There is no finer example of stellar government executive leadership and innovation than that of Mr. Arthur "Art" R. Woods.  He was a pillar and the elder statesman of the command, having been one of the founding fathers of this testing organization.  He is a legend at the United States Army Operational Test Command, and his mere presence commanded respect from his subordinates, peers, and supervisors.

From TRADOC Combined Army Test Activity (TCATA) to TRADOC Test and Experimentation Command (TEXCOM) to Operational Test Command (OTC), Mr. Woods' enduring presence over 37 years provided a rare and extremely valuable continuity for the command.  He developed a venerable reputation and was the recognized font of institutional knowledge, regularly consulted by personnel at all levels of the United States Army.

Mr. Woods began his civil service career in 1968 as an operations analyst, Office of the Assistant Vice Chief of Staff, Headquarters, Department of the Army, at the GS-14 grade level, after working for several years in the private sector as a project director and operations analyst.  He was asked by the VCSA to relocate to Fort Cavazos, Texas, in 1970 to assist with the further development of the newly-established Project MASSTER.

In 1972, Mr. Woods was assigned as the Operations Research Systems Analyst for a Department of Defense study of reserve components, producing corroborating reports that remain the Army's standard for reserve unit evaluations.  In 1982, he implemented a major reorganization within TCATA and throughout TRADOC, centralizing direction and control of testing by establishing a single manager for test and evaluation.  In 1989, he implemented another major reorganization of the command, resulting in the closure of four test boards and creating TEXCOM as the major subordinate command responsible for the operation and control of five test and experimentation activities.  Mr. Woods culminated his exemplary career as OTC’s director of resource management.

His knowledge and technical foresight enabled the command to maintain its integrity while effectively downsizing during another major realignment in 1997, ensuring that personnel reductions were absorbed through attrition or relocations, minimally impacting the workforce.  Throughout nearly four decades of service, Mr. Woods ensured that manpower and funding resources required for countless high-visibility operational tests were always available.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 10, 1933, Mr. Woods graduated from high school in 1951 in Maryland and enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving honorably from 1953 to 1955.  After his discharge, he attended college and graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in economics and statistics.  He then taught mathematics at the Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland, until 1960.