RICHARD F. MACHAMER, JR.

Newport News, VA  23602

(757) 359-9233

richardfmachamer@gmail.com

rick.machamer@yahoo.com

OBJECTIVE: Contracts Director / Communication Manager

EXPERIENCE SUMMARY:

• 30 years, United States Army (Colonel, Ret.)
• 20 years, Executive and Leadership Management
• 16 years, Public Relations Liaison & Communications Director
• 5 years, Editor, Writer, Communications
• 2.5 years, Contract and Business Development Manager
• 2 years, Instructor
• 1.5 years, Army Inspector General

CLEARANCE:  DOD, Top Secret (last adjudicated: 02/08, expires:08/12)

EXPERIENCE PORTFOLIO:

08/09 – present, Project Manager 

BAE Systems, Tidewater Office, Hampton, VA

• Conducted business development, capture management, and proposal development for Joint, Navy and Stability Operations and Army Program directorates
• Wrote/administered quality control plans for three U.S. Army contracts valued at $900M+
• Developed formats and reporting procedures for monthly status reports, monthly plan of action reports, and trip reports required by each of 30+ sub-contractors
• Managed a $3M contract supporting multi-national Forces in Iraq with military and Iraqi civilian advisors for period of performance of 18 months
• Provided technical writing expertise for 14 major proposals; for RFQ/RFPs valued at approximately $1.07B
• Supported capture of two business opportunities resulting in contract awards valued at approximately $10M

06/05 – 08/09, Strategic Communications Team Leader, Public Relations (PR)

U.S. Joint Forces Command, BAE Systems, Suffolk, VA

• Managed PR for Joint Concept Development and Experimentation Directorate (J9)
• Responsible for development/execution of public affairs plans for several major experiments and concept developments to support Department of Defense transformation objectives, including Concept for Joint Operations, Multinational Experiment 6, Noble Resolve, and Unified Action
• Managed public affairs, supervising three staff members including two writers, a graphic artist, as well as a commercial printer, for J9 activities including: production of marketing tools (three books/six brochures) and publications such as a dozen Spotlights and 20 Fact Sheets; display design; media outreach; press briefings; news interviews; media training for designated spokespeople; and speech writing
• Responsible for reaching the following target audiences: general public, Department of Defense stakeholders in joint concept development and experimentation activities, select Congressional committees
• Managed public affairs support to national and international conferences and seminars, including: Annual Joint Warfighting Conference in Norfolk, VA; Annual Inter-Service/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference in Orlando, FL; and Annual Multinational Concept Development and Experimentation Conferences in various NATO countries

04/99 – 05/05, Special Assistant for International Media

U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC

• Advised directors of the State Department’s three Foreign Press Centers on Department of Defense public affairs strategies and plans concerning U.S. foreign policy activities from the Department of Defense
• Advised the Secretaries of Defense for Public Affairs Ken Bacon and Torie Clarke along with military public affairs officers, on US-based foreign media organizations, reporters, and coverage of U.S. national security policies 
• Developed communication strategies for national security policies and operations to accurately portray U.S. positions and objectives to international media
• Conducted 20+ reporting tours for foreign reporters (10-12 per group) providing direct access to military bases/exercises, including Fort Polk, LA; West Point, NY; Fort Bragg, NC; the Pentagon rebuilding project following 9-11; aboard the carrier Harry S. Truman during deployment; Central Command headquarters, Tampa, FL; and NATO headquarters in Norfolk
• Provided press support at major events such as the 50^th anniversary NATO-summit; the Israel-Palestine peace talks at Camp David; the Israel-Syria peace talks in Shepherdstown, VA; and the 40^th anniversary of D-Day at Normandy
• Arranged and moderated circa 30 annually foreign media interviews and briefings for foreign correspondents with senior officials including Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz, Secretary of State Powell, Deputy Secretary Armitage, Generals Myers and Pace (Chairmen Joint Chiefs of Staff), General Tom Franks, commander during the Iraq War. Briefings covered current issues including Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, the war on terrorism, missile defense, NATO, and U.S. peacekeeping missions
• Advised the Office of Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs (OASDPA) on identifying/assigning foreign reporters to military units during Iraq War
• Supported hundreds of media requests and answered queries from U.S-based and visiting foreign journalists from almost every country in the world, most primarily from Europe, Japan, and the Middle East

