WORKFORCE

DEVELOPMENT

LOGLINES

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2012
DIRECTOR

I

t’s a great time to work at the Defense 

Logistics Agency. The agency continues 

to be focused on its mission as we 

strive to “delight” all our customers. 

On the back end, we have committed to 

saving $10 billion for the department and 

taxpayers through fiscal year 2018. I’m 

proud of the work being done by DLA’s 

civil servants, military members and our 

contractor partners — you are great team. 

As a Navy customer of DLA for more

than 35 years, I always appreciated 

the agency’s ability to provide the full

spectrum of end-to-end logistics to the

warfighter. Now, as the director of DLA 

Navy Vice Adm. Mark Harnitchek, USN

Director, Defense Logistics Agency

from the

just short of a year, I’ve come to appreciate 

even more the competence, continuity,

diversity and professionalism our more

than 25,000 civil servants bring to the 

DLA mission. You make DLA great!

The defense logistics system relies 

heavily on the experience, training and 

expertise of all our dedicated civilian 

and military members, and this DLA 

workforce is a critical partner on the 

“Log Nation” team. It’s important we 

continue to develop our workforce and 

expand our expertise and knowledge 

through programs focused on education, 

leadership and professional development, 

diversity and career enhancement. And 

it’s important to me that every DLA 

employee has the opportunity to reach his

or her full potential and perform to the 

best of his or her ability. 

DLA has several workforce development initiatives in place to help

employees reach their goals — from

tuition assistance and internships, to

programs that provide employment

opportunities for wounded warriors and

tailored training plans for employees

seeking career progression.

In the coming years, we will face 

additional fiscal constraints and 

potential new mission requirements. To 

address these unique opportunities to 

excel, it’s crucial that we are armed with 

the right people in the right positions 

to ensure the agency remains a highperforming, cost-effective logistics 

leader within the Department of 

Defense. The warfighters and taxpayers 

deserve nothing less. I’m confident 

that as we pursue this challenging, but 

highly rewarding journey, this great 

workforce will sustain and enhance its 

performance, and continue to merit the 

superb reputation you have earned over 

the past 51 years. 

Thank you for all you do. 

Headquarters, Defense Logistics Agency

Office of Strategic Communications

8725 John J. Kingman Road

Suite 2545

Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6221

703-767-6200

E-mail: loglines@dla.mil

DLA Director

Navy Vice Adm. Mark Harnitchek

DLA Vice Director

Ted Case 

Chief of Staff

Frederick N. Baillie

Director, Strategic Communications

Douglas Ide

Deputy Director, Strategic Communications

Jack Hooper

Loglines Staff

Managing Editor Kathleen T. Rhem

Editor Jacob Boyer

Writer Beth Reece

Writer Amanda Neumann

Writer Sara Moore

Layout/Design Paul Henry Crank

Design Assistant Joy Brunk

Loglines is the authorized publication for the

Defense Logistics Agency’s workforce of federal

civilians, active-duty military and Joint Reserve

Force augmentees at agency activities worldwide

and industry customers of DLA. Contents of this

publication are not necessarily the official views of, or 

endorsed by, the U.S. government, the Department

of Defense or the Defense Logistics Agency.

Loglines is prepared electronically, using desktop

publishing applications; no commercial typesetting costs are involved. Photos not credited are

courtesy of agency sources. Submissions and correspondence may be sent to the following address:

Official

LOGLINES

 Flagship Publication of the Defense Logistics Agency
Loglines l November - December 2012 1

CONTENTS November - December 2012

pg 2

pg 6

pg 28

pg 14

www.facebook.com/

dla.mil

www.twitter.com/

dlamil www.dla.mil

www.youtube.com/

dodlogisticsagency

Developing Leaders 2

The agency recently aligned all of its development programs for 

leaders to match the Defense Department’s blueprint.

Operation Warghter 6

DLA finds veterans to help fill its workforce gaps through Operation 

Warfighter, a federal program that helps wounded warriors 

transition from their injuries to civilian life or back into active duty. 

Measuring the Workplace 9

The 2012 DLA Culture Survey measured how agency employees feel 

about where they work. Its results will drive future improvements.

Funding Education 12

Full-time DLA employees can take advantage of tuition assistance to 

help them achieve their educational goals.

On the Right Track 14

Career mapping, a new DLA Human Resources initiative, helps 

agency employees and supervisors keep their work and training on 

the right course.

Pathways to Federal Jobs 18

President Barack Obama’s Pathways Program changed the way 

federal agencies refer to and handle interns, but the quality of those 

interns stayed the same at DLA.

More than Meets the Eye 28

Two fabric shade evaluators at the DLA Product Testing Center in 

Philadelphia ensure military fabrics meet strict color criteria.

A Conversation with ... 20

NewsWire 23

Money Matters 24

We are DLA 26

I am DLA Back Cover

DEPARTMENTS

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
2 www.dla.mil

Workforce Development

Developing

Leaders

Story by By Beth Reece

obert Ratner was surprised

when Defense Logistics Agency

Human Resources officials 

told him he was being enrolled 

in a leadership development 

program upon his selection for a civilian 

supervisory position at DLA Troop 

Support. He was a retired Air Force 

colonel with a whole career’s worth 

of leadership training and years of 

experience managing people and projects. 

The DLA Troop Support chief of staff 

thought he’d already proven himself as 

obert

when

Human Resources officials 

told him he was being enrolled 

in a leadership development 

program upon his selection for a civilian 

R a leader, but quickly realized he had more 

to learn and gain through DLA’s Enterprise 

Leader Development Program. 

“The ELDP has enabled me to meet with 

other DLA managers and supervisors to find 

out firsthand what their challenges were 

through discussions of real-life experiences 

and, more importantly, the solutions they 

found beneficial to resolve day-to-day 

issues,” he said. “The program helped 

position me for success in my current job.”

DLA Human Resources launched 

the refreshed ELDP in August 2011 to 

DLA Human Resources 

launched the Enterprise 

Leader Development 

Program in 2011 to 

align the agency’s leader 

development process with 

the Defense Department 

blueprint for developing 

civilian leaders.
Loglines l November - December 2012 3

align the agency’s leader development 

process with the Department of Defense’s 

Civilian Leader Development Framework 

and Continuum, DoD’s blueprint for 

developing civilian leaders.

The program includes five levels 

that match employees’ roles with core 

competencies ranging from technical 

capability and decisiveness in lower 

levels to entrepreneurship and strategic 

thinking in higher levels. Each level has 

its own curriculum and lets employees 

use a mixture of classroom and online 

training, as well as experiential learning 

such as rotational assignments and cross 

training, to develop new skills.

“Our intent is to encourage the 

development of leadership traits early in 

an employee’s work life, recognizing that 

leadership can be exhibited at any level,” 

DLA Human Resources Director Brad 

Bunn said when the program debuted.

The ELDP also supports DLA’s talentmanagement initiative by addressing 

leadership development needs identified 

through workforce analysis and leadership 

competency assessments such as the 2012 

DLA Culture Survey, he added.

Level 1 includes all civilian employees 

who are not team leaders, project leaders, 

supervisors or managers. About 16,000 of 

DLA’s 27,000 employees are in Level 1, 

ELDP Manager Janet Lynch said. These 

employees are encouraged to work with 

their supervisors to determine strengths 

and areas needing development, then 

take on self-development activities 

for three of 13 competencies, such as 

problem-solving and flexibility. Two 

new one-day courses, “Is Supervision for 

You?” and “Everyone is a Leader,” are 

also available but not mandatory.

“Although there are no requirements 

for employees in Level 1, supervisors 

need to encourage them to be involved 

in continuous self-development. As they 

create career goals and work toward 

reaching their potential, employees become 

more competitive for advancement,” 

Lynch said, adding that progress should 

also be included in employees’ individual 

development plans.

Level 2 includes civilian employees 

who have “lead” or “leader” in their 

job title or are responsible for leading projects. A two-day course called 

“Leading Teams and Projects” is required, and additional courses such as 

“Understanding and Managing Conflict” 

and “Myers-Briggs Type Indicator” are 

also beneficial, Lynch added. 

Newly selected supervisors and 

managers are in Level 3 and must 

complete a two-year formal program that 

includes 160 hours of developmental 

activities focused on human resources 

and people-management skills. New 

leaders also undergo a leadership 

assessment by supervisors and peers. 

Afterward, they are paired with a certified 

coach who can help them develop new 

behaviors and create action plans to 

become better leaders.

“This gives our new managers the 

chance to speak with an outside source 

about ideas and issues they might be 

encountering during their transition 

period,” Lynch said. “Discussions could 

include anything from advice on how to 

balance work to how to motivate a team.”

Experienced supervisors and managers 

are in Level 4 and are required to take 20 

hours of self-chosen learning activities that 

range from serving as mentors or special 

“In the managerial world, 

you need to break down 

problems, ensure that 

people are communicating 

across the organization 

and have a vision for 

where your part of the 

organization is going.” 

— Janet Lynch
4 www.dla.mil

Workforce Development

project members to academic work. 

“This gives employees the flexibility 

to focus their activities on their needs and 

career goals,” Lynch said, adding that 

employees should consider future mission 

requirements when determining which 

skills to further develop. 

A two-day “Transition to Manager” 

course is required for Level 4 employees 

who have been managers less than two years 

and optional for others. The course helps 

leaders understand the difference between 

being a supervisor and being a manager.

