Last-minute phone call takes a North Philly local from the baseball diamond to the Pentagon

PHILADELPHIA — For Giovanni Morales, the path to the highest corridors of military leadership did not begin in a traditional way. It started on a college baseball diamond, wound through the demanding aisles of retail distribution warehouses and ultimately hinged on an unexpected vacation phone call that forced a life-changing, ten-minute decision.

"She was like, 'Hey, someone dropped out of the program, and you're next on the list,'" Morales said, thinking back to the urgent call he received from a program coordinator from the Department of War’s Executive Leadership Development Program. "I was like, 'Oh, wow. Can I let you know tomorrow?' And she said, 'I kind of need to know in the next ten minutes. If not, they're going to the next person.'"

This sudden opportunity arrived when Morales was on vacation, just four days before the ELDP was set to begin. He had already been nominated by Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support and DLA headquarters but was initially rejected following a rigorous interview with a three-member panel, making the late opening feel like destiny.

"It was one of those things where I knew this was the opportunity that was meant for me," Morales said. "So, I talked to my wife, made the decision that I was going to go through with it and figured I would tackle whatever came at me."

Long before he was faced with that high-stakes decision, Morales' foundation as a leader was forged in the Hunting Park section of Philadelphia, about ten minutes from the very base where he works today. He excelled as a baseball player at St. Joseph's Prep before earning an athletic scholarship to California University of Pennsylvania, where he would eventually be named team captain.

"When I first got to college, on the first day of practice, I was immediately humbled to the fact that I was no longer in Philadelphia," Morales said. "I was no longer one of the best players, and I had to earn my spot."

After earning his place on the roster, Morales spent his first two years proving himself on the field. By his junior year, his teammates voted him team captain ahead of a stellar fall season that propelled him from an average player to an above-average starter at second base and center field. In turn, he earned the athletic respect of a team that already valued his character.

"Off the field, it was about establishing relationships with my teammates and getting to know them," Morales said. "I wanted to show them who I was as a person and be someone they could rely on and look to during difficult times."

This relational approach carried over into his spiritual life, where he served as the music director for his church. Though highly skilled at guitar and vocals, often singing the national anthem at events, Morales found himself having to overcome skepticism about his youth and relative inexperience.

"In the church space, you're not seeking recognition or doing it for yourself," Morales said. "I was stepping into the role of servant leadership, focusing on what I could do to empower the people around me and build up those who may not have the skill or the ability."

These lessons in servant leadership guided Morales as he entered the workforce, first in international sales at a private industry lumber company and later in retail distribution. In 2015, he relocated back to Philadelphia to help support his family, supervising a fast-paced non-conveyable warehouse for multiple companies.

"I just loved the fast-paced nature of logistics and the fact that no day was really the same," Morales said. "But it was a difficult job, working 15 to 16-hour days with no time off, and the Tuesday before Black Friday, I resigned."

After a month without employment, Morales received a life-altering job offer to join Naval Supply Weapons System Support as a logistics management specialist. He worked there for more than three years before transitioning to DLA Troop Support in 2019, where he was eventually promoted to business support branch chief.

"I loved the position, the scope of work and everything that had to do with it," Morales said. "It was my first entry-level position into government service, and I just fell in love with working for the government."

As a first-time professional supervisor, Morales managed a rapidly changing office marked by retirements, new hires and personnel transitions. While he successfully got up to speed and made beneficial changes for his team, he eventually realized that he needed a new challenge to reignite his professional drive.

"I was challenged, but I felt like something was missing," Morales said. "I felt like I was losing that fire that I started with; that go-getter mentality. I wanted to shoot for the stars, to find something formidable that would really push me out of my comfort zone."

When he finally entered the program through that last-minute phone call, Morales initially battled imposter syndrome during the cohort's two-week orientation in Norman, Oklahoma. Looking around the room, he saw an elite group that included military helicopter pilots, federal special agents and surgeons.

"I looked around at these amazing career fields and thought, 'I'm just this guy from North Philly, why am I here?'" Morales said. "I started comparing myself to other people in the program, but comparison steals your worth."
Any lingering doubts vanished when the cohort of 64 high-performing defense civilians nominated Morales to lead them during their orientation. The experience solidified his belief that his background was an asset, giving him the confidence to speak up among the department's future executives.

"That experience showed me that not only do I have a seat at the table, but I also have a voice," Morales said. "It has given me confidence that I have seen grow professionally."

Over the next ten months, the program sent Morales on a rigorous travel schedule across the world, visiting commands like Fort Sill, U.S. Space Force Command, U.S. Air Force Academy, North America Aerospace Defense Command, Air Force Special Operations Command, 6th Ranger Training Battalion, 7th Army Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, U.S. European Command, U.S. Africa Command, Eglin Air Force Base, Joint Force Command Brunssom, NATO Headquarters and more.

"Meeting the United States ambassador to NATO and five other European ambassadors to discuss the Arctic region was unbelievable," Morales said. "The opportunities and the experiences were just out of this world."

This global perspective helped Morales connect his daily administrative responsibilities at DLA Troop Support directly to the needs of the warfighter. During the program, he successfully briefed a special personnel project to the highest-ranking human resource official in the Department of War.

"Oftentimes we don't see the impact that a simple support agreement has on the warfighter," Morales said. "But having this opportunity, I've seen firsthand how our support agreements impact hospitals in Fort Benning."

Upon graduation from the program at the Pentagon, Morales returned to Philadelphia with a fully realized leadership framework built on relationship, adaptability, integrity, accountability and resilience. Armed with these values and a renewed professional fire, he now has his sights set on the highest levels of federal leadership.

"Leading with purpose, inspiring through action and developing the people around me all ultimately impact the mission," Morales said. "I know now that I could be the next SES somewhere, whether it's here or elsewhere."