Army family pays virtual tribute to retiring PEO EIS leader, Chérie Smith

FORT BELVOIR, Va. ­­– The May 21 retirement ceremony for Chérie Smith, outgoing program executive officer for Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems (PEO EIS), may have been non-traditional due to its online format, but it made a powerful impact on its large virtual audience with its heartfelt tributes from senior Army leaders, moving award presentation and emotional words of gratitude from Smith.

The ceremony kicked off with a 10-minute video tribute to Smith’s 42 years of Army service, featuring quotes from PEO EIS’s project managers, and remarks from Army leaders.

Gen. James C. McConville, Army chief of staff, told Smith she made an incredible impact on the Army.

“You’ve been key in leading transformation in our IT and business systems, and we have some amazing advances in technology because of your aggressive innovation in forging collaboration with academia, industry and military,” he said. “We’re going to miss you, but we’re happy for you.”

Following the video tribute, the ceremony’s host, Lt. Gen. Paul A. Ostrowski, former principal military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, shared some humor-filled remarks commented on her many achievements at PEO EIS in a pre-recorded message. Ostrowski commended Smith on achieving auditability of the Army’s financial systems, fielding of an integrated pay and personnel system and the Army contract writing system, and the debut of Army Vantage, which enables senior leaders to make data-driven decisions.

“The Army owes you a debt of gratitude,” said Ostrowski.

For her four decades of service, Smith received a number of accolades, including the Secretary of Defense Medal for the War on Terrorism for deploying as the Director ASA(ALT) Forward Operations Kuwait from July 2009 – August 2010; a certificate of appreciation for outstanding service in the Army’s Senior Executive Service from Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy; and the Department of the Army certificate of retirement and certificate of appreciation from the Honorable Dr. Bruce D. Jette, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology.

Speaking on behalf of the organization, Deputy Program Executive Officer Brendan Burke presented awards and thanked Smith for her service, stating, “You’ve encouraged us to remember that the Soldier is the focus point of everything we do… Hopefully when you look back on this, you’ll remember and think about all the impacts you’ve been able to have across the Army.”

Taking the floor one final time to address the audience, Smith recognized mentors, friends and family members who were instrumental during her career.

“It’s been an amazing experience,” said Smith. “It’s been a great 42 years. You’ve made my day. Thank you for being a part of the Army’s mission and helping us get to the future.”

To view Ms. Smith's retirement ceremony in its entirety, please visit
https://youtu.be/zNmPGJwZTjU (starting at 55:40).