Mr. Edward E. Belk was recently selected by the Secretary of the Army as the newest member of the federal government's Senior Executive Service. The Senior Executive Service is the civilian equivalent to the military rank of General Officer.
As a result of his SES appointment, Mr. Belk will serve as Programs Director for the Mississippi Valley Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Mississippi River Commission. In this position he will serve as the principal advisor to the MVD Commander and MRC President on the programs, planning and project management activities in the division’s six district offices spanning the Mississippi River from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.
SES leaders possess well-honed executive skills and share a broad perspective of government and a public service commitment which is grounded in the Constitution. Members of the SES serve in key positions just below the top Presidential appointees and are the major link between these appointees and the rest of the federal work force.
Prior to his current assignment, Mr. Belk was the Deputy Director of Regional Business and the Deputy Director of Programs for MVD. Before moving to MVD, Mr. Belk served as the Deputy District Engineer for Project Management in the Memphis District. He completed two tours in Iraq as the Deputy for Project Management at Gulf Region North District in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was also assigned to help stand up the Hurricane Protection Office in New Orleans in support of the overall Corps response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Other previous assignments include Chief of Project Development Branch, Chief of River Engineering and Executive Assistant to the commander in the Memphis District.
Prior to joining the Corps, Mr. Belk worked in the private sector with engineering consulting firms in both Memphis, Tenn., and Little Rock, Ark.
Mr. Belk is a native of Southaven, Miss., and graduate of Christian Brothers University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1984 and a master’s degree in engineering management in 1991. He is also a 1999 graduate of the Army Management Staff College at Fort Belvoir, Va.
He is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Mississippi; a past president and director of the Society of American Military Engineers, Memphis Post; and a member of Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honors organization.
He is married and has three children.
The Mississippi Valley Division is responsible for water resources engineering solutions in a 370,000-square-mile area, extending from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and encompassing portions of 12 states. Work is carried out by district offices located in St. Paul, Minn.; Rock Island, Ill.; St. Louis, Mo.; Memphis, Tenn.; Vicksburg, Miss.; and New Orleans, La.
Since 1879, the seven-member Presidentially appointed Mississippi River Commission has developed and matured plans for the general improvement of the Mississippi River from the Head of Passes to the Headwaters. The Mississippi River Commission brings critical engineering representation to the drainage basin, which impacts 41% of the United States and includes 1.25 million square miles, over 250 tributaries, 31 states, and two Canadian provinces.