John O'Connell Jr. Email and Phone Number

Directed and integrated efforts of personnel in 70-member division supporting organization with 2,150 personnel on 2 continents. Aligned IT and communication infrastructure initiatives with requirements to enable seamless operation at fixed sites and temporary locations, coordinating closely with supported organizations in Europe and Africa, with higher headquarters and agencies in the U.S., and with partner nations on strategic and project management levels. Projects & Deliverables:• Managed communication and information systems support for multiple operational events and requirements in Spain, Italy, Norway, Republic of Georgia, and across the African continent.• Supervised and managed $2.2 million division budget for equipment procurement, training and resources.• Secured $35,000 and negotiated contract for Security+ and Network+ training and certification for 70-member division including civilian, contractor, and military personnel.• Developed and managed plan to implement data center efficiency; standardized infrastructure while reducing server footprint by implementing VMware solution, providing more reliable network while reducing costs by $750,000.• Coordinated operational testing of secure, ultra-high frequency satellite communicates platform (MUOS) as well as practical field experiences in collaboration with Norwegian military to develop, practice, and maintain critical communication capabilities and skills in arctic conditions. • Facilitated continuous information flow – for personnel and family members – as organization transitioned to remote and COVID19-compliant work protocols, providing clear guidance to balance operational requirements and individual needs.

Supervised and managed 100-member department managing delivery of information technology and communications services for 4,500 personnel on 3,000-acre military installation and 6 other sites across the state. Administered $1.6 million annual budget and coordinated $27 million in network infrastructure upgrades.Projects & Deliverables:• Identified communications requirements and collaborated across military, state, and federal agencies to stand up emergency operations center for diverse emergency management training scenarios and response functions.• Managed $250,000 project to upgrade 124 telecommunication rooms in 6 locations. • Mentored 4 personnel for prestigious award competitions, with 2 winning career-enhancing promotions.• Negotiated assignment of 6 tenant organization personnel from across the installation to overcome HR shortfalls.• Appointed to working group for change management project to craft strategic communication plan, including new mission and vision statement for the installation.

Supervised and managed 75 personnel communications personnel as the senior leader and technical advisor to the Regimental Communications Officer on the garrison and tactical communications support of general logistics to the II Marine Expeditionary Force. This included overseeing the communications and information technology capabilities of the Regimental Staff, Maintenance, Supply and Medical Battalions responsible for 2,000 customers.Projects & Deliverables:• Prepared communications plan for critical, large-scale practical training exercise to test readiness for wartime mission; coordinated activities of 100 communications specialists operating at 3 sites to deliver 99.9% network uptime for users at multiple organizational levels.• Successfully coordinated and supervised the communications personnel and equipment in support of standing up 2 new units of Maintenance and Supply Battalions.• Inherited operations with failure rate in 7 of 13 KPIs; developed and directed the implementation of corrective action plan that turned around operations while passing 2 inspections in 13 months.• Successfully addressed morale issues by reinforcing accountability to standards while focusing on the whole Marine concept ; reduced discipline cases from 5 per month to 0.

Supervised and managed 100 personnel communications personnel as the senior leader and technical advisor to the Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Communications Officer on the garrison, tactical, and afloat (amphibious ship) communications resources of the unit, and 3 major subordinate element units totaling 2,200 customers.Projects & Deliverables:• Participated in 24 worldwide operations and theater security operation exercises in Europe, Africa, and Central Command areas of responsibilities.• Delivered redundant, reliable internetwork communications within and between three large ships with 2,200+ personnel.• Implemented a robust maintenance plan that ensured responsive repairs and real-time inventory during deployed operations, which led to decreased maintenance costs following re-deployments.• Devised solution to blend multichannel, single-channel, and lofted radio communications that supported intelligence gathering across 2,400+ square miles.• Guided organization to earn prestigious Lieutenant Colonel Kevin M. Shea communications award for performance excellence in IT and communications operations.• Recognized and awarded by the Armed Forces Communications Electronics Association (AFCEA) as leadership award winner for outstanding IT and communications contributions to the warfighter.• Supervised and planned the technical and operational safety training of over 100 servicemembers.