Rising Star Harold Schliesske
Schliesske stepped into a variety of roles to support the deployment and management of biometric systems in Iraq and other tactical environments. He updated systems at 10 installations in Iraq, and the reduced demand for staff and equipment is expected to save $700,000 a year.
Age: 29
Organization: Project Manager DOD Biometrics
Title: Assistant product manager/acting deputy product manager
Nominated for: Stepping into a variety of roles to support the deployment and management of biometric systems in Iraq and other tactical environments. Updated systems at 10 installations in Iraq, and the reduced demand for staff and equipment is expected to save $700,000 a year.
First IT mentor: Dr. Ed Fujimoto served as my mentor throughout the Army Knowledge Leaders internship program that brought me into the government. He is an exceptional example of being able to bring about change in the often slow and bureaucratic world of government.
Latest accomplishment: Establishing the first biometric continuity-of-operations site for PM DOD Biometrics. This was a long and multifaceted project that I led from its infancy into implementation.
Career highlight: Traveling with senior leadership to Korea, Japan and Okinawa. It was a great opportunity to see just how vast our Army is and provided a great opportunity to see how we operate in different parts of the globe.
Favorite bookmark: www.kottke.org. OK, so it might not be exactly job related, but I find it extremely creative and informative, which certainly has positive implications for my work.
Dream non-IT-related job: Consumer Reports product tester. Even better: Consumer Reports automobile tester!
Read a full profile of Harold Schliesske Jr. on FCW.
The annual Rising Star awards are presented by the 1105 Government Information Group, publisher of Federal Computer Week, GCN and Washington Technology, to public and private sector employees in the federal IT community who have gone above and beyond their job descriptions to make a lasting impact in their organization. See all the 2009 Rising Star award winners.
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