DEVCOM names new SHARP program manager
April 19, 2022
Preventing sexual harassment and assault, improving reporting and supporting victims is important not only to the U.S. Army, but also to the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. DEVCOM recently named a new Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program manager to focus on training, awareness and prevention across the command. Sammie McCall brings eight years of knowledge and experience in the SHARP program to the command.
“A big part of my role is to provide awareness through training so everyone understands that prevention of sexual harassment and assault starts with each of us, and we all have the responsibility to ensure co-workers, civilians and service members in this organization are treated with dignity and respect,” McCall said.
Prior to joining DEVCOM, McCall was the SHARP program manager at the Military Intelligence Readiness Command at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. MIRC is composed of reserve Soldiers and civilians in units geographically dispersed throughout the United States and Europe.
One of McCall’s first goals as the DEVCOM SHARP program manager is to update DEVCOM SHARP program policy to ensure it effectively reflects the commanding general and the Army’s vision and intent for the SHARP program.
Training is a vital component of the SHARP program, and McCall is a firm advocate.
“There is new training for FY22, which is leader driven and intended to build trust within leadership at the lowest levels. Employees need to be able to trust that leadership will support them if they are faced with sexual harassment or sexual assault. Leadership will also protect employees from retaliation and encourage them to report acts of harassment, assault and unprofessional behaviors,” McCall said.
Other tenants of the SHARP program include awareness and prevention, victim advocacy, and reporting and accountability. In 2004, the Acting Secretary of the Army established a task force to review Army policies on reporting and addressing allegations of sexual harassment/assault. The task force determined sexual harassment was a potential precursor to sexual assault. Therefore, the Acting Secretary of the Army directed the Army Sexual Assault Prevention and Response office to restructure and to integrate the prevention of sexual harassment term into its program. This led to the development of the Army’s current Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program.
The SHARP program dedicates the month of April to sexual harassment/assault awareness, and this year’s theme is, Prevention Starts with You.
DEVCOM has several activities planned throughout April, including Teal Tuesday where employees support the SHARP program by wearing the teal color every Tuesday. DEVCOM will also participate in Aberdeen Proving Ground’s Denim Day April 27, when employees are encouraged to wear denim to support SHARP awareness.
For more information on the SHARP program or to report an incident:
DEVCOM SHARP PM: 410-652-7317
APG 24/7 Hotline: 410-322-7154
DoD Safe Helpline 24×7: 877-995-5247
National Sexual Assault Helpline: 800-656-4673
DoD Safe Helpline: https://safehelpline.org
SHARP Website: https://www.armyresilience.army.mil
APG SHARP Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APGSHARPRESOURCECENTER
SHARP Learning Portal: https://www.sharplearningportal.army.mil
The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, known as DEVCOM, is home to thousands of Army scientists, engineers, technicians and analysts working around the globe to leverage cutting-edge technologies and empower the American warfighter with the data and abilities to see, sense, make decisions and act faster than our adversaries – today and in the future.
As part of the Army Futures Command, DEVCOM takes calculated risks to find new technological solutions each day. Our experts drive innovation, improve existing technologies and engineer solutions to technical challenges. Our work goes beyond theory to simulation and prototyping. We take potential science and technology solutions from the lab “into the dirt” for experimentation alongside Army Soldiers. DEVCOM prides itself as a global ecosystem of innovators, from world-class universities and large defense contractors, to small, minority-owned businesses and international allies and partners.
