The Honorable Caral E. Spangler was sworn in as the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller) on August 17, 2021 and serves as the principal advisor to the Secretary of the Army on all matters related to Financial Management and Comptrollership. In this role, she is responsible for resourcing America’s Army through policies and activities, including budget formulation and execution, disbursement, and audit compliant financial statements.

Ms. Spangler has over 39-years of government service, serving as a career member of the Senior Executive Service in every military service and the Pentagon comptroller's office. Prior to her current role, she served with the US Marine Corps (USMC) as the Assistant Deputy Commandant for Program and Resources, responsible for advising the Commandant, Assistant Commandant, and Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources on budget, financial operations and financial audit issues impacting the Marine Corps with oversight of Marine Corps' Budget and Execution Division, Fiscal Division, and the Technology Services Organization.

Ms. Spangler served as the Principal Deputy ASA(FMC), Office of the ASA(FMC), Pentagon, Washington, D.C., where she advised the Assistant Secretary and the Army leadership on matters relating to Army finance, accounting, financial systems, financial management workforce development, and cost and economic activities.

Prior to serving with the Army, Ms. Spangler was the Deputy for Budget, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Financial Management and Comptroller), responsible for planning and directing Air Force budget formulation and execution of appropriations totaling more than $160 billion annually. She led a staff of civilian and military financial managers to develop, defend and execute funding to support military operations and Air Force priorities at the direction of Congress, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Air Force.

Ms. Spangler was the Assistant Deputy Commandant for Resources (USMC), also known as the Fiscal Director. As such, she was responsible for the formulation and execution of the Marine Corps' $31B budget, and had responsibility for financial systems, accounting, and financial improvement. She was the community leader for the USMC financial management community and held positions of increasing responsibility within the Navy and the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense (Comptroller) in the areas of budget formulation, program integration and resource management. She has experience with every appropriation category.

Ms. Spangler has a Master in Public Administration from Syracuse University, New York, and Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Michigan State University.

 

 

Lieutenant General Chamberlain was commissioned into the Army on 5 May 1988 from Clemson University and was assigned as a Signal Platoon Leader in Heilbronn, Germany. He assumed the duties as the Military Deputy to the ASA(FM&C) on 03 August 2021.

Lieutenant General Chamberlain was previously assigned as the Director of Army Budget, Headquarters, Department of the Army. From Captain through General Officer, he has a held a variety of key leader and staff positions, both while assigned CONUS and forward deployed, to include: Company Executive Officer, Special Operations Detachment Officer, and BN S4; and financial management positions as a Comptroller, Budget Officer, G8, and J8. He was also the Director of Operations and Support in the Army Budget Office and was the Commanding General of the United States Army Soldier Support Institute at Fort Jackson, SC.

Lieutenant General Chamberlain’s military education includes the Signal Officer Basic Course; Infantry Officer Advanced Course; Special Forces Officer Qualification Course and Language School; Command and General Staff College; and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces - National Defense University (ICAF-NDU). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Clemson University, a Masters of Business Administration from Syracuse University and a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from ICAF-NDU.

His awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Award, and Meritorious Service Medal. He has also earned the Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, Expert Infantry Badge, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, the Joint Staff Identification Badge and the Army Staff Identification Badge.

Mr. Robert T. Cook is currently serving as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management and Comptroller. He advises the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management and Comptroller, and through the Assistant Secretary, the Secretary of the Army and Chief of Staff, on all matters related to Army financial management comptrollership, with an emphasis on Financial Statement Audit, Risk Management and Internal Controls, Internal Review, Financial Information Management (Systems), and Financial Operations.

Mr. Cook has extensive experience in the private sector as a financial management executive and led large/complex financial services organizations. He most recently served as a Partner at Kearney and Company, one of the largest Certified Public Accounting firms in the country that provides a myriad of financial, information technology, and program management services focused on the federal government. Prior to that, he was a Director in Grant Thornton’s federal practice, providing audit and audit support services to the DoD and the Social Security Administration. His other private industry experience included serving as Director, Government Services, Lockheed Martin Information Technology, where he led the outsourced DoD military retired pay operations—with a workforce of over 650 personnel who provided retired pay services for 2.2 million military retirees and their annuitants globally.

He served over 26 years in the Army and has held a variety of command and staff positions including Commander, Defense Finance and Accounting Service, San Antonio and Commander, 177th Finance Battalion, Republic of South Korea. His staff position includes serving as Chief, Financial Operations for the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Joint Field Support; Aide and Military Assistant to Mr. Joe Reeder, Under Secretary of the Army; Military Analyst, Army G8, Program Analysis and Evaluation; and Division Chief, Operations and Maintenance Appropriation, Army Budget Office.

Mr. Cook is a Certified Information Systems Auditor and Certified Defense Financial Manager. He holds a Master’s in Business Administration from The American University, a Master of Science in Resourcing National Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Hampton University.

Major General Mark Bennett became the thirty-second Director of Army Budget in the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management and Comptroller ASA(FM&C) on 3 August 2021.

