REDSTONE ARSENAL, Alabama -- Army public works professionals from every installation in the U.S. converged on Redstone Arsenal to share information with a focus on the future.
About 120 attended the two-day Fiscal Year 2023 Public Works Leader Forum, Feb. 28-March 1 at the Community Activity Center. This was the first of what is to become an annual event.
“It’s a garrison-focused collaboration between the three Installation Management Command continental U.S. directorates to bring all the directors of public works to a leader forum to discuss Army senior leader priorities and infrastructure and facilities,” Mary Dotson, chief of public works for IMCOM-Sustainment, said. “This event provided a venue to share lessons learned and to essentially build relationships and partnerships between the DPW community.”
Joe Hallatschek, chief of public works for IMCOM-Readiness based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, said the forum represented “two days of sharing ideas, innovations and plans for the future.”
Every installation in the continental U.S. was represented by its director of public works. The senior leader speakers included Bill Kidd, IMCOM G-4 (Logistics), and Sally Pfenning, resource integration director for Army Deputy Chief of Staff G-9 (Installations).
The Installation Management Command directorates within the U.S. include IMCOM-Sustainment, based at Redstone, which supports the Army Materiel Command installations, the Military District of Washington installations and the Future Command installations; IMCOM-Readiness, at Fort Bragg, which supports the Forces Command, Army Test and Evaluation Command and four Army Reserve installations; and IMCOM-Training, based at Fort Eustis, Virginia, which supports the Training and Doctrine Command installations.
Joe Wyka, director of public works for Fort Carson, Colorado, shared his thoughts on attending the event. “I’ve never been to Redstone,” he said. “So it’s great to see another Army installation. I’ve really enjoyed getting to meet with fellow public works professionals.”
Wyka joined the Installation Management Command in 2008. He served as public works director of Fort Rucker from 2018-20 and at Fort Carson since 2020. “I grew up in Ohio but I was a former Army officer so I’ve lived all over,” he said.
Sammy Goss, deputy director of public works at Anniston Army Depot, made the two-hour trip to Redstone. “I think it’s great,” Goss said during the lunch break on the first day. “I think we come in and share ideas. I mean I’ve got some takeaways already. And understanding that our problems are Armywide; it’s not just central to Anniston Army Depot. A collective decision is always good. Two minds are better than one.”
Social Sharing