REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- Stepping out of her comfort zone has long defined the career of the Aviation and Missile Command's Cathy Dickens.
So, too, has tenacity, commitment, resourcefulness, determination, teamwork, persistence and passion.
For 37 years, Dickens has followed a career path that put her in the right place at the right time to effect change, to implement new programs and to support the war fighter. Beginning in her early years as an entry-level secretary, Dickens established a reputation as being a civil servant committed to making a difference for the employees she worked with and the war fighters she served. That reputation followed her through her many years as a contracting official when she juggled a job and a family while also going to college and through her later career days when she's served as a member of the senior executive service at the Space and Missile Defense Command, the Army Contracting Command and then AMCOM.
"I always did my best at whatever job I had," said Dickens, who is the first female senior executive to serve as AMCOM's deputy commander and as its highest civilian executive, and the first leader with a contracting background to take on the job.
"I hope the impression that I've left with others is that I am someone they could always count on, that I actually did what I said I would do. I hope people see me as someone who always met her commitments and her promises, and as a leader who helped them to accomplish their mission."
Today, Dickens is stepping totally out of her comfort zone as she prepares to retire from government service and leave her second family -- her Army family -- at Redstone Arsenal. She retires June 30 during a dinner ceremony at The Summit.
"I decided in this last year that, as much as I enjoy and love my job with AMCOM, it's also very demanding. I need a little downtime after 37 years with the government. I need a less demanding role so that I can spend more time with my family. And the time is right as AMCOM and the Army and entire Department of Defense is moving into another environment of change based on funding and mission requirements," she said.
"God is telling me it's the right time. But it's still a very hard decision. I love the people that I have worked with over the years, and the AMCOM mission set that is so critical and touches the lives of Soldiers every day. I've so enjoyed working with the best staff dedicated and committed to doing the right thing for the Soldier."
Dickens said it's time to say "goodbye" to her second family so she can concentrate wholeheartedly on her first family -- her mother, her two sons and their wives, and her 1-year-old grandson, all of whom live close to Dickens' Meridianville home. Sadly, Dickens' family is without her husband, who died of cancer five years ago. While she does plan to continue her professional career with a local defense contractor, her new employment opportunity will come with the flexibility she needs to spend quality time with her family.
"I don't think I can ever have another job where I can serve the nation in the same way as I have here at Redstone Arsenal," she said. "But I will continue to serve in a little different way."
Although Dickens is well known for career accomplishments in the contracting field, she is also recognized for the leadership she has provided to employees, regardless of whether they are contracting officials, logisticians or engineers. Besides setting a professional example for her employees, Dickens has also been dedicated to assisting them and guiding them in achieving their own accomplishments and furthering their own careers.
Strong Work Ethic
"I'm a people person," she said. "I hope that I've reached out and touched people, that I've mentored people and encouraged people to do their best and have passion for what they do. As a leader, you hope that you are a good teacher and mentor, and that you are able to grow those around you to make them better at what they do."
When she entered civilian service in 1978, Dickens brought with her a strong work ethic learned from her parents.
"But I did not understand the importance of our Army, the importance of being a public servant. I grew into that," she said. "And then at some point I fell in love with the Army and our Soldiers, and what they and their families sacrifice for our nation. In my small way, I hope that I have given them the support they need to do their mission."
Her first couple years, she worked as a secretary. In 1981, she became a contract specialist/contracting officer for the Missile Command, opening up a door of opportunity that allowed her to take on contracting positions of increasing responsibility. Helping her along the way was her first-line supervisor Diane Landtroop, who mentored her and challenged her to grow in her government career.
By 1993, she had earned her bachelor's in business administration from Athens State College, graduating with highest scholastic achievement honors. In 1998, she earned her master's in management from the Florida Institute of Technology.
"I continued to learn and grow through each of my assignments," Dickens said. "And with each assignment, I got to see a slightly different view and I got to touch a different area. That kind of experience broadens your understanding of the importance of all the different mission sets."
In 2007, Dickens career took a shift into logistics, when she was chosen to serve as the director of the Logistics Modernization Program integration for AMCOM.
"LMP was certainly outside my comfort zone. I wasn't a logistician," she said. "But Dr. Richard Amos (then AMCOM deputy commander) told me I had the leadership qualities required to do the job. He had the confidence that my leadership skills would serve me well."
The success of that assignment led to her appointment in 2009 to the Senior Executive Service, and then, as director of the Army Contracting Command-Redstone, where she simultaneously took on the roles as the top acquisition authority, consultant and adviser to the commander of the Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command and AMCOM. As such, she managed and directed an acquisition program consisting of contract awards of $25 billion annually and active contracts of $110 billion.
Connecting Through AMCOM
Then, in 2013, Dickens was tapped to serve in her current top civilian position at AMCOM, where she has managed a multifaceted and diverse organization with an annual budget of over $4 billion, and a global workforce of over 11,000 military and civilian employees.
"I came into this organization from a contracting aspect. My depth in knowledge of logistics has significantly increased as I've come to understand the complexity of what logisticians do every day to ensure the readiness of the equipment we support," she said.
"With engineering, I've learned about safety, air worthiness and materiel readiness, and I've worked closely with AMRDEC and the AMCOM Safety Office to learn the steps we take to make sure our equipment is safe and suitable, and that it can be supported."
And it is in this current role where she has found the best opportunity to connect beyond the organization to the Soldier in the field.
