Joseph Thompson:  

Joseph Francis Thompson is from Detroit, Michigan. He is currently a graduate of George Mason University. He studied Fine Arts and Photography and works at his own studio. He takes photographs to better understand the reality of his subjects, to identify with their hidden qualities, to capture images of the world around him. He has learned much from studying the great photographers of the past such as Larry Sultan, Lee Friedlander, Stephen Shore, Cindy Sherman, and Alberto Korda. He specializes in photographing military servicemen, veterans, and their spouses. He uses photography to document their stories. He believes the more we know each other, the stronger our diverse community will become. Sep 2019 – Present: A current graduate of George Mason University. Studied Fine arts and Photography. I will graduate from GMU in May 2021. I currently have a 3.9 GPA. Jan 2018 – Sep 2019: Graduate of Northern Virginia Community College. Studied Fine arts and Photography. I received an Associate Degree in Fine Arts and Photography. Introduction: I am honored to be chosen to be a Distinguished Member of the Regiment for 2021. My life goal is to mentor and train the future generations of Military personnel and civilians to succeed in the 21st Century battlefield. Background: I have been successful at Defense Logistics Agency as a Supply Systems Analyst, GS-14-2003 and Contract Division Chief, GS-14-1102 and I am also retired Army Reserve Logistics Colonel, graduate of US Army, Naval, and Air Force War colleges. I am seasoned Pentagon senior staff officer, and I am now looking to build on these achievements. Also, I am currently a graduate from George Mason University. During my Federal government and military career, I have been a Supply System Analyst, DLA J-3 Operations, Contract Division Chief, U.S. Army Deputy Program Director for the LOGCAP program in Afghanistan and Iraq and I had two tours in the Pentagon as an U.S. Army Staff Officer. I have thirty-seven years of federal service with a Top-Secret Clearance. I have twenty-five years as a member of the Department of Defense Acquisition Corps. I am Level III Certified in Contracting, Program Manager, and Life Cycle Logistics. I am also Level II Certified in Production, Quality, and Manufacturing. I also have DoD Chief Information Officer Certificate from National Defense University.   Military Career - I enlisted in the US Army in April 1980 and in December 1981, I received my commission as an Infantry Officer. For the next fourteen years, I was promoted to positions with more responsibility, culminating in leading a Mechanized Infantry Company during Desert Shield/Desert Storm. In, 1992, the US Army asked me to join the Army Acquisition Corps and while working as a Contracting Officer at Fort, Riley, Kansas, I went to night school and simultaneously earned my Bachelors and Master’s Degrees in Business Administration. Civilian Career - In 1994, the US. Army downsized, and I accepted a Federal job with the Defense Logistics Agency. For the next twenty-three years, I had positions of greater responsibility working in the Department of Defense (DoD) Acquisition community. I also continued my military career in the US Army Reserve as a Contracting Officer. In 2007, I was recalled to active duty for the next five years to support military operations in Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq, and the US Army Headquarters in the Pentagon. During that time, I worked on numerous complex acquisition projects in support of military operations around the world. I continued my formal military education during my military career. I graduated from the US Army, Naval, and Air Force War colleges, earning two Masters Degrees in Strategic Studies. In 2013, I returned to my position at the Defense Logistics Agency and continued to work on Acquisition and Auditing issues. While I enjoyed my military and civilian careers, in my heart, I wanted to study art and photography and work in the creative arts, my true-life passions. Academic – Most of my academic life, I studied the hard science and business management. I have been an excellent student and achieved great success. When I fully retired from my professional life, I now had a chance to fully focus on my life’s passion. I knew I had to strengthen my academic muscles, so I started fine arts training at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) and George Mason University. Both schools improved my artistic and computer skills and prepared me to get a degree in Fine Art and Photography. I graduated in May 2021 with a 3.9 GPA.   