Photo By Cheryl Marino | Renae Florack believes growth has no ceiling—but only if you’re willing to be the...... read more read more
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Renae Florack COMMAND/ORGANIZATION: Capability Program Executive Ammunition and Energetics/Project Manager Close Combat Systems TITLE: Project Officer M111/M112 Offensive Hand Grenade/Practice Offensive Hand Grenade YEARS OF SERVICE IN AAW Workforce: 20 MILITARY OR CIVILIAN: Civilian YEARS OF MILITARY SERVICE: 8 DAWIA CERTIFICATIONS: Advanced in business-financial management EDUCATION: BAIS in public administration, Fairleigh Dickinson University AWARDS: Meritorious Service Medal (2005); Army Achievement Award (2001); NATO Service Ribbon (2000); Army Achievement Medal (2000); Army Achievement Medal (1999)
Renae Florack believes growth has no ceiling—but only if you’re willing to be the one pushing it higher. As a project manager, she sees learning and progress as active pursuits, driven by conscious, continuous effort, rather than circumstance. That mindset shows in how she owns her professional development and consistently advocates for herself, treating both as essential skills, not optional extras. In doing so she proves that momentum is built by those who choose to create it.
“The most important lesson I’ve learned over the course of my career is that your capacity for growth is limitless, but you must be the primary driver of that development,” Florack explained. “Part of driving your own growth is recognizing that a “no” today is not necessarily a “no” forever.”
“If an opportunity isn’t available or a request is initially denied, I don’t see it as a permanent roadblock. Instead, I view it as an opportunity to keep advocating for myself by consistently showcasing my strengths and delivering results in my current role. I use every chance I get to demonstrate my abilities and prove that I am ready for the next challenge when it arises.”
Florack serves as the project officer responsible for overseeing the life cycle program management for both the M111 Offensive Hand Grenade and the M112 Practice Offensive Hand Grenade. She leads a cross-functional team of government and contract personnel managing cost, schedule and performance objectives for these programs, as well as providing oversight for development efforts, production contracts and delivering end items (to meet Army inventory needs) to support fielding to the Soldier.
“My responsibilities are integral to the overall mission of the Capability Program Executive Ammunition and Energetics [CPE A&E, formerly Joint Program Executive Office for Armaments and Ammunition], Project Manager Close Combat Systems [PM CCS], which is to maintain the standard to provide dominant and innovative lethal and protective capabilities for the joint warfighter,” she said. “The work I do has a direct and tangible impact on the safety and effectiveness of our warfighters.”
The M111 Offensive Hand Grenade is a critical modernization effort that is not just an upgrade but a vital corrective action to address obsolescence and safety concerns with the older grenades that contain hazardous components. The new M111 provides a safer and more reliable concussive asset for Soldiers, particularly for use in enclosed spaces where it can be instrumental in defeating the enemy. Florack said by delivering this new capability, she and her team are “directly contributing to the lethality and survivability of the American warfighter.”
As a veteran of the U.S. Army, the opportunity to continue serving and supporting Soldiers as an Army civilian is her primary motivation. Beyond that, she said, her greatest satisfaction in being a part of the Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) comes from the unique and profound experience of shaping a capability from its inception to its delivery.
“It’s one thing to be the end-user of a piece of equipment, but it is an entirely different and deeply rewarding challenge to be involved in the intricate process of funding, developing and producing it,” she said.
Florack’s journey into the AAW was a direct transition from her time in uniform. “I was fortunate to move seamlessly from active-duty Army into this new chapter of service, an opportunity that arose from the professional relationships I cultivated during my final military assignment,” Florack explained. “The ‘why’ was simple: I wanted to continue supporting Soldiers in a meaningful and impactful way, and the AAW provided the perfect avenue to do so.”
