Army civilian professional climbs ladder from intern to SES

Photo By Stephen Warns | Sherene Dorazio, right, with IMCOM Headquarters G4 Executive Director Andre Douglas, served as IMCOM G4 Facilities and Logistics Deputy Director for almost three years. She recently departed IMCOM for a position as Deputy Executive Director for Construction and Facility Management at the Department of Veterans Affairs.  

SAN ANTONIO, TX, UNITED STATES

09.29.2022

Story by Stephen Warns 

Joint Base San Antonio

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas – Sherene Dorazio always wanted to work for the U.S. Army Installation Management Command.

She fulfilled that dream when she was hired as the IMCOM G4 Facilities and Logistics Deputy Director in December 2019.

Three years later, Dorazio departed IMCOM for a position as Deputy Executive Director for Construction and Facility Management at the Department of Veterans Affairs and a greater appreciation for her role in IMCOM.

“This job has helped form me,” Dorazio said. “It’s a huge, complex mission set with a great group of people who really get after it and do great things for the Army. I really appreciate my time and experience here with the staff.”

As the G4 Deputy Director, Dorazio was responsible for managing headquarters staff support and overseeing public works and logistics operations for IMCOM’s 75 garrisons around the globe. She also served as a key adviser to current G4 Director William Kidd, who praised her contributions to the enterprise.

“She’s just a great leader who always put the Soldiers and families first during her time at IMCOM,” said Kidd, who took over as G4 Director in 2022. “Her expertise and insight were invaluable to our mission, and she will be missed.”

Dorazio began her career in the federal civil service as a GS-1 summer intern with NASA when she was in high school. While enrolled at the University of Alabama-Huntsville, she joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a GS-3 student employee. From there, she became a co-op student and a Department of the Army intern before she joined the Army as a civilian engineer after graduating from Alabama-Huntsville in 2001.
She had stops ranging from USACE, U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center and U.S. Army Medical Command before joining IMCOM.

“It’s part of being a fully-rounded engineer in the Army,” Dorazio said. “In the G4, it’s not just engineering. There’s a lot of housing, logistics, and really caring for Soldiers and the families. At IMCOM, everything you do affects Soldiers and their families. There is a huge people aspect to what we do.”

Dorazio found out when she joined IMCOM’s G4 there were more requirements than resources. She cites hiring more staff into G4 to alleviate the huge workload and the Facility Investment Plan as major accomplishments.

“We can’t get after all of the construction and renovation requirements, so how do we look to get after the right things?” Dorazio said. “The plan helps us to prioritize our projects.”

Dorazio plans to take the installation climate and energy and water resilience strategies she helped oversee during her time at the G4 to her new role with the VA and, most importantly, the focus on Soldiers and their families.

“We house them, and they live there,” Dorazio said. “I’ll take that and everything I learned with public affairs and Congressional Oversight and apply that with VA because we’re taking care of vets’ health and benefits. That skillset will translate.”

• Date Taken: 09.29.2022
• Date Posted: 09.29.2022 10:42
• Story ID: 430359
• Location: SAN ANTONIO, TX, US
• Hometown: FORT SAM HOUSTON, TX, US
• Hometown: HUNTSVILLE, AL, US
• Hometown: WASHINGTON, DC, US