Office Of The Under Secretary of Defense For Personnel & Readiness

Office of the Under Secretary of War for Personnel & Readiness
Manpower & Reserve Affairs

Personnel & Readiness

MISSION

We are on a mission to ensure a strong, adaptable, and ready force supported through exceptional policy, programs, and services.

Civilian Personnel Policy (CPP)

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Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Civilian Personnel Policy

Mr. Michael A Cogar

Deputy Assistant Secretary of War

Mr. Michael A. Cogar is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Civilian Personnel Policy, a role he assumed on May 19, 2025. In this capacity, he oversees the development and implementation of civilian workforce plans, policies, and programs impacting over 900,000 Department of War employees worldwide. His responsibilities span the Human Capital Lifecycle—civilian compensation and benefits, labor employee relations, senior executive development, Equal Employment Opportunity and Civilian Anti-Harassment, talent acquisition, development, sustainment, performance management, strategic workforce planning, and civilian leader development—optimizing civilian capabilities to enhance operational lethality. Mr. Cogar’s skillset lends itself to the development of merit-based workforce strategies to align civilian talent with mission-critical needs and streamline Human Resources policy and procedures to increase readiness, ensuring a lean, high-performing workforce to support the Warfighter.

Prior to this appointment, Mr. Cogar served as the Strategic Communications Lead and Change Management Deputy at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he played an essential role in the U.S. Army’s Integrated Personnel and Pay System – Army (IPPS-A) deployment, a transformative human capital modernization effort for 1.1 million soldiers. He crafted and executed comprehensive communication and change management strategies to facilitate the transition to a digital human resource system, leading a cross-functional team to align workforce policies, enhance stakeholder engagement, and drive adoption across the Total Force.

As Acting Deputy Director of Communications at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), he managed communications for 2.4 million federal civil servants, shaped workforce policy messaging, and led crisis management strategies during the national “Opening up America Again” initiative. A U.S. Army veteran, Mr. Cogar served as a Non-Commissioned Officer with two tours in Iraq, earning a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star Medal with “V” device for his leadership and service.

Mr. Cogar holds a B.S. in Political Science from Old Dominion University. He is a certified Change Management Advanced Practitioner (CMAP) through Georgetown University and a Project Management Professional (PMP) through the Project Management Institute.

Principal Director for Civilian Personnel Policy

Dr. Stephanie L. Colón

Principal Director for Civilian Personnel Policy

Dr. Colón is the Principal Director for Civilian Personnel Policy and Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer for the Department of War. Her responsibilities include the development and oversight of civilian workforce plans, policies, programs, and strategic human capital initiatives affecting approximately 900,000 civilian employees across the Department of War worldwide. Her portfolio spans the full spectrum of the Human Capital Lifecycle, including talent acquisition, workforce development and sustainment, employee and labor relations, compensation, performance management, strategic workforce and succession planning, leader development, and workforce modernization. As the Department's senior career official for civilian personnel policy, she leads enterprise-wide human capital strategy and workforce transformation efforts that strengthen readiness, accountability, and organizational effectiveness.

Prior to this appointment, Dr. Colón served in senior leadership roles within U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM), including Deputy Chief of Staff and Deputy G-1/4/6. In these positions, she provided strategic leadership across medical operations, human capital, logistics, information technology, and graduate medical education. She also served concurrently as the Deputy Civilian Corps Chief and Medical Career Field Functional Advisor, leading enterprise-wide talent management and workforce modernization initiatives for Army Medicine's civilian workforce. Dr. Colón played a central role in the largest Military Health System transformation since 1973, helping shape the future structure of Army Medicine while leading workforce transition efforts affecting more than 30,000 civilian employees during a major congressionally mandated organizational realignment. Her team safeguarded employee rights throughout the transition, preserved mission capability, and avoided millions of dollars in unnecessary severance costs through strategic workforce planning and statutory compliance. She established critical partnerships on organizational modernization efforts that strengthened accountability, fiscal stewardship, and workforce performance across the command.

Earlier in her federal career, Dr. Colón held key human capital and human resources positions within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) and the Civilian Human Resources Agency. In these assignments, she advanced strategic workforce planning, talent management, organizational effectiveness, and human capital operations supporting Army-wide priorities and mission readiness. In addition to her executive service, Dr. Colón serves as a professor of doctoral-level public administration courses, specializing in human capital management, organizational leadership, public-sector governance and the legal and regulatory frameworks that shape public-sector organizations. Through this work, she contributes to the development of future public-sector leaders and advances scholarship in public administration and strategic human capital management.

Prior to entering civilian federal service, Dr. Colón served in the United States Air Force as a military personnelist with the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base and worked in the private sector in human resources for a global logistics company.

Dr. Colón holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration and an Executive Certificate in Public Administration from Liberty University, a Master of Professional Studies in Human Resources Management, Strategic Human Capital Management from Georgetown University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Saint Leo University. Her awards include the Secretary of the Army John W. Macy Award, multiple Superior and Meritorious Civilian Service Medals, the Civilian Service Commendation Medal, and numerous military and civilian awards recognizing distinguished leadership and public service.