WASHINGTON, DC — The presence of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command was clearly felt at this year’s Black Engineer of the Year Awards and STEM Conference career fair, held Feb. 13-15.
Representatives from all CCDC centers and laboratories, along with representatives from the U.S. Army Futures Command, had the opportunity to engage with prospective job seekers and candidates at the BEYA STEM career fair while collecting resumes and actively recruiting for the current and future civilian workforce.

Representatives engaged in the multi-day event that focused on bringing professionals and students together to share their experiences and career information. The command also hosted a seminar that included several of its senior leaders.

Eric Moore, Ph.D., director of the CCDC Chemical Biological Center, served as moderator for “Harnessing the Power of the Collective — The importance of diverse teams to solve future challenges.” Patrick O’Neill, director of CCDC C5ISR; and Jaret Riddick, Ph.D., vehicle technology director for the CCDC Army Research Laboratory, were panelists along with other subject matter experts from the Army, Navy and private industry. The panel discussed the challenges and rewards that the defense community faces when effectively building diverse teams to combat future defense challenges.

Eric Moore, Ph.D., director of the CCDC Chemical Biological Center, moderates a panel discussion at the Black Engineer of the Year Awards and STEM Conference.

The BEYA Conference also recognizes leaders in STEM for accomplishments in their field. Four CCDC engineers were honored at the BEYA Technology Recognition Luncheon. Jean-Philippe Simon, Hannibal People and Dr. Curtis Bradley, Ph.D., all from the CCDC Armaments Center; and Christopher Hurley from the CCDC C5ISR Center, were presented with the Professional Achievement Award.

Hurley, a lead electronics engineer, has been employed at C5ISR for more than 14 years working on power and energy solutions that enable Soldiers to operate current and future equipment for longer durations at significantly less weights. His motivation comes from knowing he’s doing work that will keep Soldiers safe. “To me, the work is more than just a job or task. It’s an opportunity to provide my engineering expertise and services to support the Soldiers who risk their lives every day.”

Bradley, a mechanical engineer, put his graduate work on hold in order to go to work for the Army after the events of Sept. 11, 2001. He has worked at CCDC Armaments Center for 18 years and continues to work for the Army “because of my freedom to pursue research and development that benefits the warfighter.”

The annual BEYA STEM Conference brings together government S&T organizations, industry professionals, private sector corporations, and academic institutions interested in engaging minority engineering and technology college students and executives in the engineering community.