Mr. Edward E. Belk, Jr. currently serves as the Programs Director for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Mississippi Valley Division. Mr. Belk formerly worked as the Civil Works Chief of Programs Integration at Corps Headquarters in Washington, D.C. In his previous position, Mr. Belk was responsible for the development, defense and execution of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Program across all accounts (Investigations, Construction, Operations and Maintenance, etc) and business lines (Navigation, Flood Risk Management, Ecosystem Restoration, Hydropower, etc), working closely with senior Administration officials, Congressional leaders and project partners. He also served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Management And Budget) in the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) in the Pentagon from April through August of 2019. He was selected by the Secretary of the Army into the Senior Executive Service in May 2012.
Prior to his current assignment, Mr. Belk served as Chief of Operations and Regulatory Division for the Corps where he provided national oversight of the development, resourcing, and delivery of Operations and Maintenance (O&M) programs for the Civil Works infrastructure portfolio and for Corps operational programs such as hydroelectric power, public recreation, environmental restoration, wildlife management, project cyber security, and the regulatory oversight of waterways and wetlands. He also previously served as Director of Programs for the Mississippi Valley Division (MVD) and Mississippi River Commission (MRC) in Vicksburg, Mississippi, where he provided leadership and supervision for the Programs Directorate with regional staff oversight for programs, planning, operations, real estate, and project management activities in the Division’s six subordinate District commands located in St. Paul, Rock Island, St. Louis, Memphis, Vicksburg, and New Orleans.
Mr. Belk has extensive executive, managerial, and leadership experience in the development and delivery of large, complex water resource solutions (including navigation, flood risk management, coastal restoration, and ecosystem restoration sectors) across the full spectrum of program life cycle (planning, design, real estate acquisition, environmental compliance, construction, and operation/maintenance). He is also seasoned and experienced at developing and strengthening strategic relationships at local, regional, and national levels that enable mission execution and program delivery.
Mr. Belk completed two tours in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he served as the senior U.S. Army Corps of Engineers civilian in the seven Provinces of northern Iraq and senior advisor to the Commander, Gulf Region North District, with headquarters initially in Mosul and later in Tikrit.
Mr. Belk holds an MS in Engineering Management and BS in Civil Engineering, both from Christian Brothers University. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Mississippi, a member of the Society of American Military Engineers and on the Engineering Advisory Board for Christian Brothers University. He was recently selected by the President to receive the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award, an honor bestowed on less than 1% of Senior Executives across the US Government. He was also selected as the LTG J.W. Morris Civilian of the Year for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2012. He has been awarded the Bronze Order of the de Fleury by the Army Engineer Association and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal for his service in Iraq.