PEO EIS Welcomes New Program Executive Officer

On April 27, Ms. Chérie A. Smith accepted the charter to serve as the Program Executive Officer, Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems (PEO EIS), during an Assumption of Charter ceremony at Thurman Hall on Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Longtime friend and colleague, LTG Paul A. Ostrowski, the principal military deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology) (ASA[ALT]) and Director of the Army Acquisition Corps, hosted the ceremony among more than 300 family members, friends and colleagues.

LTG Ostrowski addressed the audience giving a brief overview of Smith’s accomplishments. His humor and poignant storytelling recalled time spent with Smith capturing seminal moments of significant achievements and well-deserved advancement. LTG Ostrowski chronicled Ms. Smith’s career, which began in 1977 as an enlisted Solider both active duty and reserve until 1985, and spoke about her time as medical scientific software applications developer at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Health Care Systems Support Activity on Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. LTG Ostrowski joked that after 1985 he noticed a gap in her bio, concluding that perhaps she had “joined the Hell’s Angels [on an expedition to] the southwest; went to Tibet in search of the Dalai Lama; or became a nun and joined a convent” after consulting with friends and family. The crowd responded with laughter.

In 2003, Ms. Smith was the program manager for General Fund Enterprise Business System, a PEO EIS program of record, where she led the program from initial concept through the system development and demonstration phase. LTG Ostrowski spoke of growth opportunities and how Ms. Smith continued to advance through the ranks. He highlighted her time PEO Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI), a role that prepared her for another growth opportunity as Deputy Program Executive Officer, PEO EIS, from October 2017 to January 2018 and then as the Acting Program Executive Officer, PEO EIS, from January to March 2018. “You deserve this job more than any — and you’ve certainly earned it — there’s 
no doubt in my mind,” said LTG Ostrowski. “Congratulations to you.”

Ms. Smith was greeted with rousing applause before addressing the room. She thanked friends, family, former colleagues, current staff and, notably, two previous ASA(ALT)/Army acquisition executives in attendance, the Hon. Heidi Shyu and the Hon. Katrina McFarland. “[It’s] about someone being there to help me…giving me the opportunity to walk through the door,” said Smith. “I have been blessed.”

The Assumption of Charter ceremony, similar to an Assumption of Command, is steeped in military history representing the passing of the responsibility, authority and accountability to an incoming leader in view of their senior officials as well as the personnel holding allegiance to that organization. In traditional military units, this is represented by the passing of the unit’s colors. Since PEO EIS is a nontraditional military unit, the Charter takes the place of unit colors and represents management responsibilities and authority. PEO EIS was originally established in 1987 as the Program Executive Office, Standard Army Management Information Systems (PEO STAMIS). Since its inception, there have been nine appointed to the position of program executive officer. Ms. Chérie A. Smith is the 10th appointee.