2018 US Black Engineer & Information Technology | VETERANS - VOL. 42, NO. 4

VETERANS ISSUE COMPLIMENTS OF

Rear Admiral Michael Johnston Director of Acquisition Programs & Program Executive Officer (PEO), U.S. Coast Guard

Rear Admiral Erica Schwartz

Director of Health, Safety & Work-Life, U.S. Coast Guard

Making the

U.S. Coast Guard an

“Employer of Choice”

Admiral Karl L. Schultz

26th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard

INSIDE:

Top Black Military Generals & Admirals Top Blacks in the Federal Senior Executive Service

USBE&IT Veterans Issue 2018 www.blackengineer.com

Career Outlook: Career Trends in the Defense Industry

Defining tomorrow with today’s leaders Lockheed Martin salutes our military and veteran community. We know that inclusion drives success.

Diverse backgrounds, experiences and points of view help us create incredible work, solve customer’s toughest challenges and engineer solutions around the world. We don’t know what’s going to change the world next. But we’re probably already working on it.

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VC18-23838

CONTEN US BLACK ENGINEER & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

NOW THE MOST READ BLACK TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE REACHING OVER 100,000 READERS IN THE UNITED STATES, UK, AND SOUTH AFRICA

BRINGING TECHNOLOGY HOME TO THE BLACK COMMUNITY

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Publisher’s Page

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Cover Story: One on One

The 26th commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, Admiral Karl Schultz, details his vision to make the U.S. Coast Guard an “employer of choice”

FEATURES

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Veterans Transition Inititative (VTI) Program What is the VTI program and why do veterans need it?

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General McConville Inspires Stars and Stripes

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Top Blacks in the Military Exclusive list of the U.S. military’s top African-American flag officers

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Top Black Senior Executive Service (SES)

Exclusive list of the U.S. government’s top African-American SES members Admiral Karl Schultz

Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard 2 USBE&IT | WINTER 2018

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TS Vo l u m e 4 2 N u m b e r 4 PROFILES IN INNOVATION

People and Events........................... 6

West Point Grad Returns as Superintendent Black Woman First for Marines Announced DARPA Announces $2 Billion Campaign to Develop Next Wave of AI Technologies

“Smart Installations” with AI Could Be the Army’s Future

Events

EDUCATION

Education......................................16 The Academy Experience: What It Takes to Serve

BEST PRACTICES FOR SUCCESS

PUBLISHER’S PAGE Stars and Stripes: A BEYA Institution Since the BEYA Stars and Stripes Mentoring Session began five years ago, more than 5,000 high school students have had face-to-face sessions with 1,500 officers and members of the federal Senior Executive Service (SES).

Many of the high-ranking officers and SES members that take part in the day-long mentoring session and the Sustained Mentoring Program that runs throughout the school year have been featured in the pages of US Black Engineer & IT (USBE) magazine.

In line with the ideals of USBE magazine’s annual BEYA STEM Conference, Stars and Stripes strives to promote awareness of opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Now in its 14th year, Stars and Stripes, which is held as part of the annual celebration of the BEYA STEM Conference, has become an event of critical importance.

The star-studded evening tribute attracts Fortune 500 CEOs and leaders at the Department of Defense, America’s largest employer. Stars and Stripes has hosted many members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; chairmen, vice chairmen, and chiefs of staff of the Army and Air Force; commandants of the Marine Corps; and chiefs of the National Guard Bureau.

Corporate Life................................18

The Stars and Stripes dinner at BEYA honors active and retired African-American admirals, generals, and SES executives as well as the sacrifices of our brave men and women in uniform.

Career Voices.................................20

Founders of the BEYA Stars and Stripes Alumni Committee include Gen. Johnnie Wilson, Gen. Lester Lyles, Lt. Gen. Joe Ballard, Lt. Gen. Al Edmonds, Vice Adm. Walter Davis, former White House Chief Usher Rear Adm. Stephen Rochon, and Mr. Bill Brown, a member of the SES community. Each year the host of the BEYA Stars and Stripes alternates between the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, National Guard, and Coast Guard.

Lessons in Leadership – Entrepreneurship and Opportunities with the Army for New Businesses and HBCUs

An Interview with Two of the Highest-Ranking Officers in the Coast Guard, Rear Admiral Michael Johnston and Rear Admiral Erica Schwartz

Leading Voices

Leading Voices...............................74

Admiral Stephen Rochon (Ret.) Recalls His Years at the Bush - Obama White House Dr. Chance Glenn Talks about How to Use STEM Education To Transform Lives Kendall Harris Shares His Expertise on How to Get the Most out of a Non-Profit Community

CAREER OUTLOOK

Career Outlook..............................77 Careers in the Defense Industry Industry Overview Job Horizons Defense Industry Corporate Directory

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Tyrone D. Taborn Publisher and Editorial Director

Digital Connection: Stars and Stripes

USBE&IT | WINTER 2018 3

SAVE THE DATE FEBRUARY 13-15, 2020 Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel • Washington, DC

www.beya.org

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EXECUTIVE OFFICE Tyrone D. Taborn, CEO and Chief Content Officer Jean Hamilton, President and CFO Alex Venetta, Associate Publisher, Manager of Partner Services Eric Price, Vice President, Recruitment and Professional Training EDITORIAL AND CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Rayondon Kennedy, Managing Editor Lango Deen, Technology Editor Dr. Michael Spencer, Former Dean, School of Engineering, Morgan State University Dr. Gary Harris, Professor, Engineering Department, Howard University Dr. Victor McCrary, Member, National Science Board Dr. Kamal Nayan Agarwal, Vice-Chairman, Modern Technology and Management Institute, Howard University Jem Pagán, Chief Technology Officer, Flatiron Strategies Michael Fletcher, Contributing Editor Gale Horton Gay, Contributing Editor Garland L. Thompson, Contributing Editor Roger Witherspoon, Contributing Editor GRAPHIC DESIGN Beverly Wladkowski, Art Director Bryan Davis, Digital Director Joe Weaver, Global Design Interactive CORPORATE AND ALUMNI RELATIONS Dr. Gwendolyn Boyd, CCG Alumni Committee Chair and President Dr. Eugene DeLoatch, Chairman, BEYA Alumni Group Vice Admiral Walter J. Davis, USN (Ret.) National Chair, BEYA Military Alumni Oliver “Bo” Leslie, Retired Program Manager, Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions, The Boeing Company Monica E. Emerson, Women of Color STEM Conference National Chair Matt Bowman, CCG Military Program Manager Stars and Stripes Committee Executive Director/Chief of Staff for VADM Walter J. Davis, USN (Ret.) Ty Taborn, Corporate Development Hayward Henderson, Executive Advisor to the CEO SALES AND MARKETING Gwendolyn Bethea, Vice President, Corporate Development Sheri Hewson, Account Executive Kameron Nelson, Account Executive Devin Oten, Senior Account Manager Jay Albritton, Social Media Specialist JOBMATCH AND STUDENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS Ashley Turner, Recruitment Team Manager Courtney Taborn, Talent Management Specialist Rod Carter, Recruitment Specialist, College Relations Shelia Richburg, College Coordinator CONFERENCE AND EVENTS Ana Bertrand, Conference Coordinator Jennifer Roberts, Customer Success Manager Brandon Newby, Administrative Assistant Toni Robinson, 360 MMG Rutherford & Associates ADVERTISING SALES OFFICE Career Communications Group, Inc. 729 E. Pratt Street, Suite 504, Baltimore, MD 21202 Phone: (410) 244-7101 / Fax: (410) 752-1837

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US Black Engineer & Information Technology (ISSN 1088-3444) is a publication devoted to engineering, science, and technology and to promoting opportunities in those fields. US Black Engineer & Information Technology cannot be responsible for unsolicited art or editorial material. This publication is bulk-mailed to colleges and universities nationwide. Subscriptions are $26/year. Please write to US Black Engineer & Information Technology, Subscriptions, 729 E. Pratt St., Suite 504, Baltimore, MD 21202. Copyright © 2018 by Career Communications Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/BEYASTEM

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PROFILES IN INNOVATION

PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Compiled by Lango Deen ldeen@ccgmag.com

SMART INSTALLATIONS’ WITH AI COULD BE THE ARMY’S FUTURE Lt. Gen. Gwen Bingham, assistant chief of staff for Installation Management, gave a speech about the future of Army installations at the Association of the U.S. Army Institute of Land Warfare Breakfast Series conference on June 13, in Arlington, VA. By 2035 all Army installations could employ artificial intelligence, cloud computing, data analytics, and other technological advancements, according to a press release from the office of the assistant chief of staff for installation management, or ACSIM. ACSIM manages an $18 billion budget that supports 156 installations, one million soldiers, and 2.2 million family members across the total force.

“Let’s imagine for a moment the use of artificial intelligence and other smart cities’ technologies, such as autonomous vehicles for transportation on a post, camp, station, or installation,” Bingham said. “Imagine being able to use and analyze big data so

6 USBE&IT | WINTER 2018

that you could look at a building and be able to predict when it was going to need repairs.”

Smart installations could also improve the quality of life for all soldiers, families, civilians, and veterans living in or around an installation, she said. Biometric sensors, license plate readers, and other advancements employed by industry partners could be a potential improvement to access points, the general added.

Further, the use of drones, sensors, cameras, and other technologies has the potential to enhance the Army’s ability to broaden installation security.

changes. ACSIM is currently partnering with U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command to survey millennials and millennial families to help shape the future force.

“We believe that we must begin to have conversations with the persons and people who are going to use that technology in 2035 and beyond,” she said. “What services will our junior members want us to provide or need on installations? What services can be provided off-post … so that we can rid ourselves of some of those non-core missions.” S

Bingham also identified millennials as being a leading factor behind many of the

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WEST POINT GRAD RETURNS AS SUPERINTENDENT Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams assumed duties as the 60th superintendent of the United States Military Academy, West Point, in July. He graduated from West Point in 1983 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. A career field artillery officer, Williams most recently served as commander, NATO Allied Land Command. Prior to that, he served as commander, U.S. Army Africa (USARAF), deputy chief of staff G3/5/7 of the U.S. Army in Europe; deputy commanding general for support, 2nd Infantry Division; commanding general for the U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command; and assistant surgeon general for Warrior Care and Transition. S

DARPA ANNOUNCES $2 BILLION CAMPAIGN TO DEVELOP NEXT WAVE OF AI TECHNOLOGIES The Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has announced more than $2 billion in new and existing programs, called the AI Next campaign.

According to a DARPA release, agency director Dr. Steven Walker unveiled the large-scale effort during closing remarks at DARPA’s D60 Symposium at the Gaylord Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, MD. “With AI Next, we are making multiple research investments aimed at transforming computers from specialized tools to partners in problem-solving,” said Dr. Walker. “Today machines lack contextual reasoning capabilities, and their training must cover every eventuality, which is not only costly but ultimately impossible. We want to explore how machines can acquire human-like communication and reasoning capabilities, with the ability to recognize new situations and environments and adapt to them.”

Through AI Next, key areas to be explored may include automating Defense Department business processes, such as security clearance vetting in a week or accrediting software systems in one day for operational deployment; improving the reliability of AI systems; enhancing the security and resiliency of machine learning and AI technologies; reducing power, data, and performance inefficiencies; and pioneering the next generation of AI algorithms and applications, such as commonsense reasoning. S

FIRST BLACK WOMAN FOR MARINE BRIGADIER GENERAL IN 2018 GENERAL OFFICER ANNOUNCEMENTS Marine Corps Col. Lorna M. Mahlock has been nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. She is currently serving as the director of Command, Control, Communications, and Computers (C4) and as the chief information officer (CIO) of the Marine Corps. Before her current assignment, she served as the deputy director of Plans, Policy, and Operations and as the commanding officer of Marine Air Control Group 18 in Okinawa, Japan. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, she immigrated to Brooklyn, NY, and later enlisted in the Marine Corps. She was selected for the Marine Corps Enlisted Commissioning Education Program, graduated from Marquette University, and was commissioned in December 1991. S

EVENTS National Organization of Blacks In Government Blacks In Government 41st National Training Institute August 5–8, 2019 Dallas, TX

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AAFEA Leadership Development Workshop 15th Annual AAFEA Leadership Development Workshop September 2019 TBA

WINTER 2018 I USBE&IT 7

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U.S. COAST GUARD Coast Guard Academy (CGA)

Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard Academy, one of the five U.S. service academies, provides an elite 4-year education to prepare graduates to serve as Coast Guard officers.

• Approximately $400,000 in educational benefits plus $11,000 in yearly allowances • Guaranteed $54,000 per year starting pay and allowances as a Coast Guard ensign after graduation • Free medical and dental coverage • Small school - 1,000 cadets total, 18 cadets in an average class and a 8:1 student to teacher ratio • 22 programs of study within 9 major academic fields • 25 varsity NCAA Division III/I teams Learn more by searching “CGA” at GOCOASTGUARD.COM or Contact

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ONE ON ONE

by Lango Deen ldeen@ccgmag.com

U.S. COAST GUARD: THE EMPLOYER OF CHOICE Admiral Karl L. Schultz is the 26th commandant of the United States Coast Guard. He is the military service’s top officer, leading nearly 42,000 men and women defending America’s borders, rescuing citizens in peril, and protecting the maritime transportation system and environment.

P

reviously, as commander of Atlantic Area, he was the operational commander for all Coast Guard missions spanning five Coast Guard districts and 40 states.

He concurrently served as director, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Joint Task Force–East and was responsible for the DHS Southern Border Approaches Campaign Plan stretching across the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Region, including Central America.

Flag assignments include director of operations (J3); U.S. Southern Command in Doral, FL; commander, 11th Coast Guard District in Alameda, CA; and director of governmental and public affairs at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, DC. There are also operational assignments as sector commander in Miami, FL, as well as command tours aboard USCGC Venturous, USCGC Acacia, and USCGC Farallon.

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Frontline Operations Eight years into his career—after spending six of them on ships sailing North and South Carolina, the Florida Straits, the Caribbean, and off the coast of Colombia while fighting the war on narcotics being smuggled into the U.S.— Schultz returned to the academy for a master’s degree in public administration.

“If you’d asked a former undergraduate engineer, back in my cadet days, whether I’d be working in public administration, I’d have told you no. What I found as an officer is that I liked frontline operations, solving difficult problems that the Coast Guard dealt with as an agency and as part of the larger federal government. That was very attractive to me,” he explained.

In Miami, he worked in one of the busiest command centers of the Coast Guard at the time.

Beyond what he had done as a sailor, there was exposure to regulatory functions, large cruise ships, the maritime industry, shore-based rescue, and interagency partnerships with Customs and Border Protection and the former INS, now part of border protection.

“That broadened my aperture of the Coast Guard experience,” Schultz said.

“I wanted to learn about how the Coast Guard is a unique instrument of national security.”

Formative Years After earning his master’s degree in 1992, the admiral spent some time as a liaison officer working at the State Department doing legislative and governmental affairs work for the Coast Guard on Capitol Hill.

In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Schultz was part of the transition team that orientated the Coast Guard from the Department of Transportation to the new Department of Homeland Security. “That was a very influential

period in my development,” he said.

Fifteen years on, he notes that the Coast Guard is well positioned within the Department of Homeland Security.

“We enable $4.6 trillion of economic activity on an annual basis. We fuel the nation’s prosperity with our mission on the emerald waters. The nation has 361 seaports. We work security in the facilities of those ports—arriving ships, departing ships—and we are a recognized leader.

We have a large voice in the United Nations when it comes to global maritime issues,” the admiral said proudly.

On the home front, Schultz oversaw Coast Guard rescue and recovery efforts for hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate in 2017. During an equally devasting 2018 hurricane season, he has led rescue and recovery efforts in North Carolina and the Florida Panhandle. The admiral’s strategic plan revolves around having a force that is ready, relevant, and responsive to the American public.

An Employer of Choice As service chief of the Coast Guard, Schultz is committed to making significant progress with diversity and inclusion initiatives across the Coast Guard workforce comprised of nearly 42,000 active-duty members, 6,200 Reservists, 8,650 civilians, and 24,500 volunteer Auxiliarists.

Equally as important as growing diversity is having a robust inclusion policy that ensures the organization provides officers and civilians, 30 percent of whom are minorities, with enterprisewide advancement, promotion, and progression.

“As the commandant, [I] want to attract people to the Coast Guard, be an employer of choice, but it is a competitive environment; unemployment is low.

You can make more money and benefits www.blackengineer.com

“Equally as important as growing diversity is having a robust inclusion policy that ensures the organization provides officers and civilians, 30 percent of whom are minorities, with enterprise-wide advancement, promotion, and progression.�

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WINTER 2018 I USBE&IT 11

ONE ON ONE “In the last 10 years, we’ve grown our female enlisted workforce from 11 percent to 14 percent,” the admiral said. “Our female officer population has grown from 15 to 20 percent.

I’d say a positive trend is that 40 percent of our commissioning cadets are female.” than what we do, but service, to me, is a calling. Whether it’s peace or war, we have missions going on all the time as a member of the DHS, whether that’s stemming the flow of drugs, rescue work, regulatory work, or supporting operations in all the regions of the Department of Defense,” he said.

To support the Coast Guard’s efforts in developing and sustaining an inclusive workforce that recruits and retains the best and brightest for the 21st century, the Coast Guard’s chief diversity officer formed an Affinity Group Council (AGC).

The council is proactively and independently advising Coast Guard leaders on matters that support an inclusive total workforce. The AGC is a body designed to assist the organization with the overarching goal of increasing the diversity of the Coast Guard’s total workforce and raising the level of inclusiveness across the service for all members.

The five specific responsibilities of the AGC are to serve as advocates, provide broader networking, serve as a point of connectivity, serve in an advisory nature, and contribute to a collaborative community of learning.

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Recently, the Coast Guard contracted with the RAND Corporation to conduct a study to identify the causes of high female attrition in the Coast Guard and to develop recommendations that will help mitigate identified barriers to women’s retention.

Nearly 200 focus groups were conducted in every district and headquarters from January to May with over 1,100 participants. The results of this study are anticipated in February.

To prepare for the findings and recommendations, a Personnel Readiness Task Force (PRTF) was formed. Additionally, the PRTF will conduct a holistic review of the talent management policies, practices, and systems impacting the total workforce.

The PRTF will evaluate and implement recommendations from previous studies and current surveys, including the Women’s Retention Study and Holistic Analysis.

“In the last 10 years, we’ve grown our female enlisted workforce from 11 percent to 14 percent,” Schultz said. “Our female officer population has grown from 15 to 20 percent. I’d say a positive trend is that 40 percent of our commissioning cadets are female.”

The commandant signed the first-ever memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) and renewed the current MOU with the National Naval Officers Association (NNOA). Both agreements establish the framework for a cooperative relationship with the purpose of achieving mutual organizational goals while providing professional development to the total workforce.

Attracting STEM Talent In May the Coast Guard graduated the largest class ever of African-American officers. There were 18 Black cadet graduates, more than four times the number that graduated in 2017. The admiral notes that underrepresented minorities make up 32 percent of the total number of enrolled cadets in the Class of 2019, rising year on year to 36 percent for the Class of 2022.

“Our work in progress is increasing the

number of underrepresented minorities,” said the admiral.

The Coast Guard has a College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative (CSPI) designed for motivated individuals that demonstrate a high caliber of academic and leadership excellence and desire to serve their country in the United States Coast Guard. CSPI is available to students attending historically Black colleges and universities, member schools of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, and other approved institutions of higher learning.

CSPI provides up to two years of tuition and fees paid for the last two years of college, an approximately $3,600 monthly allowance, a housing allowance, a guaranteed job after graduation (commissioning into the U.S. Coast Guard as an ensign on active duty with a starting salary of $60,000), and an initial assignment after commissioning into one of many career fields, including a Coast Guard sector, duty aboard a Coast Guard cutter, or an appointment into Coast Guard aviation.

“It was my high school basketball coach who introduced me to the concept of the service academy, specifically the Coast Guard,” Schultz said.

“I had a chance to watch the team play and talk to the coaches. What I saw interested me. I was also interested in engineering at the time, and with their STEM program, it was too good a deal not to put in my application.”

STEM Partnerships Affinity groups and community outreach helps the Coast Guard expand its impact around the country.

“We have a multitude of partnerships that support STEM education where Coast Guard men and women go out in the classrooms of local schools, K–12,” the admiral said. “Our men and women work with schools in studying the oceans, waterways, and ecosystems to get students excited” about military STEM careers.

There are also plans for a national Coast Guard museum on the New London waterfront, and one program envisaged is a Discovery Center for exploratory, www.blackengineer.com

TIPS • Show respect for your people.

• Challenge with reasonable expectations.

• Remember that effective communication is vital for leadership.

• Maintain trust by the American people that their Coast Guard will show up ready to help and that the organization is free of harassment and sexual assault.

• Be curious and interested.

• Focus is critical. Too many priorities dilute things. “If everything is a priority, nothing is a priority.”

• Take warranted risks. Be willing to fail.

• Let your people learn from mistakes.

• “Find the good in people and praise it.” (quote by Alex Haley, former Coast Guardsman)

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hands-on work and maybe some simulators. Cadets are also inspired by work with Robert Ballard, who discovered the Titanic wreck, on a ship that explores the Great Lakes. The experience also comes with community outreach excursions, enabling cadets to engage the public and spread the word about service academies, specifically the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

Coast Guard sources say the most significant validation of these programs is what senior officers with STEM degrees are doing in the service.

For example, marine engineers and naval architects assigned throughout the Coast Guard’s Acquisition and Engineering Directorates at Headquarters are positioned to have direct and positive impacts on the outcomes of its multibillion-dollar, fleet-wide recapitalization efforts. They are program managers for the construction of the new fast response cutters, national security cutters, and offshore patrol cutters.

Others are members of Coast Guard ship design teams. Others still are involved in executing construction designs of Coast Guard infrastructure resiliency

following significant damage from the devastating 2017 hurricane season, when the Coast Guard received $835 million in hurricane damage supplemental funding

by Congress.

Tomorrow’s Coast Guard As the Coast Guard looks to a future with the Blended Retirement System, industry recruiting top talent, and new generations with different priorities, Schultz is committed to ensuring that the Coast Guard is an “employer of choice.”

Upon assuming the duties of the commandant in June, Schultz’s early action items were the first step in that direction, and several improvements have already reached the workforce.

“We need to look for solutions to enable our young members to develop professionally and personally, provide them the new flexibility to serve, ensure they are receiving proper resources to do their jobs effectively, and ensure family and health care needs are met. A healthy organization resolves the balance between readiness and operations, which must be welcomed at all levels of the chain of command,” he said. S

WINTER 2018 I USBE&IT 13

SAVE THE DATE

OCTOBER 3–5, 2019 DETROIT, MI www.womenofcolor.net

Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WOCITC Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/woctechnology Career Communications Group, Inc. 729 East Pratt St., Suite 504 | Baltimore, MD 21202 (410) 244-7101 | www.womenofcolor.net

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EDUCATION

EDUCATION

By Kenneth Barnes editors@ccgmag.com

UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMIES

Who are they, what are their goals and values, and what are they looking for in cadets?

THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMIES • The United States Military Academy was founded in 1802 and is located in West Point, NY. • The United States Naval Academy was founded in 1845 and located in Annapolis, MD. • The United States Coast Guard Academy was founded in 1876 and located in New London, CT. • The United States Merchant Marine Academy was founded in 1943 and located in Kings Point, NY. • The United States Air Force Academy was founded in 1954 and located in Colorado Springs, CO.

M

ilitary academies have been a part of the fabric of American society since the founding of the United States Military Academy, sometimes referred to as West Point, in 1802. Subsequently, additional academies have been founded for the Navy, Coast Guard, and Air Force. They are elite academic institutions entrusted to train many of the individuals that will be in leadership positions throughout the armed forces. Because of the important roles graduates play in the ongoing defense of the United States, entry into the academies is extremely competitive. Once admitted, a disciplined approach to training, leadership, athletics, and education is applied to create graduates that not only excel during their military careers, but also in post-military life. The rank of graduates includes American presidents, astronauts, Rhodes Scholars, Heisman Trophy winners, and Nobel Prize recipients.

From the first day of entry into the United States Military Academy, the United States Naval Academy, the United States Air Force Academy, or the United States Coast Guard Academy, a student is classified as being

16 USBE&IT | WINTER 2018

a member of the armed forces. All school expenses, such as books, board, tuition, and health care, are paid for by the federal government. The student also receives a monthly stipend for miscellaneous expenses. As members of the armed forces, all students’ actions are now judged by the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Upon graduation, they are required to fulfill a five-year enlistment in the armed forces.

This will be immediately followed by three years in the Reserves. For those who take on professions in the military that require long training periods, such as pilot training, the minimum enlisting commitment time may be extended.

The United States Merchant Marine Academy is not entirely free like the other academies. However, the cost is nominal, generally amounting to a thousand dollars per year. Graduates of this school are not required to serve in the military after their degree completion. Academy midshipmen who prefer can choose to join any branch of the United States Armed Forces.

With the unique exception of the United States Coast Guard Academy, all applicants are required to receive a nomination to gain acceptance to the school. The nominations can come from a U.S. senator, a representative in Congress, the vice president, or the president. The Coast Guard Academy does not require nominations and uses a competitive admissions process. In all cases, the requirements for admittance are challenging. One must be able to pass a fitness test and medical examination.

Sterling personal and academic high school records are required with strong showings on transcripts, test scores, recommendations, and a college essay.

Athletic excellence is considered as well. In the case of the Naval Academy, a personal interview may be required.

Lt. Darnell Talbert, an admissions officer at the Coast Guard Academy, had this suggestion for applicants to a service academy: “Having a strong academic foundation, particularly in the areas of STEM—calculus, physics, and chemistry—

is key for academic success at Coast Guard Academy. While most of the degrees encompass some type of engineering, non-technical degrees require students to take STEM courses as all degrees result in a Bachelor of Science.”

Attending a military academy is an excellent opportunity in life, but you need to make sure you are doing so for the right reasons.

Eyobe Mills, a cadet at the Coast Guard Academy, puts it this way: “The Coast Guard Academy is not for everyone. Do not come here unless YOU (not your parents) want to be here. This place is very demanding and will require a lot from you.

Those who do not graduate from here is because they did not want to be here. If you DO want to be here, make sure you do your research. Understand what you want and do not want from your college experience.”

The pressure from relatives can be intense to attend one of the academies, but the challenges of being in one can break someone who has not fully committed to it. Cadet Mills also added that it takes a lot of hard work and discipline and that there are times when there are more tasks than time to complete them. This cadet does not mind the challenge and has found his experience to be fulfilling.

Jacqueline Jones is a fellow cadet in the same academy who corroborated the words of Eyobe. She said how persistence is one of the most important characteristics of making it through the school. “You will face many challenges, and you will need to remember why you are there to stay optimistic.” She then recounted her experiences sailing a tall ship called the Barque Eagle with stops in Virginia, Florida, and Bermuda this past summer.

