The Defense Logistics Agency leaders and team members bid farewell to one of the agency’s top advisers at a retirement ceremony for Steve Chertock Nov. 30 at the McNamara Headquarters Complex.
DLA Director Navy Vice Adm. Mark Harnitchek spoke at the ceremony, which was attended by several of the agency’s current and former senior leaders. He compared Chertock to a wise, behind-the-scenes adviser.
“There’s one description that comes to my mind here, and that is that Steve is truly the ‘éminence grise’ of DLA,” he said. “For those of you who aren’t familiar with that term, éminence gris is French for gray eminence. That is a powerful decision maker or adviser who operates behind the scenes or in a nonpublic and unofficial capacity.”
Harnitchek joked a little while praising the advice and counsel he received from Chertock during the admiral’s first year as DLA’s director.
“An éminence grise may alternatively refer to an elderly – that’s Steve – gray-haired personage – that’s definitely Steve – who is renowned for accomplishments in the past and now acts as an adviser rather than a principal actor,” he said. “He may be politically influential as a consequence of his honored status within an influential group or society as a whole. I’ll tell you that is definitely Steve.
“Steve has been my éminence grise, and over the past 12 months, Steve has advised me on everything from my personal leadership style … to our ‘10 in 5’ strategy. Steve has simply been a wealth of good advice on everything that I need to lead this great agency, and he’s also been a great friend.”
After retiring from a 28-year Navy career as a captain, Chertock served the agency as a senior analyst from 1994-1997 and again from 2001-2012. During his first period of service, he assisted the agency’s director, retired Navy Vice Adm. Edward Straw, and other senior leaders in strategic analyses and related communications.
When Chertock returned in 2001, he served as a strategic analyst to Mae DeVincentis during her time as DLA Information Operations director, DLA Logistics Operations director and, ultimately, DLA vice director. Following DeVincentis’ retirement earlier this year, Chertock assisted Harnitchek and DLA Vice Director Ted Case. He received the DLA Exceptional Civilian Service Award twice for his efforts.
After Harnitchek related various stories from friends, co-workers and leaders from throughout Chertock’s career, the retiree thanked the admiral for encouraging him to have the ceremony.
“As Yogi Berra supposedly said, ‘Admiral, thank you for making this occasion necessary by urging me to do a real retirement,’” he said. “You did not allow me to slink away with a vat of meatballs and 20 boxes of paperwork.”
Chertock thanked a long list of personal and professional friends, leaders and mentors from his more than 42 years in federal service. He also thanked his wife, Laura, for her support through his career and their 46 years of marriage, in addition to his three children, seven grandchildren, and various other family members. He said retiring now felt like the right thing to do.
“I like what I do. My dad worked into his early 80s, so the genes help, and it was great working for the various people I’ve worked for,” he said. “Realistically, the pace is a bit much at my advanced, gray-haired stage, and I can’t do whatever it is I do here on a part-time basis. In turn, the door was closing on alternative things I want to do and the time just felt right.”
Chertock said he plans to round out his education, do work in his community and travel more in his retirement.