Tamika “Tami” D. Atkins has been selected as program director for the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives program, effective Oct. 6.

Formerly serving as chief of staff of the organization, Atkins has been acting program executive officer, or PEO, since Nov. 28, 2023, when the previous PEO retired. She has been involved with the U.S. Chemical Demilitarization Program in multiple capacities since 1994.

“I have the utmost confidence that Ms. Atkins will do an outstanding job in her role as program director and will lead the program in closing this chapter in the Department of Defense’s chemical demilitarization history,” said Kingston Reif, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Threat Reduction and Arms Control, the selecting official.

Under her direction, the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives, or ACWA, program will continue to progress through the closure phase, providing maximum protection to the environment, the public and the personnel who are involved in the closure of these facilities, Reif said.

The remaining declared U.S. chemical weapons stockpiles in Colorado and Kentucky were destroyed in 2023 and teams have since been performing closure activities such as secondary waste destruction, decontamination, decommissioning of equipment and dispositioning of property. The closure phase is expected to last approximately three years.

In her new position, Atkins is assigned to the Senior Executive Service, a corps of executives selected for their leadership qualifications, serving in the key positions just below Presidential appointees and alongside General Officers.

Previously, Atkins served as executive officer and chief of staff of the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Activity, which completed destruction of 90% of the U.S. stockpile in 2012. Over the course of her career, Atkins has been responsible for program execution and administration, including human resources, resource management, public affairs, logistics and information technology.