Philip Sakowitz, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is director and chief executive officer of the Defense Commissary Agency, headquartered at Fort Lee, Va., a position he has held since June 2008. As the agency’s director, Mr. Sakowitz oversees the operations and business processes of an agency that employs more than 18,000 people and includes a headquarters, three regions and more than 250 commissaries located in 13 countries around the world. Commissary annual sales totaled more than $5.5 billion in fiscal 2007.

Mr. Sakowitz has more than 30 years of federal service, working at Department of the Army, Army major command and installation levels. Prior to his current assignment, Mr. Sakowitz served as the executive director of the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, where he managed base facilities, programs, services and infrastructure sustainment for 119 Army installations worldwide and provided oversight of an $8 billion annual budget, 75,000 employees, and land and facilities worth $211 billion.

In 2002, Mr. Sakowitz was selected by the Secretary of the Army to lead the Transformation of Installation Management Task Force. This initiative entailed reorganizing the operations of 15 separate and distinct commands into one centralized structure to ensure efficient, effective and standardized installation management across the Army. His leadership in the restructuring culminated in the establishment of the largest field operating agency in the history of the Army.

Mr. Sakowitz has been honored twice, by Presidents Clinton and Bush, as a Meritorious Presidential Rank recipient, recognizing him as a leader in the top 5 percent of the entire federal government Senior Executive Service. He has received the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Award of Recognition for Service and Contributions to our Country in the areas of Civil Rights, Race Relations, Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action and Public Service. He has also received the Army’s highest civilian award, the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service.

EDUCATION
1975, Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Physical Education, Long Island University, N.Y.
 
CAREER CHRONOLOGY
2002 - 2008, Executive Director, U.S. Army Installation Management Command, Arlington, Va.
2002, Director, Installation Management Transformation Task Force, Arlington, Va.
1998 - 2002, Deputy Chief of staff, Base Operations Support, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Fort Monroe, Va.
1996 - 1998, Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel and Installation Management, U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort McPherson, Ga.
1989 - 1996, Chief, Morale, Welfare and Recreation, Directorate of Personnel, U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort McPherson, Ga.
1988 - 1989, Director, Program Analysis and Evaluation, U.S. Army Community and Family Support Center, Alexandria, Va.
1981 - 1988, Chief, Community Morale Services, U.S. Army Materiel Command, Alexandria, Va.
1981, Sports Director, New York Area Command and Fort Hamilton, N.Y.
1978 - 1980, Youth Activities Director, Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center, Colo.
1975 - 1978, Youth Activities Director, Fort Monmouth, N.J.