{"id":20562,"date":"2025-10-13T10:28:50","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T14:28:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/blog\/?p=20562"},"modified":"2026-03-04T13:27:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T18:27:07","slug":"people-spotlight-meet-darlene-ige","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/blog\/people-spotlight-meet-darlene-ige\/","title":{"rendered":"People Spotlight: Meet Darlene Ige"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our People Spotlight<\/em> series<\/a> gives you an inside look at our technical experts around the world. This week, we are highlighting an operations manager from our Environment business in the United States and providing an insight into their inspiration and work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With over 35 years of environmental program management experience, Darlene brings deep expertise to ArchTam\u2019s Environment business. As operations manager, she focuses on process improvements that enhance efficiency and strengthen delivery under the CLEAN (Comprehensive Long-Term Environmental Action Navy) Pacific contract<\/a> for Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Pacific. This critical initiative provides environmental and restoration services across the Pacific, and Darlene\u2019s regional experience is key to its success. Her work strengthens processes, improves reporting efficacy, and positions the program for long-term success. Darlene\u2019s career includes 24 years with NAVFAC Pacific, where she oversaw multimillion-dollar programs in Hawaii and Guam, including leading environmental efforts for the $8.7 billion Defense Policy Review Initiative. Most recently, she directed environmental programs at Nakupuna Consulting, a Native Hawaiian\u2013owned business, before bringing her leadership to ArchTam to drive impactful work at scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tell us about what inspired you to join the industry.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I started with the Environmental Restoration Program at NAVFAC, the field was still very new, and I was excited by the opportunity to build something meaningful that could make a real impact on the environment. I didn\u2019t originally study environmental work \u2014 I earned a degree in civil engineering and began my career doing design work for NAVFAC. After five years, I realized my strengths and passions lay elsewhere, so I moved into planning for a couple of years within NAVFAC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s when the head of NAVFAC Pacific Environmental, Mel Waki, approached me about joining the new Environmental Restoration Program.  He didn’t know me personally, but he knew of my work and thought I’d be a good fit.  I\u2019m so glad I made the move. Over 30 years later, I\u2019m still energized by the work \u2014 environmental restoration is such a broad field, and there\u2019s always something new to explore and learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n When I started with the Environmental Restoration Program at NAVFAC, the field was still very new, and I was excited by the opportunity to build something meaningful that could make a real impact on the environment. <\/p>\n

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What is your favorite ArchTam project that you\u2019ve worked on and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of my favorite efforts at ArchTam so far has been leading process improvements across the CLEAN program. Over the past five months, I\u2019ve focused on enhancing the quality and efficacy of our monthly progress report packages \u2014 ensuring narratives align with schedules and forecasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With over 200 active projects and many Contract Task Order (CTO) managers involved, this is a large and complex program. My role is to connect with different managers month by month, offering support and helping improve project performance. These improvements have already enhanced efficiency, strengthened consistency, and positioned the program for long-term success under the CLEAN contract. It\u2019s a rewarding challenge, and I truly enjoy finding ways to streamline processes, strengthen communication, and contribute to ArchTam\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n My role is to connect with different managers month by month, offering support and helping improve project performance. These improvements have already enhanced efficiency, strengthened consistency, and positioned the program for long-term success under the CLEAN contract. <\/p>\n

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What makes working on the Navy\u2019s CLEAN program unique compared to other projects you\u2019ve been part of?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Navy\u2019s CLEAN program is unique because it\u2019s been around for over 25 years and has a well-established culture and set of processes. ArchTam has built a strong foundation for how the program runs, and improving collaboration within that structure has been both challenging and rewarding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With such a successful program, people are naturally used to doing work in a certain way. As Operations Manager, I\u2019ve built strong relationships through consistent one-on-one conversations, helping others see the value in improving processes such as reporting and automation. My goal is always to save time while enhancing the quality and reliability of the information we provide. Clear, consistent records help everyone make better decisions and respond more effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point in my career, I\u2019m focused on making a difference. Across such a large program, there is always room for process improvement, and that\u2019s what keeps me engaged. I\u2019ve been fortunate to work with great teams and supportive leaders throughout my career, and that\u2019s made all the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n Across such a large program, there is always room for process improvement, and that\u2019s what keeps me engaged. As Operations Manager, I\u2019ve built strong relationships through consistent one-on-one conversations, helping others see the value in improving processes such as reporting and automation. <\/p>\n

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How have you seen the CLEAN program evolve over time, and what excites you about its future?<\/strong>
The CLEAN program has grown rapidly in recent years due to several factors, including emerging contaminants like PFAS. That growth makes the work both interesting and challenging. As the program expands, we are navigating new technical and regulatory territory, and that\u2019s what excites me most \u2014 helping shape solutions in uncharted ground. Being part of the CLEAN program means we can influence and adapt to evolving regulations, positioning us at the cutting edge of environmental protection. Once regulators align on the right approach, I believe we\u2019ll be able to make a meaningful and lasting impact on the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n Being part of the CLEAN program means we can influence and adapt to evolving regulations, positioning us at the cutting edge of environmental protection. <\/p>\n

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Share a piece of career advice.<\/strong>
I believe a successful career comes down to effective collaboration and communication, paired with a solution-focused mindset. Many people can communicate and collaborate, but without a focus on solutions, progress stalls. Staying solution-oriented is what helps move projects forward and achieve meaningful results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve also found that building strong one-on-one relationships is essential. Those personal connections foster trust, and once trust is established, people are more open to change. That sense of connection is what makes the work feel meaningful, and it is a big part of why I have stayed in this field for so long.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Darlene is an operations manager from our Environment business in the United States.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1083,"featured_media":20575,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[172,165,83],"tags":[1984,6852,6906,6007,5890,87],"yst_prominent_words":[722,2374,456,452],"class_list":["post-20562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment","category-program-management","category-sustainability-and-resiliency","tag-environment","tag-environment-restoration","tag-iwd2026","tag-people-spotlight","tag-program-management","tag-sustainability"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1083"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20562"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20562\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21296,"href":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20562\/revisions\/21296"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20562"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=20562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}