New military deputy director arrives

  • Published
  • By Michael Briggs
  • AFCEE Public Affairs
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The new deputy director of the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment is excited to be on board and impressed with what he has seen thus far.

Col. Dave Funk joined the AFCEE team in late June and has spent the past few weeks getting up to speed on AFCEE's operations while meeting the people who conduct the mission.

He comes to AFCEE from Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, where he served the past three years as the chief of the Programs Division in the Air Force Materiel Command's Communications, Installations and Mission Support Directorate.

In his new role, the colonel assists the AFCEE director in leading the workforce that manages the Air Force's military and housing construction, environmental and privatized military family housing programs. As the organization's senior military officer, Funk also serves as leader, advisor and mentor to the center's military members.

"I'm very excited to be here," he said. "I'm learning in my immersion briefings that AFCEE is an extremely complex and large organization. The more I learn about it, the more impressed I am with its inner workings, the capabilities AFCEE possesses and the magnitude of the reach AFCEE has throughout the world."

Funk said he wants to complement AFCEE Director Terry Edwards by helping execute his vision in concert with Harry Finke, the center's civilian deputy director.

"I share Mr. Edwards' vision and look forward to helping AFCEE advance as an organization," said Funk, a 27-year Air Force veteran. "The three of us can move AFCEE forward together. There's a good fit between the individual capabilities we bring to the table."

As he becomes more involved as deputy director, the colonel said he will focus on guiding the divisions that are executing the mission through in-depth exposure to current operations here and by visiting locations in the field to get a better feel for what's happening and what things AFCEE can do to better meet customers' expectations.

"The other focus I have is the military role I fulfill," Funk said. "I look to bring the military together in terms of physical training, brown bag lunches, officer and enlisted forums, and things like that to help keep us better informed about military issues."

The colonel's CE lineage is broad in terms of breadth and experience. He has served as a CE commander, taught CE curriculum at the Air Force Institute of Technology, executed facility and environmental programs, and served in multiple major commands and contingency operations. He's commanded three traditional CE squadrons, a RED HORSE squadron and an expeditionary mission support group.
He said he will use this experience to bring a feel for the needs of the customer to his AFCEE leadership position.

"I understand the grassroots CE business and requirements of a CE organization," Funk said. "I hope to be able to bring that perspective to the AFCEE team so we can meet the needs of our customers, including the warfighters and the warfighting commands."