Tanya Skeen
Executive Director, Army Rapid Capabilities Office, U.S. Army
Tanya M. Skeen
Executive Director, Army Rapid Capabilities Office
Ms. Tanya M. Skeen, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Executive Director, Army Rapid Capabilities Office, effective April 15, 2018. In this position, she is responsible for expediting the fielding of critical combat capabilities to the warfighter and enhancing materiel responses to meet Combatant Commanders’ needs. Ms. Skeen leads the Army Rapid Capabilities Office mission to rapidly develop, acquire, integrate and equip selected capabilities; implement streamlined acquisition methods, processes and techniques; and act as an agent of change by challenging traditional approaches.
Ms. Skeen previously served as the Deputy Director of Test and Evaluation, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. In that role, she was responsible for policy, resources and oversight of developmental and operational testing, and was a focal point for foreign materiel acquisition and exploitation. She assisted the Director in overseeing a $4 billion Air Force test infrastructure and the programming and execution of the Air Force test portfolio, with an annual budget of $1.9 billion.
From 2004 through 2014, Ms. Skeen held multiple technical and program management positions at the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, where she served as the Program Executive Officer Chief Engineer. Her responsibilities included technical oversight and approval of a multi-billion dollar portfolio and serving as the Program Director for programs including the Unmanned Aerospace System Command and Control Open Architecture Standard Initiative and the Air Force Common Mission Control Center for multiple domain weapons system command and control.
Ms. Skeen, a native of Kent, Ohio, was commissioned in the U.S. Navy in 1990 following graduation with highest distinction from Purdue University in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. In the Navy, she served as a Technical Instructor and Assistant Director at the Nuclear Power Training Command and also received her Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Central Florida in 1994. After leaving the Navy, she held several private sector positions in engineering and flight testing air, space and ground weapons systems.
Ms. Skeen is Level III certified in Program Management; System Planning, Research, Development and Engineering; and Test and Evaluation. She is the recipient of the Joint Civilian Service Achievement Award, the Exemplary Civilian Service Award, the Purdue University Outstanding Aerospace Engineering Award, the Department of Defense Value Engineering Award, the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Annual Award for Acquisition Process Improvement, and the Navy Achievement Medal.