Executive Core Qualifications

Fundamental Competencies are the attributes that serve as the foundation for each of the Executive Core Qualifications. Competencies are the personal and professional attributes that are critical to successful performance in the Senior Executive Service. Experience and training that strengthen and demonstrate the competencies will enhance a candidate's overall qualifications for the Senior Executive Service.

These competencies are the foundation for success in each of the Executive Core Qualifications.

Interpersonal Skills Treats others with courtesy, sensitivity, and respect. Considers and responds appropriately to the needs and feelings of different people in different situations.

Oral Communication Makes clear and convincing oral presentations. Listens effectively; clarifies information as needed.

Integrity/Honesty Behaves in an honest, fair, and ethical manner. Shows consistency in words and actions. Models high standards of ethics.

Written Communication Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

Continual Learning Assesses and recognizes own strengths and weaknesses; pursues self-development.

Public Service Motivation Shows a commitment to serve the public. Ensures that actions meet public needs; aligns organizational objectives and practices with public interests.

Creativity and Innovation Develops new insights into situations; questions conventional approaches; encourages new ideas and innovations; designs and implements new or cutting edge programs/processes.

External Awareness Understands and keeps up-to-date on local, national, and international policies and trends that affect the organization and shape stakeholders' views; is aware of the organization's impact on the external environment.

Flexibility Is open to change and new information; rapidly adapts to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles.

Resilience Deals effectively with pressure; remains optimistic and persistent, even under adversity. Recovers quickly from setbacks.

Strategic Thinking Formulates objectives and priorities, and implements plans consistent with the long-term interests of the organization in a global environment. Capitalizes on opportunities and manages risks.

Vision Takes a long-term view and builds a shared vision with others; acts as a catalyst for organizational change. Influences others to translate vision into action

When I began my engineering officer career at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska as a Second Lieutenant, I was a member of an excellent facility design team. The severe cold in Alaska presented many challenges. The average winter temperatures range from -29°F to -40°F near Fairbanks, Alaska. It creates the need for new solutions like heaters in milk delivery trucks to keep liquid dairy products from freezing. I completed Arctic Engineering and Thermal Systems Design courses at Alaska State University in Fairbanks. I learned to adapt my engineering craft to local requirements and environments. Most of my engineering work was on projects involving renovations or converting facilities to new uses. I met with the engineers and officials having jurisdiction over project design approvals. I enjoyed the challenge, creative freedom and the learning experiences. I learned to listen and understand the importance of others' inputs and experience.

The A-10 Facilities Program was the first major comprehensive design I did as a member of a design team. The challenge was to accommodate the reception of a squadron of A-10 aircraft with minimal budget. I worked the designs of the restoration and conversion of existing systems and structures to support the A-10 aircraft requirements. I helped the design team achieve on-time construction within budget. My success with the A-10 led to many projects of even greater scope.

Eielson AFB was on the Scope Dial Program list to receive a new telephone system. We had to prepare the site to accept the new system and accommodate seamless transition. The existing vacuum tube-relay system had been installed in the early 1940's and experienced many unscheduled outages. I designed and managed the project to retrofit the telephone facility to accept a new telephone system. The challenge was to maintain telecommunications during the telephone system upgrade process. I personally supervised trenching work around the main communication conduits while the security fencing was breached. I ensured that our diverse workforce accomplished the work on ahead of schedule and without errors or security incidents. The telephone system improvements were accomplished months ahead of schedule because we were moved up the list.

I was Chief of Operations for the 97th Civil Engineering Squadron, Altus Air Force Base, OK. Duties included managing civil engineer resources and requirements, customer service concepts, personnel management, training, maintenance engineering, plans, logistics, readiness, and operations management. I was challenged to raise performance and improve customer perceptions. I engaged our senior Noncommissioned Officers and Civilian supervisors in Total Quality Management activities. We planned and executed activities that provided the desired results. This fed a “Can do!” attitude and led to the selection to compete and to win the 1992 Air Force Installation Excellence Award.