"I have been able to go out and meet Soldiers, and talk to Soldiers -- from the least senior Soldiers to the warrant officers and commanders -- who are using our equipment," she said.
"It's been a phenomenal opportunity. They are so dedicated and so impressive with what they do. No matter what problem develops in the field, they persevere and find ways to make the mission successful. For years, I bought equipment for Soldiers. So, it is very rewarding to me to see them being successful with that equipment."
She has also enjoyed working with employees across the AMCOM enterprise to include the program executive officers for Aviation, and for Missiles and Space, the Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center and the Army Contracting Command, and such partners as the Tank Automotive Command, Communications Electronics Command and other organizations within the Army Materiel Command.
"Leveraging all those different employees in those different organizations to support Soldiers is very rewarding," Dickens said.
Tough Times
Along the way, there were also tough decisions to make, decisions that still don't sit well with Dickens.
"When you move to an SES level, you start to recognize all the challenges we have in making decisions from a budget standpoint," she said. "It is most challenging to do everything possible so that budget constraints don't impact Soldiers, or impact the organization and its people and systems.
"I was the deciding official for AMCOM when we had to manage through the furloughs. It was hard to implement that knowing that it made some of our people feel less valued."
More of those difficult times are ahead for AMCOM, the Army and DoD, Dickens said, as missions, programs and employee morale are threatened by tightening budgets, furloughs and sequestration.
"As public servants, we can't forget who we serve. And you need to keep that in your heart," she said. "Regardless of the external pressures, you are doing something that is very important to our nation and to our war fighter."
Even as the nation and the Department of Defense struggle with budget challenges, the need to ensure a secure nation is more vital than ever.
"DoD is responsible for providing that security at a time when there is a lot of instability in the world," she said. "It is an important time to have a strong Army. We must be able to continue to provide readiness and take care of Soldiers in a budget constraint environment."
And yet, in the face of difficult managerial decisions and some days that were just tough to navigate through, Dickens always seemed to keep hold of her passion for government service.
"Every day for so many years, this has been rewarding for me. I've always been excited to come to work. Sure, there are days that get frustrating. But you persevere, and surround yourself with positive people who can encourage you and who you can trust to give you good advice," she said.
"You pray about it and know that everything changes and there is opportunity to improve. I don't let a lot of external things really impact my ability to do things I need to do."
Effecting Change
Dickens firmly believes that an employee does not have to be a manager or supervisor to effect change and to make improvement within an organization.
"In every job, you have the opportunity to lead and influence. As I look over my career, there are so many jobs I'm proud to have been a part of," she said.
In contracting, she is especially proud of the long-term contracting arrangements she helped to negotiate that saved taxpayer money while speeding up the time for getting needed equipment in the field. In leading employees, she is proud of helping people grow as first-line supervisors all the way through the top echelons of management.
Dickens believes managers and supervisors should make their employee's welfare and growth a top priority. Likewise, employees should find ways to make a difference within their organizations.
"There has to be a willingness to go to the next level. When you are asked to do something, go a step beyond and do more," she said.
"We live in a bureaucracy, but don't believe that something can't be done simply because it's never been done before. If you allow that to stop you, then you will never be successful. Understand the rules and the regulations and the laws, but find ways to achieve the objective for the Soldier within those rules, regulations and laws."
During the course of her career, Dickens has been recognized for numerous achievements. She has been the recipient of such awards as the Award for Exceptional Civilian Service, Civilian Meritorious Award and the Superior Civilian Service Award as well as chosen as the DA Civilian of the Year by the Redstone-Huntsville Chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army in 2013.
But one of her most cherished awards is the Order of St. Michael that she received from the Army Aviation Association of America as a non-aviator. The award recognizes those who have contributed significantly to the promotion of Army aviation in ways that stand out in the eyes of the recipient's seniors, subordinates and peers.
"That really touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes because it was about the customer recognizing what I had done in support of them," she said.
She is also especially proud of the Secretary of the Army Specialized Contracting Award that a team of about 10 contracting specialists won for the Army Contracting Command during her time at its helm.
"It meant a lot to me because I knew how hard that team of people worked to develop several long-term contracts with major suppliers to put in place contractual instructions to buy high-end items such as engines, transmissions and circuit cards for all of our platforms. Their work reduced the contractual time for new equipment from 500 days to 70 days," she said.
"This was the first time these types of contacts were created. They set the standard for future contracts."
New Chapter
As she gets ready to retire and start a new chapter in her life, Dickens is grateful for the mentors, teachers and supporters she has had in her life -- her parents and husband, multiple supervisors, peers , AMCOM's Jim Flinn, Richard Amos and Ronnie Chronister, and a long list of general officers who have led AMCOM while she has served the organization.
"The general officers have all been such good role models because they are so dedicated to this nation," she said. "You watch their actions and passion, and you really get a sense of appreciation for the sacrifices they have made. At every level, Soldiers and their families have made huge sacrifices."
The list of people she should thank for a wonderful career is long, Dickens said. Each has brought a lesson or an insight into her life, or have guided or mentored her in some way.
"I can't possibly name all the people who have touched my life and made a difference in my career, and that I've had the opportunity to work with and serve with," she said. "They have each meant a lot to me personally. The caliber of employees here at AMCOM and all across Redstone Arsenal really makes a difference every day. It is a team I am truly going to miss."
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