NEW PHILADELPHIA – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recently celebrated the graduation of this year’s Leadership Development Program (LDP), Level II.
For the first time ever, this year’s class also included a Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) employee, Doug Little, deputy chief, reservoir maintenance/infrastructure.
“This shows how strong of a partnership and close relationship we have with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,” said Craig Butler, executive director of MWCD. “We are thankful that Col. (Jayson) Putnam, commander of the Huntington District, invited a MWCD staff member to participate and grow through this leadership training.”
“We very much appreciate USACE inviting us to participate in this leadership training opportunity,” said Boris Slogar, MWCD chief engineer. “We are grateful for the opportunity and appreciate Doug’s participation which allowed him to grow professionally through this excellent development program.”
LDP is a USACE program designed to provide progressive avenues toward developing and training leaders at all levels as part of “Building the Bench” for the future. There are several tiers of the training, each with different focus areas. The ceremony marked the completion of a year’s work that serves to develop future leaders.
Over the past 10 months, the participants learned various management, team building and leadership skills pertaining to various levels of an organization. Topics included self-awareness, conflict management, team effectiveness and the concept of a learning organization.
“It was a valuable experience that taught leadership skills, including examining personal strengths,” said Little. “It also allowed me to develop relationships with members of USACE that will strengthen future programs and collaboration between organizations.”
Approximately 80 percent of the program is administered by a private contractor, while the other 20 percent is conducted by USACE. Sessions incorporate a combination of virtual and face-to-face meetings.
Graduates include Lisa Gatens, project manager, Project Management, USACE; Patrick Deweese, deputy chief of Design Branch, Engineering, Electrical/Mech, USACE; Noah Morgan, civil engineer, Engineering, Civil Design, USACE; Blake Chadwick, civil engineer, Operations, USACE; Aaron Rogers, maintenance mechanic, Operations, Muskingum, USACE; Robert Hawk, supervisory facilities operations specialist, Operations, Mohawk, USACE; Andrea Skean, contracting specialist, Contracting, USACE; Ryan Persinger, lead Realty specialist, Real Estate, USACE; Christy Stefanides, biologist, Planning, USACE; Michelle Brown, biologist, Planning, USACE; and Doug Little, deputy chief, Reservoir Maintenance/Infrastructure, MWCD.
