Courtesy Photo | Carol Matthews is the acquisition management specialist for Logistics Readiness Center...... read more read more
POZNAN, Poland – When Carol Matthews started working for the Army, she was a contract specialist intern at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, with U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command. That was 2003.
Matthews spent her entire career with AMCOM and Program Executive Office Aviation – over 20 years – right up until she volunteered for the Army Expeditionary Civilian Workforce program and came to Europe. After a few months working as an AECW deployer with the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, Matthews accepted a full-time position as an acquisition management specialist with Logistics Readiness Center Poland in Poznan, where she’s been ever since.
At LRC Poland, Matthews develops contract requirements packages and manages contracts valued at nearly $5 million. The two main contracts Matthews oversees are the Logistics Support Services contract and the non-tactical vehicles contract.
The LSS contract includes property book clerks, food service advisors, Polish Provided Logistics Support quality assurance specialists and Personal Property Processing Office transportation counselors. This 5-year contract is valued at about $4.5 million, and Matthews is the contracting officer representative responsible for quality surveillance, ensuring performance is in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract.
“I’m the point of contact for all contracting requirements for LRC Poland. We are a multifunctional logistics support organization, so I work with all the directorate chiefs from transportation, supply and services, plans and operations, and maintenance. Together, we work to ensure the requirements are documented, and the contracts are awarded in a timely manner,” said Matthews.
In addition to all this, Matthews is known for stepping outside of her normal daily duties as an acquisition management specialist and volunteering within LRC Poland’s other disciplines to assist where needed.
“I take pride in learning the different functional areas within the LRC, to include budget, transportation, supply and services, and quality assurance. I’m assisting in these areas where, due to a lack of personnel, it’s been challenging for the team,” Matthews said.
Matthews said she’s approaching retirement age soon. As she prepares to transition to the next chapter of her life, she said this year – being the Army’s 250th birthday – is both emotional and exciting for her.
“As I approach the end of my career with the U.S. Army, it’s bittersweet. I’m proud of my service and proud of being a part of the Army team. Happy 250th birthday, U.S. Army!” she said.
LRC Poland is one of eight LRCs under the command and control of the 405th Army Field Support Brigade. LRCs execute installation logistics support and services to include supply, maintenance, transportation, and food service management as well as clothing issue facility operations, hazardous material management, personal property and household goods, passenger travel, property book operations, and non-tactical vehicle and garrison equipment management. When it comes to providing day-to-day installation services, LRC Poland directs, manages, and coordinates a variety of operations and activities in support of U.S. Army Garrison Poland.
The 405th AFSB is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The brigade provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. forces throughout Europe and Africa – providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging U.S. Army Materiel Command’s materiel enterprise to support joint forces. For more information on the 405th AFSB, visit the official website at www.afsbeurope.army.mil and the official Facebook site at www.facebook.com/405thAFSB.
The Army will celebrate its 250th birthday on June 14. For 250 years, the Army has offered endless possibilities and opportunities for service to our nation with over 200 career choices for Soldiers and more than 500 career paths for civilians. To learn more about the Army’s 250th birthday, visit www.army.mil/1775 and check out the DVIDS’s special Army birthday feature portal at www.dvidshub.net/feature/ARMY250.
| Date Taken: | 04.21.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.21.2025 05:51 |
| Story ID: | 495737 |
| Location: | POZNAN, PL |
| Hometown: | HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 42 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Former AMCOM intern, now LRC Poland contracting expert: ‘Happy 250th birthday, Army!’, by Cameron Porter, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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