Civil engineer selected for increased leadership opportunities

Posted August 19, 2010
By David Kidd
Norfolk District Public Affairs

08/19/2010 - NORFOLK — Mike Anderson, a civil engineer and chief, design section in the operations branch of the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is a quiet, unassuming professional, who doesn't like to toot his own horn. He's a man who cares deeply about his family, friends and fellow colleagues; a man who works tirelessly to ensure the district's continued success.

"Tenacity, Mike is very tenacious, he wants to stick with a given task until it gets done," said Steven Powell, civil engineer and fellow colleague. "As a very positive and professional district leader, he is a perfect example of the Army's value of selfless service."

Brig. Gen. Peter A. DeLuca, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, North Atlantic Division commander, recently identified Anderson as Norfolk District's participant in the division's Executive Leadership Development Program, or ELDP.

ELDP provides civilian employees an opportunity to experience a regional perspective on leadership and participate in senior-level Corps activities within the division's geographical area of responsibility: Norfolk, Europe, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New England and New York districts.

Anderson was selected from among five highly qualified Norfolk District leaders. The program consists of week-long training at the University of Maryland's National Leadership Institute, a four-day USACE Capitol Hill workshop "shadowing" several senior executives, attending executive level meetings, managing a team project involving fellow associates, and a four-month leadership development assignment.

"I'm very excited and believe the ELDP will provide me with an excellent opportunity to build on my leadership skills," said Anderson. "I've received nothing but positive encouragement from my family, fellow colleagues and leadership here. It's very gratifying."

Anderson attributes his strong work ethic to his parents, stepdad and former U.S. Marine, Howard Perry, and mother, Sarah Hall, a district retiree.

As a 14-year-old, Anderson lived with his parents on a U.S. Marine base on Okinawa, Japan, along with his two sisters, Cindy and Deanna. There he remembered playing with the other American children in competitive baseball games against other Japanese youth. It was there where he had his first job painting fire hydrants, curbs and gutters and where he learned how to scuba dive and sail.

Born in Alexandria, Va., Anderson spent most of his childhood in Virginia Beach, Va. Receiving a hand-me-down 1975 AMC Gremlin from his oldest sister, Anderson traveled to and from work at the local "Soup and Such" restaurant. The husband of the restaurant owner was an entertainment lawyer and would often bring his high-profile clients in for lunch, and that is where he met America's famed heavyweight boxing champion, Muhammad Ali.

The 1985 graduate of Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach went on to join the U.S. Army. Fresh out of airborne school, he married his high school sweetheart Amy Harris. He was subsequently stationed in Alaska, where he and Amy began their family, daughter, Melissa, 21, and son, Chris, 19. In 1992, Anderson returned to school, graduating from Old Dominion University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering.

College life for Anderson was balancing his school work and focusing on his family and work.

"It was very difficult to feed and raise a family while going to school," recalled Anderson. "I can't put enough emphasis on how important college is, but you have to be motivated and remain focused and seek out opportunities."

After graduation, he applied for and enrolled into the Civilian Career Intern Program sponsored by the U.S. Army and was assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District. The intern program allowed Anderson to rotate throughout different civil engineering offices, learning the organization's structure and gaining increased experience in civil engineering. In 2002, the Anderson family returned to Hampton Roads, when he transferred to the Norfolk District.

"Things haven't always been easy, but my family has always taken priority," said Anderson. "I appreciate my wife and children's patience; they have always been very supportive of my professional career."

Always self-evaluating, Anderson constantly asks himself, "What can I do better today, and how can I have a positive effect on someone else's life?"