The experiences and chance for leadership were life-changing, as she tells it.

Her advice to those considering the academy is important life advice for all: “Attending an academy is a great opportunity; however, if you decide that an academy is not right for you, explore your opportunities, never limiting yourself.

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“Having a strong academic foundation, particularly in the areas of STEM—calculus, physics, and chemistry—is key for academic success at Coast Guard Academy. While most of the degrees encompass some type of engineering, nontechnical degrees require students to take STEM courses as all degrees result in a Bachelor of Science.”

Lt. Darnell Talbert, admissions officer, Coast Guard Academy

Remain passionate about your dreams, and remain optimistic.”

Nicholas Woolfolk, who is another Coast Guard Academy cadet, says that you need to know what you wish to achieve in college, and you need to make sure a service academy lines up with your goals.

He continues by saying you need to have

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“academic distinction, military excellence, and a strong moral courage” to excel in such a rigorous environment. If this is you, then maybe you should consider a service academy for your academic future. S

WINTER 2018 I USBE&IT 17

BEST PRACTICES FOR SUCCESS

by Christopher Zacher editors@ccgmag.com

CORPORATE LIFE

Maj. Gen. James Simpson, U.S. Army, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Belinda Pinckney, U.S. Army, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Tommy Marks, Director Small Business Programs, Office of the Secretary of the Army

ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE U.S. ARMY

E

ach year, the U.S. Army spends tens of billions of dollars on products produced by small businesses, creating enormous opportunities for burgeoning entrepreneurs. Every year, the five branches of the United States Armed Forces spend hundreds of billions of dollars on outside contractors, hiring companies like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman to produce things that the military doesn’t have the resources to produce on its own.

the opportunity to get in on the action too. Each of the five branches puts a certain percentage of its capital toward small business contracts. This not only allows the military access to some of the most cutting-edge technologies available, but creates great opportunities for entrepreneurs seeking an ongoing relationship with a large client.

By hiring contractors, the military is able to procure everything from elite technology like fighter jets and bombs to basic necessities like clothing, food, and toiletries.

According to retired Lt. Col. Tommy Marks, the U.S. Army spent nearly $18 billion on small business contracts last year. As the director of the Army’s Small Business Programs and a member of its Senior Executive Service, it’s Col. Marks’s job to advocate for small business contracts within the branch.

However, large corporations like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon aren’t the only companies that get a piece of the military pie. Small businesses have

“Every agency head must have a small business office so that we afford small businesses the opportunity to secure some of the funding that we spend to

18 USBE&IT | WINTER 2018

buy things,” Marks says, “and those are through prime contracts, where a business comes in and signs a direct contract with the government, not through a Boeing or a Lockheed.”

He explains that there are several different programs that allow the Army to fund and work with small companies.

The Small Business Innovation Research program, for example, helps “small businesses with outstanding ideas” bring their innovations to market. This, of course, can be a saving grace for self-funded entrepreneurs who might otherwise not be able to turn their ideas into a reality.

Another program Marks discusses is the Mentor–Protege Program, which connects small businesses with representatives at larger companies who can help them navigate the world www.blackengineer.com

Maj. Gen. James Simpson, U.S. Army

“If you cannot come to the table with capabilities that match mission requirements, you won’t be successful in obtaining a contract,” he says. “We’re talking about companies that are qualified and capable. If you can’t do that, I can’t help you.”

Lt. Col. Tommy Marks, Ret.

of military contracts. “If you’re a small company, we can connect you with a successful company that helps you through that process,” he says.

Additionally, he points out that a certain amount of funding is allocated to women-owned businesses, businesses owned by disabled veterans, and businesses operating in low socioeconomic regions.

However, he emphasizes that the Army’s funding programs are not welfare programs. They cannot, and do not, fund anyone with a business idea. Instead, they seek businesses that understand the military’s needs, have devised unique solutions, and have the skill set necessary to bring those ideas to life.

“If you cannot come to the table with capabilities that match mission requirements, you won’t be successful in obtaining a contract,” he says. “We’re talking about companies that are qualified and capable. If you can’t do that, I can’t help you.”

It’s important, therefore, that entrepreneurs bring only the most innovative solutions to the Army when applying for a contract. Maj. Gen. James Simpson, commanding general of the U.S Army Contracting Command, encourages business owners to carefully consider their potential contribution before reaching out. “What capabilities do you www.blackengineer.com

bring to the table to support readiness?” he asks. “We require small businesses to come in and give us capability briefs, to explain what value they bring to the table.”

Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Belinda Pinckney, U.S. Army

Retired Brig. Gen. Belinda Pinckney, who runs a consulting firm that connects entrepreneurs with the military, suggests that no one try to secure military funding unless they already have a strong business plan in place. “There are a lot of challenges you encounter when you start a business,” she says. “You have to make sure everything is registered. You have to understand the business side of it.”

She also suggests that interested entrepreneurs start by researching the military’s needs. “Read the Army’s capabilities statement,” she advises.

“Every agency puts one out annually.

Start by reading that. Look at the mission, and see what you can bring to the table that adds to those areas.”

For those entrepreneurs that have some good ideas and an understanding of the business, the future could be bright. The Army, as well as the other branches, is constantly looking for companies that it can foster long-lasting relationships with. “Innovation and creativity are great things,” Pinckney says. “The companies that continue to lead in innovation, especially small companies, never seem to run out of business.” S

Digital Connection: Conference Audio

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BEST PRACTICES FOR SUCCESS

by Jessica Rafaeil editors@ccgmag.com

CAREER VOICES

FINDING OPPORTUNITY AND INSPIRATION THROUGH THE U.S. COAST GUARD U.S. Coast Guard Flag Officers Discuss Their Journey Through the Military The U.S. Coast Guard is one of the five military branches that stands to defend and protect national interests, at our waterways and coasts covering more than 100,000 miles. Since its establishment in 1790, it has been present at every national conflict by acting under the Department of the Navy in times of war and under the Department of Homeland Security (since 2002) during peacetime. With just over 56,000 members—a number that barely rivals the New York Police Department— the Coast Guard has given countless civilians the opportunity to grow and learn, all while serving the nation.

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R

ear Admiral Michael Johnston and Rear Admiral Erica Schwartz, two top-ranking African Americans in the U.S. Coast Guard, are both familiar with the opportunities and have achieved many accomplishments throughout their military careers. In 2010 the Department of Defense reported that only 4.6 percent of the officer population in the Coast Guard was made up of African Americans. As part of that 4.6 percent, Schwartz currently serves as the Coast Guard’s director of health, safety and work–life, while Rear Admiral Johnston serves as the director of acquisition programs and program executive officer (PEO). Both flag officers were led to the Coast Guard by family leadership and circumstances, but both have their own impressive professional and personal accomplishments. When asked about what encouraged them to pursue military careers, they both mentioned seeing an opportunity with the Navy.

RADM Johnston: “As a young man in New Jersey, I knew I wanted to go to college. No one in my immediate family had gone to college, but some people thought I could do it. The problem was we did not have any money, so I planned to follow in my brother’s footsteps and join the military. I wound up going to one of the summer programs at the Naval Academy, and it was my roommate [who] mentioned the Coast Guard Academy.”

RADM Schwartz: “My father served in the Navy as a data processing technician and retired after 30 years as a master chief. He encouraged me and my sisters and brothers to serve our country. My older brother retired from the Marine Corps, my older sister served in the Navy as a line officer, and my younger brother served in the Army as a medic.

I knew I wanted to serve in the military, but I also wanted to pursue a career as a physician. When I found out about the

Health Professions Scholarship Program, I knew I could pursue both dreams: serving in the Navy as a physician.”

Both officers reflect on the different stops they made along the way when starting their military careers before choosing the Coast Guard.

RADM Johnston: “Like most people, I fell into the organization. I wound up getting accepted to the Naval Academy Preparatory School (NAPS) in Newport, Rhode Island, which gave me an opportunity to see if I liked the military environment. The good thing about the NAPS was that if you successfully graduated there, you could go to the Naval Academy or the CG Academy, or if you chose neither, your chances of getting a scholarship to some other college were increased. During my NAPS, I learned a lot, and I enjoyed the smaller family atmosphere the CGA offered; that was the key selling point for me. I met lifelong friends that made every challenge an adventure and every obstacle a team sport.”

RADM Schwartz: “During my time serving with the Navy, I fell in love with all things public health. As an occupational medicine physician and a clinical epidemiologist, I wanted to continue working in the public health sector, so I transferred from the Navy into the Public Health Service. When I had to decide what agency to work for as a Public Health Service officer, I chose to work for the Coast Guard because of my prior Navy experience. I wanted to continue to serve in the maritime community.”

The career achievements they are most proud of also happen to be some of the most memorable moments of their careers.

RADM Johnston: “If I picked, I would say my time at the electronic support unit in New Orleans. I think we all strive for command, and this was my first. Just www.blackengineer.com

a few weeks after taking command, Hurricane Katrina blew through the area and wiped out a significant amount of our infrastructure and homes. Some family and some friends were lost. In the midst of all this chaos, we had a lot of work to do. The way my team stood up and gave everything they had to deliver capability, save lives, and answer the call was a daily inspiration to me personally, and professionally my proudest moment.”

RADM Schwartz: “When I was selected

recommendations to the PFO.” With accomplishments come challenges.

Schwartz remembers the obstacles she faced after her promotion to flag officer, while Johnston faced his battle in the mirror with his self-confidence.

RADM Johnston: “How does the saying from Rear Admiral Erica Schwartz

“During my time serving with the Navy, I fell in love with all things public health. As an occupational medicine physician and a clinical epidemiologist, I wanted to continue working in the public health sector, so I transferred from the Navy into the Public Health Service. When I had to decide what agency to work for as a Public Health Service officer, I chose to work for the Coast Guard because of my prior Navy experience. I wanted to continue to serve in the maritime community.”

Sustained Mentoring Program group at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. Adults from left are Jesse McCurdy, Dr. Evan Glazer (principal at the time), school counselor Andrea Smith and mentor Joan Hughes.

RADM Erica Schwartz

to serve as the medical consultant for the DHS Pandemic Influenza Principal Federal Official (PFO), it was the most exciting position I held. Knowing that the potential of an influenza pandemic could impact hundreds of thousands, if not millions, and being part of the team that helped prepare the nation for a potential influenza pandemic was incredibly exciting. I was able to use my public health experience to provide timely and critical medical www.blackengineer.com

Henry Ford go? ‘Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are probably right.’ The biggest challenge in my career was myself on my first tour on my first ship. I just was not confident at first and had no real experience being a deck watch officer in some of the most restricted waters along the East Coast. I was nervous and filled with doubt. I was fortunate to have a great commanding officer and a great crew, but in the end, I put in the time. I lived on the bridge and drove every chance

I got, faced my self-doubt, and took action every day. Years later ADM Loy would give PEP awards for people who perform well, and the PEP stands for ‘preparation equals performance.’ You have to put in the time and practice, plan, and prepare; it pays off in the end.”

RADM Schwartz: “As a physician, I’ve trained as a technician. Transitioning from being a technical expert to a strategic thinker has been a significant challenge. Ensuring that I have staff that I can trust has enabled me to focus on my strategic vision to ensure the Coast Guard has a workforce that is medically ready to perform their operational missions.”

Like many before them, each rear admiral can acknowledge a person in their life that has inspired them professionally.

RADM Schwartz: “My biggest inspiration has been my father, a man born on a sharecropper farm right on the ocean in Florida. He would watch crew ships sail off into the distance.

The vision of the ships sailing away had such an impact upon him that at the age of 16, he decided to join the Naval Reserve with a friend. Most African

WINTER 2018 I USBE&IT 21

BEST PRACTICES FOR SUCCESS CAREER VOICES Americans at the time were not given the opportunity to go into technical ratings. While he was responsible for cleaning the classrooms and making coffee for white students after being transferred to the DC Navy Yard, a chief saw something in my father and asked him to sit in on the class.

He went on to become one of the first African Americans to become a machine accountant in the Navy. My father never lost faith in his country or the Navy. As one of the first AfricanAmerican data processing master chiefs in the Navy, he has inspired me every day to achieve.”

RADM Johnston: “While ADM James Loy was the commandant of the Coast Guard, I served as his aide de camp. He demonstrated incredible leadership that transformed lives almost daily through his sincere compassion for people, the selfless pursuit of doing what is right, and his incredible patience with everyone as he took the time to explain the ‘why’ even when it was not required. He transformed the entire organization in the wake of

“During my NAPS, I learned a lot, and I enjoyed the smaller family atmosphere the CGA offered; that was the key selling point for me. I met lifelong friends that made every challenge an adventure and every obstacle a team sport.”

RADM Michael Johnston

3.

Values, integrity, and compassion for people are foundational to good leadership.

4. Trust can be built.

5.

Leadership is like golf; we all have our bag of clubs or a caddie or a coach. We may even get better equipment. Regardless of the course, those who have studied and practiced stand out; preparation equals performance.

6. Leadership is a journey that you should not travel alone; choose your mentors and advisors wisely.

7.

A small group of dedicated individuals can change almost anything.

8. Objective self-reflection is an invaluable skill needed for growth.

9. Many people miss an opportunity because it often comes dressed in overalls and looks a lot like hard work.

10. Know your craft, whatever it is; be an expert.

the 9/11 attacks and spearheaded changes across the globe through the International Maritime Organization.

He inspired me to take up the study of leadership, which changed my life and career for the better.”

Each rear admiral has passed along 10 tips on leadership for those who might be considering following in their footsteps. Each one mentions keeping a notebook on key phrases and mantras that remind them that trust, mentorship, and hard work are keys to developing leadership.

Rear Admiral Michael Johnston

RADM Schwartz: 1.

Trust your instincts.

2.

Never give up.

3.

Have a mentor.

4. Continue to challenge yourself.

5.

Believe in yourself.

6. Be ethical—always.

7.

Maintain a strong work ethic.

8. Ensure you have a work–life balance.

9. Focus on the positives.

10. Don’t sweat the small stuff. S

RADM Johnston: 1. People are generally good and worth the effort.

2. Everyone has something unique and special to give—find it.

22 USBE&IT | WINTER 2018

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BY GALE HORTON GAY editors@ccgmag.com

VTI Extends Helping Hand to Veterans in Transition When a military career is over, it’s time to look in new directions; getting additional education, starting a business, and employment in the private sector are just some of the many options. However, transitioning from military life to civilian life isn’t always easy.

T

he Veterans Transition Initiative (VTI) is a four-year-old program whose mission is to help smooth the path for members of the military who are taking off their uniforms and putting on civilian clothes that at times may be an uncomfortable fit.

VTI is a BEYA Star & Stripes effort dedicated to showing businesses, educational institutions, and government agencies the value of vets’ science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) experience as well as assisting veterans in preparing for their next steps.

A cavalcade of programs, seminars, involvements, and connection opportunities are available for veterans through VTI: • The Stars & Stripes government/ military track at the annual BEYA conference, during which veterans can receive continuing education credits and professional development credits • The Career Fair, at which direct hiring and networking opportunities exist with the more than 50 participating companies • The Capstone program, which is in its third year, provides opportunities for both active and retired senior military leaders to be connected to top-level executives in academia, nonprofits, and Fortune 500 companies. It’s been described as a “candid one-on-one strategic goal assessment session” and a “safe haven for frank conversations for life-changing career decisions.”

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These initiatives take place during the annual BEYA STEM Conference, which, in 2019, will be held February 7–9 at Washington Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, DC.

members of the military are also trained how to be leaders in different types of organizations, how to negotiate for salary and benefits, and more.

Matt Bowman, executive director of the BEYA Stars and Stripes Committee, said finding success after a military career is daunting for many veterans.

Bowman estimates that several hundred veterans have gone through VTI programs or have been assisted in skills development or making connections to recruiters or hiring managers.

“Veterans spend the first part of their life focusing on their job, being of service to others,” said Bowman. “Many have a tough transition to civilian work.”

“It’s a life-changing initiative because it’s not just the vet’s life that changes,” said Bowman, noting the positive impact it can have on their families as well.

Bowman said military-trained individuals have been entrenched in handling their responsibilities in a specific manner, which often is counter to how things are done in the civilian work world. He pointed out that military personnel are “missiondriven,” but outside the military, the focus is often on profit and loss. Likewise, activeduty military people are trained to think of themselves as a team, while in non-military environments, there’s more of an emphasis on individual achievements, he said.

Veterans often are ill-equipped to talk up their individual accomplishments in such a way as to impress a recruiter or hiring manager, according to Bowman.

Johnnie Wilson, who rose to the rank of Army four-star general during his 38-year military career before retiring in 1999, has been involved with VTI from its start.

“Although there are many [veterans assistance] programs throughout the nation, there can never be too many,” said Wilson. “We have enough assets to really make a difference because of the way our programs are structured.”

VTI works to build veterans’ arsenals so that they have everything they need to come out a winner in the marketplace— whether it is resumes that shine, interview skills that make a solid impression, or opportunities to meet and learn from leaders in business, industry, nonprofits, and academia. Through VTI, former

Wilson applauded Tony Watson, a retired naval rear admiral, for establishing the program’s curriculum and “prodding” him and other leaders to bring their best to VTI. “Each year, we tweak it a little bit … making sure we can make a difference,” said Wilson. “Each year, we have helped somebody.”

Those interested in getting connected to Veterans Transition Initiative should go to www.servicetonation.org for more information. S

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“Veterans spend the first part of their life focusing on their job, being of service to others. Many have a tough transition to civilian work.”

– Matt Bowman, Executive Director of BEYA Stars & Stripes Committee

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WINTER 2018 I USBE&IT 25

RIGHT PLACE. RIGHT PATH. RIGHT PURPOSE.

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AN EVENING WITH

Gen. James McConville and the Founders of BEYA Stars & Stripes OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS,

decorated officers from the United States military have enhanced the Stars & Stripes Dinner at the Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Conference.

IN 2018 GEN. JAMES MCCONVILLE, VICE CHIEF OF STAFF FOR THE

The founders of BEYA Stars & Stripes are retired admirals, generals, and members of the federal Senior Executive Service (SES).

U.S. ARMY, TEAMED UP WITH BEYA VETERANS FOR ANOTHER

These men and women have shown courage under fire, wisdom, resourcefulness, and fidelity to their nation.

MOTIVATIONAL SPEECH WITH FUNNY, INSPIRING

The featured service of the Stars & Stripes event at the BEYA STEM Conference alternates between the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and National Guard.

Each year, the lead service for Stars & Stripes partners with BEYA military alumni to wrap up a day-long program devoted to servicemen and women in STEM careers.

In 2018, General James McConville, vice chief of staff for the U.S. Army, teamed up with Walter J. Davis, the national chair of the BEYA Military Alumni, and founders of BEYA Stars & Stripes for another motivational speech with funny, inspiring stories about success in the STEM field.

Davis, a former Navy fighter pilot and retired vice admiral, earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Ohio State University in 1959.

Four Generations in STEM Speaking to the four generations in the BEYA Stars & Stripes audience, McConville congratulated the parents of the twenty-something graduates of 2018.

“You know when your sons and daughters graduate, they’re going to have jobs.

They’re going to have good jobs, and you can start to imagine the day when they’ll be off the payroll,” the general quipped.

“But here’s one thing—this is from an experienced parent—it doesn’t happen all at once. First, they move out. Second,

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STORIES ABOUT SUCCESS.

they’ll have you continue to pay the insurance ... The final kind of path is when you finally get them off the family cell phone plan,” the general said as the audience laughed in approval at the universal millennial and baby boomer joke.

they needed,” McConville said to more applause.

On a more serious note, McConville spoke about the role of STEM graduates in tomorrow’s workforce.

“And what you’ll be able to do is pop your chest out and say you served your fellow man. It might be in the military. It might be somewhere else. You did something for the country, and the path you have is going to make a difference,” the general noted.

“In the United States Army, the soldier will always be the centerpiece,” he said.

“We’re looking for great engineers, great mathematicians, scientists, and engineers to give our soldiers the equipment they need.”

Recounting a legendary battle won in 2004 with coordination by an operations center, Apache pilots, global positioning satellite, maps, and moving map displays, the general praised the bravery of those on the front line.

“Those pilots were the heroes,” the general said, “but the heroes behind them were the scientists, the engineers, the mathematicians that launched the satellites, that developed the technology that gave our troops the technology that

“So someday when you’re old like us and old like the gentlemen here, your kids, your friends, are going to ask you what you did for your country,” McConville said.

Stars & Stripes is one of the most significant events at the BEYA STEM Conference honoring active and retired African-American veterans and SES members. S

Digital Connection: Watch Gen. McConville

WINTER 2018 I USBE&IT 27

TOP BLACK OFFICERS in the U.S. Military

U.S.ARMY 28 USBE&IT | WINTER 2018

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TOP BLACK OFFICERS in the U.S. Military

U.S. ARMY

TOP BLACK

OFFICERS U.S. MILITARY

IN THE

US Black Engineer magazine’s end-of-year veterans edition, formerly known as the Homeland Security, Government, and Defense issue, returns with two of its most powerful lists: the 100+ African Americans in the United States military and 100+ in the federal Senior Executive Service (SES). First up in USBE’s annual defense leadership series are the highest-ranking generals and admirals in the United States Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and National Guard. These brave and dedicated men and women play critical roles in all U.S. military commands, ranging from the Cyber Command to Special Operations and Strategic to Transportation across the globe.

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WINTER 2018 I USBE&IT 29

TOP BLACK OFFICERS in the U.S. Military LT. GEN. GWEN BINGHAM

Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management Headquarters, Department of the Army

U.S.ARMY

GEN. VINCENT BROOKS

Commander, United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/United States Forces Korea

Gen. Vincent Brooks is the commander of United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/ United States Forces Korea. During his more than 37 years as a commissioned officer, Brooks has been privileged to command in the field numerous times, including two companies in Germany; a battalion in Korea near the demilitarized zone; a brigade based in the U.S. but forward-deployed to Kosovo; two divisions, including one forwarddeployed to Iraq; and two theater armies, one covering the Middle East and Central Asia and the other the Indo-Asia Pacific region. Brooks also served twice in the headquarters of the Department of the Army as a staff officer and principal adviser to the army’s most senior leaders and once in the Joint Staff advising the chairman of the joint chiefs and the secretary of defense on strategy and policy. Brooks is one of 11 four-star army generals on active duty, and he is only the eighth African American to attain the four-star level in the Army’s history. A son and brother of two army generals, Brooks is part of the first (and currently only) African-American family to produce three generals in two generations of service. A 1980 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, he was selected to the top-ranking position for a cadet and was the first African American to be chosen for this position in West Point’s history. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy, a Master of Military Art and Science from the School of Advanced Military Studies at the United States Army Command and General Staff College, and an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the New England School of Law. He also served as a national security fellow at the Harvard University JFK School of Government.

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Lt. Gen. Gwen Bingham was assigned to the Pentagon as the Army assistant chief of staff, installation management (ACSIM) in June 2016.

The ACSIM supports 156 installations, 1 million soldiers, and 2.2 million family members.

Bingham has served in a myriad of staff and leadership positions throughout her career. She deployed in 2010 in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom while serving as special assistant to the commanding general, 1st Theater Sustainment Command, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait; Kabul, Afghanistan; and Kandahar, Afghanistan. Bingham has been a trailblazer, serving as the first woman to hold numerous positions as a general officer. They include the Army’s 51st quartermaster general and commandant of the U.S. Army Quartermaster School, Fort Lee, VA; commanding general, White Sands Missile Range New Mexico; and commanding general, Tank-automotive, and Armaments Life-cycle Management Command. She graduated from Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps as a distinguished military graduate from the University of Alabama in August 1981 with a Bachelor of Science degree in general business management. She was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Quartermaster Corps. Bingham has a master’s degree in administration from Central Michigan University and another in national security strategy and resources from the National Defense University.

LT. GEN. BRUCE CRAWFORD

Chief Information Officer (CIO)/G-6 Headquarters Department of the Army Chief Information Officer

Lt. Gen. Bruce Crawford became the Army chief information officer (CIO)/G-6 in August 2017. As CIO, Crawford reports to the secretary of the Army, setting strategic direction and objectives for the Army network, and supervises C4 (command, control, communications, and computers) and information technology functions. He also oversees the Army’s $10 billion IT investments, manages IT architecture, enforces IT policies, and directs delivery of operational C4IT capabilities to support warfighters and business users.

As the G-6, he advises the chief of staff of the Army on the network, communications, signal operations, www.blackengineer.com

TOP BLACK OFFICERS in the U.S. Military

U.S. ARMY

information security, and force structure. Crawford was commissioned through South Carolina State University’s Reserve Officer Training Corps program in 1986, after graduating as a distinguished military graduate with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering. During his more than 30-year career, Crawford has served in a variety of leadership positions. In a previous assignment, he was a special assistant to the director of the Army staff, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. Before that, he served as commander, U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command and Aberdeen Proving Ground senior mission commander, Aberdeen, MD. He has also served as commanding general, 5th Signal Command (Theater), and G-6, U.S. Army Europe in Wiesbaden, Germany.

LT. GEN. MICHAEL X. GARRETT Commanding General, U.S. Army Central

Lt. Gen. Michael Garrett is commanding general of U.S. Army Central located at Shaw Air Force Base, SC. He received his commission in 1984 in the infantry upon graduating from Xavier University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

Garrett’s assignments include chief of staff of U.S. Central Command, commanding general of U.S. Army Alaska, joint and operational tours. Highlights involve commanding 3rd Battalion, 325th Infantry (Airborne), 82nd Airborne Division. He deployed to Afghanistan as chief of current operations, Combined Task Force 180, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He then commanded the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division (Light), which deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Following brigade command, Garrett served as deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Recruiting Command. Following his tour with Recruiting Command, he returned to Fort Bragg, where he served as the chief of staff, XVIII Airborne Corps. As the XVIII Airborne Corps chief of staff, he deployed to Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn, where he served as the deputy chief of staff for United States Forces—Iraq. Garrett’s education includes completion of the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced courses, and the U.S. Army Command, General Staff College.

LT. GEN. CHARLES HOOPER

Director, Defense Security Cooperation Agency Department of Defense

Lt. Gen. Charles Hooper is the director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency and assumed the position in July 2017. Before his current assignment, he was the senior U.S. defense representative and defense attaché in the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt. He was director of www.blackengineer.com

the strategy, plans, and programs, J5, United States Africa Command at Kelly Barracks, Germany; deputy director for strategic planning and policy, J5, United States Pacific Command, Camp Smith, HI; and U.S. Defense Attaché, United States Embassy, Beijing, China. Other assignments include foreign area officer chairman at the Naval Postgraduate School; chief, Army International Affairs Division, Strategy, Plans, and Policy Directorate, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7, Army Staff; and senior country director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia, Office of the Secretary of Defense. Hooper was awarded the Don K. Price Award for Academic Excellence and Public Service at Harvard University and was selected to give the graduate student address at the 1989 Harvard University commencement exercise. Decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Legion of Merit. Hooper is also fluent in Mandarin. He earned a Bachelor of Science at the U.S. Military Academy and a Master of Science—Strategic Studies from U.S. Army War College.

