A Day in the Life

Stu Kanefsky

What is your job title?:
Director WIW and WIM (E7, E3, and Multinational)

What does your job involve?
I manage over 200 EPASS contractors supporting two large Air Force acquisition divisions. These Divisions (WIW & WIM) are part of the ISR SOF Directorate.

What is a typical day like in your role?
There are regular reoccurring tasks such as completing CDRLs for delivery to the Govt. customer, talent acquisition, attending required Govt. and Odyssey meetings, money and labor management; but to me what takes precedent over everything is supporting our Odyssey workforce and listening to my Air Force clients. Developing relationships and supporting the needs of our clients and workforce is always a priority.

How did you get into your current job role?
I have been in this business as a government contractor for over 30 years and I have had numerous management roles during that time span. I also have extensive experience in various Hanscom AFB Program Offices and Divisions. When Odyssey won the HB contract, I like to think that I was a well-qualified management option.

What do you enjoy most about your job? What excites you the most about the work?
For me, it’s not a cliché but an easy concept to pick; it is about the people. I enjoy talking to people more than just about anything and believe me everyone who knows me would say—Too Much! When I get to help folks get to be where they want to be, it is an extremely rewarding experience.

Why did you decide to pursue this career?
I am not sure if this is too common, but I have always been interested in supporting the Government and I have always enjoyed working for the DoD. I went to school as a Policy Sci and Econ major and Grad School in Policy way back in the 80’ s with Star Wars and President Reagan! I guess you could say I was predestined to have a job like this.

Are there any special requirements for this job?
I would say the requirement is to be a hustler, hard worker, who is willing to help wherever you can—doing whatever is needed. It’s much more of an attitude and personal drive to succeed versus a special talent or requirement. The Odyssey core values of commitment, ambition, and respect really align with what is needed for this job.

What can this type of job lead to?
The Director role can lead to other management roles; however, it can also lead to many different roles within the DoD contracting environment. That is one of the best aspects. Business Development, Integration roles withing companies, specialist roles that might be more FM or contracts related, and of course all the direct jobs back on contract.

What advice would you give somebody considering this role as a career??
Being an Operations Director is at its core an interface between the workforce, the government clients and the upper management of the company. It is a real service leader type of position. If you don’t really like the role of a contractor, and don’t really like the role of having to help people with their problems this is not a job for you. If you do, this will be a very rewarding job for many years.

Mike Glueckert

Job Title:
Multimedia Designer

Work Location:
Pacific Northwest, Remote

How Long Have You Been with Odyssey?
I’ve been with Odyssey for about 5 years, nine months.

What Team, Customer / Program(s) do you work for / on at Odyssey?
I’m part of the Growth, Proposals, and Marketing Groups, but I get to work with people across the entire company.

What do you do each day?
I’m the guy that puts together lots of that Odyssey-branded stuff you see pretty much everywhere—proposals covers & graphics, websites, swag, PPTs, events branding, The Journey Newsletter, office graphics and décor… too many things to list. If it’s got an ODY logo on it, chances are it’s something I may have helped with? I spend my days implementing the Odyssey visual brand for any / all kinds of different applications. Whether it’s a tiny logo that’s being included on a conference sponsorship page, or highly detailed content being added to our own corporate website, I always do my best to ensure that we’re using the appropriate elements designed in a way that communicates effectively and represents Odyssey in the best light.

What do you enjoy most about working at Odyssey?
I love coming to work every day to help solve visual communications puzzles while working for and working with people I truly like and respect.

What is your current hometown?
I live in Manzanita, Oregon.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up on eastern Long Island—Patchogue, to be exact!

Before working at Odyssey, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?
Before I went away to school / started working in NYC design studios, digging holes with a shovel was my job. Truth be told, I enjoyed it—it was hard physical labor, but when you’re young, that’s ok. And I got to work with a crew of salt-of-the-earth guys from Italy who treated me like family and tried (successfully) not to accidentally kill “L’idiot Americano” on the job digging water mains and irrigation systems. They also tried (unsuccessfully) over four consecutive summers to teach me to speak Italian. Anyway, the experience of seeing those guys work so hard to take care of their families is something I’ve always remembered. (Sidebar: they all brought THE BEST lunches to work—except on the day Luigi G. showed up with a panino al polpo—an octopus sandwich. Blecch. And… why?).

What three words would you use to describe yourself?
Busy, dedicated, and… busy.

Do you have any nicknames?
MikeyG!

What do you like to do in your spare time?
My wife Dianna and I just settled in our home in Manzanita, and there’s a ton to do to this place. In addition to being parents to four grown kids (Alex, Ben, Kyle, and Fiona) we are puppy parents to a fourteen-week-old Rhodesian Ridgeback, named Archie. She is a tiny (for now) orange tornado—so, we get outside and explore all of the hiking trails up and down the coast. A tired puppy is a really good thing!

Where would you like to go on a dream vacation?
I’ve always wondered what the aurora borealis looks like in real life. So maybe Alaska, or Finland, or Sweden?