On The Move
Honoring Excellence
2024 Army Acquisition Executive’s Excellence in Leadership Awards
By Rachel M. Longarzo
Article published on: April 5, 2025, in the Spring 2025 Issue of Army AL-T
Read Time: < 10 mins
The exceptional achievements of the Army Acquisition Workforce were recognized at the 2024 Army Acquisition
Executive’s Excellence in Leadership Awards Ceremony on Jan. 10, 2025, at the Pentagon.
The annual awards honor individuals and teams whose dedication, innovation and leadership provide the Army
with the cutting-edge capabilities needed to stay ahead in an ever-changing landscape. The Hon. Douglas R.
Bush, then assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, hosted the event.
For more information, go to https://asc.army.mil/web/acquisition-awards.
AAE AWARD WINNERS
ACQUISITION CAREER SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR
Adam R. Hall, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
BUSINESS OPERATIONS PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR AWARD
Matthew Seaman, Joint Program Executive Office for
Armaments and Ammunition (JPEO A&A)
DEFENSE EXPORT AND COOPERATION JOURNEYMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Michael Suhy, Army Contracting Command (ACC) - Detroit
Arsenal
DEFENSE EXPORT AND COOPERATION PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR AWARD
Brandi Martin, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for
Defense Exports and Cooperation
LOGISTICIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Craig Carson, Program Executive Office for Ground Combat
Systems (PEO GCS)
PRODUCT MANAGEMENT/PRODUCT DIRECTOR OFFICE PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR AWARD (O-5
LEVEL)
Lt. Col. Edwin Kolen, Joint Program Executive Office for
Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND)
PROJECT MANAGEMENT/PROJECT DIRECTOR OFFICE PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR AWARD (O-6
LEVEL)
Col. Andrew Lunoff, Program Executive Office for Missiles
and Space
CONTRACTING PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR AWARD
Michele Boardwine, JPEO-CBRND
BARBARA C. HEALD (DEPLOYED CONTRACTING CIVILIAN) AWARD
Sarah Keebaugh, ACC, Theater Contracting Center
OUTSTANDING GRANTS OR AGREEMENTS PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR AWARD
Jason C. Tatom, Program Executive Office for Intelligence,
Electronic Warfare and Sensors (PEO IEW&S)
CONSTRUCTION SERVICES CONTRACTING PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR AWARD
Katherine Younts, USACE - New Orleans District
TEST AND EVALUATION PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR AWARD
Steven Drake, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for
Data, Engineering and Software
ENGINEERING AND TECHNICAL MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR AWARD
Steve Dawson, PEO GCS
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR AWARD
Kelly Modlin, ACC - Aberdeen Proving Ground
INNOVATION IN CONTRACTING STRATEGIES INDIVIDUAL OR ORGANIZATION AWARD
Robotic Combat Vehicle Product Management Office, PEO GCS
PRODUCT MANAGEMENT/PRODUCT DIRECTOR OFFICE TEAM OF THE YEAR AWARD (O-5 LEVEL)
Product Manager for Soldier Weapons, Program Executive
Office for Soldier
PROJECT MANAGEMENT/PROJECT DIRECTOR OFFICE TEAM OF THE YEAR AWARD (O-6 LEVEL)
Project Manager (PM) for Intelligence Systems and
Analytics, PEO IEW&S
TEST ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR AWARD
Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site - Technical
Center, Space and Missile Defense Command
CONTRACTING TEAM OF THE YEAR AWARD
Maui Wildfire Debris Removal Team, USACE, Honolulu District
SPECIAL RECOGNITION FOR UKRAINE SUPPORT
Smokejumpers: Jim Stocks, Col. Rachel Hoagland, Col. Matthew Johnson, Col. Steve Adcock,
Col. Anthony Rogers, Col. Michelle Lewis, Lt. Col. Patrick Horvat, Lt. Col. Ryan Ressler, Lt. Col. Donald
Bell, Maj. Dan Ferenczy, Maj. Paul Kilgore, Mary Lu, Ron Boisvert, Gabriela Contreras, Maj. Greg Wetmore,
Tony Bullock, Wally Nichols, Maj. Porter Riley, Ray Colon, Omar Ray, Sarah Ragan, Brian Ellis, Mark Kopp.