“In the managerial world, for example, 

you need to break down problems, ensure 

that people are communicating across the 

organization and have a vision for where 

your part of the organization is going,” 

Lynch said.

Level 5 is for members of the Senior 

Executive Service. These employees must 

attend the two-week Senior Executive 

Orientation Program within the first two 

years of transitioning to an SES position and 

complete 20 hours of learning activities. 

Lynch said that even employees who 

don’t aspire to become supervisors or senior 

leaders should cultivate leadership traits. 

“You have to be able to work with 

others and through others to get projects 

done, so no matter where you are in your 

career, whether you’re in charge of others 

or working independently, you’re still going 

to need things like good interpersonal skills 

and flexibility to be successful,” she said. 

DLA’s Executive Development Program 

is also aligned with the Enterprise Leader 

Development Program to provide all leader 

development opportunities and resources 

under one program. The Executive 

Development Program gives employees in 

grades GS-13 through GS-15 the opportunity 

to be nominated for up to two high-level 

leadership courses offered outside of DLA. 

The courses available change each fiscal 

year, but range from the DoD Executive 

Leadership Development Program to 

Excellence in Government Fellows. 

DLA’s Executive Development

Program is aligned with the

Enterprise Leader Development

Program to provide all leader

development opportunities and

resources under one program. The

Executive Development Program

gives employees in grades GS-13

through GS-15 the opportunity to be

nominated for up to two high-level

leadership courses offered outside

of DLA.
Loglines l November - December 2012 5

Cless Allman, chief of DLA Europe 

& Africa’s Business Management Office, 

completed the Excellence in Government 

Fellows’ Partnership for Peace Program 

in August. The 10-month program 

strengthens federal employees’ leadership 

skills through innovative coursework, 

best practices benchmarking, executive 

coaching and governmentwide networking. 

“Hopefully this will make me more 

competitive for the next level. It’s helped 

me in terms of critical and strategic thinking, and that’s especially important in our 

business, where it can be easy to just take 

the path of least resistance,” he said. 

Attending the course alongside 

employees from numerous federal agencies 

also helped broaden his perspective, 

Allman added.

“I grew up in the Department of 

Defense,” he said. “Other than DLA, I’m 

career Air Force, so this opportunity 

helped me see things from the 

perspectives of non-military leaders.” 

Allman’s skills will be a benefit for the 

agency, DLA Europe & Africa Commander 

Army Col. Joseph Ladner said.

“Cless will be able to analyze and 

review support processes across the 

enterprise, including how DLA’s business 

processes either contribute to or hinder

support to our customers. I can also use 

him to identify trends in support efficiency 

and effectiveness, as well as developing 

solutions,” Ladner said, adding that he is 

already looking for similar opportunities 

for other DLA Europe & Africa employees. 

Courses available through DLA’s 

Executive Development Program 

range from four days to two years 

with intermittent residencies, and the 

nominating organization must pay 

tuition, travel and per diem. But whether 

an employee seeks lower- or upper-level 

leadership training, there are numerous 

possibilities to choose from, Lynch said.

“There’s something for everybody; 

employees just have to look,” she said. 

A complete list of leadership competencies, a list of activities 

to develop those competencies, course descriptions and 

other information are available at the DLA Enterprise Leader 

Development Program at:

http://www.hr.dla.mil/resources/

workforce/eldp/leadership.asp

Senior DLA Leaders

Maximize leadership and enterprise potential

Team and Project Leaders

Effectively lead small groups

New DLA Civilian Leaders

Supervise from a consistent

knowlege and skill base

Experienced DLA Leaders

Continuously hone leadership skills

Lead Self

Sharpen foundational

leadership skills

External awareness, global perspective, national security

strategy, political savvy, strategic thinking, vision

Creativity and innovation, entrepeneurship, nancial

management, national defense integration,

national security environment, partnering,

technology management

Conict management, developing others,

DoD corporate perspective, human capital

management, leveraging diversity,

national security foundation

Accountability, decisiveness, DoD mission and

culture, inuencing negotiation, team building

Computer literacy, continual learning,

customer service, exibility, integrity, honesty,

interpersonal skills, mission orientation,

oral communication, problem solving,

resilience, service motivation, technical

credibility, written communication

DLA Performance Excellence

Continuous Employee Learning

Level 5

Level 4

Level 3

Level 2

Level 1

ELDP FRAMEWORK

DLA’s Enterprise Leader Development Program is a comprehensive program that provides leadership development opportunities needed to meet

the agency’s challenging mission requirements today and into the future. 

ROLES COMPETENCIES
6 www.dla.mil

Workforce Development

Operation

Warfighter

Story by By Beth Reece

assignments to wounded, ill and injured

service members recuperating at military

treatment facilities.

The program was created to help

service members prepare to return

to active duty or transition to the

civilian workforce by building resumes,

exploring other career fields and gaining 

experience in the federal government,

said Hettie Holmes-Carter, program

manager for DLA Human Resources’

Corporate Recruitment and Operation

Warfighter programs. 

“While service members may not be 

able to perform their active-duty job, they 

may be able – and want – to perform 

other work. This program helps them find 

opportunities that are available. At the 

same time, federal agencies get free labor, 

have an opportunity to support service 

members and get the chance to use their 

skills and capabilities,” she said.

The length of Operation Warfighter 

assignments varies according to

the service member’s recovery, and

work performed is arranged between

supervisors and a participant’s warrior

transition unit. Most assignments take

advantage of the skills service members

gained while on active duty, but Holmesennifer Brande spent a year 

bouncing from one doctors’ 

appointment to the next before 

she found an escape working 

as a historian for the Defense 

Logistics Agency in February 2011. The 

former Army sergeant was assigned 

to the warrior transition unit at Fort 

Belvoir, Va., recovering from a foot 

injury and multiple concussions she 

suffered while deployed to Iraq.

“Being in a medical-hold status

can make you feel disconnected from

everything around you, so having

the chance to work at DLA gave me a

sense of purpose that I really needed,”

she said.

Brande is one of about 30 service

members who have been placed

in temporary positions at DLA

Headquarters and primary-level

field activities through Operation 

Warfighter since 2010. The 

program is sponsored by

the Defense Department

and provides work

ennifer

bouncing

appointment

she

as J

Logistics
Loglines Loglines l November - December 2012 l September - October 2012 7

Carter said she encourages DLA managers

to also consider special interests and

hobbies that may be mentioned in

potential candidates’ resumes.

She also recommended that

managers tailor position duties to the

skills and capabilities of a potential

candidate rather than being inflexible in 

position requirements.

“Unless you find someone who has 

actually worked in the same field as 

the temporary position you want to fill, 

you’re probably going to have to spend 

some time training the service member. 

Someone who served in the infantry, for 

example, may not be proficient in Excel 

and PowerPoint, but they may have other 

experience and skills that are a good fit 

for a manager,” she said.

Clay Henson, a former Army infantryman, was one of the first service members 

to work for DLA through Operation 

Warfighter. Henson mentioned having a 

knack for photography on his resume, so 

DLA Installation Support’s Multimedia 

Division Chief Ken Whitehead brought 

him in as a temporary photographer to 

shoot local events.

Brande, a public affairs specialist 

with background as a military historian, 

is one of the few Operation Warfighter 

participants whose military occupational 

skills were a 100-percent match for 

DLA, Holmes-Carter said. As soon as 

he read Brande’s resume, DLA Strategic 

Communications Deputy Director Jack 

Hooper knew she could help fill in the 

gaps of DLA’s history, which had gone 

undocumented for the past 10 years.

“She got to work bringing our history 

up to date as soon as we brought her on, 

without any help or training,” Hooper 

said. “This program is good on so many 

levels. It provides an opportunity for 

wounded warriors to serve in meaningful 

jobs and provides a talent pool for federal 

agencies that can use the experience and 

training these service members bring 

with them.”

DLA officials are hoping to attract 

more Operation Warfighter participants 

with a new announcement on USAJOBS, 

Jennifer Brande is one of about 30 service members who have been placed in temporary positions

at DLA Headquarters and primary-level eld activities through Operation Warghter since 2010.

Benefits of

Participation

for Employers

•	 Ability to demonstrate support

for the military service and

sacrifices of wounded warriors.

•	 Access to the talent, dedication,

and considerable military and

non-military skills of these

recuperating service members.

•	 Salaries are paid by the military.

•	 No open positions are required.

•	 Assisted technology and

accommodations provided by

the DoD Computer/Electronics

Accommodations Program

free of charge.

•	 Assignment can be terminated

at any time with written

justification.

•	 Although employers are not obligated to hire servicemembers,

theOWF programcan serve as	a	

pipeline forfuture employment.

Joy Brunk

Benefits of
8 www.dla.mil

Workforce Development

the federal 

government’s 

official job list. 

Holmes-Carter said the 

announcement is generic; 

it doesn’t specify job series, 

grades or descriptions of available 

positions because applicants don’t 

undergo formal evaluations. 

Access to the announcement is 

limited to prevent a flood of applicants 

who aren’t eligible for the program. 

However, Holmes-Carter and her staff 

are working with officials at warrior 

transition units to ensure potential 

applicants know how to apply through 

USAJOBS and have a direct link to 

the announcement. The staff is also 

distributing flyers with application 

instructions at job fairs and veterans’ 

outreach events.

