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https://www.pmf.gov/success-stories/cameron-keys-2014-pmf/

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An Official Web Site of the United States Government

Success Stories

Cameron Keys: 2014 PMF

I applied for the PMF program (Class of 2014) with a Master's in Science and Technology Policy and was selected for a Department of Defense position. My boss was a former PMF in the Senior Executive Service who worked closely with me to obtain a mentor and find a rotation aligned with my long-term interest in Research & Development (R&D) policy. Upon graduation, I was hired in the Investments Directorate of the Army Budget Office building science and technology budgets. I was given extraordinary opportunities for further education: Operations Research training, Lean Six Sigma training, and a spot in the Defense Comptrollership Program (DCP) at Syracuse University, where I earned a Master's in Business Administration and an Executive Master's in Public Administration in July 2020.

My follow-on assignment after DCP graduation was with the Army Research Laboratory (ARL). While working at ARL, I answered a call to deploy to Afghanistan through the Army Expeditionary Civilian Workforce. Prior to deployment, the U.S. Government announced an intention to withdraw personnel; as a result, I deployed to Qatar rather than Afghanistan. In June 2021 I arrived at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar to function as the Deputy Comptroller of the Defense Security Cooperation Management Office - Afghanistan (DSCMO-A).

On August 15, 2021 the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan collapsed in spectacular fashion. Over the following weeks I was among thousands of personnel in Qatar assisting Afghan evacuees who fled the uncertainty of Taliban rule. Since that date I have been working closely in cross-functional teams with lawyers, contracting specialists, comptrollers at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and a variety of others to help manage some financial aspects of the aftermath of 20 years of war in Afghanistan.