CONTRACTING
- Field Support Directorate: Col. Michelle Lewis, Brad Freeman, Lt. Col. Eric
Stangle
- ACC-Headquarters: Randall Morris, Rodney Smith, Jennifer Morgan
- ACC-Rhode Island: Brandon Garnica, Warren Stropes
- ACC-Detroit Arsenal: Magdalena Conner
- ACC-New Jersey: Tim Bakto, Polia Quiles, Stephanie Kless, Paul Giovannoli, Tim
Cassidy, Mariah Hanko, Sean Kelly
- ACC-Redstone Arsenal: Michael Lawson, Roland Carter, Andrea Dixon, Jazmyne
Williams, Treka House, Lisa Ledbetter
JOINT PROGRAM EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR ARMAMENTS AND AMMUNITION
- Headquarters: Grace Burgin, Brian Meierdiercks, Tabitha Sawicz
- PM Cannon Artillery Systems: Ken Schulters
- M777 and M119 Teams: Ben Cooper
PROGRAM EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR GROUND COMBAT SYSTEMS
- Headquarters: Harmony Hunsanger, James Thorpe
- PM Mounted Armored Vehicles: Heather Molitoris, Lauren Gehbauer
- PM Self-Propelled Howitzer Systems: James Sawyer
- PM Stryker Brigade Combat Team: Kelly McMahon
PROGRAM EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR MISSILES AND SPACE
- PM Integrated Fires Mission Command: Cierra Odom Nnaji
- PM STORM: James Elliot
- PM Tactical Aviation and Ground Munitions: Barry Thrower
- PM SHIELD: Douglas Patterson Jr.
2024 MAJOR GENERAL HAROLD J. “HARRY” GREENE WRITING AWARD WINNERS
The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology sponsors the
2024 Major General Harold J. “Harry” Greene Awards for Acquisition Writing to encourage critical writing
focused on Army acquisition challenges and successful efforts to overcome them.
To read the winners’ entries, see the 2024 Maj. Gen. Greene awards booklet insert, or go to https://asc.army.mil/web/publications/army-altmagazine.
ACQUISITION REFORM
Winning Piece: “Artificial Intelligence (AI) Literacy: An
Imperative Competency.”
Author: Maj. Mathew Henderson, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for
Acquisition, Logistics and Technology
Honorable Mention: “Mini Portfolio Prioritization Sprints with Overarching
Integrated Product Teams (O-IPTs) – Adapting to Changes within the DOD Decision-Making System.”
Author: Elizabeth Smith, JPEO-CBRND
FUTURE OPERATIONS
Winning Piece: “Human-Machine Integration and Future Operations.”
Author: Lt. Col. Christian Abney, Program Executive Office for Aviation
Winning Piece: “Software Independent Verification and Validation at the Speed of
Relevance.”
Authors: Megan Buford and Rebecca Hennessy, Ph.D., U.S. Army Combat Capabilities
Development Command, U.S. Army Futures Command
Honorable Mention: “Learning to Expand the Aperture: Translating Emergence to
Capability in Medical Evacuation and Other Operational Domains.”
Author: Capt. Mahdi Al-Husseini, U.S. Army Department of Aviation Medicine
INNOVATION
Winning Piece: “Driving Innovation: Propelling the U.S. Department of Defense’s
Acquisition of Hybrid-Electric Tactical Vehicles to Win the Wars of Tomorrow.”
Author: Maj. Curtis N. Cranston, The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and
School
Honorable Mention: “Bridging the Gap and the Path to Real-time Intelligence:
Advancing A-ISR Through Acquisition and Innovation.”
Authors: Eric Braun, Susan Tyndall, Lauren Scicchitano and Michael Amabile, Program
Executive Office for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors
LESSONS LEARNED
Winning Piece: “Enhancing Army Acquisition Through Collaborative Communication.”
Author: Mark T. Rashford, Jr., U.S. Army North G-4
Honorable Mention: “Rethinking the Role of C2 in Army Acquisition: Lessons from FCS
and DCGS-A.”
Author: Col. Matthew Paul, Program Executive Office for Enterprise