An Army Contracting Command-New Jersey contract specialist, Steven Piggott, has been selected for the Defense Civilian Emerging Leader Program. The DOD acquisition workforce is allocated 100 slots for this program annually and the final selection is made by Office of the Secretary of Defense functional community managers.
Before becoming a contracting specialist, Piggott was an active duty infantryman who served on active duty for five years with the 3rd Infantry Division and an additional five years with the New Jersey Army National Guard. He has completed multiple deployments to Iraq.
"His military background gives him a distinct understanding of the contracting mission supporting our warfighters and will provide important insight to the DCELP cohort experience" said Rafael Rivera, Piggott's supervisor.
Piggott began his contract specialist role by being selected for a presidential hiring initiative program specifically targeting veterans in 2011 called Vets2Feds, Student Trainee Career Development Program (Contracting).
"I do not think my selection would have been possible without the outstanding leadership and support that I have been afforded here at Picatinny Arsenal, Piggott said. "I look forward to the opportunities and growth that this program will provide."
According to the Army Acquisition Support Center web site the DCELP was created to recruit and develop the next generation of innovative leaders who possess the technical competence to meet the future leadership needs of the DOD. The program fills a critical need, by enabling the DOD to focus on leadership development of entry level and emerging GS-07 through GS-11 future leaders in the acquisition, financial management, and human resources communities.
Piggott was selected to represent the acquisition community.
The program consists of five residential courses conducted by OPM that focus on leadership assessment, leadership skills for non-supervisors, team development I and II, conflict resolution and effective writing and research in the federal government. The course is taught at the DOD Executive Management Training Center in Southbridge, Massachusetts.
Piggott's target date for graduation is September 2016. Upon graduation he will receive DOD and OPM certificates. He will also incur a 3-year service commitment.
Piggott is a member to National Contract Management Association and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
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