FB director reflects on career, legacy

FORT LEE, Va. – Dr. Cherry Wilcoxon, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is looking forward to retirement after 35 years of federal service. She celebrated her retirement ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia, July 17. Sonya Ebright, the Defense Contract Management Agency’s deputy director, presided over the ceremony.

Throughout Wilcoxon’s career, she embraced the motto: “Failure is not an option and excuses are unacceptable."

Although she celebrated her ceremony in July, Wilcoxon will start terminal leave in October after guiding her staff through fiscal year 2026 closeout, which ends Sept. 30. As the executive director of the Financial and Business Operations Directorate and comptroller for DCMA, she directs the agency’s financial operations and manages an approximate $1.7 billion budget with a team of 170 professionals. Her official retirement date is Jan. 31, 2027.

During her tenure, Wilcoxon also served as the agency’s acting deputy director from July to December 2025. Originally from Brundidge, Alabama, she was appointed an SES in 2018.

Prior to her current role, she was the acting chief financial officer and senior advisor with the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. Her extensive career spans a variety of defense agencies, including the Defense Security Service, Defense Intelligence Agency and U.S. Strategic Command. She also served as a course instructor at the Air Force Institute of Technology Civil Engineer and Services School at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. She began her federal career with the Army as a GS-04 summer intern as a computer clerk at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, and later spent 20 years as an Air Force civilian.

Wilcoxon holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Texas at El Paso, a Master of Business Administration in finance from Jacksonville State University, and a Doctor of Public Administration from the University of Maryland at Baltimore. She previously served as an adjunct instructor at El Paso Community College and Jacksonville State University.

Wilcoxon has received several prestigious awards throughout her career, including the Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Service in 2021, which highlighted her leadership in defense financial management. Her other honors include the Defense Security Service Employee of the Year Senior Award in 2016 and the Joint Civilian Service Commendation Award in 2011.

As she winds down her federal career, Wilcoxon reflected on her leadership journey, her time at DCMA, and offered career advice to the agency’s global workforce.

Q1. What made you come to the DCMA, and how long have you been part of the team? A1. I came to DCMA because I felt the FB executive director and comptroller position represented a new challenge and an opportunity to excel. I have been with the agency for five years.

Q2. Why is DCMA vital, and what is the role of the FB team? A2. DCMA and FB are vital to the mission of the Department of War because what we do directly contributes to the readiness of our warfighters. It is our responsibility to ensure our warfighters are equipped with quality weapon systems and products that work so they can return home safely. Internally, the FB team is equally vital to the workforce. Our team ensures our people are taken care of by managing payroll, travel vouchers, and agency resources efficiently.

Q3. What are some of your highlights as the FB executive director? A3. My team and I increased and sustained the agency’s best overall execution rates in its 25-year history. We published the first DCMA Financial Management Strategy and our annual financial reports. We led the first DOW agency-wide Audit Stand Down Day and successfully executed the fiscal year 2026 resource mitigation strategy, avoiding a potential reduction in force. On a personal level, a major highlight has been mentoring my staff and encouraging them to pursue additional training and leadership roles to advance in their careers and personal aspirations.

Q4. What FB awards or milestones are you most proud? A4. I am incredibly proud of the FB team. Over the last several years, we have achieved numerous milestones, including:

Orchestrating the first-ever OUSD agency-wide Audit Stand Down Day
Publishing the first-ever DCMA Financial Management Strategic Plan and annual financial report
Achieving and sustaining the highest budget execution rates in the agency’s 25-year history
Leading the largest organizational restructure in agency history
Conducting the agency’s first top-down 1-N (highest to lowest priority) spend plan review
Deploying the first real-time financial and resource dashboard
Achieving the first unmodified audit opinion for contract pay as a service provider in the last five years

Q5. What advice do you have for the workforce operating within a combat support agency? A5. As a combat support agency, my greatest advice is to stay laser-focused on the mission. Continue to maintain excellence in everything you do. Every role matters and staying aligned with our core purpose ensures we remain a reliable partner to our external stakeholders and the warfighters who depend on us.

Q6. What were some of your highlights while serving as DCMA’s acting deputy director last year? A6. I navigated the Defense Comprehensive Review challenge by demonstrating the value proposition of the DCMA mission to senior DOW officials. This effort led the Office of the Under Secretary of War (Comptroller) to reverse a decision to reduce the agency’s headcount by 650 full-time positions, avoiding a reduction in force. This experience gave me a profound understanding of how real-world industry actions impact the defense industrial base — affecting product delivery, costs, schedules and the broader economy.

Q7. How did you evolve as a leader while serving in that acting role? A7. Serving as the acting deputy director for five months was an eye-opening, career-broadening experience. It deepened my knowledge of how DCMA enables the DOW to deliver lethality to the warfighter. Ultimately, I learned that this overarching success relies entirely on our people. DCMA employees provide vital services through the hard work they do every day on the factory floor and in the field with defense contractors and customers.

Q8. What leadership resources or advice would you share with current and future leaders? A8. I highly recommend The Flight of the Buffalo: Soaring to Excellence, Learning to Let Employees Lead by James Belasco and Ralph Stayer. I also encourage people to study Jackie Robinson's life. He exemplifies core leadership skills like emotional discipline, strategic vision and preparation. True leaders open doors to create equitable opportunities for those who come after them. Additionally, Colin Powell’s It Worked For Me: In Life and Leadership is excellent, and Dr. John Kotter’s 8-Step Process for Leading Change is a vital resource for anyone navigating organizational transformation.

Q9. What will you miss most about the agency? A9. I will absolutely miss the people. Over the past five years, I have developed deep personal friendships and professional relationships, many of whom I consider family. I consider the greatest reward of public service is the connections you build with others.

Q10. Are there individuals you would like to highlight who made a difference in your career? A10. There are simply too many to name individually, so I must thank them collectively. All that I am is because of the favors of my lord and savior, the sacrifices of my ancestors, family, and friends. I am indebted to the educators and mentors who opened doors of opportunity, the colleagues who challenged me, the teams who trusted me, and the leaders who believed in me. The woman I am today is because of them, and I will forever honor their investment in me.

Q11. What are your retirement plans? A11. For the last 13 years, I have been running on all cylinders — managing functional mission transfers, navigating government shutdowns, and developing strategies to avoid agency closures or resource shortfalls. My immediate plan is to rest. I want to be much more intentional in focusing on my faith, my family, my friends and my fitness.

Q12. What do you enjoy doing outside of the workplace? A12. I find peace in nature. I enjoy jogging, walking, and hiking. I also love baking and look forward to being the full-time “Uber driver” for my grandkids. In my spare time, I would like to take calligraphy and/or cake-decorating classes. I am also deeply passionate about teaching financial literacy, mentoring teenage mothers, and advocating for the homeless community by helping them transition into stable secure housing, employment, and basic life necessities.

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