DBIA: Tell our readers a little bit about yourself.
Colston: I hail originally from Bronxville, NY, but have had the opportunity of living all over the United States. I graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy with a degree in Civil Engineering and have a masters degree in Environmental Engineering from Manhattan College. While in the Coast Guard, I served as a ship driver, a law enforcement officer, and a civil engineer. I left the Coast Guard to pursue environmental engineering in the private sector. I supported the U.S. Navy as a consultant in undersea weapon development focusing on assessing the environmental impact of weapons system testing. Following this experience, I joined the federal civilian service with the Pentagon Renovation Program. I led large security-driven design-build projects, the most significant of which was rebuilding the section of the Pentagon damaged in the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Today, in my role as the deputy managing director for project execution, I oversee the design and construction of capital and non-capital capital projects of Department of State facilities overseas. While my career path could be viewed as being somewhat unconventional, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to blend my fundamental interests into my current position with the Overseas Building Operations (OBO) Project Execution Office.
When I am not being challenged to meet project deadlines, I also enjoy challenging myself in endurance sporting events. Most recently, I began participating in triathlons. One of my mega-goals is to participate an Ironman Ultradistance Triathlon, in which I would swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles.
DBIA: What do you love most about the work that you do?
Colston: Simply stated, working with people overcoming difficult issues in a high-tempo, diverse environment. At the Department of State we have an extremely high caliber workforce that is among the best in the industry. I am constantly amazed at their ability to rise to the occasion and am extremely proud to work with these people each day. When you combine this energy with our outstanding industry partners, you have an unbeatable team that accomplishes significant results.
DBIA: Describe the project you’re currently involved in.
Colston: My office is responsible for the design and construction of overseas embassies facilities for the Department of State. While we perform security upgrades, renovations, environmental sustainability, and accessibility upgrades to the Department’s existing facilities, the bulk of our work involves building new embassy compounds (NECs) worldwide. The driving force behind this program is security, moving the personnel performing the diplomatic mission out of harm’s way. To ensure that U.S. government personnel are afforded the best available security under the circumstances that they work, we provide a holistic facility solution that is compromised of a chancery (main office building), perimeter security package (perimeter wall with access control facilities), utility and maintenance building(s), and Marine security guard quarters, if a Marine battalion is present. To do this, OBO employs a standard embassy design (SED) as bridging documents that convey the fundamental project requirements and then leverages the design-build process to reduce project duration to the absolute minimum possible.
DBIA: When did this project begin? What is its current status?
Colston: Following the 1998 bombings of the U.S embassies in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Nairobi (Kenya) in which 80 people were killed and more than 1,700 wounded, it was recognized that there was an immediate need to strengthen the security of the U.S. diplomatic operations abroad. Under the leadership of OBO’s director and chief operating officer, Charles E. Williams, the Department embarked on the Security Capital Program of building NECs and annex buildings. This program has grown to an unprecedented level. Today, there are 29 NECs and annex projects underway with over $2 billion of design and construction under PE’s management. Last month we passed a major milestone having completed 50 NECs and annexes or, translated into a more meaningful statistic, over 14,000 personnel have been moved out of harm’s way. In a recent audit of the capital construction program, the General Accountability Office documented the fact that the OBO reduced the project cycle time by approximately two years and nine months, which is largely attributable to the use of the design-build delivery method. Furthermore, we are particularly proud of our security capital construction program effectiveness being rated by the Office of Management and Budget’s Program Assessment Rating Tool as Effective, the highest possible rating, and one that only a small percentage of federal programs receive.
DBIA: Is there anything especially interesting about this project?
Colston: One of the most exciting facets of this work is that it is worldwide, and because of this, it offers interesting and unique challenges on each and every project. On a daily basis we work with diverse cultures, confront logistical difficulties, and deal with a broad range of issues associated with working in international environments. Having said that, one unique opportunity that presents itself with our program is that while the operating environments are extremely diverse, the operations are essentially identical. Recognizing this, OBO capitalized on a standard design concept discussed briefly above while still permitting appropriate site adaptation that recognizes and compliments the facility’s surroundings.
DBIA: You work on projects where security is a major consideration — how has this changed during your professional life?
Colston: Security has become a primary consideration in projects today, whereas in the past it was simply another variable that was considered in project development. Today, we live in a dynamic and dangerous world with constantly evolving threats. Therefore, we must continually consider the physical and technical threats that our facilities confront and develop systems that counter these threats.
DBIA: Where do you see high-security projects going in the future?
Colston: I envision that for the foreseeable future security will remain paramount. Using our own program as an example, it started with over 185 facilities that required replacement with NECs and annexes because they did not meet current safety or security standards, were overcrowded, or are antiquated. We still have roughly 140 more of these facilities to design and construct, which will continue to require a funding stream of almost $1.4 billion per year until 2018. Similarly, this emphasis will continue both within the government and the private sector, where protecting infrastructure and ensuring continuity of operations in the event of a disaster is at the forefront of decision making.
INFO: Bureau of Overseas Building Operations, State Department (www.state.gov/obo)