Get to know the Army Data Platform Product Manager

Lt. Col. LJ Freeland is tenacious. “I won't give up,” Freeland, the Army Data Platform’s new product manager, said. “I was the worst possible West Point cadet you could probably imagine. I was young and immature, but I still made it because I did not give up. And that's how things have worked throughout my career. If there is a big project or something that has to be done, I will be there until the bitter end to make sure it gets done. I will stick around and push to get a product as perfect as possible before it leaves my hands.”

Freeland started her Army career as a quartermaster and deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. Her master’s thesis at the Army Command and General Staff College explored the actions of the German judiciary during the Third Reich and earned her the Arter-Darby Military History Writing award.

Today’s #PEOEISTeammateTuesday, Freeland answered questions about her career and life.

Name one thing you can't do without in a day.
If I do not have a morning cup of English breakfast tea, you don't want to be around me.

What was your first job?
When I was 15 years old, I was a video store clerk in Moscow, Russia, where my father was serving on the U.S. Embassy staff. My family lived in Moscow for two years.

Why did you decide to join the Acquisition Corps?
I wanted to have a long-term positive impact on the Army, and the Acquisition Corps was the best path to do that. I was also inspired by one of my mentors, retired Lt. Col. Jennifer Newsome, a former aviator who joined the Acquisition Corps.

What is your top priority in your current role?
Taking care of my people is my top priority. I want to set them up for success, so they can grow professionally.

My second priority is delivering an amazing capability to our Soldiers. I want to nurture strong relationships with our stakeholders and users so we continue to improve and create the best possible products.

How would your friends describe you in three words?
I asked two of my friends how they would describe me. One of my buddies said, “Caring, fun and scholarly.” The other said, “Kind, generous and fierce.”

“Fierce” is probably the kindest word someone can use to describe me. I am very, very protective of my people and passionate about the way I think we need to do certain things.

What policy documents are you currently reading?
I am reading Army Regulation 25-1, which establishes policies and assigns responsibilities for information management and information technology. I am also reading Army Directive 2022-07, which defines Army modernization roles and responsibilities.

I stole a habit from a former boss of mine who always kept certain chapters of DoD 5000 in his take-home book and read or reread sections of it every weekend. This practice ensured that he completely understood the parameters of the acquisition box and when to think outside it.

What is something you learned the hard way?
Take time to rest and reset.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?
I love to read. At any given time, I am usually reading two or three books. One book is a novel because sometimes I just need a break from the real world. My second book is about history, business or something else I find interesting.

Who is your favorite novelist?
I love Patricia Cornwell. I have been reading her books for nearly 20 years. Her Kay Scarpetta novels follow the adventures of a medical examiner in Virginia, including how she engages the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

In high school, I loved law enforcement and appreciated the importance of the work they perform. When I joined the Army, I initially planned to go to West Point, serve for five years and then join the FBI. I stayed in the Army because I love it.

I love reading anything that has a mystery. How do I solve it? The helps my brain tune in, ask good questions and suss out information.

What is the best advice you received?
Before I assumed my company command, my brigade commander advised, “You will never be a better platoon leader than when you are a company commander.” You are always better in the job you just had than the job you have just been put in. It reminds me to make sure I am doing what my team needs me to do and not trying to do their job.

How would you describe your leadership style?
My leadership style is constantly evolving. When I look back at the different jobs I had, I am certainly not the same leader in any of them. I am constantly adjusting to see what works best.

What does a good leader do or not do?
Good leaders know what their limitations are and don't act like they know everything. That can be challenging, especially with young leaders, because you believe you need to be the person who has all the answers and in reality you don't.

A good leader puts their organization above themselves. A good leader asks, “What can I do to make your life better and the organization better?” The ultimate goal is that when you leave, you have improved the organization — even if just a little bit.

Why is PEO EIS a great place to work?
The work we do is critical. The opportunity to leverage cutting-edge technology to meet the Army’s new challenges makes PEO EIS an exciting place to work.

Are there any common misconceptions about acquiring software?
There is a significant process involved in verifying data and determining what information needs to be pulled into business systems. You can get the software, but if you don't have the right data populating it, you are not going to get the information and analysis you need.

What advice do you have for companies seeking work with PEO EIS?
Be tenacious. Don't give up. The best companies posture themselves to win work. They request an office call and continue to pop up — whether it’s at an AFCEA event or an Industry Day. They make sure that we are aware of their capabilities.

What do the best vendors do?
They care. It’s not just about getting the contract. It's about delivering the best possible product. As soon as they come on board, they see themselves — like we see them — as teammates, not competitors or adversaries. We work together to get across the finish line. The companies that care the most about our products and the PEO EIS missions are ultimately the most successful.

If you could go back in time, where would you go?
I would love to go back to the Greco-Roman era and get a bird's-eye view of how their culture evolved and how they lived. How did the Greek states figure out what they were going to do when the Persians attacked? How did that evolve into the Roman Empire?

If you could have coffee with anyone in history or present day, who would it be?
I would love to sit down with Alan Turing. During World War II, he and his team decoded the Enigma machine, which the Germans used to communicate about their attack plans and military movements.

Turing realized that he needed something that could work faster than a human brain because the Enigma code reset every 24 hours.

The flip side of that success was that once Turing’s team broke the Enigma code, the Allied Powers couldn’t use the information to thwart every attack. They had to determine which ones they could act on in order to not tip their hand to the Germans.

What do you consider the most valuable virtue?
Ethics. I mean that broadly, not just in terms of right from wrong. If I need to tell the boss that something is not going to work — I know it’s going to be an uncomfortable, bad conversation, but it needs to be done.