Army Acquisition Support Center press release (June 16, 2005): ASC change of leadership Ceremony honors outgoing and incoming directors.

FORT BELVOIR, Va. -- The U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center (ASC) held a change of leadership Ceremony June 16, 2005, in Scott Hall on the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) campus at Fort Belvoir.

During the ceremony, Col. Genaro J. Dellarocco relinquished his directorship to Craig A. Spisak. Spisak, who has served as ASC's deputy director since 2002, took the helm as the organization's first civilian director. Dellarocco departed ASC to assume responsibilities in the office of the director, Force Structure, Resources and Assessment (J8), as the chief of the Requirements and Acquisition Division.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (AL & T) Lt. Gen. Joseph L. Yakovac Jr., the presiding official, bid farewell to Dellarocco and thanked him for his outstanding tour of duty as ASC director. Yakovac then officially handed over responsibility for directing the organization to Spisak during the exchange of organizational colors. "You are hereby delegated the full-line authority of the Army Acquisition Executive for the management of the Acquisition Support Center," Yakovac instructed.

The military change of leadership ceremony and exchange of organizational colors dates back to the beginning of our nation's history and provides for the orderly transfer of organizational responsibility from one Army leader to another. The passing of the colors is a symbolic act through which the outgoing leader relinquishes authority to his superior, who in turn passes that authority to the incoming leader.

During the ceremony, Yakovac presented Dellarocco with a symbolic Army Acquisition Corps (AAC) flag to recognize his outstanding accomplishments and service as the ASC director and the Army's deputy director of Acquisition Career Management.

In passing the mantle of leadership to Spisak, Yakovac explained the significance of the event to the audience. "As the director of this field operating agency, Mr. Spisak will perform as the major command for the Army Acquisition Corps and the acquisition workforce reporting to the Army acquisition executive [AAE] through the military deputy [MILDEP]. As such, he will serve as the Army's 'one face' for acquisition, logistics and technology proponency on behalf of the AAE, the MILDEP, the AL & T community, its operating agencies, and strategic partners."

In addition to the duties outlined by the MILDEP, Spisak also assumes responsibility for ensuring synchronization of all AAC proponency initiatives with supporting career management organizations in concert with MILDEP direction. Additionally, he will formalize AL & T process links to Army and Joint proponency systems, ensuring the viability and relevancy of the workforce and its alignment with the AL & T workforce, Army/AAC transformation, the Army Campaign Plan, and overarching DoD strategic objectives.

Media Contact: Mike Roddin, director, strategic communications, [phone] or e-mail [e-mail].