DVIDS – News – LRC Italy S-1 who built a career on service before self, proud to be a part of Army’s 250th

VICENZA, Italy – She started working for the Army as a file room clerk on the night shift as a temporary hire at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, in 2001. Nearly 24 years later, the workforce management specialist (S-1) at Logistics Readiness Center Italy said starting at the bottom and working her way up – with multiple deployments and opportunities for growth in between – has instilled a great sense of Army pride within her.

“I take a lot of pride in what I do,” said Jen Jefferson-Dupre, who began working at LRC Italy on Caserme Ederle in Vicenza last fall. “I have a passion for what I do, I really love what I do, and I love working for the U.S. Army.”

With 19 years as a government civilian employee and four years as a contractor – to include volunteer stints in Afghanistan and Iraq and her most recent assignment with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi Valley Region – Jefferson-Dupre has built a career on service before self.

“When deployment opportunities came up, I jumped at those opportunities and volunteered my knowledge, experience and passion in support of our U.S. troops at war,” said Jefferson-Dupre, who deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan, 2009-2011; Bagram, Afghanistan, 2015-2017; and Baghdad, Iraq, 2018-2020.

Taking those deployments and experiences with her to LRC Italy has proved extremely beneficial to the LRC workforce and management she supports. Acting as a liaison between the employees and the managers, as well as the managers and the Civilian Personnel Advisory Center, Jefferson-Dupre is able to provide the proper workforce management support needed to set her team up for continued success.

Jefferson-Dupre’s daily focus at work varies. She handles everything from new hire onboarding and orientation to tracking hiring actions, referral lists and job announcements. She also processes awards and appraisals, and she handles all of LRC Italy’s human resources actions while meeting all of her fellow employees’ administrative needs.

“I love talking about what I do and what I’ve done,” said the mother of four adult sons and grandmother of three granddaughters and four grandsons. “When I worked for the Corps of Engineers, I’d go to student career fairs and tell them my back story and how I got started. The Army has given me so much, and I’m proud to be an Army civilian employee on this special year – the Army’s 250th birthday. Happy 250th birthday, U.S. Army!”

LRC Italy is one of eight LRCs under the command and control of the 405th Army Field Support Brigade. LRCs execute installation logistics support and services to include supply, maintenance, transportation, and food service management as well as clothing issue facility operations, hazardous material management, personal property and household goods, passenger travel, property book operations, and non-tactical vehicle and garrison equipment management. When it comes to providing day-to-day installation services, LRC Italy directs, manages, and coordinates a variety of operations and activities in support of U.S. Army Garrison Italy.

The 405th AFSB is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The brigade provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. forces throughout Europe and Africa – providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging U.S. Army Materiel Command’s materiel enterprise to support joint forces. For more information on the 405th AFSB, visit the official website at www.afsbeurope.army.mil and the official Facebook site at www.facebook.com/405thAFSB.

The Army will celebrate its 250th birthday on June 14. For 250 years, the Army has offered endless possibilities and opportunities for service to our nation with over 200 career choices for Soldiers and more than 500 career paths for civilians. To learn more about the Army’s 250th birthday, visit www.army.mil/1775 and check out the DVIDS’s special Army birthday feature portal at www.dvidshub.net/feature/ARMY250.