Civil Engineering Operations are often tasked on moment’s notice to deploy labor and resources to handle contingencies. Feedback tends to be negative rather than positive. This is because the customer has troubles long before we arrive on scene to help. I recognized the need to give recognition to our squadron's supervision and labor forces. I directed the Base Commander’s billboard on the traffic circle be altered to provide recognition for our squadron. The subtle change inspired our forces to take pride in their work.

I was challenged to fix several base maintenance contract compliance issues as Vice President/Chief of Engineering Services at Tinker Air Force Base, OK. The main issues for our company were our actions in responses to verbal directions which, when audited, were found to be violations. I worked with customers and auditors to create solutions. I revamped the entire utility program to comply with regulations and our Statement of Work. I built Office Suite documentation that accepted utility data inputs while recording compliance. The Contracting Officer accepted our solutions to the numerous write-ups when the Government auditors praised our solutions.

Another issue at Tinker was the lack of progress on the Energy Program during the aftermath of the 9/11 installation security improvements. Our company had responsively diverted its resources as requested to support the security upgrade projects. The Contracting Office’s technical representatives sought deductions from contract payments for the alleged failure to provide deliverables on Energy Management. I was successful in demonstrating that the deliverables were available. After failed attempts to get attendance at required meetings, I proved it was the installation commander’s responsibility to lead the Energy Steering Groups. Once the rightful program leadership was restored, I obtained approvals of the deliverables. I received our company’s 2004 Excel Award for these turn-a-round achievements.

I served as Engineering Manager for Grubb & Ellis Management Services. I provided company interface with business partners in development of operational best practices for our customer’s data center portfolio. Generally, our sites had poor definitions of contractual responsibilities. There seemed no limit to the content and volume of work requests from our customers to be accomplished within scope. I provided company implementation oversight, training and audits. I established the reliability dashboard that drove the portfolio’s Reliability Best Practice compliance. I helped establish the Energy Management Best Practices for existing critical raised floor facilities. I worked with our facilities engineering staffs at seven locations in six states to develop standardized engineering and technical certification processes. I led the development of our client’s Energy Management Best Practices. I established measurable performance indicators for Best Practices Compliance.

I am energized by helping people to raise their levels of performance. I provide extraordinary capability to bring the best out of people, to bring people and resources together to solve problems and accomplish major improvements. I have received honors for excellence for such things as successfully managing a $100 million energy program, administering over 100 concurrent service contracts, and leading a 160-person base civil engineering operation. I challenge the impossible and lead teams to create solutions. I garner excellent results where others may have fallen short. I continuously explore management science to acquire skills to engineer management processes. I create processes (involving people) to better serve customers while energizing employees to greater satisfaction and performance. I get it done. On time (safely) and within (approved) budget are the minimum expectations for every project. I possess the knowledge and skill to identify quickly the changes in scope and subsequent impacts to meet these expectations. I seek and expect an equitable exchange of values.

Conflict Management Encourages creative tension and differences of opinions. Anticipates and takes steps to prevent counter-productive confrontations. Manages and resolves conflicts and disagreements in a constructive manner.

Leveraging Diversity Fosters an inclusive workplace where diversity and individual differences are valued and leveraged to achieve the vision and mission of the organization.

Developing Others Develops the ability of others to perform and contribute to the organization by providing ongoing feedback and by providing opportunities to learn through formal and informal methods.

Team Building Inspires and fosters team commitment, spirit, pride, and trust. Facilitates

I am committed to providing the necessary leadership to get the best out of people and resources. My earliest experiences in supervision were as a shift then shop supervisor of over 20 Avionics technicians. Cuts in operational funding caused large delays in procuring maintenance parts and contributed to poor uptimes for our computer test stands. I learned to work with and to support the people under my care. I learned there no one-size-fits-all way to support daily operations. We aligned our priorities with mission objectives. We established specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound goals and objectives to promote the sense of accomplishment. We provided consistent responses to contingencies. We accomplished all work on time excepting the work that was delayed for parts.