Using USAJOBS to announce 

positions available to Operation 

Warfighter participants is good for two 

reasons, she added. First, it eliminates 

the need to share resumes through email 

and protects personal information such 

as Social Security numbers and home 

addresses. Second, it gives applicants the 

opportunity to list which locations they 

want to be referred for. 

“This is great because when a DLA 

manager has a need, we can go in and 

pull the resumes for everyone who 

applied with an interest in that 

location. It also ensures service 

members aren’t referred for 

positions in areas where 

they aren’t available or 

aren’t interested,” 

Holmes-Carter 

said. 

DLA Distribution was among the 

first activities to take advantage of the 

USAJOBS announcement as it looked 

for service members with experience 

in administrative assistance, physical 

security and financial analysis to fill 

positions in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 

said Edward Fisher, chief of DLA 

Distribution’s Command Control Center. 

Brande said it makes sense for DLA to 

announce Operation Warfighter vacancies through USAJOBS because many of 

the service members at warrior transition 

units are preparing to leave the military 

and already use the site to search for 

future employment. 

While there’s no promise of 

permanent employment under

Operation Warfighter, some participants 

do get lucky. Brande was medically

retired from the Army in May and

accepted two consecutive, six-month

temporary appointments to finish 

compiling DLA’s history.

“DLA really helped me get back on my

feet again. It’s given me the opportunity 

to work with some of the most amazing 

people in my field and has helped me 

further develop my skills,” she said. 

The opportunity also gave her a 

chance to learn how to adapt and work 

around limitations posed by ongoing 

medical problems, she added.

Operation Warfighter assignments 

also led to full-time employment for two 

other participants, Holmes-Carter said. 

One was placed in the DLA Corporate 

Intern Program, and another will be 

placed in a permanent position with DLA 

upon release from active duty.

“A lot of these service members have

been in the military most of their working

careers, so it’s all they know. This program

lets us help them transition, whether they

return to active duty or move out into the

civilian sector,” she said. “It’s just one

of the ways we can thank them for the

sacrifices they’ve made.” 

•	Gain meaningful activity

outside of the hospital

environment.

•	Explore employment

interests.

•	Develop job skills.

•	Build a resume.

•	Gain valuable federal

government work

experience.

Benefits of

Participation

for Service

Members
Loglines l November - December 2012 9

More than 66 percent of DLA employees believe DLA is a great place to work, according to results

of the 2012 DLA Culture Survey.

D

efense Logistics Agency

employees get at least one

chance every 18 months to give

uncensored, confidential opinions 

on life and work at the Defense

Department’s largest combat logistics

support agency. More than 70 percent of

the workforce accepted the opportunity

to complete the 2012 DLA Culture Survey

in May and June, rating everything from

morale and mission capability to how well

leaders communicate with employees.

“We had a 71 percent response rate,

which says to me that you care about your

workplace and want to continue to improve

DLA and its support to the warfighter,” 

DLA Human Resources Director Brad

Bunn said in a Sept. 13 blog post letting

employees know results were in.

The survey follows the Denison 

Consulting Model and consists of two 

parts. The first measures organizational 

performance and behaviors with 

60 questions relating to mission, 

adaptability, employee involvement and 

consistency. DLA’s overall score was 48 

percent, down slightly from 52 percent in 

the 2010 survey. The score represents a 

comparison against a composite database 

of more than 900 organizations in such 

industries as manufacturing, health care 

and financial services.

“That means we’re still performing

better than 48 percent of the organizations 

Measuring the

Workplace Story by Beth Reece

54

55

41 41

45

51

44 50

47 47

49

52
10 www.dla.mil

Workforce Development

in Denison’s

database. We’re just

slightly below average

in comparison to the global

benchmark. Plus, as a general

rule, Denison tells us percentile

changes of zero to four points are

considered insignificant,” Bunn said. 

The results indicate that the agency 

remains strong in such areas as adapting 

to change and the ability 

to align short-term goals 

with long-term strategies, 

but more work is needed 

on customer focus and 

team orientation. 

The second part of 

the survey consisted of an 

additional 60 questions 

specific to DLA, such as 

job satisfaction, accountability, diversity and 

telework. Job satisfaction 

dropped to 69.3 percent 

from 72.3 in 2010, and 

66.3 percent of respondents recommended DLA as a great place to work. 

Employees’ views on telework also 

declined. Just 66.6 percent said they 

clearly understood DLA’s telework policy, 

compared to 72.7 percent in 2010, and 

only 50.2 percent agreed that their supervisor encourages and supports telework. 

Denison’s consultants believe 

DLA’s culture is still strong despite 

the decline, said Jackie Cookston, 

program manager for this year’s 

survey.

“If you look at 

the results of the 

Employee Viewpoint Survey that [the 

Office of Personnel Management] does 

annually, you’ll see that many scores 

have gone down or remained the same 

throughout the government in the past 

two years,” she said, adding that the 

uncertainty of the budget environment 

and continued pay freezes could be 

impacting employees’ perceptions 

of their workplaces. Leadership and 

mission changes, as well 

as new technologies and 

restructuring, may also 

be contributing factors. 

Communication 

and diversity were two 

areas that improved, 

with more employees 

agreeing that leaders 

communicate well 

with employees and 

that supervisors work 

well with employees of 

different backgrounds. 

Participants left 

more than 17,000 comments, with the 

most common themes being communication, leadership, training, senior 

management and staffing. 

“This is the largest number of 

comments ever received for a DLA 

Culture Survey. It shows that our 

employees are engaged and interested 

in their workplace, seeking out avenues 

for change, as well as indicating their 

approval for existing benefits and 

initiatives that make DLA a great place 

to work,” Cookston said. 

Results were broken down by 

directorate, field activity and work unit 

to give employees an idea of where 

their part of the organization stands 

Results indicate 

the agency 

remains strong in 

adapting to change

and the ability to 

align short-term 

goals with longterm strategies

2003

2004

2006

2009

2010

2012

0 20 40 60

Survey Trends

Over the Years

Employees showed an increasingly

positive outlook for DLA since 2004

when compared to other benchmarked

organizations. Almost 27,000 employees

were invited to take the Denison survey

with 19,000 of them responding. 

Average Denison Score

The index score

represents a percentile

comparison against the

Denison composite database of

benchmarked organizations rather than a

percentage of respondents or responses.

A higher score is indicated by more color

slices in the model. The yearly score is

calculated as an average of total points

from the four culture traits depicted in the

Denison model.

55

55 54

Index Score

 34

30

 37

 46

 52

 48
Loglines l November - December 2012 11

on all aspects of culture, and to provide

a framework for change at local and 

headquarters levels. 

“These results are driving discussions

and decisions across the agency. By looking

closely at areas we scored low in, we can

develop detailed action plans that bring

about improvements,” Cookston added. 

 Culture “champions” in every 

directorate and activity are working 

with leaders and employees through 

December to analyze the data and create 

action plans and initiatives that address 

shortfalls. Those plans will be briefed to 

agency leaders beginning in January.

Alicia Arvelo-Torres, culture 

champion for DLA Disposition Services, 

said the key to making the action plans 

work is time.

“We all want to see improvements 

right away, but the truth is, it takes time 

to analyze the data and create plans 

that give results. It’s better to have 

progress that’s consistent, even if it takes 

longer, than to have change that doesn’t 

withstand time,” she said.

Previous culture survey results have 

inspired such initiatives as the We Are 

DLA campaign, which was designed 

to improve communication and instill 

a sense of camaraderie across the 

agency’s organizations. Employees’ 

dissatisfaction with leadership also led to 

the development of the Enterprise Leader 

Development Program.

This is the sixth time the survey 

has been conducted since 2003, when 

the agency’s score was 34 percent. DLA 

spent subsequent years on an upward 

trend, rising from 37 percent in 2006 to 

52 percent in 2010. The next survey is 

planned for fall 2013. 

DLA Climate

Survey 2012

Considering everything, how satised are

you with your job?

 everything, how satised

JOB SATISFACTION

I have trust and condence in my supervisor.

TRUST IN SUPERVISOR

Employees are recognized for providing highquality products and services to customers. are recognized for providing

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

Awards in my work unit depend upon how

well employees perform their jobs.

I understand how EBS initiatives are

intended to help accomplish its mission

 understand how EBS initiatives are

ENTERPRISE BUSINESS SYSTEMS

I believe EBS initiatives are successful in

helping DLA accomplish its mission.

My work unit communicates well with its

employees.

 communicates well

COMMUNICATION

My supervisor/manager works well with

employees of different backgrounds.

 supervisor/manager works

DIVERSITY

I have a clear understanding of DLA’s policy

on telework.

 understanding of

TELEWORK

My immediate supervisor encourages and

supports telework.

My work unit’s managers and senior leaders

encourage and support telework.

 2010 2012

72.3%

65.5%

60.6%

55.0%

50.0%

37.4%

51.7%

70.9%

72.7%

53.9%

48.6%

69.3%

64.2%

55.6%

50.0%

49.0%

38.5%

52.2%

71.3%

66.5%

50.2%

47.6%
12 www.dla.mil

Workforce Development

Funding

Education

Story by Sara Moore

fter seven years with Defense 

Logistics Agency Distribution 

in New Cumberland, Pa., amid 

pursuing a master’s degree 

in organizational leadership, 

Laura Hooper decided to take a new 

role at DLA Distribution San Joaquin, 

Calif. That job meant a cross-country 

move, which for many people would 

put the brakes on education because 

of financial strain. But DLA’s tuition 

assistance program helped Hooper 

continue her classes while settling into 

her new job and home.

