PROFILES IN INNOVATION We celebrate the men and women who are reinventing and reenergizing STEM, business, and government.
One on One FROM PRIVATE E-1 TO ARMY CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICE G-6
by Garland L. Thompson
gthompson@ccgmag.com
Army CIO Lieutenant General Robert S. Ferrell poses with two West Point cadets at the 2014 BEYA STEM Career Fair in Washington, D.C. Taking the Army to the Future L
t. Gen. Robert S. Ferrell is stepping into very large shoes. Not only is his career the fulfillment of a 70-year family tradition of military service—the first general officer, now with three stars on his shoulders—he succeeds to a post as chief information officer in which he gets to oversee the transformation of a storied branch of the U.S. Army: the Signal Corps. To an outsider unfamiliar with the opportunities available in
today’s education-focused, technology-centered military, Buck Private Ferrell’s path to lieutenant general was not the typical journey, but filled with determination for achievement and lifelong learning. He joined the Army in 1977—”seven, seven, seventy-seven,” as he puts it—and rose to the rank of sergeant as he completed two years of college study at Fayetteville State University.
Even as a young sergeant, the future lieutenant general 8 USBE&IT I SUMMER 2014
knew then the importance of getting an education. When his enlistment ended, the young Bob Ferrell went on to finish his B.S. studies at Hampton University, with enough credits to enroll as a junior. While at Hampton, Ferrell continued his military career as a Reserve Officer Training Corps cadet and member of the National Guard where he participated in a program that allowed him to keep his sergeant’s pay while he matriculated at the university. Upon graduation in 1983, Ferrell returned to active service as a second lieutenant, beginning his long climb into the Army’s top echelons.
A Golden Moment That by itself constitutes a story worth emulation by many
a young career-climber. When Lt. Gen. Ferrell stood at attention during promotion ceremonies to accept his third star, his father and uncle, 80-plus-year-old warriors who, between them, had seen service in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, mounted the stairs to join him on the platform. Lt. Gen. Ferrell an Anniston, Alabama native who grew up
www.blackengineer.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76