MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, VIRGINIA -- Jeannette Evans-Morgis took the oath April 21 to become the newest member of the Senior Executive Service at Marine Corps Systems Command. The appointment ceremony, held at Harry Lee Hall aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, marked the latest in a list of accomplishments for the new chief engineer of the Marine Corps.
“The Marine Corps only has 23 senior executives,” said Brig. Gen. Joseph Shrader, commander of MCSC. “From my standpoint, [being appointed to] the senior executive service is validation of a superb career in terms of expertise, experience and leadership.”
The Senior Executive Service was established by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. The SES was created to be a cadre of executives with shared values, a broad perspective of government and possession of solid executive skills.
Evans-Morgis was selected for the SES and has served in her current position at MCSC since December 2015. As deputy commander for Systems Engineering, Interoperability, Architectures and Technology, or SIAT, at MCSC, Evans-Morgis is the technical authority for all Marine Corps ground and information technology systems. She directs and controls systems engineering across the command’s product lines and lifecycles to ensure MCSC provides integrated, interoperable and certified warfighting capabilities to Marines.
“Jeannette has two engineering degrees, and not only that, but she has served just over 24 years in the government as an engineer,” Shrader said. “She has broad expertise—she has worked on vehicle programs, information technology programs and communication programs. She came to us from [Program Executive Officer Land Systems] where she was the senior engineer, responsible for about 100 other engineers.”
As the assistant program executive officer for engineering in PEO Land Systems, an MCSC-affiliated PEO, Evans-Morgis oversaw systems engineering for Marine Corps Acquisition Category 1 programs such as the Amphibious Combat Vehicle and Assault Amphibious Vehicle. In addition to her new position as deputy commander for SIAT, Evans-Morgis is now also the chief engineer of the Marine Corps.
“The opportunity to serve as chief engineer is truly a blessing,” Evans-Morgis said. “Words cannot do justice to the humility and gratitude I feel. [Department of Defense] acquisition is a team sport. Success is a direct result of the relationships we establish, the connections we make and the friendships we foster.”
Evans-Morgis thanked her son, husband and father, and recognized several military and civilian leaders who influenced her throughout her career.
“I had no idea I would be in this place last year,” she said. “To those of you who just a year ago encouraged me to apply for this job, thank you. To my fellow engineers, I look forward to our continued progress toward our goal of exemplifying engineering excellence.”
Evans-Morgis is a member of the Defense Acquisition Corps and is Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act Level III certified in Program Management and Advanced Systems Planning, Research, Development and Engineering. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from George Washington University and her Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University.
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