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2007 Person of the Year
By
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| Corridor Inc. Staff Writer
Originally published January 2008  Photo by John Keith.
But when he learned there were only 12 job openings in the country at the time, he decided to rethink his options. Instead, he signed up for the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) fully expecting to someday teach at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He never made it there.
Today, after 26 years in the service, McCreedy is making his own history.
The 52-year-old San Diego native never thought he would land the job of installation commander at Fort George G. Meade. The position has turned into his most satisfying military experience.
“The ultimate sign that you're doing well in your chosen profession is to get command,” said McCreedy, who took the helm at Fort Meade in June 2005. “Being selected for command at Fort Meade meant you went through the rigorous selection process of high quality people and it's a supreme compliment to be selected. I felt a lot of satisfaction at making a very tough cut.”
 Col. Kenneth McCreedy discusses the expansion of Fort Meade with Gov. Martin O'Malley, who toured the installation for the first time in June. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army.
His quiet leadership style is engaging and when he speaks his words, chosen carefully and spoken articulately, make others stop and listen.
Behind the camouflage he proudly wears everyday, McCreedy has helped strengthen the region, working with business leaders, elected officials and citizens across the Baltimore-Washington Corridor.
While some people are made to be leaders, McCreedy believes it's just in his nature to step forward, he said.
“I've always felt I'm the guy that raises his hand and doesn't stay quiet,” he said. “I would describe myself as a leader who sees leadership not as a personal thing but an impulse to service so you can help people and influence a course of events in a positive way.”
 Col. Kenneth McCreedy during a parade in downtown Laurel in March. Photo by Dylan Wilson on behalf of Fort Meade.
“He's done a tremendous job of putting himself out there to the business community,” he said. “He's very business friendly while still understanding the importance of installation commander and I don't think [the Fort Meade Alliance] would be where we are today without him.”
Working at Fort Meade, McCreedy has had to mix business with military more than ever before.
“The business community and the military are the same in that people care deeply about what they are doing,” he said. “So often we feel insulated on the military post but it's great here that we feel so connected and work together.”
However, at times, mixing the business and military community can prove difficult, admits McCreedy.
“It's a bit challenging having to work with different acronyms,” he said. “I have some sympathy now for what business people go through when I use military language. Each business has its own business language and that's important but a learning curve.”
 McCreedy said he wasn't prepared for the transition he had to make when he became installation commander.
“I really didn't understand what the job entailed,” he said. “I wasn't sure how my skills would translate … All of us are a product of our experiences and my experiences in the military were important in my development and my ability to see complexity and nuances.”
McCreedy has referred to those lessons often when planning and preparing for the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, which is expected to bring a surge of jobs, people and households to the region.
Fort Meade alone will experience a 25 percent increase in population and 5,700 jobs as a result of BRAC.
“BRAC has focused people on the future and how we want to leverage growth to have a better quality of life for the next generation of citizens,” said McCreedy. “The longest pole in the tent for us are our transportation issues but we can view it as an opportunity to make investments for infrastructure we need later.”
 Photo by John Keith.
“I'll go wherever the Army tells me to go next or I'll retire,” he said.
Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, a colonel in the Army Reserve, said he would love to have McCreedy around until at least 2010.
“I've never met a finer Army representative,” he said. “He's the epitome of Army leadership — he's candid, genuine, a straight shooter, and he has the community and businesses’ best interest in mind. You see that in everything he does.”
While change is common in the military, it's always hard to walk away from a good thing, said McCreedy.
“There's a sense that there's not really a beginning or end but continuity in life,” he said. “In a sense, I've been blessed with a third year on the job here.” * |
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