As Chief of Utilities and Services for the 86th Civil Engineering Group, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, I assumed leadership of a predominantly local national team that had a history of poor performance and poor attendance issues. This group was responsible for the largest United States utilities and services acquisition program in Europe, managed $40 million in energy resources, 55 utilities and sanitary services contracts, and 56 technical services contracts. Disciplinary measures had created high levels of stress, which lead to many health-related vacations and caused higher stress on the staff in attendance. This group was equipped with mechanical adding machines and typewriters. I met privately with each member of my team and established rapport. I met with the headquarters’ customer about the performance issues and quickly learned that the headquarters was fully automated with computers. The customer’s demands seemed unachievable without an upgrade. I overcame the lack of budgeted funds by obtaining salvaged personal computers, printers and software from the headquarters, enough for one computer for each of my team and printers shared by every two. The local national employees rejected the newer technology, which presented innovation challenges. I worked alongside my team giving over the shoulder training in how to use the computers and the software to meet the expectations of headquarters group. Because of developing a personal computer based cost accounting system, we raised our audit capability from random 10% to full 100% and recovered over $600,000 from billing errors from audits of previous years’ invoices. I reduced staff from seven to two local national employees.

I assumed leadership of a fully competent group as Chief of Operations for the 97th Civil Engineering Squadron, Altus Air Force Base, OK. The challenge was emergency and routine maintenance, repair, and minor improvements of real property valued at over $130 million including 195 industrial buildings, supporting infrastructure, and 360 acres of airfield pavement. I also had to implement a large reduction in force that presented many esprit de corps challenges. The military and civilian mangers, and craft workers in Operations by many accounts could do nothing right. I worked with my civilian deputy to establish a new vision for Civil Engineering Operations, “Building from Strength.” I stopped the public berating of our own people and directed focus on turning customer negatives into customer enthusiasm. I required supervisors to more closely evaluate actual work results for the successes before addressing the shortfalls. I eliminated non-value-adding work and I established budget authority down to the shop level. I found that most of our people knew what needed correction and how to do it. My leadership in Total Quality Management implementation helped Altus Air Force Base win the 1992 Air Force Installation Excellence Award.

As Assistant Director of the Physical Plant Department, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, I assumed leadership of a combative and recently unionized 36-member labor force that was ravaged from management problems. I became the third director in 3 years. Morale was very low and customer feedback was overwhelmingly negative. I was under great pressure from my supervisor to build cases to terminate employment of poor performing and insubordinate employees. I understood the litigation potential and the worker protections provided by the union and the law. I committed to terminate poor performing and insubordinate employees as necessary. The challenge was to restore the group's sense of ownership and pride in their work and in the systems maintained for the University. I initiated TCU TEAMWORK, a total quality service vision. I implemented recognition techniques that were proven at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. We formally recognized the performance we most wanted to be repeated (the best work). I coached skills in evaluating and documenting performance in measurable terms (quality, quantity, and timeliness) and subsequent impacts on the customer. I supplemented policies: required written monthly recognition of at least two examples of each employee's best work and provided semi-annual one-on-one feedback. Recognition and feedback helped our General Staff Employees build their performance and helped their supervisors achieve continuous improvements in productivity, reliability, quality, and worker/customer attitudes. We benefited from improved employee attitudes and performance. In fact, our diverse labor force had no poor performing or insubordinate employees. Unscheduled maintenance requests dropped from over 3,000 to less than 400 per month. Annual appraisals were simplified. Employees’ monthly recognition helped justify higher ratings for top performers while clearly showing the adequate performer. Feedback documentation also identified supervisory strengths and weaknesses. As a result of improved management-employee relations, the employees decertified their union. I described our turn-a-round performance in the paper on Practical Employee Recognition published for and presented to the APPA annual meeting in Philadelphia in July 1995.

During the course of modernization of the central utility plant at Baylor University, the Plant Manager became technically obsolete and lost the respect of his subordinates. The plant had reached its capacity and experienced occasional problems in meeting demands for cooling and heating. The challenge was to restore the central plant manager's competence and proficiency in plant operations. Rather than disciplinary measures, I met with the central plant manager and we devised a plan to bring him up to speed and recapture respect. In essence, I hired a new manager to take over plant management during the remainder of the modernization project. This gave the original plant manager a chance to focus on the operational changes and learning the new technologies. He was restored to his post at the end of the project fully equipped to lead.