LT. GEN. AUNDRE PIGGEE

Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4 (Army Logistics)

Lt. Gen. Aundre Piggee serves at the Pentagon as the Army deputy chief of staff for logistics and oversees logistics policies, programs, and plans for the Army. He manages a $6 billion annual portfolio used to fund the Army’s arsenals and depots, maintain equipment, and acquire supplies to ensure the Army is ready to fight any mission around the world. In his 35 years in the Army, he has commanded thousands of soldiers, held key staff positions, and deployed to Kuwait, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. Previously he was director of logistics and engineering (J4), United States Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, FL, and responsible for logistics and engineering efforts in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia. He spearheaded initiatives to build partner capacity in Iraq and train and equip missions in Syria and Afghanistan. He led logistics operations in Europe as the commanding general of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command in Germany. He was responsible for joint logistics operations in South Korea as the assistant chief of staff, logistics, United States Forces Korea. He also served as commander of the Fort Hoodbased 15th Sustainment Brigade and deployed to Iraq to WINTER 2018 I USBE&IT 31

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provide logistics support during the surge operations.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in biology from the UAPB and a Master of Science in military strategy from the Army War College.

LT. GEN. LESLIE C. SMITH The 66th nspector General

Lieutenant General Leslie Smith serves as Inspector General, Office of the Secretary of the Army. LTG Smith’s most recent assignment was Deputy Inspector General, Office of the Secretary of the Army.

He was commissioned at Georgia Southern University (GSU) in 1983 as a field artillery officer. In 1985, he graduated from GSU with a bachelor’s degree in accounting as a distinguished military graduate and branched as a Chemical Officer. Early assignments include Chemical Staff officer in the 3-52nd Air Defense Artillery Battalion. In 2001, he assumed command of the 83d Chemical Battalion, where elements of the Battalion deployed in support of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn. Following command, he served on the Army Staff in the G-8 as deputy division chief and chief, NBC Branch. In 2005, he assumed command of 3rd Chemical Brigade; served as G-3, 20th Support Command (CBRNE – Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and High-yield Explosives), and from 2008-2010, as Commandant of the U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear School. In 2010, he became the first chemical officer to command the 20th Support Command (CBRNE). In 2013, he was the first chemical officer to serve as commanding general, Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

LT. GEN. STEPHEN TWITTY Deputy Commander U.S. European Command

Lt. Gen. Stephen Twitty relinquished command of the First Army on Aug. 9 after serving as commanding general for two years.

Currently, he serves as deputy commander of the U.S. European Command. He has held command and staff positions at every level in all theaters of operations. His infantry experience includes platoon leader in the 101st Airborne Division; company commander in the 24th Infantry Division; battalion commander, 3rd Battalion, 32 USBE&IT | WINTER 2018

3rd Infantry Division; brigade commander, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division; deputy commanding general, and commanding general of the 1st Armored Division. Lt. Gen. Twitty’s staff experience includes aidede-camp, a speechwriter in Headquarters, Department of the Army G3, Joint Chiefs of Staff intern for strategic plans and policy; executive officer to the deputy of U.S. Northern Command; chief of staff, U.S. Army Central; deputy chief of staff for Strategic Communications International Security Assistance Force; and the deputy chief of staff G3/5/7, Forces Command. Twitty is a distinguished military graduate of South Carolina State University and holds a Master of Science degree in public administration from Central Michigan University and a Master of Science degree in national security strategy from the National Defense University.

LT. GEN. NADJA WEST

Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Command U.S. Army Surgeon General

Lt. Gen. Nadja West is the 44th surgeon general of the U.S. Army and commanding general, U.S. Army Medical Command. Her most recent assignment was joint staff surgeon at the Pentagon. As joint staff surgeon, she served as the chief medical adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and coordinated health services issues. West is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy with a Bachelor of Science in engineering. She earned a Doctor of Medicine from George Washington University, and she completed her internship and residency in family medicine at Martin Army Hospital. West completed a second residency in dermatology at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center and the University of Colorado Medical Center. She then served as chief, Dermatology Service, at Heidelberg Army Hospital, Germany. West has served as chief, Department of Medicine and Dermatology Service, at 121st General Hospital in Seoul, Korea, and commanded McDonald Army Community Hospital, Fort Eustis, VA. After command, she served as deputy commander for integration at the National Naval Medical Center. She has commanded Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, NC, and went on to serve as commanding general, Europe Regional Medical Command.

LT. GEN. DARRYL WILLIAMS 60th Superintendent U.S. Military Academy at West Point

Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams is a native of Alexandria, Virginia. He graduated from the United States Military Academy, West Point, in 1983 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. A career Field www.blackengineer.com

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U.S. ARMY

Artillery officer, Williams recently served as commander, NATO Allied Land Command, in Izmir, Turkey. Prior, he served as commander, United States Army Africa in Vicenza, Italy; deputy chief of staff G3/5/7 of United States Army in Europe in Wiesbaden, Germany; deputy commanding general for Support for the 2nd Infantry Division, Republic of Korea; commanding general for the United States Army Warrior Transition Command, and assistant surgeon general for Warrior Care and Transition. In addition, Williams has served in key positions at the tactical, operational and strategic levels to include battery commander deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm; commander, Division Artillery, 1st Armored Division and fire and effects coordinator, 1st Armored Division deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; deputy director for Soldier Comprehensive Fitness, Department of the Army G3/5/7; and while commanding USARAF in 2014, he was involved in Operation United Assistance, fighting against the Ebola outbreak in Liberia. He assumed duties as superintendent of the United States Military Academy in July 2018.

LT. GEN. DARRELL WILLIAMS

Director of the Defense Logistics Agency

Lt. Gen. Darrell Williams is the director of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). He leads a workforce of over 25,000 military and civilian workers in the Department of Defense’s supply and supports network. He directs nine supply chains supporting the military, as well as federal, state, local, and international partners. The DLA provides food, medical material, uniforms, construction equipment, 98 percent of the Defense Department’s fuel, and many spare parts for military weapons systems. He also oversees the National Defense Stockpile, an international network of 25 distribution centers. Williams is a distinguished military graduate of the Hampton Institute Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program and was commissioned into the Army Quartermaster Corps in 1983. He is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College and the School of Advanced Military Studies and a distinguished graduate of the National War College. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Hampton Institute, Hampton, VA, and master’s degrees in military arts and sciences, national security and strategic studies, and business www.blackengineer.com

management (logistics). Williams’ prior assignments include commanding general, Combined Arms Support Command, Fort Lee, VA.

MAJ. GEN. CARL ALEX

Deputy Chief of Staff G-3/5/7, U.S. Army Forces Command

Maj. Gen. Carl Alex enlisted into the Army in 1983 and is a 1987 distinguished military graduate from Officer Candidate School.

He holds a Master of Military Art and Science degree from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Master of Science degrees in financial management and defense analysis—irregular warfare from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Master of Science degree in national security strategy from the National War College. Alex has served in every type of infantry formation, including the 75th Ranger Regiment, and had combat tours to Panama, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He has commanded at the battalion and brigade levels in the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC, and filled numerous billets at Headquarters, Department of the Army, Washington, D.C. Recently, he served as the assistant deputy chief of staff G3/5/7 at U.S. Army Central (USARCENT), Shaw Air Force Base, SC. He is currently the deputy chief of staff for operations and intelligence at Allied Joint Force Command Headquarters Brunssum (NATO) in the Netherlands. Alex’s awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and Army Commendation Medal with V-Device.

MAJ. GEN. GARY BRITO

Commander, Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning

Maj. Gen. Gary Brito was commissioned an infantry officer through Penn State University and entered active duty in March 1987.

He is currently the commanding general of the Maneuver Center of Excellence atFort Benning, GA. Previous assignments include commanding general, Joint Readiness Training Center, and Fort Polk, LA, deputy commanding general, 25th Infantry Division; Army Capabilities and Integration Center (ARCIC), and operations officer (G3) for III Corps, Fort Hood, TX. Throughout his career, Brito served in a variety of command and staff assignments. He has deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. Brito is a graduate of the WINTER 2018 I USBE&IT 33

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Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced courses, Airborne and Ranger Schools, Combined Arms Staff Services School, Command and General Staff Officers Course, and Senior Service College at the Joint Advanced Warfighting School (JAWS). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in community studies from Penn State University, a master’s degree in human resource management from Troy State University, and a master’s degree in joint strategy and campaign planning from the JAWS. He is also a graduate of the MIT Seminar XXI Program. Brito is married to the former Michelle Harper of Washington, DC. They have two sons, Matthew and Patrick.

MAJ. GEN. PATRICK BURDEN

Deputy Commander of the Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan (CSTC-A), Headquarters Resolute Support

Maj. Gen. Patrick W. Burden is the deputy commander of the Combined Security Transition Command– Afghanistan (CSTC-A), Headquarters Resolute Support. He is a 1987 graduate of Alabama A&M University, where he was commissioned in the U.S. Army Field Artillery. He served in tactical and operational assignments in Kirchgoen, Germany, Southwest Asia (Operations Desert Shield/Storm), and Fort Lewis, WA. Burden transitioned to the Army Acquisition Corps in 1994, where he has served in acquisition assignments at all levels, including assistant project manager for the Aviation Electronic Combat and Comanche Program Management Offices, at the Program Executive Office Aviation; product manager for Global Transportation Network at the United States Transportation Command; product manager for Joint-Automatic Identification Technology, and project manager for the General Fund Enterprise Business System at the Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems; deputy program executive officer for ammunition and senior command, Picatinny Arsenal New Jersey; and program executive officer for Enterprise Information Systems. He holds a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Alabama A&M University. His military education includes the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.

MAJ. GEN. PHILLIP CHURN

Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for reserve matters Joint Staff, Washington, DC

Maj. Gen. Phillip Churn advises the chairman and Joint Staff on matters affecting the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Reserve Forces. A native 34 USBE&IT | WINTER 2018

of Washington, D.C., he graduated from Mount Saint Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD, in 1983, and received his commission as a second lieutenant of field artillery. Churn commanded and held numerous leadership assignments at the battery, battalion, brigade, joint task force, and theater command levels throughout his 35-year career. Before assuming his current position, Churn commanded the 200th Military Police Command, the largest military police formation in the Department of Defense, supporting U.S. Army Forces Command, the Army Service Component Commanders, and Combatant Commanders. His operational deployments include commanding general, 333rd Military Police Brigade/ Brigade Task Force commander, Parwan, Afghanistan; Combined Joint Interagency Task Force—435, Kabul, Afghanistan; director, Afghanistan Detention and Corrections Advisory Team, Combined Joint Interagency Task Force—435, Kabul, Afghanistan; J3, deputy director for operations and J3, chief of current operations, for JTF—Guantanamo, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; battery commander, HQs and Service Battery, 3rd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, XVIII ABN Corps, Fort Bragg, during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

MAJ. GEN. RONALD P. CLARK Commander, 25th Infantry Division

Maj. Gen. Ronald Clark took command of the 25th Infantry Division on Jan. 4. Previously, he served as the chief of staff, U.S. Army Pacific. Clark joined U.S. Army Pacific following his assignment as deputy chief of staff— operations for the NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps. Prior assignments include rotation as the Army’s deputy director of strategy, plans, and policy in the Pentagon and a tour of duty as deputy commanding general—support with the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, NC, and Iraq during Operation Inherent Resolve. Clark was promoted to brigadier general on April 24, 2015, during a ceremony at the 82nd Airborne headquarters. Clark was among roughly 500 paratroopers from the headquarters to head to Iraq in June for a nine-month deployment in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. In August 2016, Clark was assigned as deputy chief of staff for operations, Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, United Kingdom. www.blackengineer.com

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MAJOR GEN. R. SCOTT DINGLE

Deputy Surgeon General and Deputy Commanding General (Support) U.S. Army Medical Command

Maj. Gen. R. Scott Dingle is the deputy surgeon general and deputy commanding general (support), U.S. Army Medical Command.

He previously served as the commanding general, Regional Health Command– Atlantic. Dingle is a distinguished military graduate of Morgan State University. His previous assignments include U.S. Army Medical Command deputy chief of staff for operations; chief, Medical Plans and Operations, 18th Airborne Corps Surgeon’s Office; chief, Medical Plans and Operations Multinational Corps–Iraq Surgeon’s Office; commander, 261st Multifunctional Medical Battalion; director, Health Care Operations/G-3, Office of the Surgeon General; and commander, 30th Medical Brigade, GE. His degrees include a Master of Science in administration, Master of Military Arts and Science, and a Master of Science in National Security Strategy. Dingle has received the Legion of Merit Award, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Order of Military Medical Merit, Order of Kentucky Colonels, and the Army Surgeon General’s prestigious 9A Proficiency Designator.

MAJ. GEN. JASON EVANS

Force—Iraq, and Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army. He is a graduate of the Adjutant General’s Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Combined Arms Staff Services School, Command and General Staff College, the Army Resource Management Course, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

MAJ. GEN. CHARLES HAMILTON Commander 8th Theater Sustainment Command

Maj. Gen. Charles R. Hamilton is the commander of the 8th Theater Sustainment Command, the military’s senior sustainment organization and lead integrator for all sustainment activities in the U.S. IndoPacific Command’s area of operations, assuring enduring readiness to the warfighters of the Pacific region. He previously served as the assistant chief of staff of J4, U.S. Forces Korea, deputy assistant chief of staff, U4, United Nations Command, and deputy assistant chief of staff, C4, Combined Forces Command from September 2017 to May 2018. Before that, he served as the commander for the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support in Philadelphia, PA from July 2015 to July 2017. Hamilton earned a Bachelor of Science from Virginia State University. He holds a Master of Science from Central Michigan University and a Master of Military Studies from the U.S. Marine Corps University

Commander, U.S. Army Human Resources Command

Maj. Gen. Jason Evans took command of the U.S. Army Human Resources Command on April 28, 2017.

The general last served as director of military personnel management in the office of the deputy chief of staff in the Army, G1. Evans was born in Baltimore, MD, and raised as an Air Force dependent. He attended Wentworth Military Academy, where he earned an associate degree in business administration. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Bellevue University, Bellevue, NE. He holds master’s degrees in business administration and national resource strategy. Evans has served in command and staff positions in the continental United States, Italy, Somalia, Kosovo, Germany, and Iraq with the 13th Corps Support Command, III U.S. Corps, 510th Personnel Services Battalion, 1st Personnel Command, USAREUR, Installation Management Command, Multi-National www.blackengineer.com

MAJ. GEN. MITCHELL KILGO

Director, Command and Control, Communications and Computer Systems, J6 Chief Information Officer, U.S. Central Command

Maj. Gen. Kilgo serves as director of Command and Control, Communications and Computer Systems, J6, U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, FL. He is responsible for the implementation and management of global communications and computer networks. Commissioned in 1987, he entered active duty in 1988 earning a degree in mathematics and natural sciences. He earned an M.S. in systems technology from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1995 and an M.S. in national security strategy from the National War College in 2009. Kilgo served in a variety of command and staff positions, including: signal officer, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd ID; WINTER 2018 I USBE&IT 35

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commander, Support Company, 1111th Signal Battalion; deputy G6 and executive officer, 122nd Signal Battalion, 2nd ID; Chief Information Assurance and Computer Network Defense Division, Army NOSC; commander, 78th Signal Battalion and G6 US Army Japan; Chief Spectrum and IED-Defeat Branches, the Joint Staff, J6; deputy CIO/J6 Multi-National Forces Iraq; commander, 2nd Signal Brigade; executive officer to the Commanding General, U.S. Africa Command, and commander, 5th Signal Command, and most recently FORSCOM G-6. His awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (2 OLC), Bronze Star with OLC, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (5 OLC), and Parachute Badge.

MAJ. GEN. RONALD KIRKLIN

Deputy Chief of Staff, G4, U.S. Army Forces Command

On May 25, 2017, the U.S. Senate confirmed Brig.

Gen. Ronald Kirklin as a major general. Kirklin serves as the deputy chief of staff, G4, United States Army Forces Command, Fort Bragg, NC. He has also served in a variety of command and staff positions.

Some of the highlights include assistant deputy chief of staff, G3/5/7, U.S. Army, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.; 53rd quartermaster general and commandant of the U.S. Army Quartermaster School; chief, Logistics Operations Division, J4, United States Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, FL; commander, 4th Sustainment Brigade, Fort Hood, TX, and Operation New Dawn, Iraq; commander, 215th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, TX, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq. He is a distinguished military graduate from Mississippi Valley State University in 1987. He holds a master’s degree from Kansas State University and a master’s degree from the United States Army War College.

MAJ. GEN. DONNA MARTIN

Commanding General, United States Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence

Maj. Gen. Donna W. Martin is the commanding general of the United States Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence, Fort Leonard Wood. In this capacity, she oversees the development of capable and adaptive leaders and warriors. Martin is the lead in total Army, 36 USBE&IT | WINTER 2018

Engineer, Chemical, Military Police, and Maneuver Support capability development, providing combatant commanders critical maneuver support skills and tools necessary for mission success across the range of military operations. Martin has served in the Army for 30 years and took command at Fort Leonard Wood on Aug. 28. Previously, she served as the chief of the Military Police Corps and commandant of the Military Police School at Fort Leonard Wood, where she oversaw the training and development of military police soldiers and leaders.

MAJ. GEN. A.C. ROPER

Deputy Chief of Army Reserve Office of the Chief of Army Reserve

Maj. Gen. A.C. Roper currently serves as the deputy chief of Army Reserve, Office of the Chief Army Reserve, headquartered at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. He serves as a senior advisor to the Chief of Army Reserve on strategy, policies, plans, and programs for the Army Reserve. He previously served as commanding general, 76th Operational Response Command and 80th Training Command.

Roper’s operational assignments include Operation Desert Shield and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Roper commissioned in June 1983 at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. His military education includes the U.S. Army War College, National and International Security Seminar at Harvard University, and the National Defense University’s CAPSTONE course. He earned a Master of Science from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College. Roper’s awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, Bronze Star Medal, and various other awards. Roper served over 33 years in civilian law enforcement, culminating with his 10-year tenure as the chief of the Birmingham Police Department. He and Edith, his wife of 33 years, are the proud parents of two adult daughters.

MAJ. GEN. PATRICK SARGENT

Commanding General–U. S. Army Medical Department Center and School Health Readiness Center of Excellence

Maj. Gen. Patrick Sargent assumed the position of commanding general for the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School, Health Readiness Center of Excellence on 1 June 2018 and continues to serve as the chief of the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps. His most recent assignment was the deputy commanding general of operations at the U.S. Army Medical Command. Previously, Sargent led the Army www.blackengineer.com

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Medicine Enterprise in the Indo-Asia-Pacific as the commanding general of the U.S. Army Medical Regional Health Command – Pacific and served as CEO of the Hawaii Enhanced Multi-Service Market, and command surgeon for U.S. Army Pacific.

His assignments include deputy chief of staff, G-3/5/7 for U.S. Army Medical Command; commander of Darnall Army Medical Center, where he led efforts to implement Soldier and Patient Centered Medical Homes and the CRDAMC Replacement Project; chief of staff, Army Warrior Transition Command; commander, 62nd Medical Brigade, in which he deployed as medical task force commander in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; executive officer to the chief of Army Legislative Liaison, the Pentagon; commander, 421st Medical Evacuation Battalion, Wiesbaden, Germany, where he deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; director, Congressional Operations for the U.S. Army surgeon general and Army Congressional Fellow in the Office of United States Senator Richard Durbin, and commander, 507th Medical Company (Air Ambulance), Fort Hood, Texas

MAJ. GEN. CEDRIC WINS

Commanding General U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command

Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins serves as commanding general of the Research, Development, and Engineering Command (RDECOM). RDECOM provides innovative research, development, and engineering to produce capabilities for decisive overmatch to the Army, the joint warfighter, and our nation. Wins graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and was commissioned in the field artillery in July 1985. He is a graduate of the Field Artillery Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Command and General Staff College, and the National War College. He holds a master’s degree in management from the Florida Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies from the National War College.

Before his assignment as RDECOM commander, Wins served as director, force development, in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G8. During his 30 years of service, Wins has held leadership and staff assignments in the 7th Infantry Division (Light); the 2nd Infantry Division, 8th U.S. Army, Korea; Headquarters Department of the Army and the Joint Staff, the www.blackengineer.com

Pentagon; the 4th Infantry Division; Strategic Planning, J8, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, FL; and the Requirement Integration Directorate, Army Capabilities Integration Center.

BRIG. GEN. ALFRED ABRAMSON

Joint Program Executive Officer Armaments & Ammunition and Commanding General, Picatinny Arsenal

Brig. Gen. Alfred Abramson became joint program executive officer, Armaments and Ammunition and the commanding general, Picatinny Arsenal on December 29, 2017, leading the mission to develop and procure conventional and leapahead munitions to increase the Warfighter’s combat power. Prior, Abramson served as deputy program executive officer, Ammunition, and senior commander Picatinny Arsenal. Abramson was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Chemical Corps after graduating from Virginia State University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry.

Abramson served overseas as well as the contiguous United States to include chemical staff officer, Project Manager’s Office for NBC Defense; aide-de-camp, Soldier Biological Chemical Command; assistant product manager, NBC Point Detection; program executive office liaison officer, Coalition Forces Land Component Command; assistant product manager, NBC Reconnaissance Systems; budget team chief, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology); joint product manager, Biological Detection Systems; military assistant to the under secretary of the Army; joint project manager for NBC Contamination Avoidance; executive officer for the principle military deputy assistant secretary of the Army (Acquisition Logistics, and Technology); and previously served as the Ddeputy, joint program executive officer for Chemical and Biological Defense.

BRIG. GEN. SHAN K. BAGBY

Deputy Chief of Staff for Support U.S. Army Medical Command and 28th Army Dental Corps

Brig. Gen. Shan K. Bagby currently serves as the deputy chief of staff for support at U.S. Army Medical Command, and 28th chief of the Army Dental Corps. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Rutgers University, a doctor of dental medicine degree WINTER 2018 I USBE&IT 37

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from the University of Pittsburgh, a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Baylor University, and a master’s degree in strategic studies from the Army War College. Bagby completed an oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) residency at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA and an OMS fellowship at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. Bagby received an ROTC commission in 1989 and transferred to the Active Component in 1997. He has served in a variety of clinical, administrative, and command assignments and is a graduate of the Army Medical Department Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Airborne Course, Command and General Staff College, and U.S. Army War College.

BRIG. GEN. XAVIER BRUNSON

Chief of Staff, XVIII Airborne Corps/ Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve

Brig. Gen. Xavier Brunson is currently assigned as the chief of staff of the Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, Iraq. Brunson was commissioned as an infantry officer upon graduation from Hampton University in 1990. He has led soldiers from platoon to brigade level. Upon selection for promotion to brigadier general, he served as the assistant commanding general support, U.S. Army Special Forces Command (now 1st Special Forces Command) (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, NC and Operation Inherent Resolve. He next served as the deputy commanding general–operations, 10th Mountain Division (Light) at Fort Drum, NY. Following the completion of his duties, he then served as the chief of staff, XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, NC. He has deployed numerous times in support of both contingency and named operations. Brunson holds a B.A in political science from Hampton University, an M.A. in human resources from Webster University, and an M.S. in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College. Brunson was recently confirmed by the senate for promotion to major general.

BRIG. GEN. CLEMENT COWARD

Commanding General, 32nd Army Air, and Missile Defense Command

Brig. Gen. Clement S. Coward was assigned as commanding general, 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command in July. Before that, he was the deputy director for force protection on the Joint Staff J8. In this role, he served as Joint Staff lead for Integrated Missile Defense, Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems, and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Defense Artillery from the University of North 38 USBE&IT | WINTER 2018

Carolina at Wilmington.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in speech communications, a Master of Arts degree in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College, and a Master of Science degree in strategic studies from the Army War College. His previous assignments include deputy commander, 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command; brigade commander, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade; secretary of the Joint Staff and chief of operations, U.S. Forces Iraq; chief of the secretary of the Army’s Strategic Initiatives Group; and director, business operations, Office of Business Transformation, Office of the Under Secretary of the Army.

BRIG. GEN. TELITA CROSLAND

Commander, Regional Health Command-Atlantic

Brig. Gen. Telita Crosland is currently the commanding general of Regional Health Command– Atlantic. Crosland is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the Dwight. D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy. In addition to her Doctorate of Medicine, she also holds a Master of Public Health from the Uniformed Resource Strategy from the Eisenhower School. Crosland entered the Army as a Medical Corps Officer in 1993. She is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine, is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, and is a recipient of the surgeon general’s “A” proficiency designator. Crosland has served in a variety of leadership positions, including commander, U.S. Army Medical Department Activity, Fort Campbell, KY.

BRIG. GEN. BRIG. GEN. JOHNNY K. DAVIS Commanding General, U.S. Army Joint Modernization Command

Brig. Gen. Johnny K. Davis assumed command of the U.S. Army Joint Modernization Command on June 14. He has served in numerous command and staff assignments over his career as an infantry officer, starting as a Bradley platoon leader in the 24th ID. He served in the 82nd Airborne Division as a company commander and aide to the commanding general. Davis was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division as a battalion and brigade www.blackengineer.com

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operations officer. He then served as the aide to the VCJCS before returning to Fort Campbell to command the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry. He served as director of the Army Wounded Warrior Program, followed by command of the 3rd Infantry Regiment at Fort Myer. After command, Davis served as the executive officer to the UNC/CFC/US Forces Korea commanding general. Most recently, Davis served as deputy commanding general–operations for the 25th Infantry Division.

BRIG. GEN. AARON DEAN

Airborne Division, Joint Staff Pentagon, Army Staff Pentagon, and Army Intelligence and Security Command.

Edmonson last served as the 38th chief of signal and commandant of the Army Signal School, where is was responsible for the initial military training and professional military education for nearly 65,000 Signal Corps soldiers across the active duty, National Guard, and Army Reserve components. He has commanded at every level. Edmonson received an Army commission through Frostburg State University, holds a master’s degree in information resource management from Central Michigan University, and a master’s degree in national security strategy from National Defense University, Washington, D.C.

BRIG. GEN. SEAN GAINEY

Deputy Director, Force Protection, J8, at the Joint Staff

Brig. Gen. Aaron Dean, appointed by the president of the United States on Jan. 11, serves as the adjutant general of the District of Columbia National Guard (DCNG). He is responsible for the operational control and daily supervision of DCNG Army and Air Force units. He manages strategic resources in support of the war fight and peace time training. He provides oversight for the Joint Task Force assigned to conduct domestic military support for federal and district agencies. He produces operational planning guidance and previously led 12 National Special Security Events. Dean received his commission from the Army Reserve Officer Training Program at Washington State University. Commissioned as a military police officer, he commanded a military police company in combat, a military police battalion in combat, a brigade and general officer level command.

