FORT RILEY, Kan. -- Brenda Lee McCullough, director, Installation Management Command-Readiness, visited Fort Riley Nov. 6 to 9 as part of her bi-annual review of the installation.
During her time at the installation, she met with garrison and 1st Infantry Division leadership, toured facilities and spoke with the staff of those locations to develop an understanding of how Fort Riley and its people operate.
"I have 20 garrisons and I like to get out to garrisons and get the on-the-ground perspective because by getting the on-the-ground perspective, I am better informed because I've seen it whenever I'm advocating for their requirements," she said.
McCullough serves as a direct connection between the 20 garrisons that fall under her and the IMCOM commander Lt. Gen. Kenneth R. Dahl. In her position, she serves as an advocate for the installations to assist them with funding and infrastructure needs.
"She saw some good things and she saw some places where we needed help and every installation is a little bit different because we're all not at the same state regarding infrastructure, so I think she left here with an understanding of where we are facilities wise so she can be an advocate for us," said Tim Livsey, Fort Riley garrison deputy commander.
She also learns from her garrisons to share their best practices with others.
"She took a lot of what we gave here and she sees the best from all of her installations, so she took away some things that will be helpful for her at other installations and at the same time allow her to help be an advocate for us as well," Livsey said.
During her visit, she toured facilities like the Outdoor Adventure and Travel Center, the Fort Riley Stray Animal Shelter, the Warrior Zone, Custer Hill Bowling Center and more. Of the facilities she saw, she said she was impressed with the ingenuity of the
Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation to meet needs of the Fort Riley community with limited resources.
"The (Outdoor) Adventure Park is a good news story because, of course, we used to have a golf course here, but the golf course could not make its profitability standards, which means really no one was using it, at least not at the density that was needed in order to turn a profit, so a corporate decision was made to close the golf course and in the meantime, you had all the space, so what do you with it?," McCullough said. "Our recreators came together and they came up with a great concept that provides wholesome opportunities for entertainment for families, for single Soldiers, for groups because the way it's set up now, there's also an opportunity to do team building activities, so people can use it for org day, as well as just good family time."
David Roudybush, director of DFMWR, said he appreciated having McCullough visit and praise many of the MWR facilities, but what mattered the most to him was having her meet the staff that make everything work.
"We pride ourselves on being innovating and want to showcase our best practices to Army Senior Leadership," he said. "Understanding her perspective and incorporating her feedback will be important when future funding decisions are being made. However, it was not just about showing our facilities and programs; we also wanted Ms. McCullough to meet our employees. The workforce here at Fort Riley is amazing. You can feel their passion for supporting this community. It is important to me that she leave Fort Riley understanding that our successes are not due to a good idea, but because of the dedication and support of our employees."
McCullough said she also enjoyed meeting the personnel who make Fort Riley run and loved the relationship between the garrison and the 1st Infantry Division.
"I like Fort Riley," she said. "It's got a very passionate team. It's obvious in the relationship that they have with the division that it is a good relationship, it's very solid.
It's mutually beneficial in that the garrison has the right focus in supporting the senior commander's requirements while still balancing the IMCOM commander's priorities."
After her visit, McCullough said she had much to take away and share with other installations.
"What I like to see across all my garrisons are opportunities to share best practices that can get at certain challenges or problems that we have across the enterprise. For instance, stray animals are a challenge that's been brought to my attention by several of my garrison commanders. Fort Riley has cracked the code and they've come up with a really good model that is mutually beneficial not only for the installation, but also with the partnerships outside the gate."
Above all else though, she said she was proud to see IMCOM employees passionate about their jobs and assisting service members and their families.
"I think it's the passion of the people," McCullough said. "I think what's really good about
Fort Riley and what makes things work so well here is the passion for doing the right things, supporting service members and their families. I see it every day in the way that our IMCOMers treat their customer base, how they come to work, how they execute their job and they always do it with a smile on their face, no matter what the challenges they run into, it's always a good day."
Social Sharing