New Commander Leads U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division
Scott Nielsen
USACE Public Affairs
SAN FRANCISCO – Col. William J. Leady, PE, became the 52nd Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division at a change of command ceremony in Sausalito Jan. 7, 2011.
He assumed command from Brig. Gen. Rock Donahue who has served as Division Commander since July 2009.
Brig. Gen. Donahue will deploy to Iraq and serve as Commander of the Joint Engineering Directorate (J7) in support of Operation New Dawn and the responsible drawdown of forces.
“I love the Army for many reasons, one of them is that it gets things done,” said Col. Leady.
“For the last six months I’ve seen the South Pacific Division from the seat of the district, and what I’ve seen is a team of dedicated professionals working hard to help the districts deliver.”
Prior to commanding the South Pacific Division, Col. Leady has commanded the Sacramento District for the last six months. He also commanded the Detroit District from 2006 to 2008.
He will serve as the Division Commander until the Chief of Engineers assigns a permanent replacement. As part of this command transition, Sacramento District’s Deputy Commander, Lt. Col. Andy Kiger, assumed District Command earlier this week until Col. Leady returns.
“My tenure in command will probably be short, and that’s OK,” Col. Leady said. “It’s just another example of how the Army is flexible enough to accomplish any mission.”
With more than 23 years of experience in the Army, including tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, Col. Leady comes to the division with a broad leadership perspective.