Brig. Gen. Sean Gainey is slated to become deputy director of Force Protection, J8, at the Joint Staff in Washington, D.C. Gainey was commanding general of the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command at Fort Shafter, HI. He was commissioned in the Air Defense Artillery Corps upon graduation from Georgia Southern University in 1990. He has served in numerous key staff positions and has commanded units from the battery to brigade level. He deployed with the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade as a brigade commander in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Gainey also deployed with the 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery, as a battalion commander in support of Joint Task Force East.

Gainey holds a Master of Science degree in personnel management from Central Michigan University and a Master of Science degree in national security and resource strategy from the Dwight. D. Eisenhower School for National Security.

BRIG. GEN. ROBERT EDMONDSON

BRIG. GEN. URAL GLANVILLE

Brig. Gen. Robert L. Edmonson, II currently serves as the U.S. Army Forces Command, deputy chief of staff, G-6. Edmonson began his Army career in 1991 as an infantry officer before becoming a signal corps officer.

His major assignments include the 101st Airborne Division (AASLT), 82nd

Brig. Gen. Ural Glanville has served as the chief judge, United States Army Legal Services Agency, since 2013.

Before being selected chief judge, U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals, he was the commanding general of the NATO Rule of Law Support Mission/Rule of Law Field Force—Afghanistan.

Adjutant general, District of Columbia National Guard

Deputy Chief of Staff, G-6, U.S. Army Forces Command

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Commanding General U.S. Army Reserve Legal Command

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TOP BLACK OFFICERS in the U.S. Military

U.S.ARMY

Throughout his military career, Glanville has served in several key positions, including senior legal opinions officer, chief of operational and civil law for the 2125th Garrison Support Unit (XVIII Airborne Corps), command judge advocate for the 359th Signal Brigade, and staff judge advocate for the 335th Signal Command prior to his deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

As a civilian, Glanville became a superior court judge in Fulton County, GA’s busiest trial court of general jurisdiction. Glanville’s duties include trying cases involving felony offenses, equity, and title to land. Born in Columbus, OH, he was commissioned in 1984, beginning his 31 years of military service.

BRIG. GEN. KENNETH HUBBARD

U.S. Army Central Chief of Resource Management

Brig. Gen. Kenneth Hubbard is the son of a career U.S. Army officer and a 1986 graduate of the South Carolina State University Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program.

He holds a master’s degree in business administration from Syracuse University and a master’s degree in national resource strategy from the National Defense University.

His military education includes the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and the U.S. Air Command and Staff College. He has served in many command and staff positions at all levels of the Army. He served as the director for resource management, G8, Army Installation Management Command, and as the director of the Army Budget’s Operations and Support Directorate, where he managed billions of dollars for the Department of the Army. He also provided billions of dollars for U.S. military forces and their allies as the U.S. Forces Afghanistan comptroller, J8, and the Multi-National Security Transition Command—Iraq, G8. Hubbard served as the 1st Infantry Division comptroller, G8; had a NATO assignment as a joint plans officer in Croatia and Bosnia; and worked as a contingency operations budget analyst in the Army Budget Office and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, J8, Brigadier.

BRIG. GEN. ISAAC JOHNSON

CFC, he advises the CFC commander on civilmilitary operations and civil affairs. Previously, he served as chief of staff of the 350th Civil Affairs Command and commander of the 360th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne).

Johnson has several joint assignments, overseas tours, and deployments to the Horn of Africa and Afghanistan. As an Army Reservist, in his civilian capacity, he is a licensed Texas attorney and executive with USAA Chief Legal Office in San Antonio, TX.

BRIG. GEN. JONATHAN MCCOLUMN

Chief of Sustainment for United States Army Central

Brig. Gen. Jonathan J. McColumn, serves as the chief of sustainment for U.S. Army Central (USARCENT).

Recognized as a distinguished military student and recipient of the General Marshall Award, he graduated and was commissioned from Georgia Military College as a second lieutenant.

Upon completing Georgia College with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, he entered the U.S. Army. During his 32 years of service, he has served as a logistician in the Army Acquisition Corps (contracting).

His military education includes the Quartermaster Officer Basic, Combined Logistics Officer Advanced, and Logistic Executive Development Courses, Senior Manager Course in Strategic Studies, and the Army War College. He has completed master’s degrees in business administration, education and strategic studies. McColumn’s service includes assignments or deployments in Germany, Greece, Japan, Kuwait, Iraq, Thailand, the Philippines, and Japan. McColumn’s highest military award is the Legion of Merit Medal.

He also earned the Army, Parachutist, Air Assault, and Staff Identification Badges, and received the General MacArthur Leadership Award.

Assistant Chief of Staff C9, Republic of Korea-United States Combined Forces Command (CFC)

BRIG. GEN. JAMES S. MOORE

Brig. Gen. Isaac Johnson is third-generation Army and a 1992 graduate of the Mississippi State University Army ROTC Program. He holds an Executive Education Certification from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a J.D. from Thurgood Marshall School of Law, an M.B.A. from Jackson State University, a B.B.A. from Mississippi State University, and an M.A. in strategic studies from the Army War College. As C9

Brig. Gen. James S. Moore has served as the commanding general of the 593rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command (ESC) at Joint Base LewisMcChord, WA, since June 14, 2017. Moore has commanded at all levels and held numerous staff positions throughout his career. Moore previously

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Commanding General of the 593rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command

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served as the executive officer to the commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC) and Chief Operations and Plans (CHOPS), HQs AMC G-3/4, in Huntsville, AL. Moore is a native of Philadelphia, PA, and a distinguished military graduate of Virginia State University. He graduated cum laude with a B.S. in business information systems in 1989 and earned a master’s degree in public administration from Troy State University, and a master’s degree in Joint Campaign Planning and Strategy.

His military education includes the Joint Advanced Warfighting School (JAWS) at the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, VA; Command and General Staff College (CGSC); and the Quartermaster Officers Basic and Advanced Course.

BRIG. GEN. MICHEL M. RUSSELL SR.

Commanding General, 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command

Brig. Gen. Michel Russell enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1983 as a field artilleryman and was commissioned as a second lieutenant from the Fordham University Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.

After serving in the Air Defense Artillery branch, in 1991, Russell was detailed to the Ordnance Corps. Russell has held several command and staff positions, from platoon leader to brigade command.

His distinguished career consists of three combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. He became the 28th chief of transportation and commandant of the U.S. Army’s Transportation School on June 4, 2015. Russell holds three master’s degrees, is Lean Six Sigma Green Belt-certified, and is designated by the International Society of Logistics as a demonstrated master logistician.

BRIG. GEN. MICHAEL TALLEY

Deputy Commanding General for Regional Health Command – Atlantic

Brig. Gen. Mike Talley is currently assigned as the deputy commanding general for Regional Health Command– Atlantic. He served in the enlisted ranks from 1983 to 1989, graduated with honors from the University of Texas at El Paso, and commissioned as an R.O.T.C. distinguished military graduate in 1991. Talley most recently served as the U.S. Army Forces command www.blackengineer.com

surgeon and has commanded at every level from platoon through brigade.

He served two OIF combat tours and a deployment to Saudi Arabia as the assistant program manager for health affairs.

He has also held key leadership positions at both combat training centers, Army Special Operations Command, DLA, and the Office of the Surgeon General. Talley is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College, Advanced Military Studies Program, and the Army War College. He holds two Master of Military Arts and Sciences degrees, a Master of Strategic Studies, and a Master of Health Services Management. Talley is also a National Board Certified Respiratory Therapy Practitioner.

BRIG. GEN. WILLIAM L. THIGPEN Deputy Commanding General 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson

Brig. Gen. William Thigpen is deputy commanding general, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson. Before his current assignment, he served at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. He has commanded at every level, from company through brigade, and before his fellowship, he commanded the 316th Cavalry Brigade at Fort Benning, GA. He is a combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan. His staff assignments include serving as the aide-de-camp to the vice chief of staff of the Army. He is a graduate of the National War College. He holds two master’s degrees, one in national security and strategic studies from the War College and a second in business from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. A native of Hampton, VA, Thigpen graduated from Virginia State University in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in public administration and was commissioned as an armor officer in the U.S. Army.

BRIG. GEN. KEVIN VEREEN

Deputy Commanding General Operations U.S. Army Recruiting Command

Brig. Gen. Kevin Vereen currently serves as deputy commanding general, operations, U.S. Army Recruiting Command. Before that, he was the commandant of the U.S. Army Military Police School from June 2015 to July 2017. Previous notable positions he has held are executive officer to the commanding general, U.S. Army WINTER 2018 I USBE&IT 41

TOP BLACK OFFICERS in the U.S. Military

U.S.ARMY

Forces Command, Fort Bragg, NC; provost marshal, U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort Bragg, NC; brigade commander, 14th Military Police Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood, MO; Commander, 701st Military Police Battalion, Fort Leonard Wood, MO. A native of Fayetteville, NC, he graduated from Campbell University with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, earned a master’s degree in international relations from Troy State University, and earned a master’s degree in strategic studies from the United States Army War College. He is an active member of the Military Police Regimental Association and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

BRIG. GEN. FLETCHER WASHINGTON Deputy Commanding General for Operations 80th Training Command

Brig. Gen. Fletcher Washington is the deputy commanding general, 80th Training Command. He served four years enlisted as a combat engineer before graduating cum laude from Norfolk State University in 1992 as a distinguished military graduate in transportation. He also graduated with a master’s degree from Florida Institute of Technology in 2000 and from National Defense University with a second master’s degree in 2010. He has served as platoon leader and detachment commander in Mannheim, Frankfurt, and Hanau, Germany; battalion operations and company commander at Fort Story, VA; combat developer at Fort Lee, VA; deputy operations chief in Kuwait; brigade operations at Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico and Baghdad, Iraq; force management division chief in Arlington, VA; battalion commander at Fort Shafter, HI; congressional operations division chief and force management chief of staff in the Pentagon; brigade commander in El Paso, TX; garrison commander in Kandahar, Afghanistan; and mission support element commander at Fort Sam Houston, TX.

BRIG. GEN. DAVID WILSON Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff, C/J-4 U.S. Forces Korea, Camp Humphreys

in 1991. Assignment highlights include 40th chief of ordnance and commandant, U.S. Army Ordnance School; executive officer, Army Materiel Command commanding general; brigade commander, 406th Army Field Support Brigade; battalion commander, 121st Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Armored Division. Operational deployments include Operation Restore/Continue Hope, Operation Uphold Democracy, Operation Desert Thunder, and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF I & IV). In addition to his Bachelor of Science degree from The Citadel, he also holds a Master of Science degree in general administration from Central Michigan University, and a Master of Science degree in national resource strategy from the National Defense University.

BRIG. GEN. JONATHAN WOODSON Deputy Commander, 3rd Medical Command

Brig. Gen. Jonathan Woodson is assigned as the deputy commander, 3rd Medical Command (Deployment Support), Fort Gillem, GA. From 2010 to 2016, he served as the assistant secretary of defense, health affairs, and principal advisor to the secretary of defense for all health and force health protection-related issues and ensured the effective execution of the Department of Defense medical mission. He exercised authority, direction, and control over the Defense Health Program ($50 billion-plus), Defense Health Agency, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, and the Tricare Health Plan—responsible for servicing 9.5 million beneficiaries. His organization provided and maintained medical readiness for the medical services, including during military operations, those held in control of the military services, and those entitled to Tricare. Woodson is currently a professor of surgery and professor of health law and policy at Boston University School of Medicine and School of Public Health. He is boardcertified in vascular surgery, general surgery, and critical care.

Brig. Gen. David Wilson is a distinguished military graduate of The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, and was commissioned in the Field Artillery

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Deputy Commanding General Human Resources Command, Ft. Knox, KY

U.S. AIR FORCE

U.S. ARMY

BRIG. GEN. TWANDA “TIA” E. YOUNG

GEN. CHARLES Q. BROWN JR.

Commander for the U.S. Central Command

Brig. Gen. Twanda Young is a 1988 distinguished military graduate of South Carolina State University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Claflin University, a Master of Arts degree in adult education, and a Master of Arts degree in executive development from Ball State University.

She also holds a master’s degree in strategic studies from U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PA. Young has served in command and staff positions in the continental United States and Hawaii with First Army, Joint Forces Command and U.S. Army Reserve Command, and in Afghanistan with NATO Training Mission—Afghanistan/ Combined Security Transition Command—Afghanistan. Her military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Defense Meritorious Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Meritorious Service Medal (with a Silver Oak Leaf Cluster and two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (with two Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Achievement Medal (with three Oak Leaf Clusters), National Defense Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Army Superior Unit Award, NATO Medal, Army Staff Badge, and the Airborne Badge.

Gen. Charles Brown is a commander, Pacific Air Forces; air component commander for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command; and executive director, Pacific Air Combat Operations Staff, Joint Base Pearl Harbor — Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. Pacific Air Forces is responsible for Air Force activities spread over half the globe in a command that supports more than 46,000 airmen serving principally in Japan, Korea, Hawaii, Alaska, and Guam. Brown was commissioned in 1984 as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at Texas Tech University. He has served in a variety of positions at the squadron and wing level, including an assignment to the U.S. Air Force Weapons School as an F-16 instructor.

His notable staff tours include aide-de-camp to the chief of staff of the Air Force; director, secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff Executive Action Group; and deputy director, operations, U.S. Central Command. He also served as national defense fellow at the Institute for Defense Analyses in Alexandria, VA. The general is a command pilot with more than 2,900 flying hours, including 120 combat hours. Before his current assignment, he served as commander, U.S. Air Forces Central Command, delivering decisive air, space, and cyberspace capabilities for United States Central Command, ally nations, and America. At the start of his military career, he was assigned a second lieutenant in 1985, and two years later was promoted to first lieutenant, rising to captain in 1989. After being promoted to major in 1996, he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1999, and colonel in 2005. Four years later, the general earned his first star on Nov. 20, 2009. He was promoted major general in 2013 and appointed lieutenant general two years later. Brown was promoted to his current four-star rank on July 26.

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U.S. AIR FORCE

LT. GEN. RICHARD M. CLARK

Commander, 3rd Air Force, Ramstein Air Base, Germany

Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark is a commander, 3rd Air Force, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Third Air Force plans to deploy, sustains, and redeploys Air Force forces that directly support the combatant commanders during contingency and wartime operations.

Clark oversees a headquarters staff and airmen located at nine wings in Europe and one expeditionary air wing. Clark graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1986. His commands include the 34th Bomb Squadron, Ellsworth Air Force Base, SD, and 12th Flying Training Wing, Randolph Air Force Base, TX. He has also served as the vice commander, 8th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic), Barksdale Air Force Base, LA, and commandant of cadets, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO. Prior to his current assignment, he served as the commander, 8th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic), Barksdale Air Force Base, LA, and joint functional component commander for global strike, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, NE. Clark is a command pilot with 4,200 flight hours, primarily in the B-1 bomber.

LT. GEN. ANTHONY COTTON

Commander and President, Air University Maxwell Air Force Base, AL

Lt. Gen. Anthony Cotton is commander and president, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL. He provides education, research, and outreach at every level through professional military training, continuing education, and degree-granting. He leads the intellectual and leadership center of the U.S. Air Force, graduating more than 50,000 resident and 120,000 non-resident officers and enlisted and civilian personnel each year. Additionally, he is responsible for officer commissioning through Officer Training School and the Reserve Officer Training Corps. Cotton entered the Air Force through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program in 1986 where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from North Carolina State University. He has served as deputy director of the secretary and chief of staff to the Air Force Executive Action Group as senior military assistant to the undersecretary of defense for intelligence and deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office. He was also the vice commander and commander of the 341st

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Missile Wing, Malmstrom Air Force Base, MT, and the commander of the 45th Space Wing. Before his current assignment, Cotton served as the commander, 20th Air Force, Air Force Global Strike Command.

LT. GEN. SAMUEL A. GREAVES Director Missile Defense Agency

Lt. Gen. Samuel A. Greaves is the director, Missile Defense Agency (MDA). The MDA’s mission is to develop, test, and field an integrated, layered ballistic missile defense system to defend the United States, its deployed forces, and its allies and friends against all ranges of enemy ballistic missiles in all phases of flight. Greaves directs the organization that spans 14 time zones with more than 8,000 military, civilian, and contract personnel. Greaves was commissioned in 1982 through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program after he graduated from Cornell University. He has held a variety of assignments in operational, acquisition, and staff units, including appointments at Headquarters Air Combat Command, at the National Reconnaissance Office, and on the Air Staff within the Directorate of Operational Requirements and the Air Force Colonel Matters Office. He commanded the 45th Launch Group at Patrick Air Force Base, FL, and the Launch and Range Systems Wing and Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing at Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA. The general also served as vice commander, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, and then as director, strategic plans, programs and analyses, Headquarters Air Force Space Command.

LT. GEN. STAYCE D. HARRIS

Inspector General of the Air Force Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, DC

Lt. Gen. Stayce D. Harris is the inspector general of the Air Force, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, DC. In this capacity, she reports to the secretary and chief of staff of the Air Force on matters concerning Air Force effectiveness and efficiency, and the military discipline of active duty, Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard forces.

She also provides inspection policy and oversees the inspection and evaluation system for all Air Force www.blackengineer.com

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The Army’s Transformation from an Industrial Age to an Information Age Model

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modernization process to provide a unified focus within science and technology, research and development, and testing and engineering. The AFC approach is to apply the speed of America’s innovation ecosystem to deliver new capabilities to warfighters in the field, with a specific focus on product and not process.

COLLABORATE WITH AFC TO SOLVE SOME OF THE ARMY’S TOUGHEST CHALLENGES? AFC

AFC concentrates on four priorities that tie together to rapidly deliver lethal and effective future capabilities to Soldiers when and where they need it.

WILL BE AT THE BEYA STEM GLOBAL

• FIRST: recruit, hire, and replace talent while finding the right mix – both military and civilian – to solve complex problems.

COMPETITIVENESS CONFERENCE. ARMY FUTURES COMMAND & THE FOCUS OF MODERNIZATION When Army Futures Command (AFC) set up an office inside a startup incubator in Austin, Texas, the goal was to collaborate with innovators to develop solutions to some of the Army’s toughest challenges.

AFC officially activated in August, 2018; the four-star command is the largest reorganization of the Army since 1973.

For many of the current military staff members of AFC, the culture change was immediately apparent, as this was their first time showing up to work wearing business casual to the office instead of their combat uniforms.

FOUR PRIORITES According to General John Murray, AFC’s first commander, these changes are deliberate. AFC consolidated the Army’s

• SECOND: build relationships and establish a footprint with entrepreneurs, innovation incubators, university systems, and private industries.

•

THIRD: embrace the type of culture that transforms from the cogsand-stovepipes procedures of the industrial age, to the speed and connectivity of the information age.

•

FOURTH: integrate Army organizations and missions to achieve a collaborative and innovative environment.

DEPLOY, FIGHT, AND WIN America’s adversaries are challenging the military across a number of critical warfighting capabilities. AFC is tasked with assessing what the future battlefield looks like, how the enemy might fight, and how the Army will respond to achieve overmatch.

To accomplish this, AFC stood up eight cross-functional teams (CFTs) last October. In less than 12 months, the CFTs have begun developing solutions on how to deliver to warfighters quickly, cutting the traditional acquisition timelines.

For example, the Heads Up Display (HUD 3.0) is on track to disrupt the way Soldiers fight, rehearse, and train by the end of September, 2020. HUD 3.0, immersive virtual training and vision augmentation, will enable our young women and men to prepare for America’s wars using technology that was impossible ten years ago.

CALLING ALL INNOVATORS “We intend to find the technologies and solutions that will enable us to modernize the force quickly and effectively, wherever and whatever they might be,” according to General Murray.

To stay ahead of adversaries, this is a nationwide search for ideas from engineers and innovators to help the Army solve complex problems, and is looking for ideas from academia, S&T, and industry (traditional and non-traditional).

Unlocking the innovative potential of these groups is the challenge AFC is looking to overcome to change how we do business, how we interact and even how we think.

These changes will enable AFC to provide America’s Soldiers with the tools they need, when and where they need them, to fight and win, and come back home. The ultimate judges of AFC’s success will be the men and women of our Future Army who will deem the concepts, capabilities, and formations we create to be lethal and effective.

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“WE’RE ALL IN. WE’RE READY TO RESPOND.”

Contributing Writers: Christopher Augsburger, Raini Brunson, Russell Wicke, Cesar Yabor

Army Corps Responds to Multiple Disasters during the 2018 Hurricane Season “We’re all in. We are ready to respond.”

Lt. Gen. Todd T. Semonite, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Commanding General and 54th Chief of Engineers, spoke these words moments before Hurricane Florence made landfall on Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, Sept.

14, 2018. Florence was one of 10 major storms that USACE monitored and/or responded to during the 2018 Hurricane Season.

Other notable storms for which USACE provided Emergency Support Function 3 (ESF 3 - Public Works and Engineering) planning and response capabilities included: Tropical Storm Lane, Typhoon Mangkhut, Hurricane Olivia, Hurricane Michael and Super Typhoon Yutu. At the height of USACE’s responses, more than 1,150 personnel were engaged (deployed or reach-back support), more than 85 FEMA Mission Assignments totaling more than $220 million were received, and more than $6.5 million of Flood Control and Coastal Engineering (FCCE) funds were spent.

PREPARATION IS KEY Days before Florence and other storms made landfall, hydrologic engineers, flood risk management experts, ESF 3 Team Leaders, among others, partnered with advance-deployed responders, and local and federal partners, to immediately monitor conditions. This included hundreds of miles of levees and numerous dams throughout the affected regions.

“Preparations for [a] response begin long before [a storm is] named” said Charles “Ray” Alexander, USACE Director of Contingency Operations. “Annually, the Corps trains and equips all supporting TEAM members, military and civilian, to prepare them for deploying in the face of a civil disaster. This includes recurring collaboration with our federal, state, and local partners to ensure a coordinated effort in both response and recovery operations.” said Alexander.

Serving as the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s engineer, two responses in which USACE executed the majority of FEMA mission assignments were for Hurricanes Florence and Michael.

Both Hurricanes impacted USACE’s South Atlantic Division which is comprised of District Offices in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida.

HURRICANE FLORENCE More than 300 USACE employees deployed to help support and oversee emergency support functions. USACE received $23.4 million for 41 FEMA Mission Assignments in the following areas: National Activation, Regional Activations, Temporary Emergency Power, Debris, Infrastructure Assessment, Water and Wastewater Assessment, Temporary Roofing, and Dam Safety Technical Assistance. Resources deployed included: 125,000 sandbags; 11,580 super sandbags; 29,000 linear feet of rapidly deployable flood fighting structures commonly referred to as HESCO bastions; 30,000 feet of polyethylene sheeting; critical geographic information systems expertise, and SMEs to local and state emergency management agencies.

HURRICANE MICHAEL More than 400 personnel deployed from across USACE to execute more than 30 FEMA Mission Assignments totaling more than $187 million. Missions Assignments included – National and Regional Activations, Temporary Emergency Power, Debris Technical Assistance, Removal and Route Clearance, Temporary Roofing, and Critical Public Facilities/ Infrastructure Assessment.

SUPPORT TO DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) The catastrophic damages from Florence on the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point (MOTSU) and from Michael on Tyndall Air Force Base, resulted in DOD recovery missions for USACE. MOTSU is the largest ammunition port

in the nation and DOD’s primary East Coast deep-water ammunition shipping point. Professionals from six USACE districts converged on MOTSU within two days to assess the damage and execute construction contracts that focused on perimeter sectors, railways, bridges, wharves, buildings, and roads. The roughorder cost estimate of the operation was approximately $27 million.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, USACE engineering teams deployed to Tyndall AFB assessing damage to USACE’s project office and ongoing project work on the installation. Shortly afterward, Tyndall command requested the engineering teams to assess damage to other areas of the base, becoming a 1,200-building full base assessment. Under Department of the Army “Task Force Hammer” USACE coordinated an initial 30-day debris removal mission assignment with Tyndall command.

DEDICATION TO THE MISSION MEANS FUTURE PROTECTION FOR SURVIVORS Brig. Gen. Diana Holland, commander of USACE’s South Atlantic Division underscored the importance of USACE’s commitment to survivors when speaking about a beach re-nourishment project after Florence ravaged multiple coastlines.

“Every cubic yard of sand we’re able to put on the coastline means protection for somebody,” she said. “…We have to be as accurate as possible and that means getting out there as soon as possible,” said Holland.

Writer’s Note: at the time this article was written the Hurricane Michael response was ongoing, and the 2018 Hurricane Season had not ended. Therefore, response totals – personnel, mission assignments, dollar amounts – may be higher.

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FACT SHEET

www.amc.army.mil

U.S. ARMY MATERIEL COMMAND

MISSION The U.S. Army Materiel Command develops and delivers materiel readiness solutions to ensure globally dominant land force capabilities.

VISION Army Materiel Command is operationalized as the Army’s materiel integrator, synchronizing capabilities and resources to ensure Army materiel readiness solutions.

SUBORDINATE COMMANDS Army Contracting Command Aviation and Missile Command Army Sustainment Command Communications and Electronics Command Joint Munitions Command / Joint Munitions & Lethality Life Cycle Management Command Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command Tank-automotive and Armaments Command Army Security Assistance Command *Research, Development and Engineering Command

A

rmy Materiel Command (AMC) is the Army’s primary logistics and sustainment command, responsible for the synchronization, integration and delivery of materiel readiness across the Total Force to defend our Nation, assure our allies and deter potential adversaries. The command, headquartered at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, also has a presence or impact in all 50 states and more than 150 nations.

As one of four Army Commands, AMC synchronizes, integrates and operationalizes the capabilities of nine major subordinate commands, providing materiel and sustainable readiness to meet today’s requirements and prepare for the next contingency.

The command’s complex missions range from manufacturing and maintenance to transportation and technological upgrades. From managing the Army’s arsenals, depots and ammunition plants, to maintaining Army Prepositioned Stocks, both on land and afloat, the Army Materiel Command assures supply availability -ensuring America’s fighting force has the right equipment in the right location and the right time. Army Materiel Command touches every phase of the materiel life cycle, from research and development to contracting, distribution, refurbishment and resale.

Army Materiel Command’s workforce includes more than 60,000 Soldiers and Department of the Army Civilian employees worldwide. Another 60,000 contractors support the command’s mission to deliver materiel readiness solutions.

