# From Dallas Cowboys to DLA: Chief of staff recounts career goals

/ Published March 25, 2024
FORT BELVOIR, Va., 
Fixing things was just something Eric Smith did growing up. His dad dubbed him “man of the house” before heading to Vietnam, so Smith learned to repair everything from car batteries to washing machines to help his mom and three sisters make do.

“Stuff around the house would break and I knew we didn’t have a lot of money, so I figured out how to fix things. I loved doing it,” said the Defense Logistics Agency chief of staff.

                240321-D-HE260-1040                            DLA Chief of Staff Eric Smith, right, talks about his time at DLA to agency senior leaders including DLA Vice Director Brad Bunn, left, during an award ceremony at Fort Belvoir, Va. March 21, 2024.            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: DoD Photo by Chris LynchVIRIN: 240321-D-HE260-1040That childhood penchant became a lifelong career when Smith picked maintenance, part of the Army Ordnance Corps, as his career field when he was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1982. On March 31, he’ll retire from a federal career that spans 39 years, almost 25 in uniform and a little over 14 as a member of the senior executive service. Both careers culminated at DLA. It was not a coincidence.

“When I retired from active duty at the tail end of my assignment with DLA in 2007, I mapped out a career plan to spend about 15 years as a federal civilian with the goal of eventually returning to DLA to finish the last five years of my career,” he said. “My time here on active duty was one of the best and most fulfilling assignments I had.”

## Setting goals

Raised in the small town of Columbus, Georgia, by a father who believed being average wasn’t good enough, Smith yearned for more than the status quo. Many of his classmates expected to graduate high school and go to work at nearby mills or factories that processed things like snack cakes and bath towels.

“It just wasn’t what I wanted to do,” he said. “And I wanted to get out of the South, honestly.”

He earned a football scholarship to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and his first career goal was to get drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. His dad was proud but cautious, and he prodded Smith to also pursue Plan B by joining the ROTC. The Cowboys never called.

                240312-D-D0441-1005                            DLA Chief of Staff Eric Smith stands at attention as a second lieutenant in the Army in 1982.            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: Courtesy PhotoVIRIN: 240312-D-D0441-1005“They did come and do a review of me, but I got hurt and had two shoulder injuries while playing defensive back,” Smith said. “They also wanted me to put on more weight. My nickname as a kid was ‘runt’ because I was always thin and could never gain weight.”

Instead of mourning lost dreams, Smith devoted himself to ROTC and stealing the eye of the girl he wound up marrying. In the Army, he rediscovered the joy of fixing things by repairing tanks and other large systems critical to battlefield success. He learned that being a military officer also meant leading others and taking care of soldiers and their families.

“Not everyone gets to do that. It isn’t easy,” he said.

Smith connected with his soldiers in a way that made many feel it was okay to seek help when they needed it. Some sought his advice on marriage issues or money problems. He adopted his dad’s coaching style, urging those under his charge to seek opportunities, to aim higher.

“When you try to steer someone to the right path and next thing you know they’re getting promoted and doing well, it gives you a certain level of satisfaction,” he said. “Helping others reach their goals and aspirations ... you just can’t put a value on that.”

The Army also taught Smith about supplies and transportation, and he eventually became a multifunctional logistics officer that he said matched DLA’s needs. He arrived at the agency as a lieutenant colonel in 2003 and in 2005 managed DLA’s operations center, now the Agency Synchronization Operations Center, during a hurricane season that ignited one of the largest emergency response efforts in American history.

                240312-D-D0441-1007                            Former Army Col. Eric Smith poses for a photo near the end of his 25-year military career. He retired from the Army in 2007 and will retire March 31, 2024, after 39 years of federal service.            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: Courtesy PhotoVIRIN: 240312-D-D0441-1007Smith led the planning, coordination and execution of DLA’s response in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“Because of the scale and overwhelming success of our support, it was obvious to me that the federal government would recognize DLA’s critical value in civil disaster support and would look to us again for logistics support during future disasters,” he said.

While contract specialists at DLA’s supply chains refined agreements with contractors who could surge to meet future disaster needs, Smith helped officials understand what a structured logistics capability might look like at FEMA. In late 2006, as he contemplated military retirement, he learned that FEMA was creating a position for an assistant administrator to expand and lead its in-house logistics framework. He applied in 2007, was selected, and he was still there when Hurricane Sandy slammed into New York and New Jersey in fall 2012.

Continually stretching goals was in Smith’s nature, so he sought new challenges at the Department of Energy in 2014. He spent three years there, most of it with the National Nuclear Security Administration, where he led an emergency management team charged with protecting the nation’s nuclear weapons enterprise. Then true to his plan, Smith returned to DLA in November 2019 when he was selected to be deputy director for DLA Energy. In May 2021, he returned to the agency’s headquarters as DLA chief of staff.

Smith said he was initially stunned by the scope of the chief of staff’s portfolio, which includes 12 offices ranging from DLA Installation Management to DLA Safety and Occupational Health.

“It made my head hurt and kept me up some nights, but I overcame it by learning from our staff directors and entrusting them,” he said. “DLA’s staff leaders really have a wealth of experience, acumen and passion that made my job exceptionally easy.”

## Still fixing

Even amid the top rungs of DLA leadership, Smith still found himself “fixing.” When DLA Culture and Climate Survey scores revealed that some of his team’s employees didn’t understand how their jobs contributed to the agency’s overall mission, he went into repair mode.

“Mr. Smith created a newsletter that highlighted the work of some of the different offices under him. It helped employees feel valued and created a new sense of appreciation for what everyone does,” said Fawne Cady, who worked as Smith’s executive assistant until becoming program manager for DLA’s awards program in February.

                240312-D-D0441-1002                            DLA Chief of Staff Eric Smith and his wife enjoy a pre-retirement trip to Aruba in February 2024.            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: Courtesy PhotoVIRIN: 240312-D-D0441-1002A self-acknowledged introvert, Smith also started an online “Chat with the Chief” series where he met with nonsupervisory employees to discuss topics like organizational change and trust. Cady described Smith as candid and approachable in those sessions, and she also partly attributes her own career progression to his keen steering.

“Someone at every juncture of my career invested time to help me get to where I am today.” Smith said. “I feel obligated to pay that assistance forward and do the same for others who want guidance or assistance in achieving a career goal or who just want a senior leader to listen to them.”

Smith will retire in Washington near his two sons and his wife’s family. He looks forward to discovering the area’s bike and hiking trails, remotely managing his church’s website, being involved in his three grandsons’ sporting activities and doing any home repairs his wife still entrusts him with.

As for the Dallas Cowboys, it was “their loss,” he joked.

“But honestly, the values that I acquired from the Army, I probably never would have gained playing football,” Smith added. “On the path God chose for me, I was able to touch people’s lives.”