FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. -- After a long and memorable career, the U.S. Army Information Systems Engineering Command (USAISEC) Deputy to the Commander, Albert Rivera, has finally decided to retire.
A native of Bisbee, Arizona, Rivera said prior to entering into Government service, he had always wanted to be a police officer--up to his senior year in high school--but changed his mind after his school acquired a computer.
"During my senior year, Bisbee High School got its first computer," said Rivera. "I really liked it because I'd never seen one before. I got to play with it, program on it, and I thought to myself, 'Wow, I really like this stuff!' I took a computer class and was an aide to the teacher."
Rivera said he didn't intend on getting into Government service. During his senior school year, he applied for an internship without knowing where it would lead.
"I heard about an internship that Fort Huachuca announced to all the high schools in the county," he recalled. "There were two positions available: a technical and a research manager position. I wanted to apply for the technical position; in fact, my school counselor told me that I should apply for that position, so I did. At the time of my interview, I had no clue that it was with the Government."
Rivera started his civil-service career in 1980 right out of high school. While he was attending the University of Arizona (UA), he worked as an engineering intern with the U.S. Army CommunicationâElectronics Engineering and Installation Agency, the predecessor of USAISEC, and later received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering while in Government service.
"I worked as an intern while I was going to college," he said. "I would come in the summers and work, then I'd go back to school. I repeated that until I graduated from UA while I was in the Government."
Rivera's career followed the traditional course of progressing through the ranks, but it is far from ordinary. What makes it so unusual is that he spent his entire career in the same organization--from intern to being the right hand to the Commander. Fast forward more than three decades, and Rivera resides at the pinnacle of the General Schedule (GS) scale and holds the top Civilian position within USAISEC.
"I started as an intern as a GS-1 and I end my career as a GS-15," Rivera said. "I started at the very bottom. I didn't think I'd do it for 37 years."
He has held positions at every level within the Command's structure. Rivera's journey up the chain has provided him the necessary knowledge and experience needed to successfully mentor the Command's workforce.
"It's all about the passion and excitement this Command gives you," Rivera said. "It's exciting to work in USAISEC. In every position, I learned something new, I learned something different, and I moved up. I took that knowledge and went to the next level."
Rivera said developing and training employees is an important part of leadership, and he takes this role very seriously. Starting as an intern himself, he has been a big influence and a role model. He said he "kick-started" the intern program by enabling and pushing it a lot. And it has paid huge dividends in terms of filling vacancies during USAISEC's hiring restrictions.
"I was very energetic about different intern programs," he said. "I went out to get SMART [Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation] students and Pathway Recent Graduate Interns. These are the best people to get because they're still young; you can mold and train them and get them excited about the work we're doing so they stay with the Government."
As USAISEC's most senior Civilian, Rivera's duties and responsibilities span across many different areas. One of the most important roles is serving as the Commander's confidant and advisor, providing leadership, guidance, mentorship, and direction. USAISEC has not skipped a beat and that is a direct reflection on Rivera's leadership philosophy.
"Albert has been a personal advisor and mentor to a number of leaders in the Command including myself," said Carey Luse, USAISEC S3. "He is a true pillar of USAISEC. His leadership qualities and inspiration to the workforce has been the epitome of his success. His remarkable dedication, undeniable experience, and knowledge of every aspect of the Command's operation will be difficult to replace."
Commanders at USAISEC are Department of the Army selected Colonels who serve in Command for only 2 years. Rivera has served as the deputy for two separate Commanders, each one with different leadership philosophies and styles. Rivera's consistency is one of the cornerstones of USAISEC's overwhelming success in terms of mission accomplishment. Instead of starting from scratch with each Commander, Rivera has helped to establish processes and procedures where each one builds on the successes of their predecessor.
As for USAISEC, the Commander, Col. Wendy Rivers, said it best.
"Thirty-seven dedicated years in one organization, serving at every level--that is Excellence in Engineering!" said Rivers. "Albert will truly be missed for his leadership skills, selfless service to the organization, and his steadfast mentorship across the intern program."
Rendering words of encouragement to Rivera, the USAISEC commander said, "Your next chapter in life will be even more fulfilling. Find your second passion, spend more time with family, and never forget your USAISEC family."
During his many assignments in USAISEC, Rivera leaves after selflessly serving as the Deputy to the Commander for a 400-plus member workforce since 2014. He was instrumental in making significant contributions to the quality, effectiveness, and responsiveness of the Command, staff, and directorates supporting the assigned mission.
Rivera has received many awards throughout his career. He said one of his greatest accomplishments was the undertaking of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 2005 project. He received the Superior Civilian Service Award for completing Army construction projects for various major command relocations implemented under BRAC 2005. He recalls this as being the most rewarding.
"The magnitude for the BRAC project was huge," said Rivera. "That was a large effort for USAISEC that I orchestrated while I was the Technical Director. There's nothing more satisfying than completing a project and accomplishing the job."
Through it all, it's no surprise that Rivera fits in so well in Government service. While growing up, his parents gave him advice to help him succeed in life.
"My parents instilled in me a work ethic to work hard and always do my best," said Rivera. "My dad told me to continue to learn, continue to work hard; don't do it half way. It was his mantra."
Offering words of gratitude and leaving "Team ISEC" with parting words, Rivera commended the entire workforce.
"I want to thank USAISEC for a great career. I've enjoyed my time here in USAISEC; the people here are awesome," Rivera said. "I want to tell everyone to stay dedicated and stay focused on what we're trying to do. We're doing it for the Army, for DOD. We're not at the front line, but we enable the Warfighters to do their job."
Following retirement, Rivera said he plans to relax. He said that he wants to do some work at home and spend more time with his family. He also plans on playing more golf, doing more reading, and traveling.
"I'm excited about this next chapter of my life," Rivera said. "I have a lot of work to do at the house; things that haven't been taken care. I'll also be hanging out with my godchildren and doing things with them because it'll be summer vacation. I plan on going to Australia in the fall where my brother lives."
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