Army Materiel Command was activated in 1962 - the result of merging several technical services, installations and activities as a single, integrated organization designed to provide the Army’s weapons and equipment. Since its inception, Army Materiel Command has played significant roles in supplying wars, conflicts and contingencies and providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief. *Throughought the years, Army Materiel Command has transformed to meet current Army priorities. Research Development and Engineering Command is working specified tasks from AMC in preparation of its transition to the Army’s newest organization, Army Futures Command.

All RDECOM entitites will move to the new four-star command, headquartered in Austin, Texas, in FY19.

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U.S. AIR FORCE

nuclear and conventional forces; investigates fraud, waste, and abuse; oversees criminal investigations; and provides oversight of complaint resolution programs.

Harris is responsible for the Air Force Inspection Agency and Office of Special Investigations. Harris received a commission in the Air Force through the University of Southern California’s Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program. Her staff assignments include serving as a mobility force planner for the deputy chief of staff for plans and operations and as the individual mobilization augmentee to the deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force. Before her current position, Harris served as the assistant vice chief of staff and director, Air Staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, DC.

MAJ. GEN. CEDRIC GEORGE

Deputy Director of Resource Integration and Logistics Chief Information Officer, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection

Maj. Gen. Cedric D. George is responsible for the planning, programming, and budgeting of weapons systems sustainment, equipment, and logistics and installations resource requirements.

As part of the Air Force corporate structure, he monitors the performance of operations and maintenance, working capital funds and investment programs, participates in the program and financial review groups, and advocates for financial adjustments to optimize force readiness. He oversees the preparation and defense of these Air Force programs to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Office of Management and Budget, and Congress. He is also responsible for enterprise-wide logistics technology vision, strategy, advocacy, and policy. He oversees logistics transformation, agile planning and technology insertion, development and implementation of innovative logistics concepts, and capabilities to deliver logistics effects to the order of battle across the full spectrum of operations to enable air, space, cyber, and joint forces.

George is a 1987 graduate of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at Norwich University. He is a fully qualified maintenance officer and has held key maintenance leadership positions at the wing.

MAJ. GEN. BRIAN S. ROBINSON

Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, VA

Maj. Gen. Brian S. Robinson is the assistant deputy chief of staff, operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, VA. He is responsible to the secretary of the Air Force and the chief of staff for formulating policy supporting air, space, www.blackengineer.com

irregular warfare, counterproliferation, homeland security, weather, and cyber operations. Robinson determines operational requirements, capabilities, and training necessary to support national security objectives and military strategy. Robinson is a native of Philadelphia, PA, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from Philadelphia University in 1987. Later that year, he received his commission from Air Force Officer Training School. He attended undergraduate pilot training and then served as a T-38B first assignment instructor pilot before moving on to a series of operational assignments in the C-130E/H/J and the C-17A, representing the full range of tactical and strategic airlift and aerial delivery.

MAJ. GEN. CURTIS WILLIAMS

Deputy Director for Political-Military Affairs Africa for Strategic Plans and Policy, the Joint Staff, and the Pentagon

Maj. Gen. Curtis Williams currently serves as the deputy director for political-military affairs, Africa for Strategic Plans and Policy, the Joint Staff, and the Pentagon, Arlington, VA. He provides strategic direction, policy guidance, and planning focus to develop and execute the national military strategy. Through the director for strategic plans and policy, he enables the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to provide military advice to the president, the secretary of defense, and the National Security Council. The general enlisted under the delayed enlistment program at 17 and spent over seven years on active duty. He left active duty in 1984 and entered the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at Angelo State University, San Angelo, TX. Upon graduation, he was commissioned in 1986 and re-entered active duty as a logistics plans officer, where he subsequently held numerous squadron- and wing-level plans officer positions. Williams has held leadership and command positions at the squadron, wing, major command, and joint staff levels. Before his current position, Williams served as the director of logistics, engineering and force protection, Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command, Robins Air Force Base, GA.

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U.S. AIR FORCE

BRIG. GEN. TROY DUNN

Director of Manpower, Organization, and Resources, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel, and Services, Headquarters U.S. Air Force

Brig. Gen. Troy E. Dunn is responsible for programming the $47 billion workforce portion of the Air Force Program Objective Memorandum and accounting for over 675,000 total force workforce resources.

Additionally, he sets policy for strategic workforce sourcing, performance management, organizational structure, and workforce data systems. He commissioned from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1993 with a degree in political science. He has held leadership, staff, and command positions in a myriad of mission areas. He served as an aide-decamp to the commanders of the U.S. Transportation Command and Air Mobility Command. Dunn was selected as a Congressional fellow in the Office of Sen. Trent Lott and as a distinguished member of the National Security Team in the Office of the U.S. Senate minority whip. He served as vice director, workforce and personnel, Joint Staff, the Pentagon. Before his current position, Dunn was the installation commander, 10th Air Base Wing, U.S. Air Force Academy.

BRIG. GEN. TRENT EDWARDS

Director, Budget Operations and Personnel Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller

Brig. Gen. Trent H. Edwards is a director, budget operations and personnel, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and comptroller, the Pentagon, Arlington, VA. Edwards is responsible for planning and directing execution of the Air Force’s operation and maintenance, as well as military personnel budgets totaling more than $68.4 billion for baseline funding and $11.2 billion for overseas contingency operations annually. He leads a staff of 57 military and civilian budget professionals, who develop, integrate, and justify readiness and personnel budgets for the Air Force, and defend Air Force budget requirements as they are addressed by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Office of Management and Budget, and Congress. Once appropriations are enacted, he is responsible for overseeing execution of the financial

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resources necessary to operate 79 Air Force installations worldwide and pay 325,100 active Air Force personnel.

BRIG. (P) GEN. STACEY HAWKINS Commander, Ogden Air Logistics Complex Hill Air Force Base, UT

Brig. Gen. Stacey Hawkins is the commander, Ogden Air Logistics Complex, Hill Air Force Base, UT. As the commander, he leads a team of more than 8,500 personnel performing depot maintenance, repair, overhaul, and modification of the A-10, C-130, F-16, F-22, F-35, and Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile system. The complex also oversees the national-level air power reservoir for aircraft storage, reclamation, regeneration, and disposal at Davis Monthan Air Force Base, AZ. Additionally, the complex produces aerospace commodities that include electronics, avionics, instruments, power systems, and software for the assigned weapon systems and is the landing gear center of excellence for the U.S. Air Force. His responsibilities extend to operating locations in Japan, Colorado, Nebraska, Texas, California, Florida, Wyoming, North Dakota, and Montana. The Ogden Air Logistics Complex directly supports a global supply chain that enables the Department of Defense and allied combat operations.

BRIG. GEN. RONALD E. JOLLY SR. Commander, 82nd Training Wing, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas

Brig. Gen. Ronald E. Jolly Sr., is responsible for the training of more than 60,000 Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and international officers and enlisted students annually at Sheppard Air Force Base and more than 60 geographically separated units worldwide. The 82nd TRW produces nearly half of all Air Force technical training graduates annually, delivering instruction in aircraft maintenance, logistics, civil engineering, and telecommunications career fields.

Jolly is a fully qualified aircraft maintenance officer and has served tours as an air base wing commander, air logistics complex deputy commander for maintenance, chief of staff for Headquarters, U.S. Central Command Directorate of Logistics and Engineering, Maintenance Group commander, military assistant to the secretary of the Air Force, staff officer at the Headquarters Air www.blackengineer.com

TOP BLACK OFFICERS in the U.S. Military

U.S. AIR FORCE

Force level and numerous wing-level maintenance and logistics positions. Jolly began his career with the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at the University of North Texas in August 1991. He has commanded aircraft maintenance organizations at both the group and squadron levels supporting flying operations for F-15C/D/E, F-16 and F-5E/F aircraft and has deployed on multiple occasions in support of operations Southern Watch, Northern Watch, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom.

BRIG. GEN. DAVID MILLER

Director of Plans, Programs and Financial Management Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado

Brig. Gen. David N. Miller Jr. is director of plans, programs and financial management, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, CO. As the Command’s CFO, planner, and programmer, Miller is responsible for a $10 billion operations, maintenance, and investment budget that provides agile, integrated, and resilient space and cyberspace capabilities for the joint force and the nation. His 120-person team provides resource planning, programming, and budget execution; develops the Space Program Objective Memorandum; and provides financial planning, accounting, and audit services for over 30,000 space personnel. He is also responsible for overseeing the planning, programming, and budget execution for the Command’s Special Access Program and security activities. Miller entered the Air Force in 1993 and is a graduate of Lafayette College in Easton, PA. He has held a range of operational leadership and staff positions, including space-based infrared system weapons and tactics flight commander, Air Staff Space Control Division chief, Joint Space Operations Center Combat Operations Division chief, military assistant to the under secretary of the Air Force. Before his current position, he was the commander of the 460th Space Wing, Buckley Air Force Base, CO.

He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1989 and is a graduate of the U.S. Army Light Fighter Air Assault School. He is a command pilot with more than 3,500 hours in C-141B, KC-135R/T, B-1B, RC-135V/W, E-8C, C-130, and C-5A aircraft.

He has commanded two expeditionary operations groups and a flying training squadron. Additionally, he has held a variety of joint, wing, and significant command headquarters positions, including assignments in strategic airlift, maintenance, special operations air refueling, and the 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force.

Before his current job, he served as the commander, 379th Expeditionary Operations Group, Southwest Asia.

The U.S. Air Force is the world’s leading force in air, space, and cyberspace. It maintains distinction through vigilance and reach. Its vision statement is World’s Greatest Air Force—Powered by Airmen, Fueled by Innovation. Through shared values, key capabilities, and upholding the Airman’s Creed, it continues to aim high.

Source: U.S. Air Force

BRIG. GEN. (S) RANDALL REED

Deputy Director of Strategic Plans, Requirements and Programs, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, IL

Brig. Gen. Randall Reed assists the director with responsibilities for force structure planning, programming, doctrine, and requirements for the nation’s airlift and air refueling force. Reed was nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general in February 2015 as commander, 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. www.blackengineer.com

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• AIR FORCE OFFICERS ON FB •

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TOP BLACK OFFICERS in the U.S. Military Institute of Technology Seminar XXI Fellow and attended the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education Program.

REAR ADM. KEITH M. JONES

U.S. NAVY

VICE ADM. KEVIN SCOTT

Vice Director J7, Joint Force Development, Joint Staff

Vice Rear Adm. Kevin Scott is vice director J7 for Joint Force Development on the Joint Staff. A native of Portsmouth, VA, and New York City, Scott was designated a naval aviator in 1984.

Under his command, Helicopter Mine Counter Measures Squadron 14 was awarded the 2001 Commander Naval Air Force Atlantic Fleet Battle “E” Efficiency Award. He served the Mine Countermeasures Squadron One as commodore and was a commander of the Expeditionary Strike Group 2. Other past assignments include HM-14 legal officer, aircraft division officer, and maintenance test pilot (1985 to 1987); flight deck officer aboard USS Inchon; and HM-14 admin officer, operations officer and detachment officer in charge (1994 to 1996). Ashore, he was an air combat placement officer, Bureau of Naval Personnel; wing operations officer, Commander Tactical Wing Atlantic; military aide to the vice president (1997 to 1999); current operations chief and division chief, Joint Forces Command; director of aviation officer Distribution Division, Naval Personnel Command; and acting director, Expeditionary Warfare Division, Washington, DC. He is a graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval War College, and the Joint Forces Staff College.

REAR ADM. STEPHEN C. EVANS Commander, Carrier Strike Group 2

Rear Adm. Stephen Evans took command of Carrier Strike Group 2 in October 2017; its mission is to prepare and provide combatready maritime forces for on-call surge or scheduled deployed operations to execute the maritime strategy and achieve operational success through unmatched fighting skills. Evans graduated from the Citadel in 1986, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree. He holds a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College, was a 2014–2015 Massachusetts

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DEPUTY COMMANDER, NAVAL SUPPLY SYSTEMS COMMAND (NAVSUP)

Rear Adm. Keith Jones is a qualified Expeditionary Supply Corps officer and Seabee Combat Warfare officer. He is assigned as the deputy commander, Naval Supply Systems Command, with oversight of active, reserve, civilian, and contractor teams supporting fleet logistics around the globe. His previous flag assignments were a commander, Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group, and reserve director, Logistics Programs and Business Operations, N41, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.

Jones was commissioned through Officer Candidate School and earned a Bachelor of Science in marketing from Louisiana State University and a Master of Business Administration in management from California State University, Bakersfield. He served on active duty aboard USS Enterprise (CVN 65) and had held command of Navy Overseas Air Cargo Terminal E208, Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 6, Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Norfolk Det. 206, Commander Naval Air Forces Atlantic Supply 1086, Defense Logistics Agency Distribution Operations Team—Atlanta, and U.S. Pacific Fleet Logistics Readiness Center Headquarters 120.

REAR ADM. ALVIN HOLSEY

Commander, Carrier Strike Group One

Rear Adm. Alvin Holsey became commander, Carrier Strike Group One, June 12. He previously served as deputy director for operations, National Military Command Center, Joint Chiefs of Staff. He has served in a variety of training and operational squadrons and commanded Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 37 and the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island. Assignments to shore and staff billets have included operations officer on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, J3, Joint Operations Directorate, European Command, and executive assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations. Holsey was commissioned through the Navy Reserve Officers’ Training Corps

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U.S. NAVY

program at Morehouse College in 1988, where he received a degree in computer science. He earned a Master of Science in management from Troy State University in 1995 and attended the Joint Forces Staff College in 2010.

REAR ADM. CEDRIC PRINGLE

Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 3

Rear Adm. Cedric Pringle assumed duties as commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 3 in December. A native of Sumter, SC, he graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science in economics and received his commission via Navy Reserve Officers’ Training Corps from the University of South Carolina.

At sea, he served on USS Ranger and USS Portland.

Other sea tours include USS Fort McHenry. He served as commanding officer, USS Whidbey Island, from July 2004 to February 2006. In 2012 he took command of the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island. During his tour, the crew won numerous retention excellence and public affairs awards. Pringle also earned the President’s Volunteer Service Award in recognition of the ship’s outreach with two local schools.

REAR ADM. JOHN SMITH JR. Chief of Staff, U.S. European Command

Rear Adm. John Smith reported as chief of staff, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany, in August 2015. Smith served as commander, Joint Task Force—Guantanamo from 2012 to 2013 before serving as commandant, Joint Forces Staff College, National Defense University, Norfolk, VA, from 2013 to 2015. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from South Carolina State University and a master’s degree in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. His awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and various campaign, service, and unit awards. He has flown more than 4,200 hours in H-3 and H-60-F/H/B aircraft.

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REAR ADM. JESSE A. WILSON JR. Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic

Rear Adm. Jesse Wilson is the commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic. He assumed his current duties July 14, 2017. He most recently commanded Carrier Strike Group 10, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, during a combat deployment during Operation Inherent Resolve, Operation Odyssey Resolve, and Operation Oaken Steel in the Arabian Gulf and the eastern Mediterranean Sea during spring/summer 2016. He also served as the director, Assessments Division (N81), on the OPNAV staff. Additionally, Wilson is a 2007-2008 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar XXI Fellow and is a graduate of the Navy Corporate Business Course at the University of Virginia—Darden.

As of September 2018, the United States Navy has 329,867 men and women in active duty. 54,745 are officers. Enlisted men and women number about 270,666. There are 4,456 Midshipmen, and 99,432 men and women in Ready Reserve. Selected Reserves number 58,196 and the Individual Ready Reserve is 41,236 strong.

Source: U.S. Navy

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U.S. MARINE CORPS

LT. GEN. VINCENT STEWART

Deputy commander of U.S. Cyber Command

Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart serves as the deputy commander, U.S. Cyber Command. Before his current assignment, Stewart served as the 20th director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (2015 to 2017).

He previously served as commander, Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command (2013 to 2015) and director of intelligence, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps (2009 to 2013). He received his bachelor’s degree in 1981 from Western Illinois University, where he majored in history. After his commission, some of his major command tours included tank platoon leader with Company A, 1st Tank; executive officer, 1st Tank Battalion; and company commander with Company E, Marine Support Battalion, Japan. He also served as commanding officer, 1st Intelligence Battalion, and commanding officer, Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Marine Division. Staff assignments include project officer; assistant signals intelligence officer; intelligence officer and chief; and command, control, communications, and intelligence, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force as well as senior intelligence planner, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence; and, more recently, assistant chief of staff, intelligence, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force. He holds master’s degrees from the Naval War College and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University.

MAJ. GEN. CRAIG CRENSHAW Manpower Management Director

Maj. Gen. Craig Crenshaw formerly served as commanding general at Marine Corps Logistics Base.

He began his career as a logistics officer with 3rd Force Service Support Group in Okinawa, Japan. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps in 1984 through the Navy Reserve Officers’ Training Corps scholarship program.

Since then, he has served as a platoon commander, maintenance management officer, and assistant logistics

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officer. While assigned to 1st Marine Regiment, he deployed in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In 1992 he was appointed to the Program Executive Office for Cruise Missiles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. He has also served as Marine Corps integrated logistics support manager and deputy director, Joint Logistics Program, Joint Logistics Directorate. In 2012, he relinquished command of 3rd Marine Logistics, which he had commanded since June 2010, to serve at the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. The general earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Southern University, Baton Rouge; a master’s degree in procurement and acquisitions management from Webster University; and another master’s degree in national resource strategy from National Defense University.

MAJ. GEN. MICHAEL E. LANGLEY Director, J-5, U. S. Central Command

Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Michael E. Langley was promoted to the rank of major general on May 23. Langley is currently serving as the director for strategy, plans, and policy for U.S. Central Command. He previously served as deputy director for operations, J3, Joint Staff. Before that, he was a senior adviser, 215th Corps, Regional Command (Southwest), Afghanistan.

While deployed to Afghanistan from November 2008 to August 2009, Langley received a Bronze Star medal for meritorious service in combat operations while serving as the senior mentor to the commanding general of the 201st Corps. He was the officer in charge for the Special Operations Training Group for III Marine Expeditionary Force. He also served as commander, Regional Corps Advisory Command—Central, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

BRIG. GEN. BRIAN W. CAVANAUGH

Deputy Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific

Brig. Gen. Brian Cavanaugh assumed responsibilities as the deputy commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, in 2016. In 2006 Cavanaugh assumed command of the Ugly Angels and deployed the squadron to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During this deployment, his group was recognized as the Squadron of the Year, and three Marines under his command were named the Marine www.blackengineer.com

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U.S. MARINE CORPS

Corps Aviator of the Year, Crew Chief of the Year, and Ordnance Man of the Year. From 2013 to 2015 Cavanaugh served as the MAG-36 commander stationed in Okinawa, Japan, as the 3rd MEB ACE, MAG-36 deployed in direct support of Operation Damayan for typhoon relief in the Philippines. In 2015 elements from the MAG deployed in direct support of Operation Sahayogi Haat for earthquake relief in Nepal. Under his command, MAG-36 conducted a myriad of bilateral exercises throughout the U.S. Pacific Command area of operations. He earned his commission in the Marine Corps in 1990 and was designated a naval aviator in 1992.

BRIG. GEN. (SEL) DIMITRI HENRY

Director of Intelligence, United States Marine Corps

Brig . Gen. (Sel) Dmitri Henry was selected for brigadier general in 2017. Henry enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1981. After completion of the Broadened Opportunity for Officer Selection Training (BOOST), he was selected for the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP) and graduated from Texas A&M University in 1988 and was commissioned a seconf lieutenant From May 1990 to May 1993, Henry served at 2nd Radio Battalion and deployed with 8th Marine Regiment. He was OIC of the II MEF Communications Center. In June 1993, Henry attended Naval Postgraduate School, graduating with a Master of Science degree in systems engineering.

Subsequently, Henry has served in the Navy Information Warfare Activity at the National Security Agency, and as the commanding officer, Company H, Marine Cryptologic Support Battalion. He participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom as the deputy G2 and intelligence planner, commanded 1st Radio Battalion, and served at the Intelligence Department, HQMC, United States Central Command.

BRIG. GEN. LORNA MAHLOCK

Director, Command, Control, Communications, and Computers (C4) Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Marine Corps

Brig. Gen. Lorna Mahlock was recently selected to the rank of brigadier general. She is serving as the director, Command, Control, Communications, and Computers (C4) and the chief information officer (CIO) of the Marine Corps. Before www.blackengineer.com

her current assignment, she was deputy director, Plans, Policy, and Operations, and commanding officer, Marine Air Control Group 18 in Okinawa, Japan. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, she immigrated to Brooklyn, New York and enlisted in the Marine Corps. She was selected for the Marine Corps Enlisted Commissioning Education Program, graduated from Marquette University, and was commissioned in 1991. She is a certified Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) tower local controller and a Marine aviation weapons and tactics instructor. She has commanded at various levels including commanding officer, Iraqi Freedom 8. Mahlock holds a master’s degree in adult and higher education from the University of Oklahoma at Norman; a masters degree in national security and strategic studies with distinction from the Naval Post Graduate School; and a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.

BRIG. GEN. TERRY WILLIAMS Director, Strategy and Plans Division PP&O

Brig. Gen. Terry Williams assumed duties as director, Strategy and Plans division, PP&O in August. He was commissioned as second lieutenant in the Marine Corps in 1986 after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of California in Los Angeles. After a variety of billets, he recently served as the director of public affairs from June 2013 until HQMC Public Affairs and Combat Camera was consolidated under the Directorate, Office of United States Marine Corps Communication. In June 2014, he assumed the duties of commanding general, MCRD PI and the ERR until June 2016. From June 2016 to June 2017, he served as the ADC I&L, director logistics Plans Policies & Strategic Mobility. In June 2017, he assumed duties as chief, Combined-Joint Logistic Branch, NATO’s RS & US OFS, Afghanistan. In February 2018, he was reassigned as commander, Bagram Airfield and deputy commander, U.S. National Support ElementAfghanistan.

BRIG. GEN. CALVERT L. WORTH JR. Commander, Training Command

Brig. Gen. Calvert Worth was commissioned via the U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidates Course in 1991.

He has served in a variety of billets in the operating forces to include commanding officer of 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, and commanding officer of the 6th Marine Regiment and Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response—Africa. Worth has participated in numerous operations to include: Operation Sea Signal (Cuba), Operation Joint Endeavor (Bosnia and WINTER 2018 I USBE&IT 55

TOP BLACK OFFICERS in the U.S. Military

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U.S. MARINE CORPS

REAR ADM. MICHAEL JOHNSTON Director of Acquisition Programs & Program Executive Officer (PEO)

Herzegovina), Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. His staff assignments include Pentagon assignments as a military assistant to the Department of Defense executive secretary in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and as the Marine military assistant to the under secretary of the Navy. He most recently served as the division chief—Joint Operations Division­— CENT COM in the Joint Staff J-3, J35 Regional Operations. Worth is a graduate of the Amphibious Warfare School (with distinction), The Marine Corps Command and Staff College (with distinction), the School of Advanced Warfighting, the National War College, and is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Seminar XXI Fellow.

The Marine Corps defends the United States at home and abroad. To do that, Marines win the nation’s battles. Marines are committed to facing any threat, at any moment, anywhere in the world. The life of a Marine can take many forms—each with their own unique place and heritage.

Source: U.S. Marine Corps

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U.S. Coast Guard

Rear Adm. Michael Johnston’s current duties include oversight of Coast Guard acquisition for modernization of surface, air, command, and control in support of maritime missions.

Previously, he was the executive director for the Deputy Commandant for Mission Support. From 2011 to 2014, he was commanding officer of the Coast Guard’s Command, Control, and Communications Engineering Center.

He has served as a project manager for Vessel Traffic Systems and the Differential GPS. In 2000, he was selected to serve as an aide to the commandant of the Coast Guard. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he coordinated response and recovery efforts for all command and control systems for the Gulf Coast. Before that, his work helped restore the nation following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He also helped to transition the Coast Guard into the newlyformed Department of Homeland Security. Johnston graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. Later, he earned a master’s degree in engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and another master’s degree in systems engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

REAR ADM. ERICA SCHWARTZ Director of Health, Safety, and Work-Life U.S. Coast Guard

Rear Adm. Erica Schwartz was promoted to the rank of rear admiral in August 2015. As director of Health, Safety, and WorkLife, Schwartz is responsible for the Coast Guard’s health care system as well as operational and off-duty mishap prevention, response, and investigation. She oversees the www.blackengineer.com

TOP BLACK OFFICERS in the U.S. Military

The United States Coast Guard is Semper Paratus, “Always Ready” and is committed to current and future readiness.

They seek the best people, modern technology, resilient infrastructure and capable assets to meet the nation’s needs. Every active duty, reserve, civilian and auxiliary member plays an integral role in mission execution.

Source: U.S. Coast Guard

Digital Connection: First Black Woman Enlisted in the Coast Guard

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NATIONAL GUARD

U.S. COAST GUARD

Coast Guard’s child care and food services delivery programs ashore and afloat and the Coast Guard’s Ombudsman, Substance Abuse, Health Promotion, and Sexual Assault Prevention and Response programs.

Schwartz graduated with a Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering from Brown University in 1994, and she earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from Brown University School of Medicine in 1998. In 2000, she completed her master’s degree in public health with a concentration in health services and occupational and environmental medicine from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS). In 2001, she completed the USUHS Occupational and Environmental Medicine residency program. Preceding her transfer to the Public Health Service and Coast Guard in 2005, she served as a Navy Occupational Medicine physician.

MAJ. GEN. MICHAEL CALHOUN The Adjutant General of Florida

Maj. Gen. Michael Calhoun has been the adjutant general, Florida since 2015. He is the senior military adviser to the governor and is responsible for the management, readiness, and mobilization of the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force elements of the Florida National Guard. He previously served as the assistant adjutant general, Army with additional duties as the director of the Joint Staff, Joint Task Force commander, and dual status commander designee.

Calhoun was commissioned in July 1989 through a direct commission. He has served in a variety of leadership positions, including commanding the 83rd Troop Command; 50th Area Support Group, 211th Regiment, Regional Training Institute; 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Special Troops Battalion; and the 856th Quartermaster Battalion. While deployed, he also served as director of Host Nations Support in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. Calhoun has also commanded at the battalion and group levels in support of hurricane support and other civil support operations. He also is the recipient of the 2008 Department of Defense African-American History Month award.

MAJ. GEN. JOHN C. HARRIS JR.

Assistant Adjutant General-Army, Ohio National Guard

Maj. Gen. John Harris is assistant adjutant general, Army, Ohio National Guard, and serves as commander, Ohio Army National Guard. He assumed these duties on January 11, 2011, and is responsible for establishing policies, priorities, and oversight for the readiness of 11,400 soldiers. Harris began his military career in 1981 when he enlisted in the Ohio Army National Guard.

He received a commission in 1984 through Officer Candidate School. He has commanded at the platoon, detachment, company, and squadron levels while serving in assignments at the battalion, squadron, and state area command as well as joint force headquarters level.

