PEO Perspective: May 2024

We’re already through mid-May, which began with a busy season of leadership transitions at PEO EIS, as well as many engagements, both internal and external — of note, the AFCEA Belvoir Industry Days conference:

AFCEA BELVOIR INDUSTRY DAYS (ABID) 2024

It was awesome. The ABID conference was at a new location this year — the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center. Acting Deputy PEO Reg Shuford and I joined a number of our program leaders, along with keynotes and sessions from Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (DASA-DES) Ms. Jennifer Swanson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Strategy and Acquisition Reform Ms. Margaret Boatner, and Army Chief Information Officer Mr. Leo Garciga, and our colleagues from Army G-6, PEO IEW&S, and more. 

In case you missed it, you can find all of the presentations and our new procurement forecast here. 

HON. DOUG BUSH VISIT TO PEO EIS

It was a great pleasure to welcome Honorable Douglas Bush, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASAALT), to PEO EIS headquarters on May 2 to discuss top strategic issues, receive demos from our Army Contract Writing System (ACWS) and Integrated Personnel and Pay Systems-Army (IPPS-A) programs, and present coins to members of our workforce selected for recognition. My thanks as well to these exceptional individuals; thank you for all you do every day! 

AFCEA NOVA SOFTWARE PANEL 

On May 9 from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., I participated in a virtual AFCEA NOVA Army panel with Ms. Swanson and Mr. Garciga, and led by Ms. Boatner, to discuss current strategies for improving software development and acquisition processes, and the anticipated impact on enhancing operational effectiveness and agility. 

ATIS RELINQUISHMENT OF CHARTER

Product Lead Tim Hale relinquished the charter for Army Training Information Systems (ATIS) to Brian Raftery, the program manager for Defense Information Business Systems (DIBS), which manages the ATIS portfolio, in a ceremony on May 16. Deputy Product Manager Ms. Christie Murphy will serve in the acting role. 

My thanks to Tim Hale for his leadership at ATIS – we look forward to continued greatness from Tim, who has accepted a PM position with Defense Contract Management Agency. I have great confidence in Christie’s leadership, and my thanks her and the team for carrying on the important Army Learning and ATIS mission!

DASA-DES ROAD SHOW 

Last month, we partnered with our Fort Belvoir teammates at PEO Soldier to host Ms. Swanson and her team in a PEO roadshow, the second of its kind. 

The event included leadership discussions at PEO EIS and PEO Soldier headquarters, followed by a hybrid event for both workforces at Thurman Hall. 

Chartered to enable digital transformation across ASA(ALT), the DASA-DES team shared policy updates, engaged in transparent conversations to understand what’s working and what’s not, and launched resources and materials for PEOs to use. 

My thanks to Ms. Swanson for the opportunity to collaborate and share in this unique learning opportunity for the Army acquisition community. 

WELCOME TO COL. PAUL AND CONGRATULATIONS TO COL. (P) MIKESH!

Eighteen months ago, Col. (Promotable) RJ Mikesh parachuted into Integrated Personnel and Pay System – Army (IPPS-A) and led the organization’s transition to Agile, which has already delivered high user satisfaction. Agile is now part of IPPS-A’s DNA. On April 24, RJ handed the IPPS-A charter to Col. Matthew Paul.

Before leading IPPS-A, Matt served as project manager of Mission Command under PEO Command, Control and Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T). At Mission Command, he helped the Army craft software-acquisition reform policies that make it easier to adopt Agile methodologies.

I am delighted to report that RJ was selected as PEO EIS’ deputy program executive officer, starting May 15. RJ’s contributions, stellar leadership and dedication to the mission are widely known and unmatched. The Army certainly got this right, and we’re excited to have him on the leadership team!

A sincere thank you to Reg Shuford who has served as the acting DPEO for the last several months — it’s been a pleasure partnering with him, and I know he will help make a smooth transition for RJ. 

My gratitude as well to Sergio Alvarez, who stepped up once again into the acting project director role at Enterprise Services to allow Reg to serve as acting deputy – thank you, Serg! 

Development opportunities such as these help to establish the Army’s future leaders, and ensure that Soldiers provided the very best products, services and capability to perform their mission. The team spirit at PEO EIS never ceases to impress me – it’s an honor to serve with such dedicated professionals! 

OMIS-A CELEBRATES A NEW START

On April 12, the charter for Medical Communications for Combat Casualty Care (MC4) was disestablished, and the charter for Operational Medicine Information Systems –Army (OMIS-A) was established. 

OMIS-A, led by Steve Reichard, is transforming how the Army develops, tests and delivers health IT capabilities to Soldiers deployed overseas. 

Learn more about OMIS-A here.  

CONGRATULATIONS LEE JAMES

Last month during our workforce town hall, I noted the caliber of leaders that PEO EIS consistently produces — Lee James, III is among these superstars. 

On May 17, Lee was promoted to Senior Executive Service (SES) and took the helm as the official deputy program executive officer at PEO Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (STRI). 

Lee held nearly every important leadership position at EIS in his tenure here — from project director for Enterprise Services to acting APEO to acting deputy to program manager standing up the Enterprise Business Systems – Convergence O-6 program office. He is a proven leader, trusted colleague, flexible Agilist and visionary. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for him. Please join me in congratulating Lee! 

MAY OBSERVATIONS 

This month, we celebrate Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, honoring Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders whose rich heritage has helped to influence and shape the history of the United States and the military. Asian American and Pacific Islander Soldiers have served with honor, dedication and distinction, and their legacy of courage and selfless service will inspire generations to come.

May is also Military Appreciation Month. We celebrate Military Spouse Appreciation Day on May 10, recognizing Army spouses for their strength, loyalty and commitment to their Soldiers and to our Army. On May 18, we honor our military members and their families as we celebrate Armed Forces Day. We close the busy month of military pride with the Memorial Day holiday on May 27. As we gather for this day of reflection, I hope you will join me in remembering and giving thanks for those who served and made the ultimate sacrifice. We are forever grateful for their bravery.  

Thank you for all you do to support PEO EIS, the Army and Soldiers.

Bill Hepworth, Program Executive Officer, PEO EIS

Every Soldier, Every Day.