JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (Sept. 16, 2013) -- A member of the Mission and Installation Contract Command at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, has been selected recently for the Department of Defense Executive Leadership Development Program.
Cicely Simmons, a procurement analyst, is one of only approximately 60 DoD members selected to the program this year.
"It is a tremendous honor being one of eight Army participants being selected for the ELDP program for this year," Simmons said. "I am consistently seeking opportunities for self-improvement and am motivated to look for challenges. I want to be in a position to reach back and help others. I look forward to being given the opportunity to make a difference."
This 10-month program takes participants to a variety of locations both in the United States and overseas and provides a hands-on experience of the role and mission of the warfighter in DoD.
The program was developed in 1985 at the direction of the secretary of Defense to provide a method of experiential leadership development for future leaders. Program officials said it is intended to develop leaders who have an understanding of DoD's global missions; the complexities and challenges warfighters face in carrying out those missions; and to afford, through hands-on immersion training, opportunities for experiential learning that enhance the capabilities required to support and lead a military and civilian expeditionary workforce.
"It will prepare me for a broader range of leadership in a joint environment," Simmons said.
Selection to the program is very competitive. Class size is limited to 55-65 participants. The program is targeted for civilians in grade GS-12 through -14 and from military personnel in grades O-3 or O-4 or those senior enlisted in grades E-7 through -9.
"I expect many challenges both mentally and physically," Simmons said. "From passing the physical test, crawling through mud at the Army Rangers course, many reading assignments and very long hours, but I believe it will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This program will provide opportunities that will expand my understanding of the mission of DoD, improve my leadership skills and provide experiential training that can't be provided while sitting at a computer. Since this isn't a contracting program, there is a multi-discipline aspect that will reap rewards in spades."
The MICC is responsible for providing contracting support for the warfighter at Army commands, installations and activities located throughout the continental United States and Puerto Rico. In fiscal 2012, the command executed more than 58,000 contract actions worth more than $6.3 billion across the Army, including more than $2.6 billion to small businesses. The command also managed more than 1.2 million Government Purchase Card Program transactions valued at an additional $1.3 billion.
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