Deputy Director Vincent Quarles, Office of Minority Programs, joined the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity, U.S. Department of Energy, in February 2020.

Prior to joining the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity, Deputy Director Quarles served as Director of Operations, Contract Services Group, within American Water’s Market Based Business.  He was accountable for the operations, project management, capital planning, regulatory compliance, and financial performance of 13 Operational and Maintenance (O&M) contracts supporting major cities and towns located in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida,  Illinois, California, and Canada.  Quarles served as the Chief Operating Officer for a general contractor upon retiring from the U.S. Army in February 2017 after more than 35 years of military service.  In this capacity, he helped build and renovate medical facilities across our nation for the Department of Defense and the Department of Veteran Affairs. 

U.S. Army Colonel Quarles (Retired) served as Commander, Middle East District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), during his last active duty assignment (2014-2017). Quarles was responsible for USACE operations in nine Middle East countries during this command tour. He oversaw Military Construction (MILCON) and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programs in excess of $3 billion within in nine Middle East countries during his command tenure.

Colonel Quarles deployed as Commander, Afghanistan Engineer District-South in July 2012 and oversaw programs aimed at increasing security and public infrastructure in southern, southwestern, and western Afghanistan. Quarles redeployed to the United States in July 2013 and was reassigned as the Deputy Commander of the Transatlantic Division, USACE.  During this assignment, he supported USACE missions in the U.S. Central Command’s (USCENTOM) area of operations from Egypt through the Persian Gulf to Central Asia, in addition to supervising the division’s staff in Winchester, Virginia. Other key assignments for Colonel Quarles included Commander, Chicago District (USACE), Associate Professor (Civil and Mechanical Engineering Department, U.S. Military Academy, West Point), and Mobility Team Chief (Army G-8, Pentagon).

Quarles earned a Master’s Degree in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington, D.C.; a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina; and a Bachelor’s Degree in Design Technology from Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia.