Fort Belvoir, Va. –
The Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP) is a unique leadership development opportunity hosted by the Defense Civilian Personnel Advisory Service. The 10-month program involves direct contact and involvement with senior leaders, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines at various military locations. This rigorous curriculum incorporates learning with military readiness activities, offering a front-line perspective of the Warfighter and helps strengthen the bond between Defense Civilians and the Military Services.
David Van Dingenen, a Quality Assurance Auditor at DCAA, graduated from the ELDP in June 2025. Despite learning about ELDP years ago through an agency-wide email, it took multiple applications before David was finally selected into the highly competitive program. He highlights his perseverance, “I did not give up and my resilience allowed me to overcome these roadblocks and finally get to my destination.” David’s persistence and dedication to his future development paid off and he officially began his ELDP journey in September 2024. With over 700 hours dedicated to the program, traveling to military installations across the country and abroad, including Washington D.C., Oklahoma, South Korea, Georgia, Mississippi and more, David experienced the challenges and dedication of the Warfighter and those who help achieve the DoD’s mission. Having direct exposure and the opportunity to work alongside the Warfighter deeply impacted David’s understanding of DCAA’s mission in the broader defense landscape. “The most eye-opening moments were hearing the stories of service members and experiencing their training environments. It reminded me why we do what we do and who we do it for.”
Professionally, David says the program gave him the space to refine his leadership philosophy and better define the kind of leader he wants to become. David’s leadership philosophy is always maintaining a positive attitude, especially when dealing with adversity. As part of his philosophy, his goal as a leader is to help his team members succeed. “Leadership isn’t about the team making me look good. It’s about me helping my team succeed so we can all grow.” David credits his success balancing his typical workload alongside the program to his supervisor’s support and the broader DCAA leadership team. Their support allowed him to balance the program’s demands with his everyday responsibilities. “I was able to successfully perform and balance ELDP tasks and my DCAA work by having the resilience to deal with challenges and placing an emphasis on prioritizing and balancing my everyday work to meet my commitments to both DCAA and the ELDP.”
Like many others who participate in this program, David found the networking to be a major program highlight. David believes that building partnerships, both within and outside of DCAA, is important to facilitate effective leadership. “Leadership is about people; it is about listening to others, growing together, and achieving a shared vision through trust and communication.” He also shares, “The most important asset to achieve effective leadership is building a team of people with a shared vision to work together with the confidence that they can achieve anything, regardless of the challenges they may encounter.”
David encourages anyone interested in growing as a leader in the DoD to seriously consider applying for the ELDP, even if it takes multiple attempts. He believes the ELDP is about challenging yourself and being comfortable with the uncomfortable, contributing to something greater and discovering what kind of leader you want to become. The program focuses on a full look at the DoD and how the Warfighter and civilian workforce work together towards the mission in a truly unique way. He shares, “The foundational motivation for me wanting to lead people goes beyond my desire to work in certain positions or my personal desire to lead. I strive to be a leader that people follow to reach new destinations through trust in each other to achieve success through a shared belief.”