Detailed Resume Sep 2019 – Present: A current graduate of George Mason University. Studied Fine arts and Photography. I will graduate from GMU in May 2021. I currently have a 3.9 GPA. Jan 2018 – Sep 2019: Graduate of Northern Virginia Community College. Studied Fine arts and Photography. I received an Associate Degree in Fine Arts and Photography. Mar 2013 – Dec 2017: Supply Systems Analyst for the Program Management Division, Order to Cash (O2C), Process Cycle Integration (PCI) Team, HQ, DLA, 8725 John J Kingman Road Rm # 4222, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6221 NATURE, SCOPE AND EXTENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES I have thirty-seven years and eight months of federal service with a Top Secret Clearance with SCI. I have twenty-six years as a member of the Defense and Army Acquisition Corps. I am Level III Certified as a Life Cycle Logistics, Contracting Officer and Program Manager. I am also Level II Certified in Production, Quality, and Manufacturing. DoD Certified Chief Information Officer Certificate from National Defense University, Information Reasoure College. As a Supply Systems Analyst for the Program Management Division, Order to Cash (O2C), Process Cycle Integration (PCI), Team, I worked to achieve with DLA, Office of the Comptroller a fully audit financial statement. As a former Audit Readiness team member, I monitored and reviewed order process performance and serve as senior advisor to DLA's Transportation Audit Readiness team regarding enterprise-wide transportation issues. I was responsible for one major Process Cycle Memorandums (PCM) (Transportation). PCMs are used by DLA leadership to understand and document the end-to-end process for key business cycles. PCMs are major documents that record on paper the entire life cycle process of a key DLA business process. I identified and documented internal controls in place throughout the key business process and I identified and documented key internal transaction posting logic for my PCMs. I helped DLA meet certain regulatory requirements by documenting processes and controls. Jan 2012 – Jan 2013: HQDA, G4, Executive Officer for the Reserve Component Integration Directorate, 500 Army, Pentagon, Washington, DC, 20310 I was assigned to the ODCS, G-4 supporting the Army’s effort sustaining worldwide contingency operations. I served as the Executive Officer for the Reserve Component Integration Directorate, HQDA, Office of Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4. As the executive officer for the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff (ADCS) for Reserve Component Integration (RCI), G4, I validate all Army Reserve Component training, utilization, readiness, and mobilization requirements in support of deployed forces, while maintaining continuous support for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO). I have led numerous Army staffing effort on several key operational issues to identify and seek approved solutions to resource global shortfalls, impacting mission execution for Overseas Contingency Operations. I worked with senior Army Officers and civilian directors within the Department of the Army headquarters and major field activities to execute Army policies, programs, and objectives across a broad range of military and business operations that are critical to the long-term success of Army's mission that had worldwide impact and is vital to national defense. May 2011 – Dec 2011: HQDA, G4, Chief, Operational Contract Support (OCS) Branch, 500 Army, Pentagon, Washington, DC, 20310 I served as the Chief, Operational Contract Support (OCS) Branch in the Contingency Operations Division, Operations and Logistics Readiness Directorate, HQDA, Office of Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4. I supervised Current Operations, Business Operations and Future Operations Teams comprised of DA civilians and contractors responsible for developing and synchronizing Army OCS policy and procedures, to include AR 715-9 (Operational Contract Support Planning and Management). Leading staffing efforts with Joint, Interagency, Allied, and Coalition OCS communities of interest for policy and support. I developed and maintained policy and procedures for the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP), to include AR 700-137 (Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP)). Jan 2010 – April 2011: AMC LOGCAP, LOGCAP IV, CTP Regional OIC, Balad, Iraq, KBR-LSU, APO, AE 0939 Served as the Regional Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) IV, missions in Iraq. I was responsible for establishing forward operating capabilities in support of commanders engaged in combat operations. Worked closely with the Department of State (DOS) to conduct future planning and analysis of equipment and labor requirements for timely synchronization and implementation of contracted logistics supporting both DOS and direct combat actions in the tactical environment. Lead LOGCAP planning and execution in support for the entire Iraq theater of war to include the Department of State. I was the principal...Expand for more