Corpus Christi Army Depot Commander, Col. Billingsley G. Pogue III, announced the highly anticipated selection of four senior leaders during his weekly business review, April 16th.
"Some of the most talented people in the Army's Organic Industrial Base work at CCAD," he said of the helicopter repair and rebuild facility. It was the preface of a message about some big changes ahead as CCAD adapts to remain competitive in a changing market environment.
"We're tightening the belt on our organization across all resources as we strive to do more with less. "
The depot is in the midst of reorganization as it shifts to meet the evolving requirements of the Organic Industrial Base.
"We have a lot of things putting pressure on us," he said. Decreasing demand and the reduction in flying hours means that less work is coming to CCAD.
"It's part of what I define as the crucible," COL Pogue explained. "We're at a turning point. We turned over a significant part of the senior leadership of the plant."
With a freshly minted set of directors, the commander has high expectations for CCAD's new generation of leaders. Though his overall tone was celebratory, he spoke with gravity as he exhorted his new team of directors, "To whom much is given, much is expected."
The new leaders are eager to do their part to further the Army mission. For them, the reorganization presents new opportunities to maximize support and readiness.
"We're all new," said Robert (Bob) Sharp, who was promoted to CCAD's Production Chief when civilian leader, William Braddy, retired in February. The Chief is in charge of the entire production side of the house: every directorate that lays hands on a helicopter component. "I'm new in my job."
Sharp has two months experience at the helm of production so far. "Every one of my directors has been a production director for less than a year, except for Roy Hollins, Director of Aircraft Production."
Annette Cross is another new face of executive leadership on CCAD's vital support team. She is the first female Chief of Staff in CCAD history, accepting her title the same day Bob Sharp accepted his. She was previously the depot's S1 Director of Human Capital Management and is one of only a handful of women to hold a key leadership positions at CCAD.
Four new directors were announced on April 15th, from a pool of several highly qualified candidates, which made competition tough. COL Pogue addressed the particular challenges he faced in the selection process.
"It was humbling to see the level of talent in the hiring pool, especially when I spoke with the ones who didn't get the job," the commander admitted.
Ricardo (Ric) Rincon, who has been temporarily filling the position in an acting capacity, is now the official Director of Accessories and Rotor Blades. He joined the CCAD team in 2000 as a mechanic trainee through the Del Mar College Co-op Program.
The Power Train Directorate went to Marco Garcia, a CCAD veteran since 2006. He has been the directorate's Production Control Division Chief since 2013.
Thomas Sandoval was promoted from Division Chief to Director of Production Engineering. He started his depot career in 2001 as a contractor until 2009 when CCAD hired him as an industrial engineer.
Donald (Don) Dawson, CCAD's Aircraft Components Chief, accepted the role of Director of Manufacturing Process Production. He joined the depot in 2007, bringing with him nearly 22 years of maintenance and logistics experience from the U.S. military and private industry which has made him an indispensible resource to aircraft production. His new title will go into effect later this spring.
"I'm very excited about the selections we made and the team of directors we have right now," Bob Sharp said after the announcement.
"With fresh leaders and fresh responsibilities come new eyes and new opportunities for improvement and change," Col. Pogue said. "I am very optimistic about what we will see from these talented leaders."
Related Links:
U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command (AMCOM)
Corpus Christi Army Depot Official Website
The Aircraftsman - CCAD's Official Publication
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