Accountability Holds self and others accountable for measurable high-quality, timely, and cost-effective results. Determines objectives, sets priorities, and delegates work. Accepts responsibility for mistakes. Complies with established control systems and rules.

Customer Service Anticipates and meets the needs of both internal and external customers. Delivers high-quality products and services; is committed to continuous improvement.

Decisiveness Makes well-informed, effective, and timely decisions, even when data are limited or solutions produce unpleasant consequences; perceives the impact and implications of decisions.

Entrepreneurship Positions the organization for future success by identifying new opportunities; builds the organization by developing or improving products or services. Takes calculated risks to accomplish organizational objectives.

Problem Solving Identifies and analyzes problems; weighs relevance and accuracy of information; generates and evaluates alternative solutions; makes recommendations.

Technical Credibility Understands and appropriately applies principles, procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise.

I continue to explore management science I engineer processes involving people to better serve customers while energizing employees to greater satisfaction and performance. Many processes in use today have evolved from daily operations. The challenge is to acquire knowledge and useful skills to engineer the management processes.

I overcame a potential community disaster from a decision to use Chlorine gas. Our sister community's swimming pool used Chlorine gas to sanitize the swimming water. Since our site had chronic problems with maintaining Chlorine residuals, it was decided to duplicate the sister site's system. I was gravely concerned about the Childcare Center being downhill and downwind near the proposed Chlorine gas storage facility. I designed a feedback control system to automatically maintain required Chlorine residuals. I solved recurring swimming pool water treatment problems. Once I addressed the disaster potential, we evaluated the alternative to generate chlorine from salt. I ensured community safety and disaster preparedness concerns were properly addressed in the problem solving process.

I was responsible for support of research and development efforts as a Systems Facilities Engineer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. One such effort had stalled. The challenge was to determine why the effort had stalled. I composed and staffed a message to multiple recipients expressing the need to address the issues to move the effort forward. Soon after the message was released, I was called to my supervisor’s office. He had gotten a call from a senior Colonel that complained about the message and demanded to meet its author. My supervisor would not accompany me to meet the Colonel. When I reported, I met a mountain of a man who was ready for me. After his angry rant on me, he asked me what I had to say for myself. The challenge was to address the issues to move the effort forward. I respectfully apologized for my offence. I thanked him taking time to see me. I then told him what I needed. The Colonel initially said there was “No way!” but after some persistence and persuasion, I obtained from him an official reply to my message indicating the system test results required for the effort to proceed.

As Assistant Director of Physical Plant for Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX, I received disturbing results during summer maintenance from the insulation tests of the high voltage lines serving the main campus. The results indicated that failure of the high voltage lines was imminent and that new conductors were required to ensure continued operation. We moved quickly to plan the work and procure the resources. Our plans to shut down the campus high voltage feeders over Labor Day weekend were disapproved even though failure was predicted before Thanksgiving. When our plans for work during the Thanksgiving break were also disapproved, I restated the risks and persisted for a commitment for the next (Christmas) break. The high voltage lines failed in early December during the first day of final exams. Instead of a simple project to pull new conductors, there were emergency power generators to provide power for finals week, major trenching across campus to route new conduits for the high voltage. The emergency repair project easily cost 3-times our original emergency plan.

As Assistant Director of Physical Plant for Baylor University, Waco, TX, I oversaw 24-hour operation of the Temperature Control Center which produced electricity, chill water and steam utilities for nearly 4 million square feet of campus facilities. The challenge was to upgrade the Temperature Control Center without lengthy or unplanned utility outages. I coordinated over $15 million in energy infrastructure improvements, nearly $10 million at the TCC. The construction was accomplished with uninterrupted comfort heating and cooling and without electrical demand penalties. The simplest part of the project, lighting, turned out to be the most troublesome due to the difficulty in satisfying each of the beneficiaries of the work. The challenge was satisfying each of the beneficiaries of the lighting retrofit work. We also had to satisfy color rendition index requirements of the art and interior design labs. Some offices seemed brighter than others which drove complaints of favoritism and challenges based on seniority. We were able to de-lamp some fixtures to satisfy complaints of being too bright. For the complaints of not being bright enough we were able relamp with brighter bulbs. The project reduced lighting cost by more than 50% campus wide. Lighting levels were improved.

