# Opportunities equal experience for new acquisition deputy director

/ Published April 17, 2023
FORT BELVOIR, Va., 
George Atwood came on board as the deputy director of Defense Logistics Agency Acquisition in December, but his history with the agency goes back almost 30 years.

He started in 1994 as a contract specialist at DLA Energy, where he learned about all the pieces that go into awarding a contract at the ground level.

Throughout his time with the agency, he learned that taking the road less traveled can set one up for success.

“As I look back through my career here, I tried to volunteer for challenging assignments, especially for new initiatives that involved working with a broad group of stakeholders. These experiences helped expand my perspectives and learning on the vast responsibilities of DLA,” he said.

As he rose up within the agency’s ranks, eventually serving as the executive director for the Logistics, Policy and Strategic Programs Directorate in DLA Logistics Operations and the deputy commander of DLA Energy, he saw different opportunities as a chance to help him grow and stand out. 

While he was the deputy director for Direct Delivery Fuels at DLA Energy, he and his family moved to Kaiserslautern, Germany, in 2008 to work with DLA Europe and Africa as the DLA Energy Europe and Africa Deputy. He also volunteered to go to Kyrgyzstan to work with the Office of the Secretary of Defense and State Department on fuel contracts to support the U.S. presence at Manas Air Base.

“It’s good to volunteer for things that don’t come along very often, and it can help you down the road with other challenges you may have. The more experiences you have and the more different situations you can be in, you learn from that and can apply it, and then teach it to others as well,” he said.

He urges DLA employees to think about getting out of their comfort zones.

“When I look back, if I had not volunteered for those roles, I probably would have regretted it because the experiences that I gained, both personally and professionally, added a lot to my framework and my knowledge,” he said. “It also really helped me down the road when it came time to competing for [Senior Executive Service] positions.” 

Atwood entered the SES in November 2014. He didn’t get the first SES job he applied for, but he took the feedback to heart and continued working on making himself competitive for the next opportunity.

“When opportunities arise, you have to be ready to get out of your comfort zone and focus on how your skillset will contribute to a desired outcome. Sometimes things don’t work out the way you would want them to, but seeking out constructive feedback is very important to your own self learning and better positions you to compete for the next opportunity,” he said.    

There are three main parts to Atwood’s leadership style. First is his team-oriented approach to leadership, and the second is fostering an environment of teamwork and collaboration.

He wants to create a climate where the employees and division chiefs who report to him feel comfortable bringing their thoughts, opinions and ideas to him, he said.

“Being able to pull those different ideas and thoughts from our employees – given our great diversity and the different backgrounds and experiences that we’ve had as both military and civilian employees – that’s critical to being able to work through problems that we face each and every day,” Atwood added.

The final piece is servant leadership.

“At the end of the day, our employees are the ones who are executing and producing the work that leads to outcomes for our stakeholders. They’re doing a lot of the problem solving. My role is to make sure I’m there to support them in what they need to be successful, remove barriers, and help them make decisions when we can’t come to an agreement at other levels,” he said.

His goals as the new deputy director include supporting DLA Acquisition Director Matthew Beebe, as well as the initiatives of the Defense Department and major subordinate commands. That includes getting a better understanding of defense industrial base challenges. He said he wants to ensure a successful execution of the acquisition modernization effort and support DLA’s Digital-Business Transformation goals as well.

Atwood’s plans also include working with the DLA General Counsel and MSCs to refine the source selection process and working toward audit readiness using experience from his time in DLA Logistics Operations.

Creating solutions to unexpected challenges is one of the biggest joys of his DLA career, he added.

“At the end of the workday, when we all go home, we can look back and say, ‘You know what? I made a contribution today. I helped somebody somewhere, or I furthered along an initiative or project,’” he said. “That’s what is fulfilling.”