“For people who are already driven 

and want to improve, [the tuition assistance program] just takes the financial 

stress out of the picture,” she said. ”I was 

trying to move across the country, and 

if I hadn’t been in the tuition assistance 

program and they weren’t committing 

funds, I probably would have looked in 

the private sector.”

DLA’s tuition assistance program 

is a benefit available to all full-time 

civilian employees who take courses at an 

accredited college or university. Although 

employees have to meet conditions to 

fter

Logistics

in

pursuing

in A

Laura Hooper

Although DLA provides benefits for

employees participating in the tuitition

assistance program, a scal year cap of

$7,000 for graduate courses and $4,700

for undergraduate courses has been

implemented across DoD. 
Loglines l November - December 2012 13

727 students. Each organization within

DLA funds the tuition assistance program 

for its employees, Griffin said, setting a 

budget for the program each year. He 

and Tangey both noted that all of DLA’s 

leaders strongly support the program and 

consistently commit more than enough 

money to cover their students.

“I’ve not seen any reduction of 

support for this program, because it’s an 

extremely popular program and it has 

support among the upper leadership,” 

Griffin said. 

Despite the popularity among its 

users, Hooper said she worries that not 

enough employees know about the tuition 

assistance program and how to use it. 

Taking college classes while working full 

time isn’t easy and requires commitment, 

she said, but added that she sees 

education as a path to advancement.

“I think it’s definitely going to make 

me more competitive as I apply for jobs 

and continue to move up,” she said. “A lot 

of what we study has to do with private 

industry, so it’ll give me an opportunity 

to bring that and help DLA gain some 

efficiencies.”

Griffin also cited self-improvement as 

a reason people use the program, noting 

that many participants go on to earn 

degrees and advance in their careers.

“People see education as a vehicle to 

advancement in their careers,” he said. 

“And I think there’s a basic desire in most 

people to improve themselves.” 

“With tuition being as 

expensive as it is and 

going up every year, this 

is a good way to come 

in, get your feet in the 

door and go on with your 

education.” 

— Cathy Tangey

qualify for the program and not all

courses are covered, it is tailored 

to those looking to advance their 

careers within DLA and the 

government.

“With tuition being as expensive

as it is and going up every year, this

is a good way to come in, get your

feet in the door and go on with your

education,” said Cathy Tangey, a

DLA tuition assistance program

manager. “It does make a difference

in an employee’s career along the way.

Education is always a good thing.”

The tuition assistance program is 

open to permanent employees with 

at least one year of full-time service, 

said Tom Griffin, another DLA tuition 

assistance program manager. Contractors 

and non-appropriated fund employees 

are not eligible. Courses must be taken 

at a school accredited by an agency 

recognized by the U.S. Department of 

Education, he said, and courses must 

be related to DLA’s mission. There is no 

minimum or maximum number of credit 

hours for the program, he noted, but each 

participant has a fiscal year cap of $7,000 

for graduate courses and $4,700 for 

undergraduate courses. Griffin stressed 

that the tuition assistance program is not 

a degree program, but pays for individual 

courses. Most students will have to pay 

for additional courses that don’t meet the 

criteria or exceed the yearly cap. 

The requirement for courses to be

DLA mission-related may seem restrictive

at first, Griffin said, but employees can 

take courses related to any aspect of the

agency’s mission, not only their specific 

roles. In fact, the overwhelming majority

of employees who participate in the

program take business courses, he said.

“That’s pretty nice for the employees, 

because it gives them a little more 

flexibility,” he said. “If we were to restrict 

courses to job relevance, it would be a 

much narrower program.”

The flexibility of the program has 

helped Teresa Gasaway, who is using 

tuition assistance to pursue a Master 

of Business Administration. A supply 

planner supporting the Mine Resistant 

Ambush Protected vehicle program 

at DLA Land and Maritime, Gasaway 

started using tuition assistance in 2010 

and will continue pursuing her degree in 

November after taking a few months off. 

When she started her classes, Gasaway 

was an editorial assistant in DLA 

Training, but she was able to take business courses because they related to the 

agency’s mission. She said using the program – which is accessed through DLA’s 

internal Learning Management System 

– was easy, and support personnel were 

very helpful. Her tuition payments have 

never been late, she noted, so she has 

always started her classes on time.

“The tuition assistance program has 

been very helpful with my professional 

and personal life, because I do not need 

to have a second job working to pay 

off school loans,” Gasaway said. “DLA 

supports and emboldens its employees to 

take their education to the next level by 

the convenience of this program.”

As of mid-September, DLA had 

invested almost $2.5 million in the 

tuition assistance program in fiscal 2012, 

with 663 students taking more than 

2,000 courses. Those amounts are comparable to fiscal 2011, when almost $2.9 

million was invested in 2,528 courses for 
14 www.dla.mil

Workforce Development

On the

Right Track

Story by Amanda Neumann

re you certain that you’re in

the right career field? Are you 

focusing on the right types of

developmental activities? Do 

you want to further your career? 

Thanks to a new human resources initiative called career mapping, employees 

in the Defense Logistics Agency can now 

find the answers to these questions.

Designed with both employees 

and supervisors in mind, career 

mapping is a step-by-step guide that 

puts career information at employees’ 

fingertips, said Pam Latker, chief of 

DLA Training’s Career Management 

Division. DLA Training is part of 

DLA Human Resources Services, in 

Columbus, Ohio.

“Career mapping is designed to 

help employees and supervisors 

when they are developing their 

individual development 

plans,” she said. “You 

have many different 

avenues, like formal 

developmental 

programs, 

rotational assignments and other 

informal avenues to develop yourself, 

and we’ve put them under an accessible 

tool where employees see and use them 

and say, ‘Hey, these are the kinds of 

opportunities, developmental activities 

or training that can help me grow.’”

Located on the DLA Human 

Resources website, detailed career maps 

are being posted for each of the DLA 

mission-critical occupational paths, such 

as contracting. Using the DLA career 

guides and career-specific detailed maps, 

employees can focus on the career path 

they are most interested in and the 

developmental activities associated with 

each. From there, employees can identify 

their individualized goals and plan out 

activities and opportunities that will help 

further their careers, Latker said.

“DLA employees have the opportunity 

to look at the map and see what kind of 

developmental activities are identified 

for the different levels,” she said. “They 

see what competencies are connected to 

those levels, and they can strategically 

plan out activities that will help them 

grow within their organization.”

The first step in career mapping is 

reviewing the career pyramid, consisting 

re

the right career field? Are you 

focusing

developmental activities? Do 

you want to further your career? 

Thanks to a new human resources initia

A
Loglines l November - December 2012 15

of four sides: education and training, job 

functions, leadership competencies, and 

technical competencies for each job series.

“The main side of the pyramid lists 

the job functions starting with the basic 

level, then the lower-mid, upper-mid 

and senior, and identifies functions that 

are associated with the specific career 

field such as contracting for a contract 

specialist,” she said. “Then we mapped 

out the technical competencies and the 

education and training for each of the 

levels. Each is unique to that career field.”

DLA Training collaborated with 

functional community managers and 

representatives from across the agency 

to develop career-specific products. 

Each career pyramid is based on the 

respective career field, Latker said, and 

each consolidates career information in a 

visually appealing, user-friendly format. 

“It’s a fairly new concept for DLA,” 

she said. “Instead of employees surfing 

different websites for information or 

going into the HR website and looking 

at different career developmental 

activities such as the Enterprise 

Leader Development Program or the 

DLA Rotation Program, etc., they can 

see and use these easy–to-read maps 

that highlight activities and include 

links to websites. 

“We also have checklists associated 

with each career map, and employees 

can use these to identify competencies 

and experiences that can assist in their 

growth,” she added.

Latker said several people worked 

together to devise the four-sided 

pyramid approach.

“The career mapping approach 

and products we’re using are unique to 

DLA,” Latker said. “When we met with 

our initial focus groups, our goal was to 

design a three-dimensional approach so 

people could see that all of the sides of 

the pyramid are representative of their 

career, not just one individual side. All 

four sides of the pyramid are extremely 

important to their development and who 

they are as an employee.”

Once employees identify a career goal, 

they can then move onto the career guide. 

The guide, the second step in the process, 

gives employees the background they need 

to connect to other DLA programs, widening the scope of available opportunities.

“We have a DLA Career Guide and 

specific career guides for each of the career 

fields we’ve mapped,” Latker said. “The 

DLA Career Guide is designed for every 

DLA employee and contains career planning steps to assist employees thinking 

about where they would like to focus, 

whether it be today or tomorrow. The 

guide itself is only about 20 pages. Our 

goal was to design a user-friendly guide, 

not something so in-depth that employees 

would shy away from using the resource.

DLA career guides also contain 

links to important resources and 

developmental information such as the 

agency’s Learning Management System 

and tuition assistance policy.

“It’s very user-friendly and helps lay 

out a foundation so [employees] can lay 

out their goals,” Latker said.

Once an employee has identified a 

career goal, the next step is to create an 

individual development plan. An IDP is 

“Career mapping is there to help employees and supervisors 

when they are developing their individual development plans.” 

— Pam Latker
16 www.dla.mil

Workforce Development

the supervisor and the organization.”

The creation of the career mapping tool 

has been a work in progress, Latker said. 

