New Command Sergeant Major of the Army Reserve selected

Photo By Derrick Witherspoon | Command Sgt. Maj. Jim Wills, command sergeant major for the 99th Regional Support Command, has been selected as the interim command sergeant major of the U.S. Army Reserve. Wills will replace Command Sgt. Maj. Luther Thomas Jr., current command sergeant major of the Army Reserve, on Jan. 8, 2016.  

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES

11.18.2015

Story by Master Sgt. Derrick Witherspoon 

U.S. Army Reserve Command

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Army Reserve has announced the selection of the interim command sergeant major of the Army Reserve, Command Sgt. Maj. Jim Wills. Wills will replace Command Sgt. Maj. Luther Thomas, Jr., on Jan. 8, 2016. Thomas has served in the position since April 2013 and was recently selected as the next Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.

Wills will serve as the principal adviser for all enlisted related matters to Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Talley, Chief, Army Reserve. As the command Sergeant Major of the Army Reserve, Wills will advise the Chief of the Army Reserve and senior Army and civilian leadership on current policies, regulations, and directives pertaining to the management of 205,000 Army Reserve Soldiers on proper utilization of personnel, quality of life, personal and organizational equipment and uniforms. Wills will also guide current and future development of the Army Reserve enlisted force and serve as an advisor to the Sergeant Major of the Army on Army Reserve enlisted matters.

Wills enlisted into the U.S. Army in 1984. He was born in Beckley, West Virginia. During his previous 30-years of service, CSM Wills has served in a variety of professionally rewarding and developmental positions across the Army in the operating and generating force. Wills is currently serving as the Command Sergeant Major for the 99th Regional Support Command, located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey.

Wills is currently employed as the CEO of Appalachian Paving & Excavation, LLC; Beckley Asphalt & Aggregate. LLC, and AP&E Properties, LLC, all located in Beckley, West Virginia. Wills is a graduate of Drury University located in Springfield, Missouri. He holds a Masters Degree in Education (M.Ed.), BS and AS in English. He also serves as an Army Reserve Technician as the G37 Staff Operations and Training Officer (SOTO) for the 80th Training Command. He is also a lifetime member of the Army Engineer Association, lifetime member of the Association of the United States Army, and Society of American Military Engineers.

For interview opportunities, please contact Master Sgt. Derrick Witherspoon, Public Affairs Advisor to the Command Sergeant Major of the Army Reserve, at 703-303-6609 or [e-mail].

• Date Taken: 11.18.2015
• Date Posted: 12.04.2015 15:40
• Story ID: 182347
• Location: WASHINGTON, DC, US
• Hometown: BECKLEY, WV, US