Brittany Bradford takes center stage in PACE spotlight

A Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services participant in the Pathways to Career Excellence program says the two-year training is sharpening strategic understanding while reinforcing the value of field experience—and she plans to bring those lessons back home for her second year.

The Anniston, Alabama-based employee began her DLA career in 2021 at DLA Distribution Anniston, working in the small arms building as a material examiner/identifier handling items from M9 pistols to M2 .50-caliber machine guns. She was promoted in 2023 to distribution process worker, supporting stowing, HAZMAT, picking and packing, and served as a super user for the Warehouse Management System rollout. In January 2024, she moved to DLA Disposition Services in Anniston as a work lead for the receiving team, supervising 10 employees and tackling daily tasks that included inducting documents, unloading trucks, researching frustrated property, and coordinating with other sites on quantity issues and tracking.

Explaining her decision to pursue PACE, she said, “I applied for the PACE program because it was a terrific opportunity and I knew it would give me big picture understanding of how DLA Disposition Services operates.”

She described the program’s value in linking headquarters strategy to front-line realities. “What I’ve appreciated most about the PACE program is the diversity that it brings. It has provided an invaluable, real-world ‘ground truth’ from the field that others may never experience. In turn, I get to see the ‘why’ behind the corporate strategies that impact the field.”

A standout moment came when the cohort visited Anniston. “Most memorable moment was during our CDD visit in Anniston. I was able to show my fellow PACERS what makes Anniston so unique. They were able to see firsthand that we’re three sites in one. Watching some of the people I helped train now training my fellow colleagues was a great feeling! My colleagues could see what I mean by ‘cradle to grave’ and I saw the great leadership that helped shape me also pour into them.”

She urged future participants to approach the program with grit and curiosity. “Be willing to do what others won’t do. Even in this program, everyone is still running their own race. Never stop learning. Even if you change the plan, don’t change the goal. Some days will be harder than others. Remember why you started.”

To further strengthen PACE, she suggested earlier integration of field practice and formal mentorship beyond the cohort. “Bridging the gap between classroom theory and field practice earlier. Structure panels with former PACE graduates. Pair incoming PACERS with a mentor who is an established DLA employee outside the PACE program. This sponsor can assist with local integration hurdles like finding housing, navigating the installation, and settling in.”

Asked what it takes to thrive, she emphasized mindset and communication. “Resilience, self-awareness, accountability, and clear communication. Ask ‘why,’ not just ‘how.’ Understanding the big picture makes you a strategic thinker, not just a task executor.”

The program has also expanded her comfort with briefing senior leaders and receiving feedback. “I’m very personable and always eager to learn, but briefing was something I didn’t do in the field. Briefing the senior leaders and them giving me feedback was something I’ll never forget and will take with me throughout my career.” She added, “Values cannot be taught through words alone; they are caught through observation.”

Looking ahead, she plans to spend her second PACE year back where her DLA career began. “I’ll be returning to Anniston, Alabama, and I’m looking forward to the on-the-job training. Being able to return to my home site and help guide and pour into others. Showing them that hard work pays off. I want them to understand that although I’m unable to promise it will be easy, I can promise it will be worth it.”

She said her long-term aims include assuming roles with greater responsibility, becoming a trusted subject matter expert, and mentoring others across the agency.

PACE for DLA Disposition Services is a two-year pipeline that exposes participants to the organization’s full range of business processes and directorates. Year one is based at major subordinate command headquarters in Michigan; year two places contracting trainees in Battle Creek or property disposal personnel at field sites. Participants enter as GS-7 employees, advance to GS-9 after the first year, and complete the program at GS-11. Candidates can be selected internally through DLA, as recent graduates, or from active-duty military service.