The New FM Leader’s Playbook: Agility, Trust, and Mission Focus
10:15 AM - 11:15 AMTue
Ballroom 4
Speakers
Michael Mehrman
Senior FM Advisor
Management Concepts
Col. Michael Mai
Acting Division Chief, Army Working Capital Fund, Army Materiel Command
Donald Michael 'Mike' Cook
Deputy Chief of Staff for Resource Management, G8
U.S. Army Materiel Command
Tom Steffens
Senior Financial Advisor
Management Concepts
Documents
DFMI Huntsville Slides
Defense Financial Management leaders are being asked to do more than ever—modernize systems, sustain audit progress, manage constrained resources, and lead a workforce facing unprecedented change and fatigue. For the next generation of FM leaders, resilience is no longer optional; it is a mission requirement. This moderated panel brings together senior DoW Financial Management leaders and practitioners to explore how innovation—across technology, processes, and leadership approaches—can be intentionally leveraged to build organizational resilience and drive measurable efficiency. Drawing on real-world experience, panelists will discuss how leaders can maintain workforce engagement, build trust, and sustain performance amid continuous disruption. The session emphasizes practical leadership tools over theory, highlighting how innovation enables smarter workload management, better decision-making, and mission focus under pressure. Attendees will leave with actionable insights on how resilient leadership behaviors and innovative practices reinforce one another across the Defense Financial Management community.