Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD: Though she doesn't see herself as a champion of women's rights, Maria Esparraguera does appreciate the challenges she overcame to acquire her position. Esparraguera is the chief counsel of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command.
A member of the Senior Executive Service, she is responsible for the resolution of all contracts governing, labor, military justice, administration, patents and more impacting CECOM and Aberdeen Proving Ground. Her office coordinates and advises legal personnel in the installation's other major commands as well as with the U.S. Army Contracting Command/APG, and she currently is overseeing the consolidation of legal offices within U.S. Army Materiel Command organizations on the installation.
After many years working in the CECOM legal office at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, Esparraguera lost her husband suddenly to a car accident. She moved to APG during the base realignment and closure transition that relocated CECOM. She was promoted to SES level just before Fort Monmouth closed.
Esparraguera said the move was made more painful due to the loss of her husband, but she drew on the strength that got her through her loss to guide her through the transition to Maryland.
"I left a lot of friends there," she said, noting that at the time she had 26 years with the organization. "But since then, whenever I wonder if I have the strength to do something, I look back on that time and I know I can do it. I have the strength."
While she gravitated to law in college, Esparraguera said she was unsure of where it would take her.
"I only knew that I wanted to work for the government; I wanted to serve," she said.
Esparraguera met her husband in college. They attended different law schools but were united in their desire to relocate to the Jersey Shore after they married. She said the fortuitous move is what brought on the connection to Fort Monmouth.
Though she got feet wet in the civilian court system, she said every victory as well as every defeat held valuable lessons that helped propel her career.
"My first case was about termination of a contract. I was supporting another attorney but I didn't actively participate and we lost," she said.
"That taught me that you have to prepare, listen, and pay attention to detail. I learned so much more from my losses."
The only child or loving parents who encouraged a solid educational foundation, Esparraguera hails from Oil City, Pennsylvania -- the home of the nation's first oil wells and big oil companies and which still is a popular tourist attraction.
She recalled growing up during an era when males and females were treated separately and unequally.
"I can remember high school gym class when we were taught to play basketball," she said. "Only two of the six girls on the squad could run the whole court. They were called "rovers." The rest could only play on their half because it was thought running the whole court was too strenuous."
She said rising through what once was a male-dominated profession also held its challenges and noted that while female lawyers are nearly equal in numbers today, certain areas of law remain dominated by males.
A bright and eager student who always loved learning, Esparraguera takes pride in women achievements. She said she's always surprised to see how people know about Amelia Earhart, the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, yet never heard of Geraldine "Jerrie" Mock, the first woman to fly solo around the world.
An aviation enthusiast, Esparraguera noted that Mock had to constantly battle current-day conventions, which she defied by wearing a skirt when she flew.
"When she landed in the Middle East and stayed overnight, they wouldn't let her back onto the airfield the next day because they didn't believe she was a pilot," she said.
She also holds admiration for Kathryn Condon, who was named Executive Director of the Army National Cemeteries Program, after the Arlington National Cemetery mismanagement controversy. Condon is credited with implementing changes that achieved 96 percent accuracy in the 400,000 grave markers at Arlington.
Esparraguera added that Condon's introduction of geospatial technology, which allows access to grave information and photos on smart phones, brought records-keeping at national cemeteries into the 21st century.
"She had a huge job, but she also had a vision," Esparraguera said. "She's a dynamic leader."
A self-described approachable leader who believes in listening to others, Esparraguera said she tries to allow those within her organization room to find their own solutions.
She said she admires the philosophy of Joseph Wienand, the former director of the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center in APG South (Edgewood).
"When Joe talked standards he talked the "Three Ps,"" she said, "people, positive attitude and persistence.
"You have to care about the people you're leading and I try to lead by the "Three Ps."
"I'm lucky to have wonderful lawyers and staff and it thrills me to see them grow."
As for relocating to the Aberdeen Proving Ground area, Esparraguera said it worked out for the best.
"When you leave a place after so long you come to realize what's important and what's not. Yes I left a lot of friends and it's different, but the people here are just as strong and just as important. And like so many other things in life, it's the people who make the difference."
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