Leadership

Test Center Commander

Colonel Shawanta Smart

Colonel Shawanta Smart Commander of White Sands Test Center where she will be responsible for the Department of the Defense's largest land-based test range facility. The White Sands Test Center provides test, analysis, evaluation, and research support services for the nation's most critical defense programs.

Colonel Smart is a native of Columbus Georgia and enlisted into the United States Army Reserves assigned as a Combat Medic (91B) in 1993. She commissioned as a Signal Corps Officer, graduate of Albany State University with a Bachelors of Art degree in Accounting. Colonel Smart has a MBA in Business Management with a concentration in Advance Management from Brenau University, a Master of Science in Acquisition and Contract Management from the Florida Institute of Technology and Masters of International Studies from the U.S. Air Force Senior Service College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, AL.

Colonel Smart's military schools include: Signal Officer Basic Course, Network Nodal Management Course, Signal Officer Advanced Course, Army Acquisition Basic Course, Intermediate Level Education (ILE), FA51 Intermediate Qualification Course (IQC) and the Air War College. She is DAWIA level III Certified in Program Management and Contracting.

Colonel Smart's Acquisition Corps Assignments includes APM Improved Target Acquisition System (ITAS), APM Sentinel Radar and APM Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS) in support of major Combat Weapon Systems in PEO Missile and Space Command. In 2009, transitioned to Contracting becoming an Administrative Contracting Officer for Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) with a deployment to Kandahar, Afghanistan. Also as a Contracting Officer in Human Resources Services for Mission Installation Contracting Command and deployed as the Chief of Regional Contracting Center-Qatar, Expeditionary Contracting Command (ECC) and Deputy Project Director for the Joint Armament Contracting Center at Army Contracting Command-New Jersey. Colonel Smart most recently served as the Product Manager of Distributed Common Grounds Systems-Army at Aberdeen Proving Grounds.

Colonel Smart held various signal, logistics, command and staff assignments include Commander of Echo Company 447th Signal Battalion, Brigade Assistant S4, Battalion S4, Company Executive Officer at Fort Gordon, Ga and Platoon Leader, 307th Signal Battalion, Camp Carroll, Korea.

Colonel Smart military awards and decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Army Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Service Medal, Army Signal Corps Bronze Order of Mercury, Expeditionary Contingency Contracting Medallion # 120 and Army Military Intelligence Corps Knowlton Award.