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Harris’s recent assignments include chief of staff, deputy chief of staff for personnel, and commander, Task Force Lancer, Kosovo.

MAJ. GEN. LEONARD ISABELLE

Assistant Adjutant General and Commander Michigan Air National Guard

Maj. Gen. Leonard Isabelle is the assistant adjutant general and commander of the Michigan Air National Guard. He is the principal air advisor to the adjutant general and is responsible for command and control of personnel, equipment, and resources for two flying wings (KC135R, A-10C, MQ-9), an air operations group, a cyber operations squadron, and a combat readiness training center. Isabelle received his commission as a second lieutenant in 1987 as a graduate of the Academy of Military Science. He has served in operations and maintenance as well as command positions at the squadron and group levels. Isabelle is a command pilot with more than 2,950 hours primarily in the A-10 and F-16 aircraft. Before assuming his current position, Isabelle was commander, 127th Operations Group, Selfridge Air National Guard Base, MI.

MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM J. WALKER Commanding General, District of Columbia National Guard

Maj. Gen. William J. Walker is the commanding general, District of Columbia National Guard. He reports directly to the secretary of the Army and is responsible for the strategic leadership, readiness, and employment of District of Columbia Army and Air National Guard units. Prior senior leadership assignments include commander, Joint Task Force, 58th Presidential Inauguration; commanding general, Land Component Command; commander, Mobilization Augmentation Command, chief of staff, District of Columbia Army National Guard; vice J-2, National Guard Bureau, Intelligence Directorate; and commander, U.S. Army South, Beyond the Horizons, Joint Task Force–Jamaica. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Walker served in the Army Operations Center in support of Operation Noble Eagle. In 2011, he was again mobilized and simultaneously served as chief, Theater Observation Detachment–Afghanistan, Center

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for Army Lessons Learned (CALL); senior CALL liaison to the commander, International Security Assistance Force Afghanistan; and senior military strategist, American Embassy Kabul, Office of Transition in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Walker was commissioned in 1985 through the University of Illinois at Chicago Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program.

MAJ. GEN. TIMOTHY M. MCKEITHEN Deputy Director of the Army National Guard, National Guard Bureau

Maj. Gen. Timothy M. McKeithen has served as deputy director of the Army National Guard, National Guard Bureau since September 4, 2015.

As deputy director, he guides the formulation, development, and implementation of all programs and policies affecting the Army National Guard, which has more than 343,000 citizen soldiers in the 50 states, three territories, and the District of Columbia and oversees a budget of more than $19 billion. Before his current assignment in Washington, D.C., McKeithen was assistant chief of staff for logistics for United States Army Central, Third Army, C-4 Combined Joint Task Force Land Components Command, and CJ4 Combined Joint Task Force—Operation Inherent Resolve for Southwest Asia.

McKeithen earned his bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Alabama in 1985 and his first master’s degree from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1994. In 2004, he earned a Master of Science degree in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington, D.C.

MAJ. GEN. LINDA L. SINGH

The Adjutant General, Maryland National Guard

Maj. Gen. Linda Singh was appointed adjutant general of Maryland on January 21, 2015.

The adjutant general is responsible for the daily operations of the Maryland Military Department, which includes the Maryland Army National Guard, Air National Guard, the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, and the Maryland Defense Force.

Singh serves as the senior adviser to the governor for these state agencies and is responsible for the readiness, administration, and training of more than 6,700 members of the Maryland Military Department.

She serves as a member of the governor’s cabinet and is the official channel of communication between the www.blackengineer.com

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NATIONAL GUARD

governor and the National Guard Bureau. Singh also chairs the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Advisory Council and is a member of the Army Reserve Force Policy Committee. Before that, Singh served as the assistant adjutant general—Army for the Maryland Army National Guard and the primary adviser to the adjutant general on Army National Guard issues.

She was responsible for supporting the formulation, development, and coordination of programs, policies, and plans affecting the Maryland Army National Guard, a force of over 4,600 soldiers. Singh also provided guidance and supervision of all training, personnel, and logistics matters.

BRIG. GEN. ONDRA L. BERRY

Assistant Adjutant General—Air, Nevada National Guard

Brig. Gen. Ondra Berry currently serves as assistant adjutant general—air, Nevada National Guard. He is responsible for formulating, developing, and coordinating all policies, programs, and plans affecting more than 1,100 Nevada Air National Guard airmen. He serves the adjutant general as a principal adviser on matters about the Nevada Air National Guard. Berry received his commission from the Air National Guard Academy of Military Science in 1990.

His most recent assignment was a special assistant to the chief, National Guard Bureau, where he provided advice on diversity and leadership matters. He has had a significant impact on diversity and inclusion in the Nevada Air National Guard, taking the message of diversity, education, and opportunity to the National Guard Bureau and around the country. Berry’s energy and expertise in the field have enhanced his abilities within the National Guard, where he sets the stage for increased diversity and devises various opportunities for all members of the armed forces.

BRIG. GEN. WAYNE L. BLACK

Assistant Adjutant General-Army, Indiana National Guard

Brig. Gen. Wayne Black assumed duties as assistant adjutant general—Army, Indiana National Guard, in 2013. He serves as a principal adviser to the adjutant general and is responsible for assisting the adjutant general in formulating, developing, and coordinating programs, policies, and plans affecting the Indiana Army National Guard and its more than www.blackengineer.com

12,000 citizen-soldiers. Black represents the adjutant general and the Indiana Army National Guard in a variety of forums that impact the Indiana National Guard. Black began his military career on May 12, 1984, receiving his commission through Reserve Officers’ Training Corps from the Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina. He has served in a variety of command and staff positions, both on active duty and in the National Guard. Black deployed in 1990 to Saudi Arabia with the 3rd Armored Division in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In 2003 he deployed to Bosnia with the 38th Infantry Division, Task Force Eagle, and served as the G3 and chief, Joint Visitor’s Bureau. Black deployed to Afghanistan as commander, Embedded Training Team, and was responsible for training and mentoring the Afghan National Police and Border Police in the northern region in 2008.

BRIG. GEN. SYLVESTER CANNON

Commander, 135th Sustainment Command, Alabama

Brig. Gen. Sylvester Cannon is a commander, 135th Sustainment Command, Alabama National Guard. The unit provides command and control of all assigned, attached, and operational controlled units as well as sustainment planning and guidance to provide mission support operations as directed by National Guard authorities, the governor, or the adjutant general. Cannon joined the Alabama National Guard in 1981 and earned his commission through the State Officer Candidate School on June 29, 1985. He has served in multiple active duty roles, including strategy and policy planner, distribution management center chief, and brigade commander.

BRIG. GEN. CLARENCE ERVIN

Assistant Adjutant General-Air, North Carolina

Brig. Gen. Clarence Ervin is the assistant adjutant general, North Carolina Air National Guard. He is responsible for Air National Guard personnel at the North Carolina Joint Force Headquarters. Other duties include advising the adjutant general on mentoring and leadership programs, assisting in the development of expanded military operations, and the development of missions appropriate for the North Carolina National Guard. Ervin was commissioned through the Academy of Military Science at McGhee WINTER 2018 I USBE&IT 59

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Tyson Air National Guard Base near Knoxville, TN. Before that, he served as an enlisted member of the U.S. Air Force and later in the North Carolina Air National Guard, where he has spent over 30 years. A career force support officer, he has commanded a flight and led the largest group in the North Carolina Air Guard as the commander of 145th Mission Support Group. He further broadened his career by serving as the 145th vice wing commander and as the director of staff for the North Carolina Air National Guard. Ervin has deployed in support of Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Jump Start.

BRIG. GEN. DEBORAH Y. HOWELL The Adjutant General of the U.S. Virgin Islands

Brig. Gen. Deborah Howell serves as the adjutant general for the United States Virgin Islands. In this position, Howell is responsible for the coordination, execution, and management of the Virgin Islands Army and Air National Guard’s workforce, equipment, and emergency and security plans. Before this appointment, Howell had retired from the Virgin Islands National Guard in June of 2010 while serving as the executive assistant to the adjutant general. Shortly after, she joined the Virgin Islands government as the chief of staff to Sen. Kenneth Gittens in the 30th and 31st legislatures. Her efforts in organization and change were noted and lauded by the inner circles of government, both at the local and federal levels. Within a few months of the senator’s second term in office, she was recruited by Gov. Kenneth E. Mapp to serve as Adjutant General, Virgin Islands. Howell served as platoon leader for the 662nd Field Service Company after her commission in 1982 as Community Relations Officer, 658th Public Relations Officer in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

BRIG. GEN. BRUCE C. LINTON

66th Theater Aviation Command, Commander Joint Base Lewis — McChord

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Brig. Gen. Bruce Linton is the commander, 66th Theater Aviation Command, Washington Army National Guard.

The command is sourced to meet strategic objectives in support of global contingency operations through the training,

preparation, resourcing, and mission command of assets across two Theater Aviation Brigades and one Theater Airfield Operations Group as well as air traffic services, airfield management, aeromedical evacuation, combat aviation brigade reinforcement, and the coordination of aviation reception, staging, onward movement, and integration. Linton is also responsible for the mission command of all subordinate aviation organizations within the state of Washington. He directs and manages these resources as they train and prepare to provide critical support in response to domestic emergencies.

Linton received his commission through the Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, GA. Upon graduating in August 1988, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Washington Army National Guard. He completed the Aviation Officer Basic Course and Initial Entry Rotary—Wing Qualification Course and multiple aircraft transition courses while serving as an aviator.

BRIG. GEN. GREGORY D. MASON

Assistant Adjutant General-Army, Missouri National Guard

Brig. Gen. Gregory Mason serves as assistant adjutant general, Missouri National Guard.

He assists the adjutant general in the formulation, development, and implementation of all programs and policies in the Missouri Army National Guard. Mason received his commission as a second lieutenant through the Kansas Army National Guard Officer Candidate School in 1987. Before his commissioning, Mason began his military career on active duty in 1974 as a military police officer. He has held command leadership positions at the company, battalion, and brigade levels. Mason served as the senior intelligence officer for the 35th Engineer Brigade during Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2007 to 2008.

The brigade conducted combat engineer operations throughout the central Iraq area of activities, including Baghdad.

MAJ. GEN. BRIAN C. NEWBY

Air National Guard Assistant to the Judge Advocate General

Brig Gen. Brian Newby is chief of staff, Texas Air National Guard. He serves as principal adviser to the commander of the Texas Air National Guard for all Air National Guard issues.

In this assignment, he

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NATIONAL GUARD

is responsible for assisting in the planning, direction, and administration of over 3,100 Air National Guard personnel within the state of Texas. Newby’s responsibilities also include recruiting, retention, labor relations, training, employee development, and equal opportunity initiatives. Newby was commissioned in 1983 as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at Texas Tech University.

BRIG. GEN. RENWICK L. PAYNE

force operations. Thompson was commissioned in 1986 through the Oklahoma Military Department, Officer Candidate School, Oklahoma City, OK. He has served as land component commander, Oklahoma Army National Guard; chief of staff, Oklahoma Army National Guard; and commander, 90th Troop Command, Oklahoma Army National Guard. Thompson has commanded at the company, battalion, and brigade levels. Before receiving his commission, Thompson served for two and a half years as an enlisted soldier in the Oklahoma Army National Guard. S

The Adjutant General, District of Columbia, Army National Guard

Brig. Gen. Renwick Payne is the adjutant general of the District of Columbia Army National Guard. Payne was assigned to the National Guard Bureau in October 1993 as a New York National Guardsman. He has served as military assistant to the deputy assistant to the secretary of the Army; executive officer to the director, Army National Guard; G3/operations officer, Army National Guard; chief of staff, Army National Guard; and War on Terror operational assistant to the director of the Army National Guard. Most recently, Payne served as director, Joint Staff, New York National Guard. He enlisted in 1974 and received his commission as a second lieutenant of field artillery in 1979. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Governors State University. He is affiliated with the National Guard Association of the United States, the Militia Association of New York, the Association of the United States Army, and the 369th Historical Society.

BRIG. GEN. MICHAEL C. THOMPSON

Assistant Adjutant General-Army, Oklahoma National Guard

Brig. Gen. Michael Thompson assists the adjutant general with the preparation of Oklahoma Army National Guard units for homeland defense and mobilization. He advises the adjutant general concerning any issue or matter that affects the Oklahoma Army National Guard, its citizen soldiers, and their families. He has oversight of training, administration, logistics, and personnel actions.

He directs the Army National Guard staff and guides the team and subordinate commanders. Thompson also facilitates command staff decisions about force development, planning, strength maintenance, and www.blackengineer.com

With over 130 positions available in the Guard, you can choose a career that teaches skills that translate to civilian jobs, or you can enter a career that offers even more military experience.

Whichever career you choose, when disaster strikes and when the country calls.

You are a Guard Soldier.

Source: National Guard

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SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE MEMBERS

MEMBERS OF THE SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE (SES) SERVE IN THE KEY POSITIONS JUST BELOW THE TOP PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTEES. SES MEMBERS ARE THE MAJOR LINK BETWEEN THESE APPOINTEES AND THE REST OF THE FEDERAL WORKFORCE. THEY OPERATE AND OVERSEE NEARLY EVERY GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY IN APPROXIMATELY 75 FEDERAL AGENCIES.

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SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE

ARMY FRANCINE BLACKMON Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Review Boards) Director of the Army Review Boards Agency

Ms. Francine Blackmon is responsible for 14 U.S. Army personnel boards, including the Board for Correction of Military Records, Discharge Review Board, Special Review Boards, Clemency and Parole Board, and the Grade Determination Review Board.

Blackmon also provides oversight of law enforcement and corrections missions. Prior to that, she served as deputy assistant secretary, Air Force management integration. Originally from Sacramento, CA, Blackmon attended the University of Maryland and was commissioned as an officer in the Air Force after graduation.

Blackmon’s 24-year military career was in the field of human resources.

She served as the chief of the Commander’s Issues Team at the Air Force Personnel Center, Randolph Air Force Base; mission support squadron commander at Fairchild Air Force Base; and chief of the Air Force Skills Management Division at Headquarters, U.S. Air Force. Blackmon has joint service experience in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness).

KEVIN BOSTICK Director of Current Operations, G3/4, Headquarters U.S. Army Materiel Command

Mr. Kevin Bostick, formerly director of Army Materiel Command’s Logistics Integration Directorate, now serves as director of current operations.

This includes mission command over operations integrating global support functions and systems supporting the Joint Warfighters.

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His responsibilities stretch across the full spectrum of Army operations. His duties include plans, operations, training, Army prepositioned stocks, readiness, force protection, cyber, and engineer functions.

Bostick executes strategic direction, priorities, policies, and guidance of the Army Materiel Command, commanding general, deputy commanding general, executive deputy commanding general, and the deputy chief of staff for operations and logistics, G3/4.

THEODORE (TAB) BROWN, P.E. Director of Regional Business U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, South Atlantic Division

Mr. Theodore Brown has served as director of regional business in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, South Atlantic Division since November 2017.

Before that, he spent almost nine years serving as the senior executive for planning and policy for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from January 2009 to November 2017. He has also served as the leader of the Mississippi Valley Division Regional Integration Team. In this capacity, he provides leadership and oversight for coastal Louisiana post-Katrina reconstruction and planning. Brown also serves as the leader of the Army Corps of Engineers’ Planning Community of Practice.

In his current position, Brown formulates and coordinates Army Civil Works policy with the Department of Army, federal agencies, and Office of Management and Budget; serves as an executive liaison for the chief’s Environmental Advisory Board; and provides representation to other federal advisory committees.

Brown is responsible for leading efforts in the implementation of the 2007 Water Resources Development Act. He serves as the principal Civil Works point of contact with congressional authorizing committees on policy and planning matters. He earned a Bachelor of Science at the Ohio State University and a Master of Business Administration from Marshall University.

EUGENE (GENE) COLLINS Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Environment, Safety, and Occupational Health) Washington, DC

Mr. Eugene Collins assumed his current duties in 2015.

He provides executive leadership for sustainability, environment, natural resources, safety, and occupational health programs. He provides management and oversight of acquisition programs (environment, safety, and occupational health issues); chemical, biological, nuclear, and conventional treaty verification and compliance, the Army Environmental Technology Program; and U.S./German Technology Data Exchange. He is the executive agent for some Department of Defense activities, including the Defense Department’s Unexplored Ordnance Center of Excellence, National Defense Center for Energy and the Environment, Voluntary Protection Program Center of Excellence, and the Formerly Used Defense Site Cleanup Program. He also serves as the Army Federal Preservation Official and functional representative for Career Program 12 as well as the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council. His responsibilities span a global organization that includes a $1.5 billion annual environmental program as well as oversight for the safety and occupational health of over 1.2 million soldiers and Army civilian employees worldwide. Collins entered the Senior Executive Service in April 2007. Before assuming his current position, he served as the deputy director of logistics, Directorate of logistics, deputy chief of staff for logistics, installations, and mission support, Headquarters U.S. Air Force. Collins is a 26-year Air Force veteran, retiring as a colonel. He is a combat aircraft maintenance and logistics leader who participated in Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and Southern Watch.

JAMES DALTON Director of Civil Works Department of the Army U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Mr. James Dalton serves as the director of Civil Works, Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

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MONIQUE FERRELL Director of the Army’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program

Ms. Monique Ferrell is principal deputy auditor general, United States Army Audit Agency. As an adviser to the auditor general of the Army Audit Agency, she oversees the IT network and facilities operations, HR, and budget. She is also responsible for execution of the Internal Audit Plan to ensure it meets the needs of Army leadership. She oversees audit workload, resources, and audit processes. Ms. Ferrell was appointed to the federal Senior Executive Service in 2011 and as deputy auditor general for Manpower, Reserve Affairs, and Training Audits. Prior to her www.blackengineer.com

appointment, she was responsible for the audits of U.S. Army activities in Iraq, and Afghanistan. She also directed audits for southwest Asian deployments and sustainment functions. Ferrell holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Hampton University and a Master of Policy Management from Georgetown University. In an earlier appointment, Monique Ferrell directed the U.S. Army’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Office..

JUANITA HARRIS Director Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC)

Dr. Harris was selected for Senior Executive Service in February 2015. She serves as the director, U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) at Redstone Arsenal, AL. AMRDEC comprises approximately 10,000 military and civilian professional, scientific, and support personnel and manages a combined mission and reimbursable customer funded budget of approximately $2.9 billion annually. The director manages the Aviation and Missile RDEC, plans, and executes technical research and engineering programs and demonstrations, e.g., research, exploratory development, advanced concept technology demonstrations, and field support engineering functions of the Center. As director, she provides support to both missile and aviation commodities in such areas as product assurance; software engineering; system engineering; production, test, and evaluation management; and business management. As the top civilian authority and scientific and engineering expert on research and development for aviation and missiles in the Command, she exercises direct line authority over all activities to assure adequacy of budgeting, planning, conduct, and effectiveness of projects and a balanced and competent technical capability.

BRENDA JOHNSON-TURNER Director of Real Estate, Headquarters U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Ms. Brenda JohnsonTurner was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in November 2014 and serves as director of real estate for the Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Johnson-Turner provides executive leadership for program execution of the Department of the Army real estate mission for Army land and improvements worldwide. She is responsible for overall policy and ensuring technical expertise to provide real estate acquisition, asset management, and disposal. She also serves as chief of the South Pacific Division and Great Lakes and Ohio River Division Regional Integration Team, in which she manages the Washington-level representation and support through integrating product and service mission areas and establishing and maintaining relationships at a national level for military and other program areas with projects exceeding $700 million annually. Johnson-Turner earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Alcorn State University.

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(USACE). He leads, manages, and directs the policy development, planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance activities of the Army Civil Works, a $6 billion annual program of water and related land resources of the United States, and oversees the work of over 25,000 civilian employees. He also represents the USACE in the United Nations’ Advisory Board HighLevel Expert and Leaders Panel on Water and Disasters and serves in national and international water resources committees.

From May 2007 until August 2016, he was chief of the USACE’s Engineering and Construction Division, responsible for policy, program, and technical expertise in the design and constructions programs for the U.S. Army, Air Force, Department of Defense, and other federal agencies and over 60 foreign nations. He has also served as the Corps’ South Atlantic Division and South Pacific Division Regional Integration team leader and USACE climate change adaptation committee chair and leader for USACE resilience. He was the regional business director for USACE’s South Atlantic Division in Georgia from 2005 to 2007 and was deputy district engineer for programs in Alaska from 2001 to 2005. He also served in North Carolina and USACE’s Far East District in Seoul, South Korea. He earned a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering from North Carolina A&T State University in 1978 and a master’s degree in civil engineering from North Carolina State University in 1992.

DELORES JOHNSON DAVIS Senior Professional for Strategic Integration (Human Dimension) Office of the Assistant Secretary (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)

Ms. Delores Johnson Davis was appointed to a senior leader position on Aug. 23, 2015.

She serves as the senior professional for strategic integration (human dimension). In this capacity, she manages and integrates research, analysis, and studies in support of the human dimension strategy. These WINTER 2018 I USBE&IT 65

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efforts include work in big data, especially as it relates to personnel and workforce, Army human capital, and risk assessment studies for soldiers. She is responsible for establishing accountability and synergy to accomplish human dimension priorities and to integrate future human dimension capabilities and systems to increase Army readiness.

She performs both internal and external strategic engagements to the Department of Defense, including federal research agencies, science and technology scholars, private organizations, and individuals, to determine which projects impact the skills, competence, and resilience of the future warfighter. Davis is uniquely qualified for these duties based on her academic and professional experience within several behavioral disciplines and her career efforts integrating strategy, policy, and resources to deliver effective soldier and family readiness programs.

EARL G. MATTHEWS Special Assistant to The President and Senior Director for Defense Policy and Strategy National Security Council

Mr. Earl Matthews has served as special assistant to the president and senior director for defense policy and strategy on the National Security Council at the White House since June. Before that, he was with the Department of the Army for more than a year, serving as principal deputy general counsel from January to June.

Matthews was acting general counsel from June 2017 to January, and before that was a special assistant to the defense secretary. Matthews began his legal career in private practice, but has spent the bulk of his professional career in service to the nation as a uniformed judge advocate and civilian attorney within the Department of Defense. He was one of the first Army judge advocates to enter Baghdad in April 2003 as part of a civil affairs battalion and later served as an operations officer for the Coalition 66 USBE&IT | WINTER 2018

Provisional Authority’s Ministry of Justice Advisory Team. From 2005 to 2013, he served as an assistant general counsel, and later as an intelligence officer, with the Defense Intelligence Agency. Matthews also served as a deputy legal counsel to the chairman of the Chiefs of Staff. A native of Philadelphia, PA, Matthews graduated with a B.A., cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Villanova University in May 1995, earned a J.D. from the Harvard Law School in June 1998, earned a M.S. in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University in August 2005, earned a LL.M. in National Security Law from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2013, and earned a M.S. in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in 2016.

ERIC L. MOORE Director, U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center

Dr. Eric Moore oversees key chemical and biological defense research and engineering, both classified and unclassified, at the primary defense department technical organization for non-medical chemical and biological defense. An expert in medical countermeasures, Dr. Moore, builds partnerships across government, industry, and academia to enhance response to chemical and biological threats. Prior, Dr. Moore managed the science and technology portfolio at the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center.

He has served as chair, and the United States Lead for a chemical, biological, and radiological working group. As chair, Dr. Moore led allied efforts between the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia to enable warfighters to detect, prevent, and respond to global chemical, biological, and radiological threats. Earlier in his career, Dr. Moore coordinated the defense department’s science and technology efforts to enhance chemical threat preparedness and medical countermeasures for federal organizations.

He has held similar roles at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and in industry, with Northrop Grumman. Dr. Moore earned a doctorate in neurophysiology from the Meharry Medical College and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Fisk

University. Dr. Moore is a retired United States Army officer and a graduate of the Army Command & General Staff College.

SPURGEON A. MOORE Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Diversity and Leadership) Director, EEO Compliance and Complaints Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)

Mr. Spurgeon A. Moore assumed the duties of the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (ADASA) for Diversity and Leadership on 16 October 2018 while also serving as the Director, Equal Employment Opportunity Compliance and Complaints Review Directorate. As the Army’s designated proponent for the Army Equal Employment Opportunity Compliance and Complaint Program he directs the operation and execution of the most comprehensive complaints adjudication process, proactive management and prevention programs within the federal government. In the role as the ADASA, he serves as the principal advisor to the Assistant Secretary of the Army on all matters pertaining to multiple missions of Diversity and Leadership which include: Military Equal Opportunity; Affirmative Employment Policy and Programs; Functional Chief Representative for Career Program 28, EEO Modernization and the Adjudication of Complaints of Discrimination. He also has responsibilities in policy and oversight of a host of human capital programs that include the Defense Advisory Council on Women in the Services (DACOWITS), Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention. He retired from the U.S. Army after 31 years of Active Duty as a Colonel and was recognized as a superior leader serving at all levels of Command and Staff, to include the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Upon retirement, he executed personnel and force structure initiatives for the Army as the senior consultant for Military Professional Resources.

LEVATOR NORSWORTHY JR. Deputy General Counsel–Acquisition

Mr. Levator Norsworthy Jr. was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in January www.blackengineer.com

PAULA PATRICK Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (DASA) for Civilian Personnel

Ms. Paula E. Patrick is the deputy assistant secretary of the Army (DASA) for civilian personnel. She serves as the principal advisor to the assistant secretary of the army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) on all matters pertaining to and supervision of the Army’s Human Resources System for Civilian Personnel. Patrick has over 29 years of experience with the Department of Defense. During her 17 years with the Air Force, she had assignments in Charleston Air Force Base, SC; Scott Air Force Base, IL; Yokota Air Base, Japan; Ramstein Air Base, Germany; and three different rotations through the Pentagon. During her eight years with the Department of Navy, she worked at the Washington Navy Yard and Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego, CA. While serving as an army civilian, she has worked at HQ AFRICOM in Stuttgart, Germany and HQ DA in the Pentagon. Patrick is a proud graduate of South Carolina State University. www.blackengineer.com

WILLIAM H. ROBERTS JR. Director, Accountability and Audit Readiness

Mr. William H. Roberts Jr. was appointed to the Senior Executive Service on March 19, 2017 as the director of accountability and audit readiness, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army, Financial Management and Comptroller. He is responsible for integration of all Army policies, programs, systems, and procedures designed to develop, improve and maintain the Army’s financial accountability, ability to produce auditable financial statements and internal management control programs. Roberts’ most recent assignment was as director of audit readiness, General Fund for the Accountability and Audit Readiness Directorate. He has a bachelor degree in accounting from Hampton University and a Master in Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University. Roberts has over 20 years of experience in creating highly successful financial and operational strategies, providing leadership in creating dynamic, highly motivated, efficient, and customer-centric organizations within the public and private sector.