During the course of the University’s energy infrastructure improvement project we discovered that the University did not have the required environmental permits for any of their boilers. The challenge was to get the emission permits in a timely manner without punitive sanctions for past noncompliance issues. We secured the services of environment engineering specialists to present the case for the new boiler permit and seek reconciliation for the operational violations of the existing boilers. We were successful in getting the permits in a timely manner and remarkably reduced sanctions for the years of violation. This project won the Association of Energy Engineers 2000 Energy Project of the Year.

As the first Director of Physical Operations at Dallas Baptist University, Dallas, TX. I supervised 40 people in the operation and maintenance of campus facilities. The administration had ambitious plans for growth and desired recognition as a competitive university. The challenges were to establish a physical operation organization and comply with safety and environmental requirements. I assessed the facilities management situation and set about correcting serious deficiencies. I initiated work information inventory including files and drawings. I drafted a file management plan to organize information for ready access. When I discovered problems with the environmental records for the underground gasoline storage tank, I advised the University of the required corrective actions and potential sanctions. Following a serious injury of a worker, I advised the University of the required OSHA reporting requirements for lost time accidents. I established a worker safety program and provided initial safety orientation training to all Physical Operations personnel. The University would not accept responsibility for government compliance requirements.

Financial Management Understands the organization's financial processes. Prepares, justifies, and administers the program budget. Oversees procurement and contracting to achieve desired results. Monitors expenditures and uses cost-benefit thinking to set priorities.

Human Capital Management Builds and manages workforce based on organizational goals, budget considerations, and staffing needs. Ensures that employees are appropriately recruited, selected, appraised, and rewarded; takes action to address performance problems. Manages a multi-sector workforce and a variety of work situations.

Technology Management Keeps up-to-date on technological developments. Makes effective use of technology to achieve results. Ensures access to and security of technology systems.

I have worked in many excellent organizations that recognized the true consequences of doing more with less. Many cost reduction efforts are quick fixes that cause adverse long-term consequences. The challenge is to provide management support to get the best use of resources. I employed and coached root cause analysis. I used process mapping extensively to challenge teams and individuals to find better ways to accomplish work. I employed a brainstorming method that evaluated ideas separately from idea sources. I have helped excellent organizations realize better efficiencies, productivity and customer enthusiasm.

I received Education with Industry in Energy Management. As an active duty Air Force officer, I was assigned to serve as a staff engineer on Kodak Park’s Energy Process Systems Evaluation Services Group. The challenge was to learn how to apply Kodak's Energy programs to the Air Force. The Education With Industry programs support the mission by providing Air Force officers with on-the-job education, experience, and exposure to private sectors of the economy not available through formal courses of instruction. During that 10-month tour, I learned how to reduce operating costs. I learned the value of computer simulations with hourly weather data. Using data from system audits and using simulation software, I determined the optimum parameters for mechanical heating, cooling and ventilations systems. I calculated the Return on Investment at the same time.

In one facility where I performed an audit, we reduced electricity consumption by 60% through resheaving the fans to reduce airflows. Afterwards, there were complaints that the systems were too quiet. Prior to the recomissioning work, conversations were masked by system noise. Rather than reverse the conservation measures or retrofitting offices with sound deadening materials, I recommended using a white noise generator to restore the background noise.

As Energy Manager and Staff Mechanical Engineer at Headquarters United States Air Force in Europe, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. I managed the $100 million Energy Management Program for 32 reporting bases including 17,000 facilities in over 100 locations in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The challenge was to meet the National Energy Conservation Policy Act Goals. I oversaw the Energy Conservation Investment and the Energy Engineering Audit Programs. I tracked energy purchases. I analyzed consumption and cost data. I was one of the first engineering officers in the Air Force to have a stand-alone personal computer. The computer was provided by the Energy Audit Program contractor. I provided primary consultant services for energy conservation and energy security. I used the word processing program and spreadsheets to manage energy programs for the multiple locations. I used the software and graphics capabilities to analyze and report progress. I used Pareto analysis to identify and target the significant few actions with the greatest impacts. When I compared actual energy consumption to my modeled predictions, I uncovered opportunities and improprieties. I developed high-level briefings to prompt changes and corrections. Under my watch, Headquarters United States Air Force in Europe met and exceeded National Energy Conservation Policy Act goals.