Finding a simplified way to consolidate 

information into a manageable, userfriendly tool wasn’t easy, she said.

“What most of the Defense 

Department agencies have developed is 

either a career guide or ladders or both, 

which may not be usable to everyone,” she 

said. “There’s often so much information 

that employees get lost or experience 

information overload. We wanted to 

design a tool that all employees, whether 

they’re just out of college or five years 

from retirement, could go in and search, 

something that was user-friendly and at 

their fingertips.” 

She added that she also wanted a tool 

that she would use herself.

“I wanted something that I would use 

as an employee,” she said, adding that 

she aimed for simplicity in developing the 

guides. “I want something that gets to the 

point, and that’s what career mapping is 

all about. It’s short, simple and gives you 

what you need to make good decisions.”

With contracting, the largest of 

DLA’s mission-critical fields, already 

mapped out, Latker and her team are 

focusing on mapping other missioncritical occupations. Human resources, 

environmental and property disposal 

were mapped out in fiscal 2011. In fiscal 

2012, finance and accounting, Enterprise 

Business System supply, DLA Distribution 

supply and DLA Distribution traffic 

management were mapped, Latker said.

Career mapping is a collaborative, longterm endeavor. 

“Our initial focus has been mapping careers with the highest number of 

employees,” Latker said. “There are at least 

21 career fields, with several career series in 

each, so we’re tackling each of these. It’s a 

very intensive process. We want to ensure 

functional community managers and their 

representatives are involved throughout the 

the most important 

piece of an employee’s 

development, Latker said.

“An IDP lays out your 

goals,” she said. “It’s also a 

formal plan between you and your 

supervisor that balances the needs 

of the organization while focusing on 

your developmental growth. It gives you 

a foundation around what you want to do 

for the future. Anybody can say, ‘I know 

what I want to do,’ but you need to put 

that down in writing. You need to list 

what your goals are and identify activities 

to support those goals.”

Although IDPs are important, some 

DLA employees don’t create or put time 

into developing them, Latker said.

“They think an IDP is a wish list; 

it’s not,” she said. “The IDP process is 

very structured. It should discuss your 

short- and long-term goals; list your 

competencies; identify your knowledge, 

skills and abilities; and be linked to your 

training, education and other professional 

development. It’s a road map that says, 

‘I’m here, and this is where I would like to 

be in the future.’”

Although much of career development 

is focused on employees, supervisors aren’t 

left out of the equation, Latker stressed. 

“As a supervisor looking at the career 

map, I can identify where my employee 

is on the map, identify skills gaps, 

and partner with my employee 

to determine the training and 

developmental opportunities 

that should be incorporated 

into their IDP,” she said. 

“It’s truly a benefit 

to the employee, 

GS-0018 Safety and Occupational Health Management

GS-0028 Environmental Protection Specialist

GS-0080 Security Administration

GS-0081 Fire Protection and Prevention

GS-0083 Police

GS-0132 Intelligence

GS-0201 Human Resources Management

GS-0346 Logistics Management

GS-0501 Financial Administration and Programs

GS-0510 Accounting

GS-1102 Contracting

GS-1910 Quality Assurance

GS-2001 General Supply

GS-2003 Supply Program Management

GS-2010 Inventory Management

development. It’s a road map that says, 

‘I’m here, and this is where I would like to 

be in the future.’”

is focused on employees, supervisors aren’t 

left out of the equation, Latker stressed. 

map, I can identify where my employee 

GS-1102

34%

GS-1910

9%

GS-2001

11%

GS-2003

9%

GS-2010

13%

GS-0510 1%

GS-0501 5%

GS-0346 3%

GS-0201 5%

GS-0132 0%

GS-0083 4%

GS-0081 1%

GS-0080 1%

GS-0028 3%

GS-0018 1%

This graphic represents the relative size of

each occupation as compared with other

DLA mission-critical occupations.

MISSION-CRITICAL

OCCUPATIONS

All Department of Defense agencies have

developed a list of occupations that are critical

to their particular missions. Occupations most

critical to the Defense Logistics Agency are:
Loglines l November - December 2012 17

process. Contracting employees, 

whose career fields were mapped 

out first, seem pleased with the 

result, Latker said, noting that 

feedback has been positive.

“Feedback has been extremely 

favorable, especially from the 

contracting community since 

they have used the career map for 

about two years now,” Latker said. 

“We’ve made about 650 threedimensional, hard-copy pyramids 

for the supervisors to use in their 

discussions with their employees 

at their mid-year review, as well as 

during IDP open season.”

For those unsure of the 

process, Latker offered a few 

suggestions.

“I suggest they go in and read 

the career guide on the HR website and 

review all the documents we’ve created 

for the individual career field. There’s a 

detailed map of the developmental levels. 

Employees should partner with their 

supervisor to work on an IDP that includes 

five- and 10-year goals. They should 

review career-specific maps, look at available opportunities to include training and 

development or rotational programs and 

tuition assistance to name a few.”

With a new, interactive website 

specifically for career mapping in the 

works, Latker said she hopes employees 

will visit the site to look at their career 

map and mark it as a favorite site.

“I’m excited to get the website up 

and running in collaboration with DLA 

Information Operations,” she said. “I 

have a wish list of features I want in the 

site: competencies that you can scroll 

over and see the definitions, and features 

that wouldn’t be possible in a hard-copy 

format. It’s putting everything under one 

framework, one website. Once the site 

is up and operational, we’ll be loading 

the completed career-specific maps. If 

someone is interested in transitioning to a 

new career, they will have documents that 

are easy to read, very user-friendly and 

have links to other sites all in one place.”

Although designed for all employees, the 

career mapping tool is the greatest advantage to those new to DLA, Latker said.

“I think the tool is unbelievable, 

and once we get it onto an interactive 

website, it’s going to be a great asset for 

all employees,” Latker said. “Especially 

seeing our newest DLA hires, the ones 

beginning their career with DLA, wanting 

to use these career maps to say, ‘OK, I’m 

here and I know where I want to go, now 

how can I get there?’ Career maps will be 

the tool they can use to get them started 

and headed in the right direction.”

In the future, Latker has even bigger 

plans for the career maps – recruitment.

“Right now, our goal is to continue 

to communicate and socialize career 

mapping to our DLA employees,” she said. 

“We’re discussing it and introducing it at 

our DLA Pathways orientations. We’ve 

had management meetings with many 

senior and executive-level personnel in 

DLA, guiding them through the career 

mapping document, demonstrating how 

the documents are linked and discussing 

the strategy used in our approach. Although 

we’re not there yet, we want to use this as 

a recruitment tool so potential employees 

can get a feel for DLA and all the wonderful 

opportunities our agency offers to its

employees. 

“Eventually we may map other 

positions that are not considered missioncritical occupations but are essential 

to our mission like the administrative 

support field.” 

Sara West, a senior contract specialist in DLA Contracting Services, part of DLA Acquisition,

accesses the career pyramid for contracting employees from the DLA Human Resources website.

Career pyramids are being developed to help guide employees’ career paths.

Kathleen T. Rhem

The DLA Human Resources website contains additional 

reference materials and tools for developing employees’ potential 

and career opportunities. Navigate your browser to: 

http://www.hr.dla.mil/resources/
Workforce Development

18 www.dla.mil

on the Defense Logistics Agency Human

Resources website, Pathways consists of 

three programs: the Internship Program, 

the Presidential Management Fellows 

Program and the Recent Graduates 

Program.

“With the passage of Pathways, 

[the Office of Personnel Management] 

required all the agencies to use internship 

in the titling of their program for their 

current students,” said Char Swingle, a 

human resources specialist with DLA 

Human Resources Policy. 

The Internship Program, whose

participants are referred to as interns,

is the avenue for students enrolled in

educational institutions. It replaces the

Student Temporary Employment Program

and the Student Career Experience

Program and is officially called the DLA 

Pathways Internship Program.

“Basically the STEP and SCEP names 

are gone; they’re now called interns,” 

said Pam Latker, chief of the Career 

Management Division at DLA Training.

The Recent Graduates Program 

is aimed at those who have recently 

graduated from qualifying educational 

institutions. Along with competitive 

examining, merit promotion and special 

hiring authorities such as the veterans 

hen many people think of an 

intern, descriptors like fresh 

out of college, young and 

inexperienced come to mind. 

Those descriptions fit many 

interns, but they can also be veterans, 

people looking to change careers, or 

people with disabilities.

Recent changes to the definition of 

“intern” have altered what that means for

employees, supervisors and potential hires.

President Barack Obama signed the 

order that established the Pathways 

Program in December 2010. The program

provides federal employment opportunities to degree-seeking students taking at 

least a halftime course load in an accredited high school, technical or vocational 

school, or college. After they finish their 

academic and work experience requirements, students may be noncompetitively converted to term, career or 

career-conditional appointments.

Officially referred to as 

“Pathways for Students 

and Recent Graduates 

to Federal Careers” 

hen

intern,

out

inexperienced

Those descriptions fit many W

interns, but they

Story by Amanda Neumann

Pathways to

Federal Jobs
Loglines l November - December 2012 19

Keith Beebe

and disabled authorities, the Recent 

Graduates Program will be used to fill 

DLA’s Pathways to Career Excellence 

Program, formerly the DLA Corporate 

Intern Program.

The final rule implementing the 

Pathways programs was effective July 10. 

With the law now in effect, DLA Human 

Resources has made significant progress 

in implementing it, Swingle said.

