Richardson also addressed the impromptu accelerated timeline: “At the end of the day, our job as acquisition professionals and a key component of the Army modernization enterprise is to get kits in the hands of Soldiers quickly, efficiently … Part of the reason for shortening the program, all other things aside, is to get you all back into the fight more quickly.”
“Make no mistake. Our job as acquisition professionals is to ensure that no American Soldier is ever in a fair fight anywhere. They’re going to have better equipment, they can see farther, better protected, reach out and touch somebody before they can touch them,” he said.
The Year Group 2024 graduates are Callie Bounds, Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO CBRND); Jessica Gregris, Program Executive Office (PEO) Command, Control, Communications and Network; Katrina Harris, PEO Combat Support and Combat Service Support; Joseph Neumann, Army Contracting Command – Detroit Arsenal; Melissa Pitts, JPEO CBRND; and James Smith, Jr., PEO Enterprise.
Both Smith and Gregris provided commentary on their experience from the Year Group 2024 cohort. Smith described his experience in the LEAD program as positive, providing him and his cohorts an opportunity to challenge themselves in uncomfortable situations and something that helped them grow. “I think we were able to grow the community through the LEAD program. We’re six individuals that come with unique experiences, getting put in new organizations and we go there, and bring our experience, our perspectives and some of the techniques that we use in those other organizations, and we can cross pollinate that experience across. So, not only do we grow, I think the LEAD program provides the opportunity for the acquisition community to grow and develop,” Smith said.
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
James Smith, PEO Enterprise, delivers remarks on the LEAD program describing his experience as both an opportunity and a challenge.
Gregris also described her experience in the program as positive while emphasizing the bonds that were made with her fellow cohorts. “The one thing that should really stand out are the people. We have an amazing cohort. I expect that if I reached out to one of them tomorrow or years from now, they would gladly help me,” Gregris said.
Also in attendance was special guest speaker Marty Zybura, deputy to the Deputy for Acquisition and Systems Management. Zybura congratulated this year’s graduates and thanked them for their service and dedication to the Army acquisition community. “It’s not just a milestone in your career; It’s also a milestone in the Army and in DOD,” Zybura said.
Gibbons and Richardson then presented each of the graduates with their program certificates.
PROUD MOMENT
Melissa Pitts, JPEO CBRND, receives her graduation certificate from Ronald “Rob” Richardson, Jr., Army DACM and director of USAASC.
Following the certificate presentation, Richardson delivered closing remarks, offering words of encouragement and advice as they move forward to their next endeavors. “The one ask that I have of you, as your DACM, is as you go back to your organizations, pay it forward,” Richardson said. “I think there is tremendous value to this program, to you and the Army.”
“We challenge you as you go forth now to leverage what you learned here and lead,” he said.
For more information about the LEAD program, go to https://asc.army.mil/web/career-development/programs/lead/.
REBECCA WRIGHT is a writer and editor at the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center’s Director of Acquisition Career Management Office at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. She has more than 15 years of experience writing and editing for DOD and the U.S. Department of Justice.
