WASHINGTON -- David DiEugenio, the chief information officer and assistant chief of staff, G-6 at the Marine Corps Recruiting Command, received the Department of Defense CIO Annual Award at the Pentagon in the District of Columbia, Nov. 29, 2018.
DiEugenio received this award for his exceptional achievements in delivering forward-leaning and strategically impactful technology capabilities and information technology management practices.
“Mr. DiEugenio understands how to shape the commanding general’s vision and strategy in a way that most do not, because he understands how technology and information can make or break success,” said Capt. Michael Castaneda, the MCRC G-6 operations officer.
After earning a degree in engineering from the United States Naval Academy, DiEugenio started his career as a Marine artillery officer. When fire control systems switched from analog to digital in the early 1990s, DiEugenio said he knew that to maintain proficiency and to be successful in his occupation, he needed to learn about both systems and the underlying networks upon which they ran.
“My interests were born out of a desire to excel in my primary mission and to take good care of my Marines,” DiEugenio reflected.
This is why he says he was fortunate in his eventual selection to the Naval Postgraduate School, where he earned a master’s in information technology management.
As he was learning new skills along his career, DiEugenio said that the trait that most advanced his success was the leadership he learned in the Marine Corps.
“The ones and zeros are interesting, but people are everything,” he said. “The Marine Corps offered endless opportunities to grow as a leader, learn about myself and the areas where I needed improvement, as well as learning about people and what motivates them.”
After 24 years of active service, DiEugenio retired as a decorated lieutenant colonel.
His emphasis on mission accomplishment and unit cohesion stuck with him as he led the Cyber Solutions Group for Imperatis Corporation, a struggling business unit for a mid-sized defense contractor, building a team that tripled services revenue and incorporated higher-margin product offerings.
“We focused on fundamentals and caring about both our customers and our employees as people,” DiEugenio said. “Our chief executive officer, retired Marine Maj. Gen. Mastin Robeson, established a mantra of, ‘who we are is more important than what we do,’ and his message of, 'integrity and character first' permeated the company. I was fortunate to build upon this sentiment in my business group and reinforce the message with both our employees and customers. Personalizing the leadership approach to the program teams in my portfolio, I spent time with them, supported them, and tried to create an environment in which they could flourish.”
After his time at Imperatis, DiEugenio joined the Marine Corps Recruiting Command, where he has spent the past two years. At MCRC, he keeps the computer network available, reliable and assured, while advocating and competing for resources and policies that help recruiters attain mission. He does all that while overseeing a team that is spread across the nation.
DiEugenio brings his experience from three previous recruiting tours and his final tour at the Marine Corps Network Operations and Security Center, where he led worldwide cyber operations and defense for the Marine Corps, to his team at MCRC.
Over the course of one year, DiEugenio supervised the recruiting command’s enterprise network authority to operate, implemented commercial internet service provider contracts and circuit transition, refreshed 6,000 laptops nationwide, complied with a Windows 10 migration mandate, replaced 1,500 security appliances at recruiting facilities and assisted in efforts to stabilize the Marine Corps Recruiting Information Support System while simultaneously supporting the development of its next generation.
“I have been around the Marine IT community for over 30 years, and I can honestly say without any hesitation that he is a cut above the rest, standing easily in the top one percent of IT leaders in the Marine Corps,” said Thurman Dubberly, the MCRC deputy G-6. “There is no individual who I know, in the private or public sector, who is more deserving of this award.”
For his leadership and the collective efforts of his team, which includes MCRC G-6 headquarters; the recruiting regions and recruiting district communication and information technology sections; recruiting station and Marine Corps Recruiters School computer specialists; DiEugenio was nominated and selected to receive the DoD CIO Annual Award against approximately 100 experienced CIOs.
“While my name happens to be on the award, it’s really a reflection of the individual and collective efforts of the team,” DiEugenio said. “We have folks spread across the nation who are pulling on the same oar and helping us move in a positive direction. Any credit for our success belongs to them.”