I creatively used resources to overcome shortages in time, labor, supplies, and equipment. We successfully postured to make supplies and material purchases with end-of-year closeout funds far beyond our capability to execute in a timely manner. I engaged the cooperation of customers to provide labor and equipment while we provided materials, management and technical expertise. We were able to paint an aircraft hangar and install a new lighting system in it. Both were accomplished in about 6-months less time than projected by contract. The customers took great pride in these accomplishments.

At Tinker Air Force Base, I led the reliability-centered maintenance team employing predictive testing and inspection technology (infrared, ultrasonic, vibration, oil analyses, and motor circuit analysis). It was first suspected that the oil was not changed as directed but further investigation determined that the failure of the thermostat on the engine oil heater damaged the oil. I found many new uses for thermal imaging and accurately predicted centrifugal chiller and air compressor failures with ultrasonic analysis. Oil analysis saved at least one emergency generator engine by revealing the rapid degradation of oil.

The central utility plant reliability was poor and maintenance costs were consuming the Operations budget. The challenge was to improve the reliability of the central utility plant utility production systems. I modeled the central heating/cooling and compressed air production processes using simulation software. I conducted reliability studies on central heating/cooling and compressed air production facility in support of Lean Transformation initiatives. I provided a report that detailed how to improve reliability of the Central Plant and dramatically reduce operating costs.

As Engineering Manager for Grubb & Ellis Management Services, I had the opportunity study and address the reliability and energy engineering gap in critical facilities. The challenge was to reduce energy consumption and improve reliability of critical facilities and infrastructure. Existing Critical Facilities may have been engineered initially but have evolved unilaterally by operational changes unwittingly into facilities that are targeted today as large energy consumers. Existing solutions to the critical facility reliability challenges consume extra resources to ensure maximum equipment availability. There are many feasible engineering solutions to meet reliability design requirements that also achieve good energy efficiency results. I presented my findings to the 31st World Energy Engineering Congress.

I was privileged to access and transmit information via laptop computer so that I could work from any high-speed internet connection virtually anywhere. The challenge was to support seven critical facility sites from virtually anywhere. My first supervisor at Grubb & Ellis was in Dallas, TX; my second was in Southbury, CT and the third was in St Louis, MO. I met with people regularly using a teleconferencing account and received voicemails on my laptop. I kept plans and files updated on shared databases through my laptop. I also provided training and briefings with annotated PowerPoint files. I used spreadsheets extensively in managing site compliance data. Geographic separation was overcome securely through the internet. Travel costs were reduced significantly.

Partnering Develops networks and builds alliances; collaborates across boundaries to build strategic relationships and achieve common goals.

Political Savvy Identifies the internal and external politics that impact the work of the organization. Perceives organizational and political reality and acts accordingly.

Influencing/Negotiating Persuades others; builds consensus through give and take; gains cooperation from others to obtain information and accomplish goals.

I am skilled in developing decision packages for the replacement of aging infrastructure. I have proven experience in selecting qualified performance contractors who help modernize utility infrastructure from the savings in utility costs realized from the modernization. I have helped with safety and environmental compliance. It is a challenge to engage people in comprehensive planning (strategic planning, visioning, goals and objectives, master planning, contingency or emergency response planning, policy development, prioritization, etc…). I link these issues to business plans so that compliance will be an asset to the future of the business enterprise. I conduct training as necessary to achieve desired results. I host meetings and produce communication aids. I draft preliminary plans to stimulate involvement of stakeholders. I can create conflicts to spur dissatisfaction with status quo. I provide engineering studies to influence decision makers. I sponsor goals setting sessions. There is power in shared goals and objectives. Clear priorities eliminate unnecessary conflicts. Conflict can be a useful tact to spur change. Accountability is measuring what we manage; managed change is improbable without accountability.

