Mr. Pickens’ military education includes Airborne School, Ranger School, Basic Leaders Course, Equal Opportunity Leaders Course (EOLC), Long Range Surveillance Leaders Course, Advanced Leaders Course, Jumpmaster Course, Total Army Instructor Training Course, Combat Diver Qualification Course, Army Recruiter Course, Senior Leaders Course, USMC Summer Mountain Leaders Course, Tactical Certification Course, Basic Instructor Course, Commander/First Sergeant Course

Mr. Pickens’ maintenance background started as a young teenager when he would help his Dad’s construction company in the summers where he learned valuable skills that would benefit him a lifetime.  In addition, he took the opportunity to take Carpentry through his school’s Vo-Tech option.  

Mr. Pickens professional career was spent serving in the Army Infantry for 20 years where he deployed to Kosovo for Operation Allied Force, Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom, Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom, and various NATO countries while assigned to 173rd IBCT in Vicenza, Italy.  Mr. Pickens completed the last three years of his career as a Company First Sergeant at Ranger School and as a Brigade Operations Noncommissioned Officer In Charge for a 3,500 man Airborne Infantry Combat Team responsible for establishing, coordinating, resourcing, and planning missions across Europe.  Mr. Pickens is a Bronze Star and an Order of the St Maurice recipient, a high honor which he is humbled by.  

After retiring from the Army, Mr. Pickens served on the Commandant Staff at Norwich University, a Senior Military College.  There he was able to mentor, instruct, evaluate and develop leaders in the Corps of Cadets.  While this was an amazing opportunity and an excellent fit, Vermont didn’t feel like home for the Pickens family so they made the move to Oklahoma in 2019.  

Military service was quite busy and Mr. Pickens missed a lot over the years, he appreciates being able to serve at TCA now and see his family on a daily basis while simultaneously stewarding the building his children and others are blessed to be educated in. 

Mr. Pickens enjoys reading Louis L’Amour Western Novels and studying The Bible.