Jackie Williams' philosophy is "There is goodness in everything and everyone, you just have to look for it." And, "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change."

Both quotes are from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, and she shares them often.

Change is a constant in any work environment. Add to that wearing an additional hat at work, on top of your other duties, and one could reject change. However, Williams consistently demonstrates professionalism in whatever duties come her way.

Williams is the Deputy Director of the EUCOM/AFRICOM Regional Operations Directorate at the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command. For over half of 2017 she was both the deputy and the acting director of her directorate.

"She is a bedrock of stability and continuity, a fantastic teacher and mentor, and a natural leader who leads from the front," Col. Michael Morton, USASAC director of EUCOM/AFRICOM Regional Operations Directorate and Jackie's supervisor, said.

During the majority of 2017, her work in foreign military sales, or FMS, at USASAC saw her supervise 65 personnel geographically dispersed from Redstone Arsenal, to New Cumberland, Pa., and Stuttgart, Germany. She also had to meet other representatives of the Army Material Command Security Assistance Enterprise, as well as numerous foreign military representatives. USASAC's motto is "The Army's Face to the World", and Williams is one of its most prominent, according to Morton.

In Williams day-to-day duties as deputy, she provides advice and leadership to her team that manages a combined total of over 2,350 active FMS cases spread across EUCOM and AFRICOM; nine international organizations, which includes the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; and 83 countries.

The value of this large portfolio exceeds $212.9 billion. Last year, Jackie oversaw the directorate's implementation of more than 350 new Letters of Offer and Acceptance from other countries, with a total value of over $1.5 billion. These projects included many Geographical Combatant Command priority projects such as Kenya's Huey II and MD 530F helicopters; Tunisia's UH-60M and OH-58D helicopters; Georgia's M4A1 rifles; 26 Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative cases for radios, night vision devices, thermal imagers, and TPQ-36 V10 radars; and the Romanian PATRIOT Missile Air Defense System.

However, she is not all about FMS cases. In her efforts to look for goodness in everything and everyone, she is known for encouraging her team to exceed mission expectations, while promoting and maintaining a healthy work environment, fostering workforce development and consistently boosting employee morale. This extends beyond the walls of her directorate to the entire command.

"Ms. Williams' opinion and guidance are sought out by members across USASAC. She is always willing to listen, mentor when needed and quick to tell the hard truth to her subordinates, peers and seniors. She has been innovative in leading the directorate through change,' Morton said.

Williams has been in the government, and AMC, for more than 35 years, beginning as a Quartermaster Officer at the US Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command in 1981. She joined USASAC in 1989, where she says, "There is no typical day at USASAC -- especially in Regional Operations -- based on current events in the world and our political environment. You must be flexible. The job is fast paced, and I LOVE IT!"

Williams was nominated this year by USASAC for the Redstone-Huntsville chapter of the Association of the United States Army's Army Civilian of the Year award. While she did not win, "She is still a winner at USASAC," Morton added.