The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Great Lakes and Ohio River Division, inducted Regional Business Director Phil Johnson to the Senior Executive Service during a ceremony Jan. 30 at division headquarters in Cincinnati.
Lt. Gen. Scott A. Spellmon, 55th chief of engineers and USACE commanding general, presided over the ceremony and recognized Johnson on this achievement.
“His visionary leadership and his strategic decision making are one of the many reasons why the Army selected him to join the Senior Executive Service and serve as the regional business director in LRD,” Spellmon said.
The Senior Executive Service was established by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 to ensure the executive management of the government of the U.S. is responsive to the needs, policies and goals of the nation and is otherwise of the highest quality.
Johnson previously served as the chief of the business management division at LRD. Before joining the civilian ranks of the Corps of Engineers in 2007, he served over 20 years as an Army engineer officer including serving as the deputy commander for the Huntington District and LRD. He held numerous command and staff assignments in the United States and Germany including combat tours in Iraq and in Operations Dessert Shield and Storm.
“My experience with the corps is not unique, it’s not special,” Johnson said. “There are thousands and millions of people across our region and across this nation who are benefiting from the projects and work that we do, just like I did growing up.”
The Great Lakes and Ohio River Division executes engineering, design, construction and project management for civil works, military programs, environmental programs, and international and interagency support in the region. The regional business director is responsible for managing the division’s Regional Business Center operations and oversees the Water Management, Engineering and Construction, Business Management and Resource Management Divisions.
“Today, it’s not a promotion, it’s not a prize, it’s not a thank you, it’s not a pat on the back for a job well done,” Spellmon said. “It is simply the Army senior leader’s recognition of Phil’s potential to serve at the next higher level in our organization.”
Johnson is a native of Pikeville, Kentucky, and he started his Army career while in college in the National Guard before transferring to the Army Reserve. He earned his bachelor’s degree in geography from Morehead State University. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from Western Kentucky University and a master’s in military arts and science for the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.