Describe your job.
My main responsibility is to ensure the Charleston District’s operations team has the tools to deliver our varied missions. We have an outstanding mix of skill sets and experience that are brought to bear on an extensive portfolio of work. Our work includes designs of the Post 45 project, ongoing federal channel maintenance projects, surveys to ensure work is accomplished within budget and on time, and much more. The Port of Charleston is a multi-billion dollar economic engine and it is our responsibility to ensure it is maintained through dredging. Our spatial data mission grows nearly daily in support of most projects in the District. The staff at the Cooper River Rediversion Project works hard to keep our hydropower facility operational 24/7 to provide power for as many as 40,000 homes. Our environmental mission crosses all of the items above – helping native fish species fulfill their life cycles as they pass through the CRRP fishlift, and working with our federal and state natural resource partners to maintain the channels in an environmentally-responsible manner.
What is the most unique thing you bring to the District?
I have substantial experience with several agencies at local, state, regional, and national levels, including nearly 14 years in Washington, DC. I was able to spend lots of time on the Hill, sit in front of the Office of Management and Budget on a regular basis, and gain an appreciation of how local efforts fit into the bigger picture. I am confident that the sum of my experience will be beneficial as the District and the operations team move forward.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
I really get charged up when our operations team takes a project from concept to completion of a high-quality deliverable. That happens often! I also am very heartened to see staff grow in their careers and move up in USACE. Our District employees can be counted on to do great things through their whole federal careers!
Highlight a notable milestone or memory in your career.
If you are around long enough, a couple of milestones or cool memories will happen. I have seen a pygmy sperm whale in the ocean close enough to touch, helped organize a meeting of Native American natural resource professionals that resulted in a national policy, witnessed the delisting ceremony for the bald eagle on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial (with my son – both he and I are Eagle Scouts), and most recently, being selected for this position. It is very humbling to have the District’s senior leadership place trust in me.
What goals do you hope to accomplish in your position?
To help position the operations division and the District for future growth and success, to help staff achieve their personal and professional goals, and to support the South Atlantic Division and the USACE missions while serving the citizens of South Carolina.