Prior to her current role as a project officer, Florack served as a program analyst for 19 years—one year for Madigan Army Medical Center at Fort Lewis (on Joint Base Lewis-McChord) and the other 18 years at Picatinny Arsenal with PM CCS and U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center—entrusted with managing substantial funding across diverse portfolios, ensuring every dollar was allocated and spent in accordance with all legal and regulatory requirements.
“A key part of my role was to work closely with project officers and product directors providing expert financial advice, craft compelling justifications to safeguard budgets and secure additional funding for critical, unfunded program needs,” said Florack. “My experiences as a program analyst provided me with a solid program background to allow a successful transition into a project officer position.”
Before joining the AAW, Florack served as the personal driver to the one-star commanding general of Madigan Army Medical Center.
“In addition to my driving duties, I was entrusted with the role of the command group’s supply purchase card holder. This unique combination of responsibilities provided an invaluable training ground for my current role in acquisition,” she said.
Florack transitioned into the acquisition field in 2008, as a budget analyst supporting travel administration within the business division at Madigan Army Medical Center.
This position came with a substantial and pivotal project, to develop and execute a comprehensive training plan to teach the entire staff how to use a brand-new, complex system properly; a significant undertaking, as the program rollout impacted over 4,000 military and civilian personnel.
“What immediately appealed to me about this work was the challenge of creating a unified solution for a large, diverse organization,” she said. “It was a fantastic opportunity to interact with all levels of the workforce, from junior enlisted Soldiers to senior leaders.”
Florack said two experiences shaped her career with the AAW—joining the CPE A&E mentoring program, where she was paired with a mentor from a technical background, and a six-month developmental assignment where she served as a business acquisition and management lead for the Terrain Shaping Obstacles program within PM CCS.
“These two experiences were so important because they converged and illuminated a new career path for me,” she said. “They allowed me to take the skills I honed from my time in the Army and on the business side of acquisition and apply them to the complex, daily challenges of a technical program. I discovered how energized I felt working through engineering problems, collaborating directly with the user community to refine requirements, and engaging in the hands-on problem-solving required to move a program forward.”
Ultimately, she said, these valuable assignments were transformative, reinvigorating passion for her work and showing her that true potential and excitement lay in bridging the gap between business management and technical execution.
“These experiences were the catalyst that drove me to continue seeking opportunities for personal and professional growth, leading me directly to the type of work I do today,” she said.
The most recent career development program Florack completed was the Acquisition Leadership Challenge Program (ALCP) I, which provided valuable insights into how she interacts with others and has been directly applicable to her roles. As she continues to grow professionally, Florack said she will continue to seek opportunities for additional learning and growth within the AAW.
Her key takeaway from ALCP was a newfound clarity on her personality strengths using Myers-Briggs Type Indicator that will help her better support her team and program long term.
“The course allowed me to find better ways to identify each team members’ communication preferences and personality traits to ensure each person is put into a position they are comfortable with and set up for success.” Adding that it helped her find better ways to motivate her team and gave her the confidence to take on greater responsibility.
“By empowering me to step into the project officer role, the organization gained a committed individual prepared to lead a high-visibility program to success, directly contributing to the team’s ability to meet mission-critical objectives.”
Since the acquisition field is vast and incredibly diverse, she said it’s easy to become siloed in one area, whether it’s contracting, logistics, business management or testing. By taking on a developmental assignment, you not only learn a new skill set but also gain a more holistic understanding of how the entire acquisition process functions.
Outside of work, Florack is known as an avid trivia player, known for being “a quick thinker” during a game. This parallels her work in acquisition because, she said, “Just like in trivia, you don’t always have the perfect answer or all the information you need.”
“The key is to have the right mindset to make a decisive choice, choose a path forward for problem resolution and often use creative thinking to arrive at the best possible solution with the data you have,” she said. “This ability to think critically and act decisively under pressure is something I use every day to navigate the complexities of program management.”
| Date Taken: | 07.28.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.31.2026 10:29 |
| Story ID: | 571217 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 16 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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