Chet Boutelle, Director, DFAS ESS Enterprise Systems

Chet Boutelle is the Director of Enterprise Solutions and Standards (ESS) - Enterprise Systems.  In this role, Mr. Boutelle leads the modernization of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) Business Systems Environment through the development, deployment, and sustainment of emerging systems, business capability and process modeling, as well as the reduction of legacy systems in support of the DoD Financial Management Strategy.

From May 2011 until his current assignment, Mr. Boutelle served as the Director of the DFAS site in Rome, New York where he was responsible for leading over 1,000 employees providing accounting and finance support to the Army, serving as the DFAS Accounting Center of Excellence for Army and Navy medical support, and the United States Special Operations Command.  In addition, he had oversight of the Southwest Asia Army Retrograde of Vendor Payments in Theater, and the accounting support and cash balancing for the Contingency Disbursing Station Symbol Numbers.

From 2007 to 2011, Mr. Boutelle was the Deputy Site Director, DFAS Cleveland, managing the day-to-day site operations conducted by more than 2,600 accounting and finance personnel who provide pay support to 4 million people, including active duty, reserve and civilian employees of the Navy, Marine Corps, Department of Energy, Health and Human Services and the Broadcast Board of Governors, as well as military retirees and annuitants from all four Service branches.  DFAS Cleveland also processes over 70 percent of all DFAS disbursements totaling approximately $28 billion a month.

From 1991 to 2007, Mr. Boutelle, served with the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) in a variety of leadership positions.  When DeCA was activated in October 1991, he was selected as director, East Service Center.  The agency was reorganized in 1997 and Mr. Boutelle became senior vice president for the Southern Area at Maxwell AFB, with oversight of 7 zones and 51 commissaries.  In August 2001, he took an assignment as project officer for the former Eastern Region.  It was there that he served as the region's acting deputy director in July 2002.  A year later he was the Eastern Region's acting director, and in May 2004 also became the DeCA West, Continental United States (CONUS) and Overseas, deputy director, overseeing 112 locations across 11 time zones stretching from west of the Mississippi to Korea.  Mr. Boutelle’s final assignment was as the DeCA West deputy director, where he was responsible for 67 commissaries located in 15 states, as well as the region staff. 

From 1981 to 1991, Mr. Boutelle served with the Army Troop Support Agency in a variety of assignments, including deputy commissary officer at Redstone Arsenal, Ala. and as the commissary complex officer at Fort Gillem, Ga.

Prior to entering the civil service he served in the United States Army as an enlisted soldier from 1969 until 1972, when he was commissioned as a second lieutenant through Infantry Officer Candidate School, Fort Benning, Ga.  He held various positions of responsibility until retiring as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Mr. Boutelle was awarded the Distinguished Civil Service award in 2007 and has also been awarded the Meritorious Civil Service award on three occasions.  He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Thomas Edison State College, Trenton, N.J.  He is a member of the Institute of Management Accountants and the American Society of Military Comptrollers.

Mr. Boutelle was inducted into the Senior Executive Service on May 29, 2007. 

Updated  September 9, 2019