DLA’s SCEP program gave Douglas 

Rakestraw his first position in the federal 

government as a document automation 

specialist in DLA Document Services in 

2010. Currently a career employee, he 

credits that internship for exposing him 

to different parts of DLA.

“It was interesting when I first 

started, because they moved me around 

a lot,” he said. “I did different things 

here and there for the first year. In the 

last year and a half, I’ve done more 

specific, more set, jobs where I’m there 

for a longer period of time. Because they 

moved me around a lot, it gave me more 

opportunities to figure out what I could 

do and helped me get an idea of what I 

actually want to do.”

Rakestraw, 26, who graduated 

last year with an associate’s degree in 

electrical information technology, plans 

to continue his education. 

“Right now, I’m still doing a variety 

of things,” he said. “I’m running some 

technical stuff on a server to get stuff out 

to our production area; I do some billing, 

plus some technical projects, etc. I want 

to eventually shift into something else, 

like project management.

Arina Zaitseva, a contracting trainee 

in the intern program at DLA Document 

Services, has been in the SCEP program 

for a couple of months. She is pursuing 

a business minor as an addition to her 

bachelor’s degree in psychology and 

researched DLA before applying for an 

internship.

“DLA is a forward-thinking organization,” she said. “It’s global, worldwide and very big. They’ve given me a 

rotation in different departments, from 

broad to specific, which has given me 

options. I have some room to decide, 

and there’s lots of movement.” 

Zaitseva said DLA’s emphasis on 

education is what attracted her to a 

career with the agency.

“It’s a good environment; they value 

education and support you to get more 

education,” she said. “I’m getting my 

extra education just for this. With the 

intern program, I’ve broadened my 

knowledge of DLA, got more in-depth on 

what DLA does, how it operates, and I 

recommend internships to my friends.”

Latker said internships can provide a 

ladder to other career opportunities.

“There are people out there who say, 

‘I want to do other things and broaden 

my experiences,’” Latker said. “Those are 

the ones who tend to get other experiences and tend to move up much faster 

because they’re willing to do those kinds 

of things to grow.” 

https://my.usajobs.gov/StudentsAndGrads

The Pathways Programs assist students from high school, post-graduate

school and recent graduates and provides meaningful training and career

development opportunities for individuals at the beginning of their federal

service. For more information on Pathways opportunities, visit:

DLA Document Services interns past and present gather and meet with Steve Sherman, director of DLA Document Services, as part of an intern

workshop hosted at the organization’s headquarters in Mechanicsburg, Pa.
A Conversation with . . .

20 www.dla.mil

What makes the Defense Logistics 

Agency a great place to work for 

its employees? Why should people 

come to work here, and why should

they stay? 

Our mission, our culture and

our people make DLA a great

place to work.

We have a clear mission and

vision. The mission is important.

We can relate to it. We get it! And

we can be proud of it. Just walk

around our work spaces, and

you’ll see pictures of someone

in uniform: fathers, mothers,

sons, daughters, sisters, brothers

or friends who serve or have

served in the armed forces. We

all know somebody who benefits

from what we do. We come to

work every day knowing that the

warfighter depends on us, and

we go home every night knowing

that we have done something to

meet their needs.

Our culture embraces trust, 

respect and empowerment. Like 

any large organization, DLA 

is not perfect, but overall DLA 

offers an environment where 

people can come to work and 

excel. People come to DLA 

seeking meaningful work, fair 

pay, occasional recognition, and 

opportunities to balance work and 

home lives. DLA lives up to these 

expectations. We have a great 

Brad Bunn

DLA’s Human Resources Director Talks About What Makes the Agency a Great Place to Work

benefits package, including flexible 

hours, telework, paid leave, highquality health and life insurance 

options, training and tuition 

reimbursement, career ladders, 

and promotional opportunities. 

The work is satisfying, the pay is 

good, and we are recognized for 

our contributions.

These attributes make DLA a 

good place to work, but it is the 

people who make it great, people 

who commit to the organization 

and the mission, who actively work 

to improve skills and performance, 

who care about their co-workers 

and their customers, and who step 

up to make us proud of what we do 

and where we do it.

What are some of the challenges 

facing DLA Human Resources and 

the workforce in general in the 

near future? 

First of all, there are 

no challenges that we can’t 

overcome. As DLA Director Navy 

Brad Bunn

Defense Logistics Agency
DLA Strategic Communications 

Loglines l November - December 2012 21

Vice Adm. Mark Harnitchek is 

fond of saying, we’re a giant in 

the logistics world, and there’s 

nothing we can’t do. If we didn’t 

have challenges, work wouldn’t 

be as fun. That said, I think our 

greatest challenge will be the 

uncertainty associated with the 

current budget environment and 

how that will affect our mission 

picture. Although the impact 

of uncertainty is far reaching, 

I think we can group the most 

compelling into three broad 

categories.

We’ve been expecting

the “retirement tsunami” for

several years now and have been

preparing with talent management

and succession planning

strategies. Knowledge transfer,

the sharing of information from

one generation of employees to

the next, is an essential element.

During an economic downturn,

attrition slows as employees

remain in stable positions

and delay retirement. As the

percentage of DLA employees who

are retirement eligible increases,

so does the knowledge base that

may leave en masse with an

economic upturn. In fact, recent

survey results indicate that nearly

25 percent of DLA employees plan

to retire in the next five years. 

We must be constantly vigilant

to prepare our more junior

workforce through inclusion and

information sharing.

The second challenge is 

rightsizing and reskilling. We 

hear every day about our nation’s 

budget crisis and the need to 

economize. Combined with the 

reduction in America’s global 

military presence, it’s reasonable 

to expect that DLA’s operational 

tempo will change as well. What 

is the right size for our workforce 

in five years? What skill sets will 

be valued as our current mission 

changes or new missions replace 

old? As an agency, we can’t afford 

to get too comfortable with where 

we are today. Tomorrow is likely to 

look very different.

Lastly, I believe we need 

to focus increased attention 

on remaining an employer of 

choice. With smaller budgets, 

pay freezes and media criticism, 

the perception of government 

employment as an attractive 

alternative is shaken. We must 

continue to strive for a positive 

image, both for our current 

workforce and for future workers. 

DLA’s quality of life programs 

are, in my opinion, hard to 

ignore. Federal benefits programs 

are unsurpassed, and many DLA 

activities offer flexible work 

schedules, telework and a variety 

of family-friendly programs. 

Our excellent workforce is 

testimony that DLA is an 

excellent employer. Our public 

face is increasingly important in 

maintaining that image.

The bottom line is that good 

stewardship of American tax 

dollars does not have to devastate 

us, and it won’t as long as we are 

forward thinking, responsive to 

change, and ever mindful of the 

impact our work has on military 

service members, our nation and 

the world. 

What are some of the things DLA is 

doing to increase its recruiting of 

veterans? 

DLA has an excellent track 

record in employing veterans 

and former military members. 

About 36 percent of our current 

workforce is veterans, and about 

a third of those are disabled 

veterans. Service members who 

are retiring or leaving the military 

often gravitate to DLA and other 

Defense Department activities 

because they have a great affinity 

for our mission, and we’re proud 

of that tradition.

DLA’s efforts to recruit 

and employ severely disabled 

veterans include ensuring all 

job opportunity announcements 

include 30 percent or more 

disabled veterans in the area 

of consideration. As a result of 

this practice, disabled veterans 

are able to be considered for 

vacant positions for which they 

meet the minimum qualification 

requirements. Additionally,

managers are encouraged to

participate in local job fairs and to
A Conversation with . . .

22 www.dla.mil

work with state and local veterans

outreach programs and military

transition centers in an effort to

attract qualified candidates for 

agency positions.

In addition, managers have

been asked to designate positions

specifically for veteran hiring 

and to utilize veteran intern

programs to provide meaningful

work assignments for recovering

service members and veterans.

These intern programs may be

used as possible pipelines for

placing veterans.

Operation Warfighter provides 

wounded warriors with temporary 

opportunities for meaningful 

activity outside of the hospital 

environment while they wait to 

return to active duty or transition 

to the civilian world. Service 

members receive military salaries 

and therefore are not otherwise 

compensated by the agencies to 

which they are assigned. There 

is no commitment or promise of 

permanent employment.

For many recovering 

service members, the Operation 

Warfighter program represents 

their first post-injury work 

experience. Placing these service 

members in supportive work 

settings that positively impact 

the recuperation process is 

the underlying purpose of the 

Operation Warfighter program.

Under the Department of 

Veteran Affairs Non-Paid Work 

Experience Program, veterans 

with service-connected disabilities 

are placed in local, state or

federal government offices. Such 

a placement does not count

against an agency’s limit of fulltime employees, and the agency

does not pay the veteran. The

VA pays the veteran a monthly

subsistence allowance while the

veteran is participating in the

program. During the placement,

the veteran works toward gaining

or strengthening particular skill

sets. Though the office is under 

no obligation to hire the veteran,

the goal of this program is for

the veteran to obtain full-time,

permanent employment.

What’s the most important thing 

new employees need to know that 

the agency provides?

DLA supports warfighters. DLA 

provides clothing, medicine, meals,

fuel and replacement parts for

ships, airplanes, ground vehicles

and other equipment that our men

and women in the military need

to perform their duties that keep

America free. If the military eats

it, wears it, or needs a replacement

part, medicine or fuel for their

equipment, DLA supplies it.

