RICHMOND, Va., –
For John O’Kleasky, anti-terrorism officer within the Security Operations branch of the Defense Logistics Agency Installation Management Richmond Security and Emergency Services Office, ensuring the safety and security of the installation is more than just a job, it’s a passion.
His commitment to excellence recently earned him top honors when he was named DLA Senior Security Professional of the Year for 2024 during the agency’s annual awards ceremony – which recognizes the outstanding achievements and contributions made by employees across the enterprise – held Jan. 23, at DLA headquarters on Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
“This award is a testament to John’s exceptional leadership, expertise and dedication to the security mission here at DLA Aviation and Defense Supply Center Richmond,” said Thomas Reinard, DLA Installation Management Richmond Deputy Site Director. “He walks past every problem as if it’s his to solve. His contributions have been instrumental in shaping our security posture and ensuring the protection of our people, assets, and operations.”
O'Kleasky’s journey to becoming DLA’s top security professional started long before he began working for the agency. After serving four years in the U.S. Marine Corps as an infantryman, he embarked on a 30-year career with the Richmond Police Department, retiring as Deputy Chief of Police in 2021.
“During my time with the police department, I gained invaluable experience in developing and implementing strategies related to complex investigations, security operations, counter-terrorism tactics and crime prevention,” said O’Kleasky.
In support of the Installation Annual Exercise Plan, he leveraged his extensive law enforcement experience and exceeded expectations by planning and executing a multi-phase, two-month active shooter training evolution with the Aviation Planning Directorate. The training culminated in a functional exercise that fully evaluated the response of Police, Fire and Emergency Services, and employees to an active threat at DSCR. This scenario-based, interactive training reinforced to employees the significance of using the chain of command, Human Resources, DLA iWatch or DLA Police to report early behavioral indicators of violence exhibited in the workplace. The exercise and all its precursor events vastly improved DSCR’s readiness and helped the workforce prepare to detect, prevent and/or respond to intentional mass casualty violence.
With a strong background in security operations combined with his commitment to professional development and passion for protecting national security interests, O’Kleasky obtained a Master of Arts Degree with an emphasis in Homeland Security and Defense from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, establishing himself as a subject matter expert in his field.
Recognizing the value in educating employees on security best practices, O'Kleasky worked closely with internal and external partners throughout the rating period to develop a robust security awareness training program.
It was stated in his award citation that through collaboration with his teammates, O'Kleasky introduced new interactive Run-Hide-Fight response drills into dynamic active shooter training sessions, earning praise from those attending and their respective leaders. In addition to offering multiple training sessions to help raise security awareness, he conducted workplace visit follow-ups to help implement new concepts into each unique workspace. These actions along with the creation of educational posters, pamphlets and inserts helped raise the visibility of important ATO messaging and raise awareness on various security-related initiatives.
“John’s tenacious efforts to bolster community outreach and education on the Installation greatly enhanced the community’s trust and confidence in the entire S&ES team,” Reinard said. “His effective communication and consistent collaboration improved cross-functional coordination amongst human resources, legal, intelligence, security, law enforcement, antiterrorism communities and the DLA Enterprise. He achieved new heights in installation excellence, successfully developing and implementing creative organizational strategies to improve the safety and security of DSCR for those that work on and visit the installation.”
In addition to his work on security awareness, O’Kleasky was instrumental in shaping Aviation's security posture on the installation through his involvement in the development and implementation of the agency’s security policies and procedures. With expansive knowledge of security regulations and guidelines, he worked closely with Aviation’s leadership team to ensure that the agency’s security policies and procedures are aligned with national security standards and best practices.
“John is an outstanding security professional who consistently demonstrates a deep understanding of the complex security challenges facing the federal workforce today,” Reinard said. “His expertise and leadership have been invaluable to our team, and we are grateful for his contributions to our security mission.”
As a recipient of the Senior Security Professional of the Year award, O’Kleasky joins an elite group of security professionals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, expertise, and dedication to DLA’s security community.
“Leadership in its simplest form is one’s ability to influence others, my way of influencing others is by providing responsive, timely and informative customer service that highlights the importance of reporting suspicious activity,” O’Kleasky said. “As we move forward, we should stay proactive, continually seek innovative ways to mitigate risk, address threats, reduce vulnerabilities and always strive to exceed the standard, not just meet it.”