Selected Experience

A major technology transition required an established organization to redesign its structure, develop new workforce capabilities, and adopt different ways of operating. Experienced employees faced changing responsibilities and unfamiliar technical requirements.

The transition required aligning people, reporting relationships, and workforce preparation with a fundamentally different operating model. Organizational redesign and employee development had to progress together so that the new structure could function effectively in practice.

The work began with assessing how an established operating model would translate to the organization’s responsibilities and workforce. Benchmarking discussions with comparable organizations informed decisions about staffing levels and where additional capacity was needed.

Several specialized functions were consolidated into broader teams, while a new function was established to perform work the organization had not previously required. A coordinated training plan addressed retraining requirements across the entire workforce.

Leadership responsibilities were also realigned. Consolidating senior operational accountability under one leader clarified the chain of responsibility. Another senior leadership position was redirected toward workforce retention, recognition, and strategic planning.

The changes aligned staffing and workforce preparation with both daily operations and future requirements. They established a new technical capability and provided clearer operational accountability, alongside dedicated senior leadership attention to workforce priorities.

Over approximately two years, the organization progressed from preparing for unfamiliar work to performing its new operational responsibilities. Retention and staffing levels also improved during this period.

The organization needed to prepare employees for conditions demanding greater independence, adaptability, and coordination across functions. Technical expertise alone did not fully prepare teams to make decisions with incomplete information or maintain execution when normal resources and support were disrupted.

A gap existed between the capabilities future operations required and the way employees were being prepared to perform.

The effort connected workforce preparation with operational execution across multiple programs. Practical exercises gave participants opportunities to make decisions under uncertainty and coordinate action across functions.

In one exercise, 33 participants organized into two teams practiced maintaining operations with limited resources and disrupted communications. The scenarios required teams to adapt to changes in personnel availability and make decisions without routine access to centralized support. Structured debriefing identified specific gaps in qualifications, equipment access, and coordination to address in subsequent preparation.

This exercise was one example within a broader effort encompassing hundreds of planned training events and leadership development activities. Lessons from individual events informed subsequent training, creating a continuing cycle of practice, assessment, and improvement.

The organization established an ongoing development model that integrated practical exercises into operational preparation. Repeated application and structured debriefing helped identify capability gaps and informed subsequent training.

The experience demonstrates the ability to carry a capability-development solution beyond initial design into repeated use and continued refinement.

Addressing systemic housing concerns required connecting the experiences of affected families with reliable evidence and decision-makers positioned to act. Existing oversight had identified problems, but a more comprehensive understanding of residents’ experiences was needed to inform reform priorities.

The work required translating those concerns into actionable recommendations and building agreement among organizations with different expertise and responsibilities.

Working through Change the Air Foundation, the effort included conceiving and helping develop a national military housing survey and coordinating outreach to affected families. The survey gathered 3,401 responses across 57 installations in 30 states and Washington, D.C. Untold Research independently analyzed the findings and authored the report, Unsafe and Unheard.

The findings were translated into policy recommendations and congressional and senior Defense Department briefings. Stakeholder engagement helped align a coalition of more than 19 organizations, including family advocates, military and veterans service organizations, and industry experts.

Shared priorities connected family health with readiness and housing accountability. Coordinated advocacy brought research and technical expertise to bipartisan congressional offices, supporting proposals for recognized remediation standards and stronger oversight.

The advocacy helped advance the mold-remediation provision enacted as Section 2830 of the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act, signed into law on December 18, 2025.

The provision requires the development and implementation of uniform mold-remediation guidelines for military housing, facilities, and other covered Defense Department property. Those guidelines must be consistent with applicable state and municipal standards and recognized industry standards, including IICRC S520. It also requires reporting to Congress on the guidelines and plans for implementation and compliance monitoring.

This enacted provision established a foundation for the broader MOLD Act effort, with continued advocacy building on that progress to advance more comprehensive military housing protections.