# Mr. Jim Bodron selected to Senior Executive Service

Mr. James A. Bodron, P.E., was recently selected by Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning as the newest member of the Senior Executive Service.

The Senior Executive Service is the civilian equivalent to the military rank of General Officer. SES leaders possess well-honed executive skills and share a broad perspective of government and a public service commitment which is grounded in the Constitution. Members of the SES serve in key positions just below the top Presidential appointees and are the major link between these appointees and the rest of the federal work force.

As a result of his SES appointment, Bodron will serve as programs director for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Mississippi Valley Division and the Mississippi River Commission, headquartered in Vicksburg, Miss. In this position, Bodron is responsible for development and execution of the approximately $1 billion annual budget of the Mississippi Valley Division including Civil Works Integration, Operations, Planning and Real Estate.

Prior to becoming programs director for the division, Bodron was the deputy district engineer for Project Management for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Memphis District, and was responsible for development and execution of the district’s budget including the Memphis District portion of the Mississippi River and Tributaries system. He also served as the Memphis District chief of Operations Division, leading a widely diverse workforce of 300 engineers, biologists, emergency managers, river pilots, mechanics, technicians and laborers. He also served as the district’s assistant chief of Planning, Programs and Project Management Branch, a project manager and senior study manager. Bodron also held positions with the Corps in the Little Rock, Tulsa and Rock Island districts.

In November 2008, Bodron answered the call of duty by deploying to Afghanistan. While there, he served as the deputy project manager and acting director of the Kandahar Program Office. In this capacity, he directed a nearly $1 billion military construction effort in support of overseas contingency operations. He also worked with NATO and U.S. forces to design and construct a wide variety of facilities.

Bodron is a graduate of Tennessee Tech University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering (1986), and the University of Memphis where he earned a master’s degree in civil engineering (1994). He is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Tennessee; a past officer and director of the Society of American Military Engineers, Memphis Post; and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Jim and his wife, Donna, have three children, Jimbo, Grace and Billy.

The Mississippi Valley Division is responsible for water resources engineering solutions in a 370,000-square-mile area, extending from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and encompassing portions of 12 states.  Work is carried out by district offices located in St. Paul, Minn.; Rock Island, Ill.; St. Louis, Mo.; Memphis, Tenn.; Vicksburg, Miss.; and New Orleans, La.

Since 1879, the seven-member presidentially appointed Mississippi River Commission has developed and matured plans for the general improvement of the Mississippi River from the Head of Passes to the Headwaters. The Mississippi River Commission brings critical engineering representation to the drainage basin, which impacts 41% of the United States and includes 1.25 million square miles, over 250 tributaries, 31 states and two Canadian provinces.

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Release no. 16-007