LAWRENCE ROBINSON Senior Force Management Technical Adviser to the Director, Resource Integration Directorate, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-2, Department of the Army

Mr. Lawrence H. Robinson was appointed Defense Intelligence Senior Level in 2013 as the senior force management technical adviser to the director, Plans and Integration Directorate, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G2, Headquarters, Department of the Army. Robinson is responsible for providing authoritative advice on the military intelligence force structure. He is a recognized authority and subject matter expert on force structure issues that materially affect the scope and future direction of military intelligence support to warfighters. Robinson retired from active duty at the rank of lieutenant colonel after

20 years of meritorious service. Key assignments have included director of intelligence, 173rd Airborne Brigade, Vicenza, Italy; director of intelligence operations, 165th Military Intelligence Operations, Darmstadt, Germany; and director of intelligence, 3rd Corps Support Command, Wiesbaden, Germany. Robinson earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from North Carolina A&T State University.

MARSHALL WILLIAMS Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)

Mr. Marshall Williams assumed duties of the principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) (ASA (M&RA)) on March 20 and is temporarily serving as the Acting ASA (M&RA). In this position, Williams is responsible for the supervision of manpower, personnel, and reserve component affairs for the Department of the Army and is the principal advisor to the secretary of the Army for policy and performance oversight of human resources, training, readiness, mobilization, military health affairs, force structure, manpower management, equal opportunity, equal employment opportunity, marketing, and other critical matters. Williams retired from the U.S. Army as the senior enlisted advisor to both the 19th secretary of defense, the Honorable William J. Perry, and the 20th Secretary of Defense, the Honorable William S. Cohen. In this capacity, he reported directly to the Secretary of Defense and was instrumental in resolving strategic and operational personnel issues that impacted 1.2 million enlisted service members from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard.

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1998 and currently serves as deputy general counsel (acquisition), where he assists the general counsel in providing advice and counsel to all Army Secretariat officials, including the secretary of the Army, the Army acquisition executive, the Army chief information officer, and their staffs. The provision of legal advice encompasses a variety of functional areas, such as federal procurement law, major weapon system acquisition, military construction, research and development, developmental and operational testing, logistics, international cooperative programs, security assistance, competitive sourcing, and contingency contracting. He earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Dayton and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Cincinnati College of Law and has received the Presidential Rank Award and a Department of Army Award for Exceptional Civilian Service.

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MAX WYCHE Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, Headquarters, U.S. Army Materiel Command

Appointed to the Senior Executive Service in July 2015, Mr. Max Wyche is currently the deputy chief of staff, G-1, for the U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC). In this position, he serves as one of the lead players in sustaining, training, and renewing the Materiel Command’s 60,000-plus civilian workforce. He directs, controls, and monitors work through two assistant deputies and eight division chiefs with a staff totaling 64 personnel. Before his current assignment, Wyche was the executive director, strategic programs and advisory services, Defense Civilian Personnel Advisory Services (DCPAS).

DCPAS is aligned under the deputy assistant secretary of defense, civilian personnel policy and is a component of Defense Human Resources Activity.

Wyche, a member of the Senior Executive Service, was responsible for policies and program development affecting over 800,000 Department of Defense civilian employees.

Additionally, he was responsible for the management of programs in civilian senior executive management, leadership, learning and development, strategic analysis and reporting, strategic human capital planning, human capital program assessment, and accountability and enterprise recruiting and outreach.

NAVY MARTIN AHMAD Deputy Commander for Fleet Readiness Centers Naval Air Systems Command

Mr. Martin Ahmad was appointed to the Senior Executive Service and selected as deputy commander for Fleet Readiness 68 USBE&IT | WINTER 2018

Centers in September 2016, reporting to both the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and commander, Naval Air Forces. Ahmad is dual-hatted, and serves as the director of Industrial Operations, reporting to the NAVAIR deputy assistant commander for logistics and industrial operations. He is responsible for 18,000 civilians, military, contractor, and industrial personnel across eight fleet readiness centers providing aircraft, engines, components, support equipment, manufacturing, and field team services to the operational fleet globally, with an annual budget of $4.4 billion. Ahmad’s more than 20 years of acquisition program experience includes assignments as the principal deputy program manager for the Acquisition Category ID PEO(A) Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft Program Office (PMA-290: P-8A/P-3C/EP3E/International Programs), and program manager for NAVAIR Aircrew Systems (PMA-202). Ahmad graduated from the University of Maryland College Park with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering and earned a Master of Science degree in technology systems management from the University of Maryland University College.

RONNIE BOOTH Naval Audit Service Assistant Auditor General Energy, Installations Environment Audits

Mr. Ronnie Booth has oversight of Navy and Marine Corps property, housing, and facilities totaling over 72,000 buildings and 4.5 million acres valued at $215 billion. He is responsible for environmental protection, safety, and occupational health for military and civilian personnel as well as the Japanese agreement to realign U.S. forces in Japan and the relocation from Okinawa to Guam of 8,000 American Marines and their families. As former assistant auditor general for plans, policy, and resource management, he assessed institutional and program vulnerabilities at the Department of the Navy, developing audit plans and managing the allocation of audit resources to ensure the best outcomes.

Previously, he was a technical adviser to the special assistant to the secretary of

the Navy for base realignment and closure.

Booth is a certified fraud examiner and internal control auditor. He is a winner of the Presidential Rank Award and the Department of the Navy’s Superior Civilian Service Award. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Virginia State University in 1980.

ELLIOTT BRANCH Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Acquisition Procurement) Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development, and Acquisition)

Mr. Elliott Branch is the senior career civilian responsible for acquisition and contracting policy that governs the operation of the U.S. Navy’s worldwide, multi-billiondollar acquisition system. Branch is the principal civilian adviser to the Navy acquisition executive for procurement matters and the community leader of the Navy’s contracting workforce.

His accomplishments in the federal government have been recognized with various awards, including the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal for Management Excellence, the Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Medal, David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award, two Presidential Rank Awards for Meritorious Executive, and the VicePresidential Hammer Award for Reinventing Government. Branch graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School and completed the executive program at the University of Virginia Darden School.

ANDREA BROTHERTON Deputy Naval Inspector General

Ms. Andrea Brotherton was appointed to her current position in 2009. She oversees investigations involving senior officials and fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement at every level of the Navy.

Brotherton has 28 years of civilian service. In 1985, she joined www.blackengineer.com

KAREN BURROWS Executive Director, Naval Ordnance Safety and Security Activity and Deputy for Weapons Safety Naval Sea Systems Command

Ms. Karen Burrows is the chair of the Department of the Navy’s Weapon System Explosives Safety Review Board, which provides oversight for the safety of all Navy and Marine Corps munitions, ordnance items, weapons, and combat systems.

She was selected to the federal Senior Executive Service in April 2012 and has more than 29 years of experience in the Department of Defense.

Her previous positions include deputy administrator/chief information officer, Defense Technical Information Center; director, emerging capabilities and special assistant, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Research and Engineering); director, Weapons Technology Division; Insensitive Munitions Program manager; and Mine Countermeasures Program manager, Naval Surface Warfare Center.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.

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KAREN DAVIS Executive Director for Surface Warfare (SEA21B) Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA)

Ms. Karen Davis is currently serving as the executive director for surface warfare within the Naval Sea Systems Command. Her duties include fleet support for the U.S. Navy’s surface ships (surface combatants, amphibious, auxiliary, mine warfare, and patrol craft), inactive ships, foreign military sales fleet support, and ship transfer programs. Her management oversight responsibility for the Surface Warfare portfolio exceeds $15 billion.

Her immediate past position was the director for integrated combat systems in the Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS). She was responsible for systems engineering of integrated combat systems for the Navy’s surface combatants, amphibious ships, and aircraft carriers that employ the AEGIS weapon system, ship self-defense systems, and other total ship computing environments. Davis gained her early technical proficiency as a weapon system engineer. A graduate of Clemson University, she holds a Bachelor of Science in computer engineering and a master’s degree in engineering management. Her continuous learning includes programs at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, University of Virginia, and American University. Her professional recognition includes a Meritorious Service Award and a Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer Information Technology Excellence Award.

LARRY DOUCHAND, P.E. Assistant Commander for Environmental Programs Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC)

Mr. Larry Douchand has served as the Naval Facilities Engineering assistant commander (NAVFAC) for environmental programs since July 2006.

He is responsible for NAVFAC services to the Department of the Navy. Prior to his Senior Executive Service

position with NAVFAC (January 2004 to July 2006), he served as chief, Strategic Integration Branch at the Army Corps of Engineers, and was responsible for establishing the management and execution for the $11 billion Base Realignment and Closure Program, which included military construction, environmental cleanup, and real estate disposal.

From July 2003 to January 2004 he served as chief, Environmental Support Branch, at the Army Corps of Engineers. He holds a master’s degree in environmental management from the University of San Francisco and a Bachelor of Science in engineering from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Maryland and a member of the NAVFAC acquisition community.

DONJETTE GILMORE Acting Auditor General Department of the Navy

Ms. Donjette L. Gilmore assumed the duties of acting auditor general of the Navy on Jan. 31, 2017, in addition to performing her regular duties as the deputy auditor general of the Navy. She assumed that position on Nov. 15, 2015. As acting auditor general and deputy auditor general (dual-hatted), of the Navy, she is fully responsible for directing the worldwide operation of the Naval Audit Service and functions as the senior adviser on all internal Department of the Navy (DON) audit-related matters. She provides executive-level direction over Naval Audit Service audits, personnel, and administrative programs, and leads a diverse organization that includes a headquarters organization and three field offices. She communicates mission, vision, and strategic goals to the overall organization. She is responsible for the internal audit of the DON and its $150 billion-plus budget and 600,000-plus military and civilian personnel. She leads the efforts of about 320 professional

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the Navy Office of the General Counsel, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), where she served as associate counsel in the office of counsel, Naval Sea Systems Command. In July 1999, she became an assistant to the general counsel in the office of the associate general counsel (management). From 1995 to 1999, she served in the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division as a staff attorney preceding her selection as counsel. In 2004, she was appointed to the Senior Executive Service position of executive director, Office of Counsel, NAVAIR. She became counsel for Naval Facilities Engineering Command in 2005. A year later, she joined the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy as assistant general counsel (financial management and comptroller). Brotherton holds bachelor’s degrees in biology and political science. She also holds a Juris Doctorate and is licensed to practice in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

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employees comprising the Naval Audit Service with a $46 million-plus annual operating budget.

JACKLYN NAPIER, CPA, CGMA Deputy Director, Financial Operations Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller)

Ms. Jacklyn Napier is deputy director of financial operations, where she leads enterprise financial accounting and internal control operations throughout the Department of the Navy. She is responsible for financial reporting of appropriated funds for 19 budget submitting offices and the U.S. Marine Corps. Napier previously served as U.S. Coast Guard deputy director, financial operations/ comptroller, where she provided leadership for financial reporting, policy, property, audit remediation, internal controls, and financial systems.

Her tenure at the Coast Guard included reporting for the Department of Homeland Security to achieve its first unmodified audit opinion in Fiscal Year 2013 and three subsequent unmodified opinions. Napier held prior audit positions with the Department of Education and Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, and she is a retired Air Force officer. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado and an executive master’s degree in public administration (with honors) from American University. Napier is a Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Global Management Accountant. She has earned numerous military and civilian awards including the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal and the DHS Chief Financial Officer’s Award for Excellence.

MARK N. RUSS Executive Assistant Director, Naval Criminal Investigative Service

Special Agent Mark N. Russ is currently the executive assistant director (EAD) for the National Security Directorate.

In this capacity, he has program 70 USBE&IT | WINTER 2018

management oversight of a myriad of combating terrorism/counterintelligence investigations and operations which include espionage, terrorism, compromise, technology transfer, cyber intrusion, and threats to research development and acquisition programs. He serves as the primary adviser and principal EAD to the director and deputy director, National Criminal Investigative Service on all national security investigations, operations, and operational support services. He is responsible for the manning, training, and equipping of agency personnel to protect Navy and Marine Corps forces, operations, information, facilities, equipment, and networks from attacks and the intelligence activities of foreign governments and international terrorist organizations. Russ was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in February 2016 and has 26-plus years of federal service.

CARL E. SHELTON JR. Deputy Inspector General, United States Marine Corps

As the deputy inspector general of the Marine Corps, Mr. Carl Shelton is the principal adviser to the deputy naval inspector general for Marine Corps Matters/ inspector general of the Marine Corps (IGMC) with full authority to act in all matters within the mission of the IGMC. He is the senior civilian authority for promoting Marine Corps combat readiness, institutional integrity, effectiveness, discipline, and credibility through impartial and independent inspections, assessments, inquiries, investigations, teaching, and training. Acting under the authority, direction, and control of the secretary of the Navy, the IGMC is responsible for investigating and reporting upon the efficiency of the Marine Corps and its preparation to support military operations by combatant commands. Shelton has extensive inspector general experience gained over the past 10 years, and the Association of Inspectors General certifies

him. Before assuming his current position, Shelton began his career as an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps and retired after 30 years of faithful service.

ARTHUR SCOTT Assistant Auditor General for Research, Development, Acquisition, and Logistics

Mr. Arthur Scott was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2010 and has 23 years of federal service in the Department of the Navy and United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General. As the assistant auditor general for research, development, acquisition, and logistics, he is responsible for overseeing a directorate of 70 auditors in the performance of internal audits that focus on research, development, and acquisition of Navy and Marine Corps platforms and warfare systems with an annual budget more than $50 billion. His staff is in Washington, D.C. at the historic Washington Navy Yard. A native of South Carolina, Scott holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting from the University of South Carolina State College. Scott has received numerous awards and recognitions during his audit career, including the American Society of Military Comptroller’s Meritorious Performance Award from the Department of Defense Comptroller.

ELLEN SMITH Assistant Auditor General Financial Management and Comptroller Audits Naval Audit Service

Ms. Ellen Smith is the assistant auditor general for financial management and comptroller audits. She provides executive oversight and direction for audits of the Department of the Navy accounting and finance operations and programs.

Smith was selected to the Senior Executive Service in July 2015. Before her assignment, Smith was deputy to the assistant auditor general for installations and environment audits, where she provided oversight for www.blackengineer.com

JIMMY SMITH Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy Expeditionary Programs and Logistics Management Department of the Navy

Mr. Jimmy Smith serves as the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for expeditionary programs and logistics management.

Before his current assignment, he served as the director of nuclear weapons safety and security at Strategic Systems Programs (SSP). In this capacity, he was responsible for the safekeeping of nearly 70 percent of this nation’s nuclear arsenal. Before working at SSP, Smith served as the director for the Above Water Sensors Directorate within the Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems, where he managed the planning, procuring, and sustaining warfighting sensors, electronic warfare systems, missiles, guns, and ammunition systems for all Navy warships.

In 2005, he served as deputy program manager for the Ohio Class Submarine Guided Missile Conversion Program. In 2003, he served as construction manager for the first seven submarines of the Virginia Class. He graduated from Tuskegee University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. His graduatelevel studies included environmental engineering, marine engineering, and business management. He began his career in government service in 1991 at the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C. Recognition received over his career includes the 2016 BEYA Stars & Stripes Award—Navy; two Superior Civilian Service Awards; two Meritorious Civilian Service Awards; and the 2009 Blacks in Government Department of Defense Civilian Meritorious Service Award—Navy.

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SHARON SMOOT Acting Vice Director, Navy Staff Office of the Chief of Naval Operations

Mrs. Sharon Smoot was selected as the acting vice director, Navy Staff in March 2017. In this capacity, she is responsible for providing leadership and oversight of administrative matters and programs for the U.S. Navy. In June 2016, she was selected to perform the duties of the deputy commander, logistics, maintenance, and industrial operations. Smoot began her career with the Department of the Navy in 1986. She entered the Senior Executive Service in September 2006. Other positions she has held include finance and industrial manager, Fleet Maintenance Directorate of Fleet Forces Command; nuclear business and strategic planning officer, Norfolk Naval Shipyard; and electrical engineer, Control Engineering Division of the Nuclear Engineering and Planning Department, Norfolk Naval Shipyard. She holds a master’s degree in engineering management from Old Dominion University and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Virginia Tech.

THEODORE SHORT JR. Comptroller, Naval Air Systems Command

Mr. Theodore Short’s federal career spans over 25 years in financial management.

During his tenure with Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), he has had oversight of budget formulation and financial reporting in financial management positions. Short entered the Senior Executive Service as the NAVAIR comptroller in 2010. He is responsible for budgeting, accounting, and financial management in an organization responsible for $42 billion annually in acquisition and sustainment funds. Short leads fiscal policies and controls financial operations for NAVAIR in budgets, accounting and finance, and audit and review. Short has twice been recognized with the prestigious

Department of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award. He is a member of the American Society of Military Comptrollers and the president of the Southern Maryland chapter. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Salisbury University in 1988.

RONALD SMILEY, PH.D. National Director, Avionics, Sensors and E*Warfare Dept.

Director, Electronic Warfare and Combat Systems Naval Air Systems Command

Dr. Ronald Smiley currently directs the efforts of over 1,250 scientists and engineers geographically dispersed across seven locations and involved in naval aviation electronics and electronic systems utilized to enable advanced warfighting capabilities. He has spent over 40 years in maritime aviation and weapon systems research, development, acquisition, test, and engineering fields, performing in key technical and executive assignments, including directorships in Corporate Operations, Systems Engineering Department, Advanced Technology and Analysis Center, Weapons Evaluation Directorate, and the Information and Electronic Warfare Department.

He earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in management from Claremont Graduate School. He earned an M.B.A. at Pepperdine University, and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Howard University.

Smiley has served on various boards, including the College of Engineering and Computer Science Industry Advisory Board of California State University Northridge; the President’s Advisory Board of California State University, Channel Islands; the Board of Directors for World Affairs Council of Ventura County; the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Ventura County; and Interface Children and Family Services. His professional affiliations include the Engineering Management Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and Association of Old Crows Electronic Defense Organization.

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audits of real property, housings, and other facilities within the DON. Smith holds a master’s degree in public administration from Troy University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University.

Smith is a Certified Defense Financial Auditor and is a member of the American Society of Military Comptrollers.

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AIR FORCE JOHN BONAPART JR. Director for Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado

Mr. John Bonapart leads military and civilian personnel responsible for the development of policy, guidance, training, and programming for logistics, civil engineering, and force protection activities in support of 30,000 space professionals worldwide.

He manages the maintenance and life-cycle sustainment of the Headquarters Air Force Space Command’s space systems through the execution of a $1.4 billion Weapon System Sustainment budget. He oversees the programming and policy implementation for the Command’s $23 billion physical plant, which includes: 29 million square feet of facilities, seven major installations, and two coastal space launch ranges.

Also, he directs policy development for the Command’s integrated defense, resource protection, and physical security activities in support of 2,100 security forces members and 20 highpriority Protection Level resources.

TIMOTHY BRIDGES Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C

Mr. Timothy Bridges is responsible to the Chief of Staff for leadership, management, and integration of Air Force civil engineering, force protection, logistics readiness, supply, transportation, and aircraft and missile maintenance. He is also responsible for setting policy and preparing budget estimates that reflect enhancements to productivity, combat readiness and quality of life for 72 USBE&IT | WINTER 2018

Air Force people. He was commissioned in 1979 as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force ROTC program at the Virginia Military Institute, earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. Since then, he has served in design, planning, contract management, and operations. His most recent assignment was as the deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for Environment, Safety and Occupational Health. He served twice as a base civil engineer squadron commander and as an installation commander. He also served as an Air Force ROTC assistant professor and held various staff positions at the major command and Air Force levels in the readiness, environmental, and resources arenas. Bridges retired from active duty at the rank of colonel in 2006 and entered the Senior Executive Service.

GAIL FOREST Director for Information Dominance Programs Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition

Ms. Gail Forest is responsible for program acquisition and modernization of Air Force command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

She guides the development of program management, budget submissions, congressional testimony, and international acquisition programs.

She advocates acquisition strategies for reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft, unmanned aircraft systems, command and control, and combat support systems, evolving C4ISR infrastructure, net-centrist operations, and information warfare programs. Forest also provides guidance on combat C4ISR systems and architectures to the secretary of the Air Force, the Air Staff, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, and Congress.

Forest began her career as a manufacturing engineer with Buick Motor Division, General Motors Corp. In 1982, she entered federal civil service as an engineer in the Maintenance Directorate at Headquarters Air Force Logistics Command. She has held numerous engineering, logistics, and acquisition program management positions. Before her current assignment, she was director, plans and programs, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL),

and was responsible for developing and managing the processes that defined AFRL’s $2 billion annual investment in technologies for future Air Force systems.

They include space, weapons, aeronautics, command and control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and human performance.

ARTHUR HATCHER JR. Director of Cyber Capabilities and Compliance Office of Information Dominance and Chief Information Officer Office of the Secretary of the Air Force

Mr. Arthur Hatcher is responsible for oversight and reporting the Air Force’s multi-billion-dollar information technology budget; performing Air Force IT system portfolio management analysis; and facilitating, validating, and reporting compliance with all federal/Department of Defense/Air Force IT policy, congressional mandates, and legal obligations. He serves on the Air Force Board corporate structure and is also the Air Force Senior Agency Official for Records Management and the Service Component Official for Privacy.

He completed 30 years with the U.S. Air Force and entered federal service in July 2013. While on active duty, he served on the Joint Staff, a combatant command staff, and two major commands. He has commanded an air expeditionary group, a communications group, and two communications squadrons. His units won both Department of Defense and Air Forcelevel awards. His previous assignment was as director of communications and chief information officer, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces.

HORACE LARRY Deputy Director of Air Force Services Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower and Personnel

Mr. Horace Larry provides direction for a $2 billion program. The organization’s mission is to increase combat capability and productivity through programs promoting www.blackengineer.com

CHEVALIER CLEAVES Director, Diversity, and Inclusion Deputy Chief of Staff, Manpower, Personnel and Services Headquarters, U.S. Air Force

Mr. Chevalier Cleaves is responsible for leading diversity and inclusion transformation for the Air Force’s 632,000 active duty, Air National Guard, Reserve, and civilian personnel. His duties include creating sustainable change while integrating diversity- and inclusion-focused leadership with operational, functional, and talent management strategies and processes.

Cleaves earned his commission in 1985 through the United States Air Force Academy. Serving three tours as a T-38 instructor pilot and three tours flying KC-135s, he commanded one of the most heavily tasked tanker squadrons in the Air Force. He played a critical role in the response to 9/11 as the lead CHECKMATE team chief. Later, as a Joint Staff division chief, he was responsible for the information operations career force and

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for delivering integrated, joint special technical operations capabilities to unified commanders. The president nominated Cleaves, and he was confirmed by the Senate to lead the U.S. Air Force Academy admissions directorate, where the superintendent selected him to lead USAFA’s diversity and inclusion efforts. He retired at the grade of colonel in 2010. He then entered the private sector as vice president, global diversity and inclusion, for a Fortune 300 company. Before his current position, Cleaves led diversity and inclusion business integration for the Internal Revenue Service.

CARLOS RODGERS Director, Budget Investment, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller

Mr. Carlos Rodgers supervises budget formulation and financial execution of Air Force procurement, research, development, test and evaluation, military construction, family housing, and base realignment and closure appropriations that total more than $66 billion annually. From 1995 to 2016, Rodgers worked various assignments within Air Force Materiel Command, where he held progressively more responsible acquisition financial management positions in test and evaluation (major range and test facility base operations), foreign military sales, and single/joint service acquisition programs. Rodgers has more than 25 years of experience across all phases of the acquisition life cycle in a variety of different programs, including automated information/computer and communication systems, weapons, munitions, and aircraft.

He entered government service as an Air Force Palace acquire intern in 1987.

During his initial assignment, Rodgers worked as a cost and budget analyst at Military Airlift Command, Scott Air Force Base, IL, managing command and control communication system funding.

TAWANDA ROONEY Director, Intelligence Systems Support Office

Mrs. Tawanda Rooney supports the under secretary of Defense for Intelligence at the

Intelligence Systems Support Office (ISSO).

She began her federal career in 1984 through the Air Force summer-hire program. After earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Virginia State University in 1988, she became a budget analyst with the office of the deputy chief of staff for Plans and Operations. Five years later, she moved to the Defense Evaluation Support Activity, holding positions that included project manager, contracting officer, and directorate budget representative. In 1997, she became a deputy program manager at the ISSO and was responsible for the acquisition and evaluation of sensitive technology efforts. She served as a staff officer with the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Program Analysis and Evaluation at the Pentagon, and in 2001 was appointed as deputy director for the Information Engineering and Assessment Laboratory at the ISSO. Rooney was selected for appointment to Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service in 2006 and assigned as laboratory director to provide research and development as well as technical support to the director of ISSO on acquisition and management of technology, intelligence systems, and related methodologies to support the organization.

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readiness, esprit de corps, and quality service for Air Force members. This includes physical fitness, peacetime and wartime troop feeding, Air Force mortuary affairs, Armed Forces entertainment, Air Force protocol, lodging, and libraries. It also includes child development centers, youth centers, and recreation activities.

He provides oversight for uniforms, awards, and recognition; airman and family readiness; and Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response as well as other programs that contribute to sustainment.

Larry was commissioned in the Air Force in 1975. Over the next 30 years, he was assigned to various posts, including deputy support group commander, commander of the Air Force Services Agency, and deputy director of Air Force Services in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Installations and Logistics at Headquarters, U.S. Air Force. He retired from the Air Force in 2005 as a colonel. Larry became a civil service employee in 2006 and federal contractor a year later, serving as a senior program manager for Logistics Applications Inc. at the Department of Energy. He was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2009.

JEFFERY SHELTON Deputy Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force

Mr. Jeffery Shelton assists the administrative assistant in executing the responsibilities of the office, which includes performing high-level assignments according to secretarial policies, goals, and objectives. He oversees the execution and programming of the Headquarters, U.S. Air Force, a portfolio with an annual budget of WINTER 2018 I USBE&IT 73

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$5.6 billion and 37,000 personnel.

Shelton also assists in managing and administratively supporting the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, its 1,650-member secretariat, and its 2,400 member-supported field operating agencies. Shelton entered federal service in 1981 and spent his first four years at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center. He completed a two-year logistics career-broadening assignment at the Pentagon and then moved to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where he was Command Public and Private Competition program manager and BRAC liaison officer.

In 1999, he returned to Washington, DC, where he served in positions with the Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition; financial management and budget; and the warfighting, integration, and chief information office. He was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2008 and served as associate deputy assistant secretary for Acquisition Integration, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, and the deputy director of Resource Integration, deputy chief of staff for Logistics Installation and Mission Support.

KEITH THOMAS Director, Air Force Cryptologic Office

Mr. Keith Thomas is the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance representative to both the National Security and Central Security Service agencies on Air Force cryptologic matters.