DLA also supports its 

workforce. We have a generous 

benefits package, flextime, 

telework, paid annual, sick 

and holiday leave, insurance, 

retirement benefits, career 

development support, career 

guides and maps with structured 

career paths, cross training, 

and rotational assignment 

opportunities. We take pride 

in knowing that our support 

to warfighters ensures they 

have the parts, equipment and 

supplies necessary to carry out 

their mission at a fair price to 

the taxpayer.

What are some of the things DLA 

Human Resources does for the 

agency’s employees they may not 

be aware of? 

DLA HR provides automated 

systems that enable employees to 

manage their retirement accounts, 

the benefits and beneficiaries of 

their life and health insurance, and 

their growth and development as 

they choose, including websites 

with educational material, 

e-seminars, retirement calculators, 

and other financial resources.

Financial Literacy Program 

course offerings have been added 

to the Learning Management 

System and are now available 

to all DLA employees. The DLA 

Financial Literacy Team in DLA 

Human Resources developed 

the Financial Literacy Education 

Program in accordance with U.S. 

Office of Personnel Management 

guidelines that state each agency 

must develop a retirement 

financial education plan. Our 

interagency agreement with OPM 

provides DLA associates with a 

one-year license to access financial 

literacy training modules through 

the LMS. 
The Servicemember Transitional 

Advanced Rehabilitation Program 

at Hunter Homes McGuire Veterans 

Affairs Medical Center in Richmond, 

Va., and Defense Logistics Agency 

Aviation’s Disability Program are 

collaborating to form a job-shadowing 

program. 

“The intent of the program [is] to 

have service members and veterans job 

shadow DLA employees and observe 

them performing their job duties so they 

can get an idea of what is necessary to 

work [here], what kinds of qualifications 

are needed to be considered for a 

particular job, and whether or not they 

actually like the job,” said Cynthia 

Young, a vocational rehabilitation 

counselor with the STAR Program. 

The program works with transitioning

service members. 

“This is a great opportunity for

people interested in federal employment

or interested in certain jobs to make connections on lots of levels,” Young said.

Cathy Hobson, DLA Aviation’s

Disability Program manager, said DLA

as a whole is interested in helping people

with disabilities and has developed

extensive reasonable accommodations

The majority of the service members 

and veterans who go through the 

STAR Program have a service-related 

disability, Hobson said. 

“We would like this to give them an 

opportunity to work or do something 

other than be in the hospital,” she said.

— Trinace Johnson

DLA Aviation Public Affairs

DLA Aviation,

VA Collaborate

on Vet JobShadowing

Opportunities

DLA Energy Ensures Troops Get Fuel

The office has two main missions, 

which are directly linked to stewardship. 

The first mission is implementing, managing and administering the Managers 

Internal Controls Program throughout 

DLA Energy. The MIC Program provides 

a structure to establish, assess, evaluate 

and report on DLA Energy’s system of 

internal controls in all operations areas.

“[Internal controls] are policies and

procedures that help the organization

obtain its goals in order to accomplish the

mission,” said Toni Williams, a DLA Energy

Stewardship Office logistics analyst. “The 

controls are supposed to be documented.”

Internal controls help prevent fraud, 

waste or mismanagement; accidents; 

unauthorized access to information systems; mission failure; negative publicity; 

and losses from pilferage.

The Stewardship Office’s second mission is ensuring defense fuel support points

and service control points are audit ready

in accordance with the Federal Managers’

Financial Integrity Act of 1982 and Office of 

Management and Budget Circular 123.

“We’re testing that they’re using 

their internal controls and that every 

sale and receipt has a source document 

that is completed correctly and matches 

all the way through the system,” said 

Doug Collins, from the DLA Energy 

Stewardship Office.

— Jonathan Stack

DLA Energy Public Affairs

The Defense Logistics Agency Energy 

Stewardship Office is working to make 

sure service members never have to 

worry about running out of fuel.

“If a warfighter needs fuel, he can rest 

assured ... that fuel is going to be there 

because we have validated processes in 

place,” said Devon Williams, DLA Energy 

Managers’ Internal Control Program 

administrator and lead logistics analyst in 

the DLA Energy Stewardship Office. 

“Our processes are constantly being

evaluated so we can ensure on-time

delivery and that the fuel is going to be

available when and where it’s needed,”

Williams continued.

The Stewardship Office helps assure 

warfighters that the inventory they need 

is actually there by providing oversight

and maintenance of DLA and DLA

Energy’s financial officers’ certifications 

of auditability.

“DLA Energy [leaders were] smart 

enough to develop an office just for 

that,” said Claudia Waters, DLA Energy 

Stewardship Office director. “The reason we 

are outside of the supply chain is because if

we’re going to assess any of the controls or

the processes that people conduct, we can’t

be a part of the supply chain.”

Soldiers roll barrels of fuel into a vehicle. The

DLA Energy Stewardship Ofce helps assure

warghters their fuel is available and delivered

on time by making sure defense fuel support

points and service control points are audit ready. Army Spc. Kimberly Menzies

NewsWire DLA Strategic Communications 

Loglines l November - December 2012 23
Money Matters

24 www.dla.mil

D

DLA TROOP SUPPORT 

Story by Michael Tuttle and Nick Sistrun

efense Logistics Agency Troop Support 

personnel used the reverse-auction 

process to garner major savings on two 

recent contract awards.

In August, personnel in the

subsistence supply chain saved $5.1 million on a

first-strike rations contract. The construction and 

equipment supply chain saved roughly $400,000

in September on a specific air filter used on 

Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers.

“I think it is wonderful any time we can 

save the taxpayers’ money while still getting 

the military servicemen and women a quality 

product,” Eileen Friel, a contracting officer in 

DLA Troop Support Subsistence, said. 

Through reverse auctioning, contractors 

bid online for government contracts, allowing 

them to view the lowest offer and bid against it, 

creating intense competition, Friel explained. 

Within a few hours, the auction concludes with 

a winner. 

A first-strike ration is smaller and lighter 

than a meal, ready-to-eat. It is used by the U.S. 

Michael Tuttle and Nick Sistrun are writers for DLA Troop Support

Public Affairs.

REVERSE 

AUCTIONS
DLA Strategic Communications

Loglines l November - December 2012 25

military during the first 72 hours of an 

operation, when troops are moving from 

location to location and are not likely 

to eat in stable field settings or dining 

facilities. 

The DLA Troop Support Construction 

and Equipment contract for the air 

filters is a two-year base contract that 

has three option years and is valued at 

an estimated $3.9 million. The savings 

are based on the previous contract price. 

The “agglomerator” air filter is specially 

sized to be used in the destroyers’ turbine 

intake, said Alberta Jones, a Construction 

and Equipment Integrated Supply Team 

supervisor.

Both these contracts were awarded 

before DLA announced Sept. 11 that 

reverse auctions are the mandatory 

method for price negotiations on 

competitive contracts valued at more 

than $150,000.

DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. Mark 

Harnitchek set a goal for the agency to 

save $10.3 billion by the end of fiscal 

2018, based on a national defense 

strategy that includes budget cuts to the 

Defense Department. Reverse auctions 

are one tool being used to achieve the 

director’s goal of saving $8.6 billion in 

material costs.

DLA has saved more than $34 million 

through reverse auctions since fiscal 

2010, when reverse auction savings were 

first tracked. 

Most of the savings stems from about 

400 auctions held so far in fiscal 2012, 

Charles Howerton, a procurement and 

systems analyst for the DLA Acquisition 

Programs and Industrial Capabilities 

Division, said in the announcement on 

the new requirements.

Cost savings are not the only benefit 

to reverse auctions.

“(They are a) good pricing tool in 

expediting the negotiation process,” 

Jones said.

Reverse auctions are useful when 

competition exists and when the item 

is commercial and in high demand, 

Jones said.

Subsistence Operational Rations 

Division Chief Harry Streibich said using 

reverse auctioning to buy rations is cost 

effective and in line with DLA’s strategic 

goal to reduce costs. 

“Across the subsistence supply chain 

we are looking for ways to meet DLA’s 

strategic goals of reducing cost,” Streibich 

said. “I can see reverse auctions being 

used for operational rations for a number 

of different procurements, enabling us to 

see some dramatic savings for DLA over 

the next five years.” 

Through reverse auctioning, contractors bid online for 

government contracts, allowing them to view the lowest 

offer and bid against it, creating intense competition.

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF AUCTIONS

Regular auctions have multiple buyers bidding toward one source supplier.

Reverse auctions are a Web-based pricing tool that fosters competition between

contractors to reduce the price the government pays for a particular item. By

requesting an item from multiple suppliers, DLA is able to get those suppliers

to bid against each other to give DLA the best price.

MAIN

SUPPLIER

BUYER

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BUYER

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BUYER

4

BUYER

5

BUYER

6

REGULAR AUCTION

SUPPLIER

2

SUPPLIER

3

SUPPLIER

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REVERSE AUCTION
ith 26 distribution centers 

located around the world, 

Defense Logistics Agency 

Distribution provides service 

to more than 243,000 

different customers representing each 

branch of the military and several other 

government agencies.

 “While the number may be staggering, it’s not just about the volume of 

material flowing through our distribution 

network, it’s about understanding the 

customers’ needs, providing best-value 

distribution solutions, and ensuring 

we are good stewards of the taxpayers’ 

dollars,” Deputy Commander William 

Budden said.

