BATTLE CREEK, Mich –
Jason Roberts
Document Services Support Division Chief/Acting Document Services Deputy Director
New Cumberland, PA
Describe your job in a sentence or two. As the division chief for Document Services Support Division, I oversee all functions that are outside our two main business lines. This includes government purchase cards, personnel, timekeeping, Defense Travel Systems, Eagle, fleet management, records management, our customer support center and several others. As acting deputy director, I assist the director with setting long-term strategic direction and organizational goals, as well as day-to-day leadership tasks such as meeting coverage and inter-divisional coordination.
How long have you worked for the federal government including military service? I enlisted in the Navy in 1993 for a short time before going to college at Texas A&M University. I graduated and was commissioned in 1999 and separated in 2008. After separating, I worked at the Defense Intelligence Agency until 2016 when I moved to DLA.
How long have you worked for DLA Disposition Services/Document Services? I’ve worked for Document Services since joining DLA in 2016.
What is your favorite thing about your line of work? I most enjoy working with the Document Services team to help solve problems and ensure everyone has the resources they need to accomplish the mission.
What is the best piece of advice someone has given you? Take care of your people and everything else will work out.
What would you like to accomplish as deputy? My main focus as acting deputy is to focus on the big picture to ensure the divisions are supporting one another to the maximum extent possible. I’m also focused on ensuring all Doc Services employees are positioned to do their jobs to the best of their ability.
What is your message to the DLA Disposition Services workforce? I’m excited about the move to Disposition Services and look forward to working with the new team.
What is one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess? Self-awareness. Excellent leaders know both their strengths and weaknesses. They build teams that fill the gaps and trust their people to do their jobs.
What is your leadership philosophy and how does that tie into your line of work? I believe a leader’s most important job is to ensure team members have the resources to accomplish the mission, and they know they are empowered to do their jobs without micromanagement.
What keeps you motivated? The people. During my time in the Navy and as a government civilian, I constantly meet people who are proud of their work and their service to our country. Helping these folks do their job is what keeps me going.
What do you believe is your biggest accomplishment and why? My greatest professional accomplishment was completing flight school and earning my Naval Aviator wings. I set this goal as a child and worked toward it for over 15 years. This taught me a valuable lesson that I still follow today: setting and achieving goals is simple, but it’s hard. The simple part is figuring out what you want and what it takes to get it. The hard part is making it happen.
What mistakes have you seen individuals make that prevent them from being successful? Expecting their careers to happen to them and opportunities to fall in their laps. Luck and timing can be big parts of advancing, but you will always be your best advocate. Don’t be afraid to make sure your leadership knows what you’re doing. Ask for help when you need it but try to find solutions when you can. If you want to progress to the next step, figure out what’s required and do it. This sounds obvious, but I’ve mentored several people who assume their bosses know everything they’re doing and how they want to advance themselves.
What is your best memory of working with DLA? My best memories are from my first few months with Document Services. Because of school and housing, I was separated from my family for a couple of months. My new team welcomed me, made me feel like part of the team and helped me quickly get up to speed.
What are your hobbies? I discovered an aptitude and passion for woodworking during the summer of 2020. My kids were destroying my yard, so I made them a tree house. One thing led to another and I now spend most evenings and weekend mornings in my basement making stuff.