My 10-month Education With Industry assignment with the Eastman Kodak Company made me an advocate for energy management including facility energy audits and life cycle cost analyses of energy conservation opportunities. As Facility Energy Manager and Staff Mechanical Engineer at Headquarters United States Air Force in Europe, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, I was one of two United States engineers involved in the Bitburg Brewery project in which a coal-fired heating plant was replaced with a waste heat exchanger including a new emergency standby boiler. Our goal was to replace an air polluting obsolete coal-fired heating plant in Germany at no cost to the United States. I validated the feasibly of the unsolicited proposal from the Bitburg Brewery and coordinated the technical issues with the German authorities. I gave full support to the project. The win-win project helped the brewery achieve its environmental compliance goals and the United States Air Force in Europe reduce its military family housing heating costs. It seemed a humorous political disaster when its headline was “Brewery Constructs Pipeline to United States Housing”.

As Program/Project Manager for Headquarters Seventeenth Air Force, Sembach Air Base, Germany, I managed the acquisition program for over $40 million in facilities required to support the United States/German Wartime Host Nation Support Agreement. The challenge was to coordinate construction projects with host nation engineers from several countries and engineers from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. I coordinated activities of North Atlantic Treaty Organization, German, United States Army and United States Air Force engineers to realize projects for 32 operating locations. I managed planning for joint United States/German airfield damage repair for eight United States bases and two United States/Canadian collocated operating bases. I negotiated a trilateral agreement on the materials to be pre-positioned for joint United States/German/Canadian airfield damage repair operations. I worked with project engineers from United States Army Corps of Engineers in Europe. Our cooperative efforts ensured all projects were completed on time within budget. The program was projected to exceed requested and approved US Congressional Funding levels. Planned fixes had legal implications. The challenge was on time within budget provision of required facilities and prepositioned materials. I urged my supervisor to present the cost shortfalls and pursue additional funding. I identified potential funding pyramiding in the acquisition program for facilities required to support the United States/German Wartime Host Nation Support Agreement. I confirmed with the Air Force Legal Office that it was indeed illegal.

As Chief of Operations at Altus, we confidentially targeted specific individuals and organizations as difficult customers. The goal was to create or restore effective working relationships and improve productivity all around. We planned and delivered services to win positive customer enthusiasm from these customers. Beginning with the most negative, difficult customers were converted to enthusiastic supporters.

As Director of Mechanical Systems at Texas Christian University I found there was difficulty in keeping up with the cost and timeliness of required maintenance activities. The goal was to identify and correct the causes of customer dissatisfaction. We implemented many process changes to help our service technicians improve the quality and durability of their work. We bought better parts and tools, spent more time with customers to ensure we fixed the right things and the customers were satisfied. Productivity improved and unscheduled work was significantly reduced.

As Energy Engineer for Baylor University, I was a third party contractor without direct authority over the contractor. The challenge was to keep the performance contract work on schedule and within budget. I provided cost-effective alternative solutions to problems encountered during the campus energy retrofit program. I was involved in resolving most of the conflicts involving campus customers and beneficiaries. I was successful by hearing, understanding and resolving campus customers' and beneficiaries' concerns. Working closely with the Performance Contractor, I increased our company revenues.

As Vice President for Engineering and Energy Management at Tinker Air Force Base, I worked with Government employees who saw many of their colleagues lose their jobs when our company received the base maintenance contract. The challenge was to find resolutions to many complaints. I established constructive relationships with the Government by using our contract, applicable regulations and clarification of inherently governmental responsibilities. I resolved the contract performance issues with the Government.

As Engineering Manager for Grubb & Ellis Management Services in support of a major portfolio, I was challenged to push portfolio compliance with Reliability Best Practices. I was neither a customer’s manager nor supervisor of Grubb & Ellis facility managers. I built a dashboard using the Reliability assessments and progress meetings of the sites. I established the original measures of compliance and converted the stated goals into measurements on the dashboard. Using a model of progressive improvement, the dashboard showed who was on track to meet the goals and who was not. I worked persistently to get managers to address the potential reliability issues associated with high employee turnover and inadequate staffing. I assisted and mentored each Facility Manager and their staff with the successful completion of their corrective action plans. The people who owned the measurements and results generally responded to meet the goals. I drove Reliability Best Practice compliance from about 78% to 96.1%.