Col. Harry Culclasure is a quiet professional

Col. Culclasure, an acquisition expert, is admired for his kindness, intelligence and great sense of humor. 

As director of PEO EIS’s Strategic Initiatives Group, Culclasure championed the Army Vantage program, an enterprise-wide data analytics platform that enables leaders to make data-driven decisions.

As project manager of the Army Enterprise Systems Integration Program — now known as Army Data and Analytics Platforms — he implemented acquisition reforms and business process improvements that saved money and modernized the Army’s logistics enterprise-resource-planning systems.

A member of the Army Acquisition Corps, Culclasure developed recommendations for simplifying and improving defense-acquisition procedures for the Section 809 Panel. He also served as the executive officer to the Army's Chief Information Officer (CIO/G-6) and senior acquisition advisor. He deployed to Iraq as the 3rd Infantry Division’s contingency contracting branch chief and to Afghanistan as a warranted contracting officer.

Culclasure, a Hiring our Heroes corporate fellow and today’s #PEOEISTeammateTuesday, answered several questions about his career and life.

Where were you born?
I was born in Saint Matthews, a small town in South Carolina. My parents instilled in me the importance of hard work, community service and education.

Describe the Hiring our Heroes fellowship program.
It’s a 120-day program sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The program connects veterans and military spouses with employment opportunities. I have had a great experience in the program and learned a lot about how companies analyze challenges and opportunities.  

What inspired you to join the Army?
Being part of something bigger than myself always appealed to me.

How do you describe yourself?
I am not outspoken. I am a quiet professional who gets things done behind the scenes.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?
My three Labrador Retrievers and I spend a lot of time walking the trails in Manassas, Virginia.

How do you relax?
I read a lot of books. I just finished reading a biography about John Adams. I also read “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis.” It’s one family’s story about the devastating impact of drug abuse on some communities in Kentucky and Ohio. It’s a good read with a triumphant ending. The author’s life could have gone another direction if he had not enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps.

What did you accomplish on the Section 809 Panel?
I was the panel’s information technology acquisition research lead. I led a five-person team that conducted in-depth reviews of Department of Defense acquisition policy, regulations, statutes, and procedures. We developed several recommendations to improve the acquisition process. For example, unnecessary requirements make it more difficult to work for the Department of Defense. It takes a long time for contractors to get security clearances, yet we are flooding the system with unnecessary security-clearance requests. We put security-clearance requirements in contracts when we don’t actually need them. I wrote a paper about that.

If you could have coffee with anyone in history or present day, who would it be and why?
My brothers and I have done extensive research on the history of the Culclasures, but it ends in the 1700s. I would love to go back in time and talk to the last person we found in our family tree.

Describe your leadership style.
At PEO EIS, I am rarely, if ever, the smartest person in the room. I seek advice from smart people on my team. I trust them, but after I make a decision, I lead from the front. When you make a decision, you have to own it.

What does a good leader do?
A good leader is a good listener. They also do their best and bring out the best in everyone around them.

Why is PEO EIS a great place to work?
We listen. PEO EIS is one of the few places where the leadership welcomes people with ideas.

We recruit and retain some of the best people in the Army because our mission is difficult. We solve some very hard problems. It’s very rewarding to see the downstream results. Miranda Coleman and the Army Vantage team solved a problem that plagued the Army Chief of Staff. He didn’t have the information he needed to make decisions. Army Vantage, a data analytics platform that integrates information from authoritative data sources, is a huge success.

What is the best advice you received?
My mother said, “The world can take a lot of things from you, but it can’t take your integrity and honor — you have to give that away. And once you give it away, you never get it back.”

What is your proudest moment?
Becoming an Eagle Scout was my proudest moment. It required hundreds of hours of community service. It was a big deal to me.

If you could thank anyone for the role they played in your life, who would it be and why?
My parents always pushed my brothers and me to think bigger, and we did. They wanted us to see the world outside the small town we grew up in.

Do you ever get emotional?
When I speak during retirement ceremonies, I get emotional. My team picks on me for that.

When are you happiest?
I am happiest when I am with my family.

What do you consider the most valuable virtue?
Honesty.