The Air Force Office of Energy Assurance (OEA), the integrators of installation resilience solutions, welcomed two new staff members. In March and May 2021, respectively, Mr. Kirk A. Phillips and Ms. Tenisha “Marie” Finley joined the OEA team.
OEA is achieving the Installation Energy vision of mission assurance through energy assurance by identifying energy resilience gaps and opportunities for which it then develops impactful resilience solutions. OEA connects the Department of the Air Force (DAF) enterprise and installation stakeholders with energy and water resilience partners, emerging technologies, and industry best practices. Since its establishment in 2016, OEA has:
- worked with more than 80 Air Force installations serving as a central office helping installations identify and integrate energy resilience solutions; and
- transitioned more than 30 energy resilience solutions to executable projects at Air Force installations around the world.
In March 2021, Mr. Kirk Phillips became director of OEA. Prior to joining OEA, Phillips was the Health Safety and Environmental Practice Leader and Vice President at LJB Inc. and worked as a thought leader with the American Industrial Hygiene Association on Total Exposure Health. As the Practice Leader of HS&E, Phillips provided comprehensive health, safety, and environmental services to all segments of industry across the US and internationally.
In 2018, Phillips retired as the BSC Associate Chief for Bioenvironmental Engineering in the Office of the Air Force Surgeon General where he oversaw development and execution of Air Force occupational and environmental health policies. Phillips has held a broad range of leadership positions throughout the Air Force including leading his career field as Deputy in the Bioenvironmental Engineering Division at the Air Force Medical Operations Agency, and as the Commander of the 47th Medical Support Squadron, Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas.
Ms. Marie Finley joined OEA as the Resilience Requirements Division Chief in May 2021. After serving more than 20 years in the Navy, Finley retired in September 2020. Finley has held a broad range of leadership positions throughout her Navy career. Prior to retirement, she served as a Senior Manpower Analyst assigned to the Department of Defense Joint Staff, Manpower and Personnel Directorate, where she provided counsel and support in order to develop best military advice to national decision makers and provide strategic direction to the Joint Force, enabling global integration to achieve maximum comprehensive Joint Force readiness.
In addition to these staff updates, OEA continues to evolve its processes to better serve the DAF; for instance, OEA is retitling Phase 0 Reports as “Resilience Solution Reports” (RSRs) to alleviate confusion around the use of the terms “Phase 0” or “Phase 0 Report”. The title, RSR, best captures the purpose of the document as a thorough description of project and acquisition concepts which address resilience needs. OEA is eager to continue to produce these reports and promote effective, executable resilience solutions across the DAF.
Want to know more about the future of OEA? Save the dates for these OEA presentations during the 2021 virtual Energy Exchange, August 2 – 6. This annual event, hosted by the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), features engaging and topical trainings and sessions across the federal energy and water management community.
- OEA Advisor and Innovation Division Chief, Mr. Shawn Bennett is presenting at the Underutilized Contracting Authorities panel on Monday, August 2nd from 2:30 – 4 p.m. ET. Speakers will address underutilized mechanisms such as the progress and challenges with Other Transactional Authorities (OTA), more comprehensive use of GSA Areawides, implementation and considerations of Intergovernmental Support Agreements (IGSAs), and the use and impact of certain DoD special authorities.
- OEA Director, Mr. Kirk Phillips is presenting at the DoD Tri-Service panel on Thursday, August 5th from 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. ET. Phillips will be joined on the panel by his Army and Navy counterparts Mr. Robert Hughes (Army) and Mr. Matthew Haupt (Navy). The session will discuss the latest on U.S. Department of Defense energy programs from the key personnel responsible for the implementation of DoD’s Energy Strategy at the operational level in the military departments. Participants will have an opportunity to ask about new initiatives and the progress of ongoing programs.
- OEA is hosting an Industry Sidebar on Wednesday, August 4th from 3 – 4 p.m. ET. This online webinar event will provide office updates, introduce new staff, discuss how to partner with OEA, and host a presentation on Energy Resilience. If you are interested in attending, please reach out to Emma Skelley-Stoffa (Skelley-Stoffa_Emma@bah.com). NOTE: Energy Exchange registration is not required to participate in this webinar.
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