MG Bennett was commissioned in 1990 into the Field Artillery as a Distinguished Military Graduate. He began his operational assignments with the 6th Battalion, 37th Field Artillery in Korea and also served as the Task Force Finance Officer for 4th Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, for a Multinational Force and Observers rotation to Sinai, Egypt. He had two company command experiences with the 82nd Finance Battalion at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and the 177th Finance Battalion in Korea. Following completion of graduate school at Syracuse University, he served as the Executive Officer to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Resource Management, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command at Ft. Monroe, Virginia. Shortly after arriving for duty at the Pentagon, he supported the Army and Nation’s response to the 9-11 attacks before attending Command and General Staff College.

He returned to the 82nd Airborne Division as the Division Finance Support Operations Officer at Fort Bragg and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He then served as the Executive Officer to the Director of Army Budget, as a Program Examiner at the Office of Management and Budget, and as a Congressional Budget Liaison for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management & Comptroller ASA(FM&C).

MG Bennett commanded the Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, New York for 31 months including a deployment to Kandahar, Afghanistan. He returned to HQDA as the Executive Officer to the Military Deputy for Budget, ASA(FM&C) and Chief of the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution System Integration for the ASA(FM&C). MG Bennett also served as the Assistant Chief of Staff, G8, at Headquarters, I Corps, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington before deploying again to Afghanistan. He served as the Deputy Director of Resource Management with the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan (CSTC-A) in support of the Resolute Support mission. MG Bennett then served as the Chief of Army Congressional Budget Liaison (SAFM-BUL), in the ASA(FM&C). He served as the Director of Resource Management (G8) for the Headquarters, Installation Management Command (IMCOM) before most recently serving as the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Financial Management Command.

A native of Ohio, MG Bennett holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in Accounting from John Carroll University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Syracuse University. He additionally holds a Master of Science degree in National Security and Resource Strategy from the National Defense University. His military training includes the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course, Finance Officer Advanced Course, the United States Army Command and General Staff College, and the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy.

His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (4OLC), Bronze Star Medal (1OLC), Joint Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (1 SLC + 2 OLC), Senior Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Presidential Service Badge and the Army Staff Identification Badge.

Appointed as an SES in January 2022, Mr. William “Dale” Smith currently serves as the Director, Resource Management (G-48) in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4, Headquarters, Department of the Army. In this capacity, Mr. Smith provides executive leadership, guidance, and coordination for all resource management matters pertaining to sustainment equities across the entire Army enterprise. Mr. Smith also leads the Sustaining Program Evaluation Group (SS PEG) responsible for all aspects of planning, programming, and budgeting for over $60 billion that enable the sustainment of all Army operations, programs, and systems.

• 2018 –2021: Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8 (Resource Management), U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, AL
• 2016 –2018: Chief, Business Operations, U.S. Army Contracting Command-Redstone Acquisition Center, Redstone Arsenal, AL
• 2015 –2016: Senior Program Analyst, U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, AL
• 1993 – 2015: Officer, U.S. Army; Retired from active duty at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel following 22 years
• ΜΒΑ, Finance and Management, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 2003
• BS, Mechanical Engineering (Aerospace), U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY, 1993

SIGNIFICANT TRAINING:

• Data Driven Leadership, Carnegie-Mellon University, 2022
• Leader Education and Development, Intermediate, 2022
• Continuing Education for Senior Leaders, 2021

CERTIFICATIONS:

• Certified Department of Defense Financial Manager, Level III
• Certified Acquisition Professional (Business – Financial Management), Level III
• Certified Defense Financial Manager • Certified Government Financial Manager

Dr Neil Thurgood is recognized as a global leader for developing business strategies, training and personnel development, leadership development and strategy execution to achieve performance objectives. A successful Senior leader in solving critical problems in the defense and acquisition segments, including the integration of related activities and programs across the United States and international business segments to achieve desired outcomes.

Neil served over 37 years in the Army retiring as a Lieutenant General, culminating as the Director to Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technology Office (RCCTO), a $4B+ series of programs designed to accelerate advance technologies into the Department of Defense using innovative processes, unique organizations, legislative strategies and focused authorities.  These efforts included Hypersonics, High Energy Lasers, missile programs, aviation programs and hybrid technologies on rapid procurement pathways, including efforts with foreign Allied and Partner Nations. As result he reduced acquisition cycles times bringing increased output to the Army and Joint Force.

Neil has led organizations at all levels of increasing responsibilities and across numerous domains supporting customer desired outcomes.  Neil was responsible for strategy development, budget forecast and execution, international relationships, foreign military sales, as well as supporting Direct Commercial strategies and developing positive cash flow for the Army and Depart of Department.

Neil holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Utah, a Master of Science in Strategic Studies from the Air War College, a Master of Systems Management from the Naval Post Graduate School and  a Doctorate of Business from University of Sarasota.  Neil has also completed additional training with  executive course work at the Harvard Business School Program of Advanced Management, The Wharton Business School for Leadership, Tuck Business School at Dartmouth, and Georgetown University Institute for Government Affairs.

