BATTLE CREEK, Mich. –
Ryan Kirby is an Environmental Operations Monitor for Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services Disposal Services Directorate Europe and Africa region in Kaiserslautern, Germany. He participated in the Pathways to Career Excellence Program from 2015 to 2017.
In your own words, how would you describe the PaCE program, and what can you gain from it?
I would describe the PaCE Program as an opportunity for someone wanting to start a career with the government or even a current government employee looking for a complete career change. The program provides the opportunity to meet people in various positions throughout the organization. It also provides the PaCER the chance to see and experience the everyday responsibilities of the subject-matter experts. In the program, you gain tons of knowledge, travel, and are set on a promotion track. Overall, the program gives the PaCER the appropriate tools for a successful career.
Please describe your current position in a couple of sentences, and how being in the PaCE program affected you in that position.
My current position consists of monitoring the contracting officer representatives’ field activity throughout the Europe and Africa region. The PaCE Program taught me the basic job responsibilities of a COR, and as a COR, I became well versed in the systems used, like Hazardous Material Management system.
Why did you first apply to the PaCE Program? Was it your first position with DLA?
After reading about the benefits and what the PaCE Program could offer, I decided to apply to the program to enhance my professional growth with the federal government. This was my first position with DLA even though I had worked alongside of DLA Energy for over 10 years.
What was your position before coming to the PaCE Program, if any?
Prior to going into the PaCE Program, I served in the U.S. Army. After serving, I began contracting at Bagram Air Force Base, Afghanistan, as a Fuel Storage Point Foreman. After that, I started my government career as a Fuels Distribution and Environmental Safety at U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden, Germany.
What have been your favorite parts of the PaCE Program?
One of my favorite parts of the program was shadowing the different leaders within DLA Disposition Services, one in particular was DLA Disposition Services Director Mike Cannon. I found it very insightful watching Mr. Cannon make daily decisions that would impact the global workforce and agency. Another favorite aspect of the program was watching DLA Disposition Services operate from top-to-bottom. It was interesting to witness various departments work together like a machine, no matter where in the world. One process could not efficiently work without the other. This proved to me how important each person involved was in the entire process.
Do you have a favorite memory from your time in the program?
I have many good memories from the program, but I will have to say the most memorable was assisting the Law Enforcement Support Office team. During a program compliance review in Colorado, there was a blizzard, specifically in the mountains where a lot of the participating police departments were located. A fellow PaCER and I were sharing a rental car and we thought it would be a good idea to get out and assist the car up a steep hill - the car was not making it up the snow-covered hill. It sounded like a good idea until we realized pushing a car in a suit and dress shoes was not going to be an easy task. Our dedication and steadfast attitudes got us over that hill, but for the rest of the trip, we never let our scuffed knees, soaked shoes, and stained white dress shirts, discourage us.
If there was one thing that could’ve been different for you in the PaCE Program, what would it be?
I can’t say anything should have been different because I used the up and down points as a learning opportunity.
What would you say is the most important quality to succeed in the PaCE Program?
You would need to be ready to accept challenges, a will to learn new processes, innovative, team player and self-confident.
What have you done since you finished with the PaCE Program?
I graduated the Log21 Program*. I’ve participated on Tiger Teams**. I successfully closed multiple satellite sites that were affected by Net Ops, an agency realignment, at the same time continued customer services resulting in positive Interactive Customer Evaluation comments. Additionally, I was recently selected to participate in the DLA Environmental Protection Competency Program.
Where did you see yourself going when you first started, and how does that compare to where you are now?
My main goal was to get as much experience in the organization as possible. Which in fact I am still working on, but I’ve gained much know how by working in different areas of the organization even if it took me to volunteer. I think I am in the place I expected to be at this time.
Do you have any advice for current or prospective PaCERs?
Work on building a network with the experienced personnel you have the opportunity of meeting during the program. There are so many subject-matter experts and they are easiest to learn from. They can help assist you in succeeding throughout the organization.
*The Log21 Program, Logistics for the 21st Century, is a 5.5 day course that provides General Salary-11 and GS-12 employees with approximately 3-7 years of logistics experience training in modern logistics and related technologies.
**Tiger Team is a colloquial term that refers to groups from DLA Disposition Services Headquarters that are sent to DLA Disposition Services Field Sites in order to assist in the working of excess unprocessed property.
Editorial Note: The Pathways to Career Excellence Program for DLA Disposition Services is a two-year program that takes PaCERs through all of Disposition Services and its processes to learn as much as possible about the directorate. The first year takes place at DLA Disposition Services Headquarters in Battle Creek, Michigan, and the second year either takes place in Battle Creek for Contracting PaCERs or at an assigned field site for Property Disposal PaCERs. PaCERs begin as general schedule 7s, move to GS-9s at the end of their first year, and graduate the program as GS-11s. There are multiple pathways to becoming a PaCER, including being hired internally, as a recent graduate, or from military service.