Exotic Destinations for African Safaris

Masai Mara National Reserve
Image: maasaimara.com

An accomplished executive, Patrick O’Connell worked in the U.K. as the interim program and strategy director of High Speed Rail 2 Ltd. (HS2) and subsequently became chief of naval personnel for the United States Navy. In his leisure time, Patrick O’Connell enjoys going on exotic excursions like African safaris.

Some of Africa’s best safari destinations include Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa. Kenya’s most popular safari destination is the Masai Mara National Reserve, which is part of the Serengeti, where tourists can watch massive herds of animals migrate across the plains. Other parks that offer visitors abundant chances for wildlife viewing include the Great Rift Valley, which features a number of shallow soda lakes, and Lake Bogoria National Reserve.

Uganda has many primate reserves, such as the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Ngamba Island, which offer visitors up-close looks at gorillas, chimpanzees, crocodiles, hippos, and exotic birds in their natural surroundings. In South Africa, a well-traveled country with a modern tourism infrastructure, visitors can view a variety of African animals in Kruger National Park, part of the largest conservation area in the world.

Growing Demand for Project Management Professionals

Project Management
Image: bls.gov

Patrick O’Connell, now the chief of naval personnel for the United States Navy, formerly served as the interim director of program and strategy at HS2 (high speed rail) in London, which demanded strong project management skills. Patrick O’Connell became certified as a Project Management Professional through the Program Management Institute, a global nonprofit professional association.

Project management as a career field is growing rapidly. The project management profession likely will outperform average U.S. job growth over the next 10 years, according to a recent analysis that the Program Management Institute commissioned from the Anderson Economic Group. The number of jobs in the project management field is expected to grow as much as one-third globally. This translates into as many as 22 million new positions with attractive compensation.

The report estimates that an average of 214,000 new project management jobs will be created each year in the U.S. alone, adding up to more than two million new domestic jobs over the next 10 years. The considerable growth in the industry will lead to high demand for project management talent. Such conditions create favorable opportunities for ambitious professionals to begin and advance their careers, said Mark A. Langley, the president and CEO of the Program Management Institute.

University of Texas at Austin Receives Major US Navy Research Contract

University of Texas at Austin
Image: news.utexas.edu

Previously guiding High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd. in interim capacities, Patrick O’Connell has a background in administrative management spanning diverse public and private projects. As HS2’s interim program and strategy director, he oversaw the coordination and planning of a two-decade-long UK rail project budgeted at $85 billion. Patrick O’Connell presently serves as United States Navy chief of naval personnel, overseeing a business process and technology transformation effort focused on personnel management.

As reported in UT News, the US Navy is leading Department of Defense-affiliated academic institutions in developing next-generation technologies and systems. The navy recently awarded the University of Texas at Austin’s Applied Research Laboratories (ARL:UT) a $1.1 billion contract, to be administered by the Naval Sea Systems Command. This division within the US Navy is responsible for the construction, engineering, and maintenance of naval ships and submarines, including deployed combat systems.

The new contract builds on a long-standing relationship between ARL:UT and the US Navy. Ongoing federally funded research at ARL:UT includes the development of high-resolution sonar that enables unmanned and manned submersible platforms to safely navigate sea mines and other obstacles.

UK Environmental Efforts in Support of HS2 Rail System

 

High Speed Two
Image: gov.uk

The former High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd. interim program and strategic director, Patrick O’Connell currently serves within the US Navy as chief of naval personnel. In guiding his former company, HS2, Patrick O’Connell undertook complex planning for an $85-billion project slated to significantly extend the United Kingdom’s high-speed rail capacities.

Shaped as a Y, the HS2 project comprises two distinct phases and extends from London to Leeds and Manchester. As presented on the UK government website, unprecedented efforts in the conservation arena have recently begun, with new wildlife habitats under development in Warwickshire along the course of the planned line. Beginning in August 2017, construction was underway for the creation of a half dozen ponds as well as woodlands home to more than 6,000 shrubs and trees.

One of the project’s goals is to provide a new home for the myriad species of birds that live in the area and would otherwise be impacted. In addition, species such as the great crested newt are being targeted for protection. Ultimately, the plan is to plant approximately 7 million trees system-wide while creating a unified landscape of heathland, meadow, and wetland.