Mr. Pete “Silverback” Ridilla serves as the Programs Director for the Pacific Ocean Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In this position he oversees a $3 billion annual design and construction program of military, environmental, host nation, civil works, and interagency and international service programs in Hawaii, Alaska, Japan, Korea, U.S. Territories, Pacific Nations and Asia. He works strategically with the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and the Host Nation governments of Japan and Korea to execute the Department of Defense Military Construction and Host Nation programs, to include the $10 billion Korea Transformation and the $12 billion Japan Defense Policy Review Initiative programs. For the Civil Works and interagency programs, he works strategically with federal, state, municipal, non-government organizations, and stakeholders to execute these programs in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Prior to being the Programs Director, Mr. Ridilla was the Joint Region Marianas Executive Director. He served as the senior civilian supervisor and higher-level reviewer for more than 400 Joint Staff personnel preparing for major combat operations within the Indo-Pacific Command’s Area of Responsibility. He provided direct support to over 29,000 personnel and dependents conducting operations on three major military installations during peace, disaster response and war. He was the Principal Advisor to the Senior Military Official on Regional Policy in Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau. He also directed strategic communications, critical engagements, and interactions with local, territorial, federal, and international delegations including Heads of State and senior government officials.
He also worked for the National Science Foundation where Mr. Ridilla served as the lead engineer for the United States Antarctic Program’s three year round research stations and multiple seasonal field camps. During one of his deployments to Antarctica he was appointed as the Senior United States Representative Antarctica and was responsible for all US operations on the continent.
Mr. Ridilla is a native of Brooklyn, Ohio and a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. He also holds a Master of Science in Engineering and Environmental Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Florida.