The finalists for WashingtonExec’s 2023 Pinnacle Awards were announced Sept. 25, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place live, in-person Nov. 16.
Next is Mary Pollard, vice president of enterprise solutions and services at CACI International, and finalist in the DoD Executive of the Year, Public Company category. Here, she shares recent key achievements and what has made her successful in her current role.
What key achievements did you have in 2023?
As CACI vice president and program director for the U.S. Army’s Integrated Personnel and Pay System–Army, leading the system integration deployment team for this human resource technology delivery to all three components of the Army was my greatest achievement in 2023.
CACI is the prime system integrator for IPPS-A, and I have led the program since 2017. IPPS-A is the largest human capital management implementation in the world, and it was deployed to more than 1.1 million soldiers through two deployments (Dec. 2022, Jan. 2023) across all components of the U.S. Army, including active, the Army National Guard, and the Army Reserve.
For the first time, the entire Army operates on one HR platform and Army leaders have access to reports that depict the full strength of the Army, ultimately improving reporting time from days to minutes and consolidating more than 50 disparate systems.
Leading my team, in close partnership with the Army and the government, to achieve the Army’s mission has truly been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. IPPS-A transformed Army HR from the moment it went live and that was just the beginning. IPPS-A is available 24×7 to Soldiers, Commanders, and HR Professionals on all types of devices and provides the Soldier with self-service capabilities.
IPPS-A provides the foundation for a modern talent-management system providing the Army with the necessary tools to better manage an all-volunteer force. IPPS-A is truly a game-changer, not just for the Army but for the entire Defense Department.
Having led the system integrator efforts for CACI, I am extremely proud of this achievement and appreciate the commitment, sacrifice, and tenacity it took from all parties, entities, and individuals every single day.
In addition, I am grateful for the support I received from CACI’s leadership and the Army to make the difficult decisions that had to be made along the way. I am also proud of the extraordinary partnership that we developed and have maintained with the stakeholders and the Army in pursuit of this mission.
We will continue to push the envelope as part of IPPS-A’s incredible journey to modernize and transform the way the Army does HR, learning, and help desk support.
What has made you successful in your current role?
There are many aspects to my success in my current role. First, success was defined by establishing a true partnership with the Army, government, CACI, and other stakeholders to maintain transparency and strong communication throughout the process.
As such, we were able to raise concerns and issues quickly, however difficult, and work through these challenges and decisions. We invested in tools to assist us in measuring and providing visibility and transparency, to ensure status and risk were well understood; and we used the metrics to help drive our actions and reactions.
Second, I relied heavily on CACI’s executive leaders’ support. CACI’s most senior leadership team was there every step of the way ensuring that the IPPS-A program, and I, had everything we needed for success. They were available 24×7 to help and assist, and they did not hesitate to “roll up their sleeves” when we needed extra support.
Finally, my brilliant team of developers, trainers, functionals, help desk, infrastructure, architects, data analysts, testers, and so many more! They amazed me daily as we worked through the design, development, testing, training, and big bang deployment of IPPS-A; and now operating the system.