08/98 – 04/99, Director for the Center for the Professional Military Ethic (CPME)

United States Military Academy, West Point, NY

• Assigned as the first director of the CPME; responsible for building the center
• Organized and budgeted an office with a seven-member staff of Army officers and non-commissioned officers, plus administrative support
• Identified long-term needs for Academy’s contribution to the cadets’ character development and crafted center’s mission, goals, and vision, widely accepted by the Academy, its graduates, and external supporters

02/98 – 08/98, Chief of Public Information, Public Affairs Advisor/Spokesperson

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Forces, Bosnia

• Responsible for public affairs for General Eric Shinseki, the Commanding General of the 37,000-member NATO Stabilization Force (SFOR) in Bosnia
• Directed a 50-person, multinational Coalition Press Information Center in Sarajevo
• Conducted daily (for 6-months) press conferences for international and Bosnian press with a follow-up daily media analysis report delivered to the SFOR commanders and primary staff members
• Supervised media operations for the three multi-national divisions (MND) assigned to SFOR: MND-North (U.S.); MND-South (French); and MND-West (British)
• Developed and executed public relations strategies to promote SFOR presence in Bosnia and implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords

06/96 – 02/98, Director of Public Affairs (Advisor/Spokesperson)

United States Military Academy, West Point, NY

• Managing a 29-person staff responsible for media relations, community relations, sports information, and internal communications through television and base newspaper, within an annual budget of $900K; reported to Superintendent of the United States Military Academy
• Directed operations of West Point Visitor Center servicing circa 2M tourists annually
• Marketed the academy to TV news/entertainment media for national exposure worth millions at no additional cost to budget, including a New York Times Magazine cover story, a two-hour television documentary, and a CBS one-hour pilot episode
• Developed and executed three crisis communication strategies for events under intense national media scrutiny, including the first rape trial in Academy history and dismissal of a faculty department head
• Developed a recruiting strategy for African-American cadets including personal consultations with members of the Congressional Black Caucus

09/94 – 06/96, Editor In Chief

Soldiers Magazine, Fort Belvoir, VA

• Published the first full-color almanac issue; developed the first-electronic redesigned digital version for the Internet, the first service publication to do so

02/92 – 09/94, Director

Army News Operations, The Pentagon

• Developed a prototype for Army’s first 30-minute newscast; selected by Chief of Army Public Affairs to head reorganization of the Pentagon’s Office of Public Affairs

01/92 – 09/92, Deputy Director

Community Relations, Army Public Affairs, The Pentagon

• Organized first worldwide seminar for 100+ Army officers and civilians who liaison with communities; conference citation: “It’s about time, and the Army did it right.”

06/91 – 08/91, Editorial Writer

Manhattan Mercury, Manhattan, KS

• Published 12+ editorials; wrote newspaper’s only major account of Persian Gulf war

07/89 – 12/90, Executive Officer

United States Army, 4^th Battalion, 37^th Armor, Fort Riley, KS

• Planned/executed battalion’s emergency deployment to fight fires with the National Fire Service; maintained a 95% Operational Readiness Rate during a reorganization of battalion maintenance assets

07/86 – 06/88, Chief of Video Support

United States Army, National Training Center (NTC), Fort Irwin, CA

• Managed 63-person organization and equipment valued at $2M+; provided video support for 25+ training exercises conducted at training center; developed design specifications for NTC Instrumentation System video

06/84 – 03/86, Chief, Assistance and Investigations,

United States Army, Inspector General Office, 1^st Armor Division, Ansbach, Germany

