PEO Perspective: February 2023

Welcome to my very first PEO Perspective! It’s my great honor to serve as PEO of this organization.

CHANGE OF CHARTER AND ROSS GUCKERT RETIREMENT

A heartfelt CONGRATULATIONS to my friend and boss, former PEO Mr. Ross Guckert, on his retirement after more than 34 years of service to our country. I want to thank him for choosing this career – this calling – where he made such an indelible impact. I am also grateful for his generous mentoring, support and imparted wisdom as he passed the reins to me last month.

The team has posted photos to our Flickr and social media pages from Mr. Guckert’s retirement ceremony and the change of charter that took place at the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon on Jan. 19. Despite a near blizzard, we were both blessed to have family, friends, great leaders, colleagues and members of the workforce show up for us.

A special thanks to Honorable Doug Bush, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics & Technology (ASA(ALT)), who delivered lively and gracious remarks as host of the change of charter ceremony. I am exceptionally honored to serve under his leadership.

I know that Mr. Guckert was also grateful for the heartfelt words from Retired Lt. Gen. Robert Marion, who hosted his retirement ceremony immediately afterward.

THE TEAM, AND OUR MISSION

The first thing I noted about this organization in my first year as deputy PEO was the talent and dedication of the Army acquisition workforce. In my previous roles, I saw it from the other side, and while I deeply admired those who were called to serve, it wasn’t until I dove in here at PEO EIS that I understood the layers of dedication inherent in the individuals who provide warfighter technology and capability from inception to deployment to sustainment. I’m excited to be PEO and to continue our journey together as a trailblazing Agile Army acquisition organization.

While we are on our way to being fully Agile, there is still work to do. One of the challenging aspects of software acquisition is that we are too often encumbered by lengthy, complicated processes and policies – which were all well intended in their time but that need to be reviewed and optimized. I want PEO EIS to be known as an organization focused on making complex things simple and focusing on delivery; I want our objectives and our processes to be plain and easy to understand.

The leadership team and I – including Acting Deputy PEO Rob Schadey, Chief Information Officer Mike Chappell, Acquisition Innovation Director Aric Sherwood, and Chief of Staff John Howell – are excited to hit the ground running. We’re going deep, optimizing and focusing on the practitioner side, while always keeping in mind that we are here to serve Soldiers and support the programs that do the same.

Clarity, Simplicity and Excellence will drive all that we do, and in the months ahead, we will be focused on reducing complexity, communicating clearly and refining our processes. We’ll be bringing you stories of our progress and ways that you can help in new, dynamic formats with a new look and a new, well, perspective. We can’t wait to hear from you in the months ahead about how we’re doing, and how we can partner together to bring rapid, superior capability to our most important customer – the American Soldier. 

Special congratulations to Rob Schadey as he steps into the acting deputy PEO role. We have already seen the visionary talent and acumen that Rob brings to the leadership team, and I expect great things!  His leadership and drive for success are already delivering results.

ANNOUNCING OUR FED 100 WINNERS

And further congratulations are due to Mr. Guckert, and to ArmyIgnitED product lead Mr. Keith Baylor, who were both just announced as 2024 Federal 100 Award recipients! 

They were chosen from hundreds of nominees for spots on the prestigious list selected each year by Nextgov/FCW and Government Executive. The leadership team somewhat covertly nominated Mr. Guckert for his successful guidance of our Agile journey, so this will come as a surprise to him. The work that Keith and his team have accomplished with the full deployment of ArmyIgnitED, a fully functional tuition assistance portal supporting Soldiers and Civilians, has everyone’s attention – they were also recognized in November for their accomplishment by Hon. Bush, and Keith and Deputy PL Ms. Felishia Berry were also just awarded a 2023 Defense Acquisition Workforce Award by Defense Acquisition University.

Congratulations to Keith, Mr. Guckert, and all of the nominees – and thank you for your great service to the U.S. Army! 

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Each February, we observe Black History Month and reflect on the tremendous contributions of Black Americans to our country and our history.

This year’s theme, “African Americans in the Arts” provides an opportunity to recognize the service of Black Soldiers who have bravely fought in our country’s wars and contributed to the Army’s mission to fight and win. We have already begun sharing some of their stories with you on our social media platforms, as well as stories highlighting the contributions of the PEO EIS workforce.

UPCOMING EVENTS

AFCEA BELVOIR FEBRUARY LUNCHEON

Acquisition Innovation Director Aric Sherwood will keynote the February AFCEA Belvoir Luncheon at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Springfield, on Feb. 28.

Aric is a critical player in our Agile story, and you won’t want to miss his updates and insights. Aric has already been instrumental in condensing acquisition timelines and helping PEO EIS reshape itself for excellence going forward.

AUSA GLOBAL FORCE SYMPOSIUM & EXPOSITION

March 26-28, I will be in Huntsville, Alabama, at the 2024 AUSA Global Force Symposium & Exposition, along with leaders from Army Materiel Command and Army Futures Command, and senior leaders from ASA(ALT).

The theme for this year’s program is the Continuous Transformation to Deliver Ready Combat Formations.

AFCEA BELVOIR INDUSTRY DAYS

Be sure to mark your calendars for the annual AFCEA Belvoir Industry Days (ABID), for which planning has already begun. The event is scheduled for May 13-15 at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center. Be sure to visit our Events page for more information in coming months as ABID 2024 comes together!

My team and I meet with industry every week, and, as always, I encourage you to continue to share your innovative strategies. To request a meeting with me or any member of the team, please submit an Industry Meeting Request.

Wishing you all the best in the month ahead,

Bill Hepworth, Program Executive Officer, PEO EIS

Engage. Connect. Deliver… Every Soldier, Every Day.