CMP Welcomes New Board Chair and CEO Gerald O’Keefe
November 30, 2022
Gerald O’Keefe, former Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) Board Vice Chairman, has recently assumed the role of Chairman and CEO – following the retirement of previous Chairman, Judy Legerski, this year. Legerski had been a member of the Board since the organization’s privatization in 1996 and led as Chairman/CEO for over a decade.
Mr. O’Keefe’s occupancy of the position officially began in September 2022. During his tenure, he plans to leverage the ideas and talent of both the workforce and the Board to build on the many successes of the organization. He is open to exploring modern, innovative approaches where it may benefit the organization, while staying true to the core mission and values that have defined CMP over its 26-year history.
“I’ve set a number of priorities for both my roles as the Chairman and CEO, but at a more strategic level, what I’d really like to do is simply to continue to further the CMP’s core mission of promoting marksmanship,” he said. “And with that, to set the standard for training, marksmanship safety and getting more youth into the sport – teaching them marksmanship fundamentals and safety.”
O’Keefe joined the CMP Board of Directors in September 2019 following a prominent government career. A West Point graduate, he served 27 years of active duty before transitioning into a Department of the Army Senior Executive. He culminated his government service as the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army, a historical position, as well as the Senior Career Civilian in the Army.
There, he was responsible for a wide array of strategic engagements and portfolios, to include liaison to the CMP. Close contact to the organization allowed him to learn more about its mission and the details of the legislation that connects the Army and the CMP. At the same time, he managed the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army (CASA) program and saw the synergy between the CMP and the CASAs.
“It was an interesting intersection between two important programs,” O’Keefe said as he recognized the value of the mutual support.
Once he left government work in 2018, he served as a Director at Grant Thornton, a leading consulting firm. It gave him an opportunity to experience the standards and protocols of industry in profit structures and how to support government clients as an industry partner. However, he missed the closer connection to the Army and wanted to find a way to make more of a difference. O’Keefe thought back to his prior relationship with the CMP as well as the organization’s important objectives. He felt the time was right to join its cause by bringing his own knowledge and experience to the team.
“The CMP Board is comprised of great professionals who care about the mission of the organization and the staff that makes it all happen. It was a great opportunity,” he said of his decision to join the company.
O’Keefe’s other credentials include a Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering from the United States Military Academy, a Master of Engineering in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Penn State University and a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University, Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Moreover, Mr. O’Keefe maintains a professional engineer license from the state of Virginia, where he lives with his family. Outside of work, he enjoys shooting, golf, running, and spending time with family.
“I certainly hope that the very diverse set of leadership and business experiences over the years will translate well as I move into this position,” he said. “I’ve inherited a fantastic organization and thank the staff and the members of the Board who’ve put the CMP in such a great position.”
Will O’Keefe take over as COO rrplacing Mark Johnson, or is someone else in line for that job?
Gordon,
Please see the statement on our website at https://thecmp.org/about/coo/.
Thank you,
Christine
I ordered an M1 two years ago. Turned out pretty good! WWII era Receiver and barrel. Did not receive a stamped stock, but it looks like it may be from Korean War era. The gas plug was installed with a massive amount of torque. Should have been hand tight only. I had to get it off with a Tapco armorers wrench with a big flathead on the end, and actually needed more leverage with a rod through that to finally get it un-done. Other than that, perfect experience. I hope my purchase went to further youth marksmanship. Thank you for the new YouTube CMP videos, and the interaction with the commenters.
The process to purchase an M1 Garand via mail is a disaster. Asked for the same information multiple times by different people. No responses when asked if info has been received. Then a bad attitude is presented when called out. I recommend people shop elsewhere, horrible service.
David,
Sorry to hear of your experience. Please feel free to reach out to our Sales Manager, Deven, at dwarmack@thecmp.org, to discuss your order/experience.
Thanks,
Christine
Matches are too long; to many shots. A lot of folks do not participate because of cost.
I have attended the Travel Games both at Camp Butner and the New England games. They have both been well run. I have been disappointed that M1’s have not been available for sale at the games for the past few years! I see where they are often stocked at the range. Please arrange to have rifles available at the CMP games this year.
James — thank you for your comment. I’m glad to hear the last couple of Travel Games were run well — we take pride in that for sure. Concerning selling M1s at Travel Games, we’d frankly love to get back to that. But right now it is a supply/inventory issue. We will continue to look at options.
I need you email address ??
Mr. Pacheco,
I’ve reached out via email to help assist you.
Thank you,
Christine
Congratulations on your appointment. I hope you can do more to keep shooters in competition. One major issue is the fact that the shooting public cannot afford ammunition. One suggestion is for the CMP to get replacement ammunition for those who compete in CMP sanctioned matches. The CMP should be able to get match ammunition at the same cost as the US military. Example: At the Talladega 600 I and many others used 140 rounds of match ammunition. In this example each shooter would be eligible to purchase 140 rounds from CMP at a very reduced cost. This helps keep us in competition. My club has lost 60% of our members because of ammunition high cost and lack of components. Thanks
Michael — thank you for your note. As you know ammunition availability and cost has been a challenge for all of us to include us here at the CMP. We have some initiatives in the works to hopefully achieve what you suggest. Stay tuned — we should know something in the next couple of months.
Mr O’Keefe,
Congratulations on your appointment. I’ve been shooting at the CMP matches for approximately 22 years. And there was a time when the availability issue that you mention was not a problem. The CMP sold off their supply of ammunition to people that intern resold it and made a profit. Shame on the CMP for doing this. We still could have had ammunition available for shooters only at a discounted price. Every little bit helps to bring shooters into the matches. Thanks Randy Reece
Randy,
Thank you for your comment and more importantly for being part of the CMP family for over 20 years.
One of our goals over the next couple of years is in fact to grow the number of competitors at our matches. We are hopeful we’ll soon have some ammunition to sell at discounted prices for those who compete in our matches. Stay tuned for more on that in the next couple of months but it should be a good incentive.
Additionally, for several years now we’ve limited the amount of ammunition we sell to each customer to preclude what you mention and also to more equitably spread the ammunition to our many customers. We do the same with our M1 Garand sales.
Thanks again for your comment and your partnership with the CMP. I look forward to seeing you at one (or more) of our events this year.
Jerry
Gerald B. O’Keefe
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Randy