New Chief Management Officer Brings Wealth of Program Knowledge

Photo By Troy Lilly | Reginald Hampton, Chief Management Officer for the F-35 Joint Program Office, poses for a photograph at the program headquarters in Arlington, Va. The F-35 Joint Program Office is the Department of Defense's focal point for the 5th generation strike aircraft for the Navy, Air Force, Marines, and our allies. The F-35 is the premier multi-mission, 5th generation weapon system. Its ability to collect, analyze and share data is a force multiplier that enhances all assets in the battle-space: with stealth technology, advanced sensors, weapons capacity, and range. The F-35, which has been operational since July of 2015, is the most lethal, survivable, and interoperable fighter aircraft ever built.  

ARLINGTON, VA, UNITED STATES

04.29.2021

Story by F-35 Joint Program Office Digital Media 

F-35 Joint Program Office

CRYSTAL CITY, VA. (29 APRIL 2021) The F-35 Joint Program Office (F-35 JPO) considers its people the critical component to fulfilling the mission of delivering capable, affordable, and sustainable F-35 aircraft to its global customers. Reggie Hampton, the F-35 JPO’s recently-appointed Chief Management Officer (CMO), is the latest in a long line of highly qualified and motivated individuals to take on roles of increasing leadership, innovation, and accountability in this unique and complex workplace.

"I've had several jobs within the F-35 JPO since I came here in 2003. I have seen quite a bit of change here and within the Department of Defense, so I feel prepared to take on this leadership role," said Hampton. "Having been at the tip of the execution arm of the program with jobs as Block 3i Capability Lead, Assistant Program Director for Production, and Deputy Program Manager of the Air Vehicle Program Management Office will give me the unique ability to best support the Warfighter as the Chief Management Officer."

During his military career as a U.S. Air Force officer, Hampton held several program management assignments before joining the F-35 JPO. The assignments included program and acquisition management at several offices with the National Security Agency, and maintenance of the Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile weapon system.

As F-35 JPO CMO, Hampton now leads a collection of critical program and corporate functions whose support extends across the entire F-35 Enterprise. Hampton manages the functions related to business operations, foreign compliance, process improvement, cost, requirements, and acquisition. He is responsible for strategic and tactical decision-making for the F-35 JPO, concentrating on near-term issues and barriers, and ensuring program management excellence.

"The Chief Management Office is much more of a 'gives support' role than my previous job in the Air Vehicle Program Management Office," said Hampton. "There is tremendous work done on the teams. As the Chief Management Officer, I look forward to letting each team lead manage their piece of the program and grow it into a model others can emulate. To best make decisions here, we need to realize our strategic vision so we understand where we want to end up, and define what success looks like to us. Tactically, the question is, what are we doing to meet laid out strategic objectives? Finally, we must measure ourselves along the way to learn from collected data of what works and what doesn't."

Beyond making sound strategic and tactical decisions, Hampton believes talent development is vital to the F-35 JPO's success. Identifying 'hidden superstars' is a priority for increased diversity and inclusion.

"I believe in nurturing people's talents. If the leader supports them by putting a safety net in place, proactively identifying, engaging, and developing each individual, they will support the leader,” he said.

To arrive at the most successful collaborative solution to a problem, Hampton concludes that leaders should reach out and begin an ongoing conversation with their teams as soon as possible. Rather than waiting for it to become a crisis. "First and foremost, be a good communicator. Then retain a sliver of technical excellence and understand the fundamentals of requirements management," said Hampton, who also expressed that timeliness, transparency, and consistency are keys to effective communication.

"The value of these qualities become more apparent in highly variable, uncertain, and complex operating environments. As we've seen with addressing the challenges of remote work following COVID-19…someone doesn't need to have all the context to start a conversation. By discussing items as part of the regular back and forth, we often uncover issues early enough to take more modest and effective actions to resolve," he recommended.

Reggie Hampton has a profound respect for the F-35 JPO's people and mission. He has words of wisdom for newcomers and those rising through the ranks at the F-35 JPO based on his experiences: "Bloom where you’re planted. Do the best you can in the job you have, and use every opportunity to grow and mature. Branch out of your comfort zone, and leverage the diversity that is the F-35 JPO!"

For more information, visit www.jsf.mil.

• Date Taken: 04.29.2021
• Date Posted: 04.29.2021 12:22
• Story ID: 395134
• Location: ARLINGTON, VA, US
• Hometown: BUTLER, AL, US