• Completed 500+ Inspector General requests for assistance and investigations for members and families of the 1^st Armored Division; achieved an 8% drop in substantiated complaints against division leadership

11/82 – 06/84, Company Commander

United States Army, 1^st Battalion, 37^th Armor, Katterbach, Germany

• Maintained the company’s operational readiness rate at 97% for a rating of most tactically proficient during the battalion’s annual readiness training evaluation (1983)

03/79 – 03/82, Instructor and Branch Chief

United States Army, Platoon Tactics Branch, Fort Knox, KY

• Taught, formulated, and supervised tank platoon tactical instruction for all newly commissioned officers and advanced non-commissioned officers; developed and conducted the first Officer Basic training under the Army’s Division 86 concept

06/78– 03/79, Battalion Maintenance Officer

United States Army, 1^st Battalion, 68^th Armor, Baumholder, Germany

• Responsible for operational readiness of 189 vehicles and allied support equipment for a tank battalion in Germany during the Cold War; maintained a weekly materiel readiness rate of 95% in a period of austere defense budgetary resources 

11/77– 06/78, Company Executive Officer

United States Army, 1^st Battalion, 68^th Armor, Baumholder, Germany

• Responsible for managing a 29-person platoon/operational readiness of 26 vehicles for a tank battalion in Germany; consistently passed Battalion’s Annual General Inspection in all areas of maintenance, supply, and personnel

03/76 – 11/77, Platoon Leader

United States Army, C Company, 1^st Battalion, 68^th Armor, Baumholder, Germany

• Direct/control the tactical employment, administration, supply, maintenance, and training of a 20-person tank platoon which ranked the highest in the battalion of fifteen other platoons for Annual Tank Gunnery (1976) 

FORMAL EDUCATION:       

• 1990, Masters of Science, Journalism and Mass Communication, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
• 1975, Bachelor of Science, Applied Science and Engineering, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY

TRAINING / CERTIFICATIONS:

• 2009, Master’s Certificate, Government Contracting, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 
• 1999, Defense Strategy Course, United States Army
• 1989, Command and General Staff College, United States Army
• 1985, Public Affairs Officer Course, United States Army
• 1984, Inspector General Course, United States Army
• 1982, Armor Advanced Course, United States Army
• 1976, Armor Motor Officer Course, United States Army
• 1975, Armor Basic Course, United States Army
• 1973, Army Airborne School, United States Army

PUBLICATIONS / EDITORIALS:

• Machamer, R.F. (1993, Apr.). Avoiding a military-media war in the next armed conflict. Military Review LXXIII(4), 43.
• Machamer, R.F. (1993, Mar.). Uncertainty, INSCOM, 16(2), 1.
• Machamer, R.F. (1991, Jun. 23). 1^st played vital role in routing Iraqis. The Manhattan Mercury, 113, C6.

AWARDS / SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS:

• Legion of Merit
• Army Meritorious Service Medals (8)
• Department of State Meritorious Honor Award
• Humanitarian Service Medal
• NATO Medal

VOLUNTEER / MEMBERSHIP / COMMUNITY:

• 1997 – present, Member, International Rotary Club, Hampton, VA
• 1975 – present, Association of Graduates, United States Military Academy

KEY SKILL WORDS: academy, administration, Advisor, Airborne, analysis, Armor, Army, battalion, briefing, budget, Capstone, capture, Command, communication, Congress, contract, correspondent, CPME, directorates, documentary, Editor, faculty, headquarters (HQ), Inspect, International, investigation, J9, Joint, Journalist, liaison, Manage, marketing, media, military, mission, MND-North, South, West, NATO, Navy, News, NTC, OASDPA, Officer, operation, Pentagon, platoon, policies, press, proposal, prototype, Public Relations (PR), Publish, Quality Assurance (QA), RFQ/RFP, security, SFOR, Simulation, speech, spokesperson, terrorism, training, transformation, video, Warfighting