PACER Spotlight: Sean Barrett

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. -

Sean Barrett is a current member of Pathways to Career Excellence Program Group 46, which began in 2023. For his second year in the PACE Program, he will be placed at the Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services site at Warner Robins Air Force Base, Georgia.

Why did you first apply to the PACE Program?

The PACE Program offered so much knowledge, training, expectations and possibilities for promotions and pay increases; it was a no brainer for me! This was my best chance to increase what I can offer to meet DLA's Mission.

What was your position before coming to the PACE Program?

I worked as a Wage Grade employee for a year and five months for DLA Disposition Services Tucson site in Arizona, as a material examiner and identifier before applying to the PACE Program.

What have been your favorite parts of the PACE Program?

One of my favorite parts has been the welcoming atmosphere from DLA, especially my arrival to Disposition Services Headquarters at the Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal Center in Battle Creek, Michigan. I have enjoyed the many overviews and meeting the employees from different branches and divisions, including senior leadership. I also enjoyed courses like the Resource Conservation Recovery Act and the Transportation of Hazardous Materials/Hazardous Waste for the Defense Department, that were taught by Dan Nottingham.

Do you have any favorite moments from your time in the program so far?

My favorite moments were the welcome I felt during my first few days at HDIFC and experiencing the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays with so many more DLA employees. My site visit to Tucson was also memorable because I got to visit with everyone I had known when I previously worked there with a completely different perspective. I was able to share a wealth of information and clarity about DLA internally, promote the PACE Program, and visit the Phoenix E-Recycle site for a day.

If there was one thing that could've been different for you in the PACE Program, what would it be?

I do not have anything that I feel could have been different. I've thought about it retrospectively, but everything is brand new to me every day as I progress through my first year in the PACE Program, so I may not know what I would change until years from now.

What would you say is the most important quality to succeed in the PACE Program?

It is most important to be FLEXIBLE and stay positive in doing so!

In your own words, how would you describe the PACE Program, and what can you gain from it?

The PACE Program is a two-year program that presents the agency as a whole to better equip each member of various career fields to view and perform their individual roles with pride, expertise, freedom and welcomed innovation to meet DLA's overall mission. It seems like I can gain an incredible amount of pride, knowledge, relevant technical and academic skills, vision, and overall security (emotional, intellectual, social, and economical health) in a shorter time compared to a college degree or the time that is normally expected for a professional climb up a corporate ladder. I am gaining so many incredible professional contacts in DLA Disposition Services and creating positive relationships for future assignments and job roles.

Do you have a lot of DLA experience, or were you a recent grad, or did you come from another field?

My background includes infantry and security forces in the United States Marine Corps, many years of experience in office administration at the University of Phoenix on Fort Huachuca, Arizona, and plenty of years spent in labor or material handling positions for tile, stone, steel, nitrogen products and more. I did not join DLA until October of 2021.

What are your plans for your future in the agency? Do you hope to have a specific pathway/career field? Or a certain GS level?

My plans include reaching at least a GS-13 level position in one of the many roles in DLA Disposition Services in Battle Creek within the next five to seven years. I may want to serve in Europe if the opportunity arises, as well.

Editorial Note: The Pathways to Career Excellence Program for DLA Disposition Services is a two-year program that takes PACERs through all of Disposition Services and its processes to learn as much as possible about the directorate. The first year takes place at DLA Disposition Services Headquarters in Battle Creek, Michigan, and the second year either takes place in Battle Creek for Contracting PACERs or at an assigned field site for Property Disposal PACERs. PACERs begin as general schedule 7s, move to GS-9s at the end of their first year, and graduate the program as GS-11s. There are multiple pathways to becoming a PACER, including being hired internally, as a recent graduate, or from military service.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.