Responsible for the day-to-day operations and supervisory management integration and synchronization of all operating units and functional staff activities.

Colonel Pickens is an exceptional addition to The Allied Defense Group. He brings with him twenty-four years of military experience, as well as eleven years of business exposure, including nine years with a publicly traded company (what Company?)

His Army career includes service as an infantry and military police officer, where he interfaced with law enforcement organizations on multiple levels. During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Colonel Pickens served as the Army’s Director of Family Support. He retired in 1992 as Executive to the Under Secretary of the Army.

Following his retirement, Colonel Pickens served as Director of Human Resources for the Diamond Power Specialty Company. In 1994, he assumed responsibility as Director, Human Resources, Safety and Security, for the T. Marzetti Company in Columbus, Ohio, where he was promoted to Vice President in 1996.

Colonel Pickens attended the Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School, The Command and General Staff College, the FBI National Academy, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He graduated from West Virginia University, from where he was initially commissioned in 1967 and earned his Master’s Degree from American University in Washington, D.C., in 1973. Colonel Pickens is married with two adult children and four grandchildren.