James A. Cromartie, a logistics management specialist in the Medical Support Systems Project Management Office of the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity, was named recipient of the Calendar Year 2016 U.S. Army Medical Department Professional Medical Logisticians' Civilian Award in the category of "Medical Logistics Civilian Employees in the Grades of GS-12 through GS-15."
Presented by the Army Surgeon General each year, this award is given to individuals who have clearly demonstrated to the Army exceptional leadership skills, technical competence, professionalism and customer service in the medical logistics field.
"Since joining the MSS PMO in 2012, Mr. Cromartie has always been an outstanding team member, and he typically serves in a critical capacity for our efforts," said Steven Hawbecker, MSS PMO project manager. "His performance during calendar year 2016 was truly remarkable and will certainly impact field healthcare for many years to come."
"In response to the Army Chief of Staff's and Army Surgeon General's focus on Army Readiness," he continued, "James led the execution of multiple contingency plans for Army Medicine to ensure availability of critical materiel products for our Warfighters."
Having served 26 years in the U.S. Army, Cromartie certainly understands the importance of procuring critical items for our Service Members in the field. His last tour was spent with the 339th Combat Support Hospital in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, where he served as the Executive Officer/Chief for Medical Operations. In 2003, Cromartie retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel and was awarded the Order of Military Medical Merit Medal.
Upon his retirement from the military, Cromartie served as Deputy Director for Logistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he was responsible for the oversight of daily logistics activities related to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Strategic National Stockpile. The SNS Logistics Branch is charged with maintaining the stockpile's inventory of medical supplies, equipment, vaccines and other pharmaceuticals strategically located throughout the U.S. and its territories.
After completing various assignments as a project manager, medical logistician and management analyst, in 2012 Cromartie accepted his current position as a senior logistics management specialist with USAMMDA. In this role, he plans and executes the total lifecycle management of critical medical and nonmedical materiel in support of the MSS PMO mission.
Not only does Cromartie love his job, he truly respects the people he works with on a daily basis.
"I'm extremely appreciative and humbled by the receipt of this prestigious award," he said. "As a career medical logistician, this recognition comes as a direct result of my close working relationships with numerous dedicated AMEDD professionals."
Cromartie is equally respected by his associates and teammates, as well as USAMMDA commander, Col. Ryan Bailey.
"Mr. Cromartie exemplifies our dedication to the mission of USAMMDA, as he often finds innovative ways to develop and manufacture critical products for our Warfighters," said Bailey.
"In 2016, he was assigned to lead a difficult procurement action to replace legacy Chemical Patient Protective Wraps at the direction of the Office of the Surgeon General," he continued. "Mr. Cromartie quickly engaged the Protection Joint Project Management Office under the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense, to collaboratively formulate an acquisition strategy. Together, they designed an approach to utilize a government-owned technical design package, establishing a cost-effective and sustainable production at Pine Bluff Arsenal."
In response to the directive to ensure military readiness, Cromartie's expertise was instrumental in finding a replacement for outdated soft-wall shelters comprising Field Hospitals. Procured almost three decades ago, the existing soft-wall shelters were not only too heavy, a majority of the product was found to be deficient in fire resistance, which created a significant safety hazard. Working with the MSS PMO product manager, Jaime Lee, and other team members, Cromartie was successful in helping to secure Department of Defense funding to provide updated soft-wall shelters to our Warfighters in the field. His primary role now lies in documentation for the new system and sustainment of inventory stored at the assigned U.S. Army Depot.
Cromartie's outstanding professionalism and "can-do" attitude is said to be highly infectious, as he works diligently across agencies and commands to generate solutions for logistics issues. Further, his commitment to self-development and job improvement is evidenced by his completion of 61 continuous learning points above the benchmark requirement for acquisition professionals during CY16.
"Mr. Cromartie managed this additional education without any decrease in workload or decrement in his performance," said Hawbecker.
Without question, James Cromartie serves as a shining example of the dedicated professionals that comprise the USAMMDA team. The tremendous effort he and his colleagues display on a daily basis leads directly to mission success, which only helps to ensure that USAMMDA remains the premier developer of world-class military medical capabilities to protect, treat and sustain the health of Service Members throughout the world.
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