Roger L. Thomas serves as Chief of the Construction Operations Division for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Middle East District, headquartered in Winchester, Virginia.
The Middle East District is responsible for providing engineering, construction, and related services in the Middle East, Central Asia, and other areas as required. Its work includes designing and constructing facilities for use by U.S. forces, performing engineering activities for other U.S. government and foreign agencies, and providing operations and maintenance services for various customers. In addition, the district provides project management, engineering, contracting and support services to the USACE district in Afghanistan.
In his position, Mr. Thomas is responsible for providing construction management services for the district’s construction projects. These services include construction surveillance, contract administration, and quality assurance. He moved into this position in October 2007 after serving five years as Director of Engineering and Construction – Management where he was responsible for program management and project accomplishment for all organization activities.
Mr. Thomas began working for USACE as a geotechnical engineer with the Baltimore District in 1972. In 1977, he became a project manager for the Middle East Division in Winchester. As a project manager, he was responsible for the planning and design of numerous projects in Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Russia.
He has held other positions in the Winchester-based organization, including Chief of the Planning and Project Management Branch, Engineering Division; Chief of Emergency Operations in 1990; Deputy Director, Technical Directorate; Deputy Director, Program Management Directorate; Deputy Director for Program Analysis and Evaluation; Director, Resource Management; Deputy for Business Management; and in September 2002, he deployed and established the Afghanistan Area Office in Kabul.
Mr. Thomas received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and a master's degree in civil engineering from the University of Maryland. He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Maryland, a certified project management professional, a certified Planning Commissioner in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and a graduate of the USACE Executive Development Program.