Executive Director
Mr. Christopher Barrett
Before assuming responsibility as the AEC Executive Director, Mr. Barrett served as the Director for Materiel Systems Analysis in the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's (CCDC) Data and Analysis Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. He assumed that responsibility when the Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity (AMSAA) transitioned into the Army Futures Command and CCDC on 3 February 2019. Mr. Barrett led a team of more than 300 civilian and military analysts to complete operational performance and sustainment studies across the materiel Lifecycle to inform critical acquisition and operational decisions. He also managed the Army's authoritative systems' characteristic and performance data, and a portfolio of more than 70 models and simulations to complete item, system, one on one, and few on few studies.
Mr. Barrett has been a member of the Senior Executive Service since 2016. From 2016 to 2017, he served as the Social Security Administration (SSA) Associate Commissioner for Information Technology Financial Management and Support. He directed the Agency’s national IT Capital Planning and Investment Process, managed a $1.2 Billion annual budget, and coordinated investment plans and reports with the White House’s Office of Management and Budget and Congressional Committees. From 2017 to 2019, he served as the Technical Director of AMSAA, the U.S. Army Materiel Command’s premier analytic organization.
Before transitioning to the SSA, Mr. Barrett served 27 years with the Department of the Army. He is a Distinguished Military Graduate from Rutgers University, received a Regular Army commission, and served for 12 years including deployments to Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Safe Removal, Sustain Liberty, and Visible Presence. Upon resigning his commission in 2000, Mr. Barrett accepted a position with the Army Evaluation Center of the Army Test and Evaluation Command, where he served in several leadership positions.
Mr. Barrett’s educational achievements include a Master of Engineering degree in Systems Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in 2016, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Rutgers’s University. He is also a graduate of the Aberdeen Proving Ground Senior Leadership Cohort 6 and the Senior Executive Fellows, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
Mr. Barrett has been a member of the Army Acquisition Corps since 2002. He has Level III Certification in Test and Evaluation, Level I Certification in Engineering, and Level I Certification in Program Management from the Defense Acquisition University. He is also a trained Professional Coach.
Mr. Barrett’s significant awards include the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command Employee of the Year, multiple Commander's Award for Civilian Service, the Bronze Star Medal, and Meritorious Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster.
BACKGROUND
Education:
Stevens Institute of Technology Master of Engineering in Systems Engineering
Rutgers University Bachelor of Arts in Economics
