DETROIT ARSENAL, Mich. — Aug. 11, 2023 — “I still remember how I first got here [to the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command]. I was so excited that I could take my family in another direction and still be all that I can be.” Upon receiving his Senior Executive Service pin from his wife, Mark Colley has done just that. After 38 years of supporting the Army as a Soldier and Army civilian and his community as a volunteer emergency medical technician with the New Haven Fire Department, Colley was inducted into the Senior Executive Service in a ceremony on Aug. 11 and promoted to be the executive director of TACOM’s Integrated Logistics Support Center.
The road to his current position, according to Colley, can be attributed in large part to his family.
“My family is a huge part of this … they’ve helped me so much throughout this journey,” Colley said.
Colley went on to say that he was not only supported by his family but also shaped by his time as a Soldier.
“From my days as a Soldier, I’ve always had great teams by my side as I’ve grown. I think that point in particular sticks out here — that there have always been opportunities to advance and grow even from the beginning … ,” stated Colley after taking the SES oath.
When asked about his path to the top position within TACOM’s ILSC, Colley commented, “I’m not sure if others aspire to take the path I took to get here, but I think that this path, in its own way, supports the Army mission. The path always leads to supporting Soldiers, but it’s been paved with a support system that has been with me from the beginning.”
For Colley, that path led to the heart of TACOM’s ILSC, which provides support to U.S. Soldiers around the globe. It’s a fact that hasn’t escaped individuals such as Brig. Gen. Michael Lalor, TACOM commanding general, who said at Colley’s appointment ceremony:
“We’re really proud of him — 38 years of service to our nation as both a Soldier and a civilian would be legacy enough for anyone. But today we’re here to mark his entry into the SES and welcome him as our ILSC executive director as he takes on this huge mission — one that generates Army readiness worldwide.”
Lalor’s point was echoed by Marion Whicker, a key leader in the Army’s logistics operations, who also attended the ceremony. Whicker, an SES member and the executive deputy to the commanding general of Army Materiel Command, noted her approval of Colley’s appointment while addressing the crowd by saying, “We have this saying that the Army truly gets it right when it promotes a general officer. Well, we really got it right promoting [Colley] to the SES. I couldn’t be prouder of what he’s accomplished and where he’s going.”
Speaking after Lalor and Whicker, Colley noted what he wants to focus on now that he’s at the helm of TACOM’s largest subordinate organization:
“As a former Soldier, now the ILSC executive director, I’m looking forward to the challenges … in going after some of the Army’s hardest readiness issues. In this age, maintaining an Army that’s ready to fight and win our logistical battles today — not tomorrow — is paramount. These things really matter, because there’s always a Soldier waiting at the end of everything we do. Countless Soldiers and leaders have helped and guided me throughout my active-duty career. I’m working for them and every individual who will eventually come after them.”
Whicker then administered the oath to Colley, formally inducting him. Afterwards, Colley commented. His path is clearly ahead of him now that he has gone from being a Soldier to being a senior leader in the Army. He ended his comments by stating that he has one motto that has help him throughout his career.
“If I had just one last thing to say, it would be this: Always have a goal, pursue it and never give up, [just as I have for] 38 years and running.”
The Senior Executive Service is a position classification in the civil service of the United States federal government equivalent to general officer or flag officer rank in the U.S. Armed Forces. It was created in 1979 when the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 went into effect under President Jimmy Carter.
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