Mr. Mike Cook has been a member of the Senior Executive Service since June 2020. He currently serves as the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Resource Management, G-8 for the U.S. Army Materiel Command. In this position, he has a key role in managing the Command’s day-to-day resource operations and responsible for the formulation and execution of an annual budget of over $40 billion, which is comprised of Appropriated Funds and Army Working Capital Fund activity. Mr. Cook directs, controls and monitors work through six division chiefs with a staff totaling 90.

CAREER CHRONOLOGY:

• Jun 2020 – Present: Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Resource Management, G-8, U.S. Army Materiel Command, Redstone Arsenal, AL
• May 2016 – May 2020: Deputy G8, Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Huntsville, AL
• Aug 2013 – Apr 2016: G8, Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Huntsville, AL
• Aug 2012 – Jul 2013: Executive Officer to the Military Deputy, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller), Pentagon, Washington D.C.
• Jun 2008 – Jul 2011: Director, Resource Management, Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Fort Bragg, NC
• Jul 2006 – May 2008: G8, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, TX
• Oct 2004 – Jun 2006: Deputy Division Chief, OMA Current-Year Execution, Army Budget Office, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
• Sep 2003 – Sep 2004: Executive Officer to the Director, Army Budget, Army Budget Office, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
• Jun 2000 – Jun 2002: Comptroller, 3/160 Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), Fort Campbell, KY
• Apr 1997 – Sep 1997: Comptroller, U.S. Army War Reserve, Qatar; Program Analyst, XVIII Corps (ABN), Fort Bragg, NC

Professor Dana Stewart came to DAU in August 2012 as a Professor of Financial Management and later became certified as an Executive Coach for DAU. Prior to becoming a DAU instructor, Dana served in various roles within Financial Management, Contracting and Acquisition. Dana has served in Active Duty, Defense Contractor, and Civil Servant. Some of the roles Dana executed were with System Studies and Simulations as the Director of Finance; DynCorp International as the Cost Manager for the LOGCAP IV Contract deployed to Kandahar, AFG; Defense Finance and Accounting Services as an Accountant; and Active Duty Air Force. Dana has served as mentor and coach to varying degrees as well as among different levels of personnel.

Dana holds a PhD in Business with a Specialization in Finance from Capella University. She holds Masters and Bachelor’s degrees in Accounting from the University of West Florida in Pensacola, FL. She received her Certified Defense Financial Management title in 2004.

Dana is DAWIA Advanced Level Certified in Financial Management. Dana currently serves as the Department Chair for the Business, Cost Estimating, and Financial Management faculty at DAU South. She facilitates Acquisition courses across the Financial Management, Program Management, and Contracting career fields. Dana conducts many different mission assistance activities with Programs across the Department of Defense. Dana serves as the Research Reviewer for the Senior Service College Fellowship at DAU South region.

Colonel (COL) Samuel B. Glover II. COL Glover currently serves as the Military Deputy for Resource Management Directorate (G8) at the Army Material Command (AMC), at Redstone Arsenal, AL. The AMC is the Army’s leading command for global sustainment and logistic operations executing an annual $40B budget. Through 30 years of active duty and reserve service, COL Glover has served in a variety of tactical, operational, and strategic military assignments. COL Glover was commissioned as an Aviation Second Lieutenant with a Business Degree from South Carolina State University in 1995. After completion of the Officer’s Basic Course and Initial Entry Rotary Wing training in 1997, he completed the UH-60 Aircraft Qualification Course (AQC). Upon completion of training at Ft. Rucker, he moved to K-16, Korea where he served as a platoon leader for Bravo Company, 1-52nd Aviation Regiment. Following a unit move to 1-159th Aviation Regiment Ft. Bragg, NC, COL Glover served as the BattalionAS-3. He then deployed with the  battalion to Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of Operation Joint Forge. After COL Glover’s deployment, he returned to Ft. Bragg, NC as the Battalion S-2 and simultaneously completed his Masters of Business Administration Degree at Webster University in 2000. Next, he served as the HHC 1-212th Company Commander where he managed the two largest Army Heliports training over 2,000students and as an instructor pilot received his Army Senior Aviator Badge flying over 1,500 hours. In 2004, COL Glover was selected as a System Evaluator for the procurement of new military systems and equipment at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. In 2005, he deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as an Operations Officer for Security Force Assistance Team Iraqi Transportation Battalion. Upon COL Glover’s return, he finished his Doctor of Management Degree in Organizational Leadership from the University of Phoenix, AZ. Later, COL Glover was selected as an Army Comptroller, working his first job as a Resource Manager (RM) at the Army Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Division. Next in 2009, COL Glover was selected as a Congressional Fellow and later selected to work as a member of the Army Senate Liaison. As a member of Army Senate Liaison, he provided Defense and Budgetary expertise to members of Congress from New York to South Carolina (10 states). In 2012, COL Glover also served as the Task Force Dragon TAC Executive Officer and Ghazni Security Force Assistance Coordinator working with over 5,000 Afghanistan National Security Forces proving security to the Nation of Afghanistan. COL Glover completed duty as the 1st Cavalry Division Comptroller managing a budget of over $280Mstateside and $480M overseas supporting units in Afghanistan, Germany, Africa, Korea, Cuba, Egypt, and numerous other locations.