“DLA Distribution manages over 

2.9 million items, both DLA-owned and 

service-owned,” Budden said, adding that 

inventory stored at distribution locations 

is valued at more than $102 billion.

The organization is marking 15 years 

as a DLA primary-level field activity and 

has processed more than 349 million 

receipts and issues in support of the 

nation’s men and women in uniform.

The organization, headquartered in 

New Cumberland, Pa., helps the military 

services determine and carry out the most 

efficient ways to ship material.

“From the smallest first aid kit to a 

deployable hospital unit or even a deployable distribution center ready to deploy 

anywhere in the world at a moment’s 

notice, DLA Distribution, along with our 

supply chain partners, can provide that 

service,” Budden said.

Working with its customers, DLA

Distribution helps military units assemble

kits of items used together so troops can

perform their duties more efficiently. The 

organization assembled more than 78,000

kits in fiscal 2012.

“In the past, our customers would

requisition numerous supply items and

assemble their own kits, whether it was for

ith

located

Defense

Distribution

to

different

W

 customers

An employee at DLA Distribution

Corpus Christi, Texas, pulls parts

to assemble a kit.

DLA Distribution

Stacy Umstead is the public affairs ofcer for DLA Distribution.

26 www.dla.mil

We are DLA

DLA DISTRIBUTION

Story by Stacy Umstead

New Cumberland, Pa.
a first aid kit, or a tool kit for maintenance on a vehicle,” Budden said.

“By our organization performing the

kitting operations for them, our military

can focus on their mission. Whether it is

a doctor in the field caring for a patient 

or a maintenance worker performing

routine maintenance on an aircraft, DLA

Distribution gives critical time back to the

specialists performing their jobs.”

Industrial kits include items such as 

main rotor brakes, shock rebuild kits and 

fuel filters. The organization also puts kits 

together for Air Force customers.

“Our time-compliant technical order

kits support numerous aircraft weapon

systems,” Budden said.

Stock medical kits include various 

types of first aid kits such as combat 

lifesaver kits, general purpose first aid 

kits and individual first aid kits.

A much larger kitting operation is the

assembly, repair and shipment of deployable medical systems.

“This specialized mission is performed

by our experts at DLA Distribution’s

facility in Hill, Utah. The deployable

medical system is a self-contained,

portable unit capable of being positioned

quickly in an area of operations during

war or a national emergency and can

be linked with tents to form a modular

hospital,” Budden said. “Essentially, it is

a hospital in a box and can range in size

from a single-unit, general-purpose lab to

a 1,000-bed hospital containing multiple

line items.”

Another tailored logistics service 

that continues to grow and evolve is the 

dedicated truck program.

“Dedicated truck is the direct delivery

of shipments to specified locations to meet 

pre-established delivery date and time,”

Budden said. “This process provides the

customer direct delivery services from the

shipper’s location to the customer’s door.”

Direct delivery service via dedicated 

truck supports high-volume customers 

receiving numerous shipments. Through 

coordination with customers, all cargo 

regardless of the priority and size may be 

delivered up to seven days a week from 

some DLA Distribution facilities.

“In most instances, the material is 

processed and delivered next business 

day after the receipt of the materiel 

release order,” Budden said.

Dedicated trucks improve efficiencies 

at the distribution centers and customer 

locations by guaranteeing a scheduled 

pickup and delivery.

“This higher level of quality service 

improves both the flexibility and mobility 

of the warfighter, eliminating non-valueadded activities. For example, the time 

cargo waits on the dock for pickup or the 

time the mechanic waits for the parts to 

show up,” Budden said.

DLA Distribution has nearly 500 

dedicated truck delivery locations and 

more than 150 different routes. 

In another efficiency measure, 

Navy customers benefit from material 

processing centers.

“MPC operations are designed to 

receive material for the Navy, provide 

material visibility, sort material by 

customer requirements, and then deliver 

the material so that it can be more easily 

placed into its location once onboard the 

ship,” Budden said.

MPCs are located at 

more than 15 different DLA 

Distribution sites.

Today’s military requires

that DLA Distribution be flexible, 

mobile, integrated and compatible,

Budden said. To meet this need,

DLA’s tailored logistics force, DLA

Distribution Expeditionary, provides a

deployable capability.

“This capability is designed to 

improve theater distribution in the opening days of a conflict, a period in which 

material historically arrives faster than it 

can be processed,” Budden said.

That scenario occurred in 2010 when 

DLA Distribution deployed its expeditionary team to support contingency 

operations in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

“In less than 30 days on the ground, 

our team built the compound, set up the 

deployable capability and processed its 

first requisition,” Budden said.

The team provided items such as 

critical repair parts, kit assemblies, 

clothing, repair parts for equipment 

maintenance, and construction materials 

supporting primarily Army and Marine 

customers in theater.

In less than five months, DLA 

Distribution’s 26th distribution facility 

was formally established. Budden said 

this is the capability that strategic 

planners are strongly considering during 

operational and war-planning phases and 

looking to DLA to provide.

As future customer requirements 

evolve, DLA Distribution stands ready to 

support, Budden said. 

“We continually strive to do what is 

right for our customers,” he said. “As we 

enhance our global distribution network 

to further enable logistics solutions, we 

will ensure that we are delivering global 

distribution excellence.” 

-

 said.

 the

 military

 Whether it is

a doctor in the field caring for a patient 

 performing

 aircraft, DLA

 back to the

MPCs

 than

Distribution

Today’s

that DLA Distribution be flexible, 

mobile, integrated

Budden

DLA’s tailored

Distribution Expeditionary,

 military

 is

 DLA

 the

MPCs

more than

Distribution

Today’s

that DLA Distribution be flexible, 

mobile,

Budden

DLA’s

Distribution

DLA Strategic Communications

Loglines l November - December 2012 27
28 www.dla.mil

More Than

Meets the Eye

Fluorescent fabric samples are displayed in the color

science testing laboratory at the DLA Product Testing

Center. Fabric and materials procured by the clothing

and textiles supply chain are color-science tested at the

center to meet specied standards.
Loglines l November - December 2012 29

test and the test taker is scored based on the 

number of errors made.

The lower the score, the better a person’s 

color acuity, Hieber explained. She and Farally 

are tested every six months.

“[With a score of] 100 or less, you’re 

considered to have normal color vision. 

These ladies score consistently at zero or 

four. They’re very good at what they do,” 

Conrad said.

In addition to having this ability, DLA

color science employees must hold a degree

in chemistry and undergo a year of extensive

on-the-job training before they

can begin evaluating materials.

Staffing in the color science 

laboratory is maintained through

a master-apprentice cycle of

training, Farally said.

 “When I came in seven years

ago, Jamie was and is the expert,”

Farally said of Hieber, who has

worked for DLA for 22 years. “She

taught me how to describe what

I’m seeing.”

Being able to accurately 

convey errors is important to 

customers, Farally said.

“We need to be able to say

[the shade test] failed, and this is why,” she

said. “It’s redder than the standard [or] it’s

greener than the standard. That’s information

back to them so that they know where the

error is and they know how to correct it.”

With a goal of evaluating samples within 

24 to 48 hours, Farally and Hieber analyze 

hundreds of thousands of yards of fabric to 

meet military service-specific tolerances and 

standards for dress and utility uniforms, 

accessories, and other uniform items.

While the product testing center uses 

state-of-the-art equipment for testing fabrics, 

Farally and Hieber are the human eyes who 

review what technology may miss.

“We’re the final step in the shade 

evaluation process,” Farally said. “We’re just 

that last look at it to make sure that what the 

government is procuring is what they actually 

ordered and what they actually want.” 

T

he human eye is capable of seeing up 

to 10 million colors, but most people 

cannot distinguish between all of 

them. Two fabric shade evaluators at 

the Defense Logistics Agency Product 

Testing Center in Philadelphia are among the 

fraction of the population who can. 

Ardra Farally and Jamie Hieber conduct

color science testing on fabric the military buys

for uniforms and other items through DLA Troop

Support’s clothing and textiles supply chain.

Color scientists work with C&T specialists 

to test fabric shades against standards the 

military services provide, 

both before and after items 

are produced.

Product Testing Center 

Manager Paul Conrad, who 

oversees the center’s color 

science laboratory, said 

getting the right color for 

military fabrics is critical. 

“In the military, shade

evaluation is very important.

Samples are tested under

specified lighting conditions,” 

Conrad said. “Per contract

requirements, fabric the

military buys has to be

evaluated by this laboratory to meet the

standards and tolerances. If it doesn’t meet it,

the contractor can’t ship it.”

Farally and Hieber have a natural ability 

for superior color sight that enables them to 

perform these shade evaluations. That ability 

is measured through a specialized test.

“The Farnsworth Munsell 100 Hue Test is 

specifically set up to check the color acuity in 

people who work in almost any field that deals 

[with] color,” Hieber said. “What it does is 

determine how good your color acuity is.”

People being evaluated in the test are 

presented four boxes of 84 colored tiles from 

red to blue, blue to green, green to red and red 

to yellow and must identify the hues within 

two minutes per box. Each tile is numbered on 

the back. The tiles are scrambled during the 

The product testing 

center uses stateof-the-art equipment 

for testing fabrics. 

Shade evaluators are 

the human eyes who 

review what technology 

may miss.

Story and Photo by Mikia Muhammad

Mikia Muhammad works for DLA Troop Support.