As Air Force Cryptologic Office director, he guides the development of Air Force cryptologic strategy and technologies to enhance mission support to Signals Intelligence and Information Assurance. He provides oversight and guidance for Air Force cryptologic activities, including missions related to both tactical warfighting and nationallevel operations. Thomas also serves as a technical authority for the Air Force within the National Security Agency on development, signals intelligence, and information security equipment 74 USBE&IT | WINTER 2018

and systems. He was appointed as the chairperson of the Inter-Agency Senior Electronic Intelligence Steering Group by the director of the NSA. Thomas is a 1979 graduate of Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos. He received a Master of Business Administration degree in 1999 from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, and one year later earned a master’s degree in strategic studies from the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base, AL.

JARRIS LOUIS TAYLOR JR. Deputy Assistant Secretary, Air Force for the Strategic Diversity Integration Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs

Dr. Jarris Taylor is the deputy assistant secretary of Air Force Strategic Diversity Integration in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. He is responsible for policy, guidance, direction, and oversight of all plans and programs affecting diversity integration for Air Force military and civilian personnel.

Taylor provides leadership, direction, and oversight to all levels of the Air Force to ensure a diverse and inclusive total force. Before his current position, he was an associate director, William R. Harvey Leadership Institute and Honors College at Hampton University. Taylor has extensive experience in research, service, and fundraising, and earned his doctorate in higher education administration from George Washington University. He retired from the Air Force in 2005 and was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2009.

DEPT OF DEFENSE ROGERS CAMPBELL Executive Director for Sales, Marketing, and Policy Defense Commissary Agency

Mr. Rogers Campbell has oversight of directorates responsible for the Defense Commissary Agency’s $6.1 billion sales, operations and policy, health and safety, and resale contracting. He assumed this position in 2011. Campbell entered federal government service in 2010 with an

appointment as director of the agency’s East region after having worked for more than 30 years in the private sector selling and marketing various consumer goods. A former captain in the U.S. Army, Campbell’s career has taken him from commanding a tank platoon to leading marketing, sales planning, and merchandising of new car sales for both the Army and Air Force Exchange Service and the Navy Exchange Service Command. As the vice president and chief marketing officer of Overseas Military Sales Corporation, he directed marketing efforts on 120 military installations in 30 countries and aboard U.S. Navy ships through NEXCOM’s Ships Store program. Campbell’s career highlights include being the managing partner of Marketcorp International, a brand strategy consultancy; senior director of marketing for Nabisco Foods Group; and director of Global New Products for ScheringPlough Consumer Healthcare. He began his consumer-packaged goods career at General Mills. He earned an M.B.A. from Rutgers University in 1974 and a Bachelor of Science in marketing as a distinguished military graduate from Saint Peter’s College in New Jersey in 1973.

LYTWAIVE HUTCHINSON Director, Enterprise Information Technology Services Directorate, Deputy Chief Information Officer, Office of the Secretary of Defense

Mrs. Lytwaive Hutchinson became a director, Enterprise IT Services for Washington Headquarters Services, in 2011 following the merger of the Information Technology Management Directorate (ITMD) and the Office of the Secretary of Defense Networks (OSD). She was promoted to director of ITMD in 2010. As the deputy chief information officer, OSD, she assisted with strategy, implementation, maintenance of information, and information systems. Before that, she was a director, Enterprise Services, where she implemented the Washington

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JOHN JAMES JR. Executive Director Missile Defense Agency

Mr. John James is the executive director of the Missile Defense Agency, Office of the Secretary of Defense. He is the senior civilian adviser to the Missile Defense Agency director on all issues relating to the agency’s operational and management activities. James provides oversight, direction, and guidance to MDA staff, ensuring integration of all MDA functions required to sustain an effective Ballistic Missile Defense program. He also serves as an interface to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Services, and Congress. Previously, James was a director, National Security Personnel System Transition Office, within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He was responsible for the congressional mandate to transition 228,000 employees to alternate personnel and pay system. Also, he held the position of executive director of logistics, maintenance, and industrial operations and executive director for Undersea Warfare, both at the Naval Sea Systems Command.

He joined the Senior Executive Service in May 2000. James held an undergraduate degree from Howard University and a master’s degree from Florida Institute of Technology and attended the Harvard School of Business and the Keenan-Flagler Business School.

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CLARENCE JOHNSON Principal Director and Director for Civilian Equal Employment Opportunity Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Equal Opportunity)

Mr. Clarence Johnson was selected to the Senior Executive Service in 2003 and assigned as the principal director and director for Civilian Equal Employment Opportunity, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Equal Opportunity) at the Pentagon. In 2006, the office was renamed the Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity. He is responsible for the coordination of diversity management and equal opportunities policy and programs affecting all Department of Defense civilian and military personnel.

He also provides supervision of the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, the premiere DOD school in equal opportunity and equal employment opportunity training, education, and research. Johnson is the principal adviser to the under secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) on diversity management, equal opportunity, and employment opportunity matters. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Tuskegee Institute and a master’s degree in human resource management from Webster University. He is also a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College, the Air War College in Alabama, and the National Security Management Course from the National Defense University.

WARREN LOCKETTE, M.D. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Clinical and Program Policy Chief Medical Officer of the TRICARE Management Activity

Dr. Warren Lockette is responsible for Department of Defense programs in clinical informatics, military public health, women’s health issues, mental health policy, graduate medical education, and patient safety. Lockette received his undergraduate and Doctor of Medicine

degrees from the University of Michigan. Following post-graduate training at the University of California, he was recruited by the Wayne State University School of Medicine and was a tenured professor of endocrinology and medicine. Lockette was also appointed as an adjunct associate professor of physiology at the University of Michigan and a professor of medicine and faculty fellow of the International House at the University of California, San Diego. Also, he studies the molecular genetics of complex quantitative traits and human performance in extreme environments. Lockette has served as a senior adviser to the commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command and the U.S. Special Operations Command. At Naval Medical Center, San Diego, Lockette helped guide the growth of the largest military clinical research program in graduate medical education. Most recently, he was a special assistant to the commander, U.S. Navy Fourth Fleet, where he forged partnerships between military and civilian organizations of health care and public health practitioners to provide collaborative humanitarian assistance and disaster relief training in Latin America.

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Headquarters Services (WHS) Customer Service Software Platform and Service Desk. Hutchinson was promoted to director, Information Assurance Division, in 2004 and served as the designated approving authority for IT services at WHS. She entered federal government service in 2002 as an information assurance manager.

She was instrumental in modernizing the training program from a paper-based system to an automated system. Before that, she served for 21 years with the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of chief warrant officer 3. Hutchinson holds a Master of Science in quality systems management and a bachelor’s degree in computer science. She is also a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute and Harvard Business School for Executive Education.

CYNTHIA MILLER Chief of Staff, Information Assurance Director National Security Agency

Before joining the National Security Agency, Ms. Cynthia Miller was a U.S. Navy human resources officer, retiring as a captain.

Over her 27year career, she earned several professional certificates, including human resources and civilian management training. Miller’s most recent SES assignment was as the director, leadership and development, Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), where she provided oversight for the ODNI and 16 intelligence community agencies.

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(2012 to 2017). As the HR director for the ODNI and chief human capital officer, she served as an adviser to senior leadership. She was also chief of staff for the associate director of human capital and advised on planning, logistics, and human capital programs. Other positions Miller has held include chief of staff for the Intelligence Community Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity. She supported the director on the management of the intelligence community’s efforts to build and retain a diverse workforce.

Additionally, she provided guidance on the representation of minorities and persons with disabilities. Miller graduated in 1983 with a master’s degree in business management from Central Michigan University. In 1977, she earned a bachelor’s in business administration from Savannah State University. She also graduated from Marine Corps Command and Staff College in 1991 with a masters-level equivalency in strategic planning.

FREDERICK SELLERS Deputy Assistant Director, United States Secret Service

Mr. Frederick Sellers has focused on both the protective and investigative missions of the U.S. Secret Service.

Over his 25-year tenure, he has played a protecting executive role with five U.S. presidents: Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. Currently, Sellers oversees forensics, asset forfeiture, analytic/ research specialists, commercial database management, and criminal investigations to include all financial and cybercrimes. He held a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of South Carolina and joined the Secret Service as a uniformed division officer in 1988. Two years later, he was appointed a special agent.

After seven years in field offices, he was assigned to the Protective Intelligence Division, which monitors threats directed at the president, vice president, and world leaders 76 USBE&IT | WINTER 2018

visiting the United States. Later, Sellers was selected to the Department of Homeland Security’s Senior Executive Service cohort to serve as chief of staff in the office of the Director of Risk Management Analysis, which informs homeland security strategy, formulation, preparedness priorities, and resource allocations. In 2012, he was appointed as a deputy assistant director in the Office of Investigations. In this role, he oversaw logistics of the 2,400 special agents and 745 administrative, professional, and technical personnel in the domestic and international field offices. He is an active member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

ANTHONY THOMAS Deputy Inspector General for Intelligence and Special Program Assessments

Mr. Anthony Thomas was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2013.

He has more than 28 years of experience in the intelligence field. Previously, he served as chief, Counterintelligence (CI) Policy and Assessments at the Defense CI and Human Intelligence Center, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). In that capacity, he planned, led, and directed an assessment of Defense Department counterintelligence enterprise missions, functions, and activities.

Before joining DIA, Thomas served in key roles at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and provided intelligence and counterintelligence support regarding weapons of mass destruction. He began his career in 1985 as an Air Force intelligence officer and served in leadership positions at the Strategic Air Command, Air Combat Command, U.S. Air Forces Europe, Air Staff, and the U.S. Pacific Command.

Following military service, he briefly entered the private industry and later joined the federal government in 2005 with a focus on national security and intelligence issues. Thomas earned a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems from Alabama State University and a Master of Business Administration (aviation) from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. His professional military education includes Joint Doctrine Air Campaign Planning, Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College,

Joint Forces Staff College, and the Air War College.

JESSIE L. SHOWERS Infrastructure Executive, Implementation and Sustainment Center Defense Information Systems Agency

Mr. Jessie Showers is responsible for planning, resourcing, sustaining, and evolving the Defense Information Systems Network, which consists of optical transport, IP networks, voice networks, and video networks. His responsibilities also include other data and messaging networks, such as the Anti-Drug Network and Defense Messaging System. These networks provide information superiority and a global enterprise infrastructure in support of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, combatant commanders, Department of Defense Components, and other mission partners.

Before becoming an infrastructure executive, he was the vice director of network services. He previously served as chief, Defense Information Systems Agency Project Management Office and Resources Center, Network Services.

LISA P. SMITH Deputy Director of Logistics, Civil Engineering and Force Protection Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command

Ms. Lisa Smith is a member of the Department of Defense Senior Executive Service. She directs policy for depot overhaul, repair, and modification of Air Force weapon systems as well as munitions, supply, logistics plans, transportation and packaging methods, and logistics data systems. Smith plans and coordinates product support and acquisition logistics for all fielded and emerging Air Force weapon systems as well as establishing guidance for Air Force retail and wholesale supply chain management of spare parts, valued at over $5.8 billion.

The depot maintenance activity is valued at more than $6.5 billion in annual revenue www.blackengineer.com

HOMELAND SECURITY ALEX BROWN Strategic Adviser to the Assistant Commandant for Intelligence and Criminal Investigation U.S. Coast Guard

Mr. Alex Brown assumed his current duties on Jan. 10, 2016. Coast Guard Intelligence is responsible for providing intelligence and criminal investigative support to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Previously, Brown served as the assistant director for technical collections at the Office of Naval Intelligence. While at the Office of Naval Intelligence, he also served as command operations officer, chief of the Maritime Watch, Maritime Systems, and the Strategic Assessment and Warning Departments.

After being selected for a joint duty assignment, Brown served as the chief of the Office of Collection and Exploitation at the Defense Intelligence Agency, where he directed multiple inter-agency clandestine technical collection activities and led strategic planning and coordination for sensitive technical collection operations that were swiftly approved and highly successful. Before joining the Office of Naval Intelligence, Brown completed 23 years in the Navy as an active duty fire control technician, chief petty officer, and surface warfare officer.

ALBERT CURRY, JR. Deputy Assistant Commandant for Engineering and Logistics U.S. Coast Guard

Mr. Albert Curry currently serves as the deputy assistant commandant for engineering and logistics for the Coast Guard. Additionally, he has served as www.blackengineer.com

deputy project manager for the Coast Guard Rescue 21 Program and as deputy program manager for U.S. Coast Guard C4ISR Major System Acquisitions. He is a member of the Surface Navy Association, National Naval Officer Association, and the Savannah State University National Alumni. On Aug. 19, 1980, he was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy through the Savannah State University NROTC program and retired as a captain from the Navy in October 2006. He received his Bachelor of Science in electronic engineering technology from Savannah State University and his Master of Science degree in systems engineering (electronic warfare) from the Naval Postgraduate School. Additionally, he is a graduate of the Advanced Program Management Course at the Defense Systems Management College, Fort Belvoir, and is a certified Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security Acquisition Level III Acquisition Program Manager.

TERRI A. DICKERSON Director of Civil Rights, U.S. Coast Guard

Ms. Terri A. Dickerson, a member of the United States Senior Executive Service since 2000, joined the Coast Guard in 2006 as director, Office of Civil Rights. In February 2013, Dickerson was honored by BEYA for her superior performance and contributions to Coast Guard personnel and missions.

From 2000 to 2006, Dickerson was second in charge at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. She examined federal agencies’ civil rights offices and advised officials, Congress, and the White House on improved enforcement. In 2005, the White House installed her as the interim agency head after the outgoing chief departed and until a new appointee’s confirmation.

Dickerson is a widely published author, penning articles for industry and national publications, including The Washington Post, USA Today, and Ladies’ Home Journal.

The U.S. Supreme Court cited a study she

directed, “Beyond Percentage Plans: The Challenge of Equal Opportunity in Higher Education,” in its 2005 decision on affirmative action. She was named a Presidential Meritorious Executive in 2008. Dickerson earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Virginia and a Master of Arts from Johns Hopkins University. She is a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Board of Trustees. S

DID YOU KNOW? »» Nearly 66% of SES employees are male.

GENDER

COUNT

PERCENT

FEMALE 2,689 34.01 MALE

5,217

65.99

ALL

7,906

100.00

SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE

and employs more than 30,000 people at the Command’s three Air Logistics Complexes. Smith entered the Civil Service in 1986 through the Professional and Administrative Career Outstanding Scholar Program at Robins Air Force Base, GA, and has over 29 years of logistics, acquisition, and supply chain experience. She has held leadership positions in the Department of the Air Force and Office of Secretary of Defense.

»» SES numbers and percentage in Air Force, Army, Navy, Defense, Homeland Security, and VA departments DEPT

TOTAL SES PERCENT

MALE & FEMALE

DEPT OF THE AIR FORCE 177

2.24%

DEPT OF THE ARMY

259

3.28%

DEPT OF THE NAVY

327

4.14%

DEPT OF DEFENSE

437 5.53%

DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

658 8.32%

DEPT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

385 4.87%

Source: Senior Executive Service Report 2017

WINTER 2018 I USBE&IT 77

Rear Adm. Stephen W. Rochon,

Leading Voices

US Black Engineer & Information Technology (USBE&IT) magazine launched the maiden issue of Leading Voices (LV) in the fall of 2017. Broken up into three or four columns written by inventors, entrepreneurs, and STEM policymakers, the section spotlights the 14 challenges outlined by the National Academy of Engineering, and disruptors such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and bioengineering.

During its first year, LV has provided perspectives on Smart Cities, building a weather-ready nation, and where AI is in your future. An auspicious start for one of USBE&IT magazine’s newest sections.

Leading Voices is available in print and online at www.blackengineer.com

Digital Connection: BEYA 32 Leading Voices

Leading Voices Contributing Editors .........................

Rear Adm. Stephen W. Rochon US Coast Guard (Retired)

Dr. Chance Glenn

Dean College of Engineering, Technology and Physical Sciences Alabama A&M

Kendall Norris

Chief Executive Officer Global Leadership Forum

78 USBE&IT | WINTER 2018

U.S. Coast Guard (Retired)

My Years at the White House I never imagined that growing up in a small white house in New Orleans would gird me with the skills to work in THE White House. Sixteen hundred Pennsylvania Avenue was the setting for some amazing memories.

American president of the United States, Barack Obama. President Bush invited my wife and me to greet then presidentelect Barack Obama and his lovely wife, Michelle, in the Diplomatic Reception Room.

I remember getting the call from the White House just as I was preparing to retire after 36 years of service with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The call interrupted my dream of moving back to New Orleans, sitting on my porch, and enjoying shrimp po’ boys for the rest of my days.

My first task under President Obama was one of my hardest. I had only five hours. That task was to move out all the belongings of the outgoing president and move in the belongings of the incoming president. This included new wallpaper, paint, chandeliers, furniture … the works.

All had to be completed during the inauguration parade.

I considered the White House chief usher position an honor—though I had no idea what a chief usher was! After eight interviews, I had a final one with President George W. Bush. Heeding the advice of my mentor, Norman Mineta, to simply be myself, I was offered the job.

As chief usher, I oversaw 95 full-time and 250 part-time staff. My team consisted of carpenters, engineers, chefs, housekeepers, and butlers. The assistant ushers took care of daily operations.

Together we made sure the president’s needs were met.

Those needs extended to picking out the annual Christmas tree. They also included traveling to Camp David to ensure events there ran as smoothly as they did in the White House. One of my most memorable charges was running my first state dinner. We rolled out the red carpet for the world’s most prominent dignitaries, including Queen Elizabeth II. The queen was so impressed with my staff’s service that she invited my wife, my staff, and me to visit Buckingham Palace. We toured the palace, attended the Queen’s diplomatic reception, and met Prince Philip.

From meeting the Queen of England to Pope Benedict, my time as the chief usher held special memories. I also had the pleasure of meeting Oprah Winfrey, Stevie Wonder, Whoopi Goldberg, Maya Angelou, Nancy Reagan, Bill Clinton, Reverend Billy Graham, and Jack Hannah.

But none of those encounters compares to the thrill of being asked to be the first person to meet the first African-

Other tasks included walking President Obama every morning from the executive residence to the West Wing. What a privilege it was to have daily walks with the president! I remember his questions about new basketball hoops for the White House. I also remember picking out the playset for the Obama daughters and the planting of the Obama tree, which is still there today.

After an incredible four years—two under President Bush and two under President Obama, I took a Senior Executive Service position with Customs and Border Protection. My last day as the chief usher was difficult. President Obama invited me to the Oval Office to say thank you.

My years at the White House were some of the best. I supported two of the greatest leaders in the free world, and that will always be an honor. My time as White House chief usher allowed me to exemplify the words of my friend, Alex Haley: “Find the good and praise it.” As chief usher, I endeavored to uphold the good symbolized by our highest institution, and praise the men and women that work to maintain our identity as a beacon of hope and service. S

Digital Connection: Admiral Rochon Tells His Story

www.blackengineer.com

Dr. Chance Glenn, Dean, College of Engineering, Technology and Physical Sciences, Alabama A&M

Leading Voices

STEM Education as a Key Transformation Agent W e are in a great position to impact how students see the world by building them up with the tools of education, integrity, and character.

“True transformation begins with having access to the tools of opportunity; in our case, that is knowledge through education.”

A few years ago, I happened to spark a conversation with a young lady working part-time in an office supply store.

Through our conversation, I learned she was a graduate student in a non-technical field. I asked her, “What are you doing?

Better yet, what do you want to do?”

We continued conversing, and at the end of our chat, she had decided to enroll in a Master in Computer Science program.

She knew she would have to take some bridge courses to get herself up to speed in computer science, but she was resolute in her decision. Now this young lady is preparing to graduate and has already received a full-time position with the Department of Defense! I saw her recently, and she excitedly explained all of the different programming languages she knows now. Can you believe she went from working part-time at Staples to working full-time with a master’s in computer science, making a substantially higher salary and doing much more significant things in just three years? That was a life-changing conversation.

We as educators have the ability to influence thousands of people in the same manner. We can have that level of impact on every student who enters our institutions each year. At Alabama A&M, we have 1,100 students in our engineering college, and we impact that number every year. I’ve been fortunate to have conversations with this new crop of students, and they’re hungry. They’re excited and ready to be empowered so they can make significant differences in society. That’s where they need our guidance and influence as educators.

Think of these students as allegorical vessels. Each one will have his or her own opportunity to hold valuable material, and each will pour out what was most valuable to him or her for others to use.

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Everyone needs someone else to help bring that out. As educators, we have the ability and responsibility to lead these students and to create new opportunities that give them a chance to be the best at whatever they want to do. They are in an amazing position to change the world and impact society greatly. Likewise, we are in a great position to impact how they see the world by building them up with the tools of education, integrity, and character.

This is such an exciting time to be a STEM educator and advocate!

It used to be said that technology will shape our future, but that’s no longer a statement for a time far off. That time is now. Every industry in our world is impacted by technology.

By definition, education is a transference and infusion of knowledge into our students. This is transformative in itself because that knowledge will cause them to make decisions about the course of their lives: how much knowledge they obtain, what they ultimately do with it, and what good or harm they will cause.

This is built into the knowledge they have and their ability to navigate and use it in the world they live in, regardless of their circumstances or upbringing.

Particularly at HBCUs, many of us build upon a mission of impacting society and providing educational opportunities for many who would not normally have them.

We will encounter students who come from all ranges and backgrounds: poor families, first-generation college students, and the list goes on. True transformation begins with having access to the tools of

opportunity; in our case, that is knowledge through education. Knowing this, we as STEM educators have to know that we are not training students to take tests and make grades. We are equipping students to become professionals within various fields who are prepared with the expertise, poise, and communication ability to work with others and positively impact society and the world around them. That is the transformative change we are making.

It used to be said that technology will shape our future, but that’s no longer a statement for a time far off. That time is now. Every industry in our world is impacted by technology. We are building more and more of our society on the stool legs of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Cybersecurity, for example, impacts food, water, power, transportation, financial institutions, and communication applications. If we don’t build a strong workforce of engineers, technologists, and scientists to handle those needs, our society will topple over.

Our students can be that generation of STEM professionals, and we can—and should—be the educators to empower them.

I started out at an HBCU. I was shaped into having the confidence and ability that I could be smart, that I could learn, and that I could make an impact on the people and world around me. I gained all of that at Alabama A&M. Those hungry, excited students I mentioned earlier?

That was me 35 years ago. Now back as a dean, I know my mission is to help shape educational opportunities for every student who chooses to make Alabama A&M home. I know there is a responsibility for students walking through our doors to embrace what is given to them and to take it as far as they can go. But there is also a responsibility for us as educators to instill in them the notion that they can do and be anything and to believe in them as the innovators and pathfinders that they are. With the right incentives and genuine support, we will all be able to positively shape and impact an informed, prepared, and globally aware society.

That is how true transformation will come about. S WINTER 2018 I USBE&IT 79

Kendall Norris, Chief Executive Officer, Global Leadership Forum

Leading Voices

The Power of an Informed, Engaged, and Connected Non-Profit Community T here is amazing power generated when a coalition of organizations chooses to collectively focus on informing, engaging, and connecting all of their collective universes.

“Nonprofits can have a much greater impact and benefit to communities if they come together as an ecosystem focused on whatever spectrum, aspect, or problem they choose to solve.”

There is a common myth that has been perpetuated for decades, if not centuries, within our society. It is a myth sustained by a phrase that is widely known and commonly used to teach lessons and inspire others to learn. I would venture to guess that all of us have used this phrase ourselves, have heard someone else use it, have had someone tell it to us, or some combination of the three. That phrase is the well-known saying, “Knowledge is power.”

I contend that knowledge, in fact, is not power. Rather, I would argue that knowledge simply equates to information.

While the myth does have some aspect of truth, there is another paradigm to consider: Knowledge doesn’t equal power, but attaining knowledge creates an opportunity to use said knowledge, which can create power. What kind of power does it create? It creates the kind of power that can uplift and increase one’s position, awareness, and ability in whatever pursuits he or she chooses. It is the power that is able to increase economic mobility to obtain the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. A person’s dreams rest in having information and being informed, but they also lie in taking the actions required to turn that information or knowledge into some form of power. The power we receive from taking proper action will allow us to help ourselves and others live better, more meaningful, longer lives.

But where does the nonprofit community touch that? I believe it touches that aspect of attaining power in many ways, but there 80 USBE&IT | WINTER 2018

are three primary ways it can happen: It has an effect on a person’s ability to inform, engage, and connect individuals within his or her community. This includes services, programs, assistance, and other opportunities needed for empowerment.

The secret to success lies in how great organizations mobilize every sector of society—government, business, nonprofits, and the public—to be a force for good. In other words, greatness has more do with how nonprofits work outside the boundaries of their organizations than how they manage their own internal operations.

That being said, to have a nonprofit organization be all to all is not possible.

But nonprofit organizations that are completely aligned as a community purposefully focused on a singular vision can invoke the same power that individuals have. There is amazing power generated when a coalition of organizations chooses to collectively focus on informing, engaging, and connecting all of their collective universes. That coalition can move away from point solutions and not focus solely on niche objectives of separate individual organizations, which will only yield incremental or point results. Rather, they can have a collection of solutions that touch every point of a spectrum if they align the right organizations and collectively focus on the same vision.

Once organizations have that spectrum focus, they can then create transformative social change. That can include finding short- and long-term solutions to environmental issues, local education reform, reducing the use of illegal drugs by teenagers in a specific region or state, and so on. Having the impact of a collective group of organizations that already work closely with policymakers, business leaders, other community organizations, parents, and educators puts in place the component parts necessary to create a holistic solution. This is unlike how most nonprofits operate today. Although there

are many strategic alliances and collective impact efforts around the country, the industry remains very fragmented, redundant, and inefficient in its quest to hold on to isolated impact efforts. At their best, individual nonprofits affect a very small segment of the population for which they strive to exist.

When you have a collection of organizations that can harness the collected energy, resources, thought leadership, action, and supporters that a group can bring together, it’s indisputable that you increase your collective influence, effectiveness, and ability to transform large segments of the population versus smaller segments and smaller niche audiences. Therein lies the greatest opportunity for individual organizations.

Nonprofits can have a much greater impact and benefit to communities if they come together as an ecosystem focused on whatever spectrum, aspect, or problem they choose to solve. The reality missed by individual groups is that avoiding collaborative partnerships causes the very people organizations are striving to serve to miss out on new ideas and initiatives that can be created by collective action.

It is my belief that a nonprofit organization that is not a part of some formal alliance that is focused on a shared vision, outcomes, and activities is resigning itself to only having a certain level of impact and, potentially, growth. Its resources and reach will only go so far. For the successful cases that exist, there was always an intermediary involved that was leveraged to keep everyone on the same page, to keep them informed, and to be the one to guide vision and strategy.

That intermediary also supported and aligned activities, made sure there were shared goals and management, built the public brand, and advanced policy and fundraising. It is in those collaborative examples that nonprofit organizations and communities see the most success. S

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