U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground welcomes new DPW director with long history on post

Courtesy Photo | U.S. Army Garrison Yuma Proving Ground, named Donnett Brown as the new director the Directorate of Public Works.  

YUMA PROVING GROUND, ARIZONA, UNITED STATES

04.30.2026

Story by Ana Henderson 

U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground

U.S. Army Garrison Yuma Proving Ground named Donnett Brown as the new director of the Directorate of Public Works.

Brown is a Marine Corps veteran, highly educated, and comes with a wealth of experience.

While stationed in Okinawa, Japan while on active duty, Brown said her leadership supported and even pushed her to pursue higher education.

“I was with a command that encouraged me to go to school. My company CO would ask, ‘Why aren’t you going to school?’ You didn’t’ have an excuse when you had everyone around you encouraging you to go to school.”

She had already earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, so while in Okinawa she earned two master’s degrees, one in management and the second in public administration.

Once out of the Marines and back in the states, Brown and her husband, also a Marine, moved to Yuma and she started her career at Yuma Proving Ground as an Environmental Protection Specialist, overseeing contaminated sites clean up back in 2008.

She then moved up to an Environmental Engineering position and continued to oversee site cleanups. Soon, Brown got a new boss, Pat Driscoll, the former DPW director and her supervisor encouraged her to take leadership courses to meet her career goals.

“He was helpful and gave me pointers.”

Now, Brown is the DPW Director and said, “Being with DPW, it’s a lot to process. But there’s an excitement for me because I love to learn and I love the challenge and I have a great team of people that are helpful and knowledgeable.”

• Date Taken: 04.30.2026
• Date Posted: 04.30.2026 12:46
• Story ID: 563709
• Location: YUMA PROVING GROUND, ARIZONA, US