NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa. –
Top Defense Logistics Agency Acquisition leadership met with chiefs of contracting offices, or CCOs, and recognized several DLA employees during a visit to DLA Distribution headquarters in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, July 16-17.
Matthew Beebe, director of acquisition, DLA, joined George Atwood, deputy director of acquisition, DLA, to discuss acquisition workforce and compliance assessments, small business updates, strategic contracts, and industry engagements and recognize 15 acquisition employees from across the DLA enterprise.
Beebe serves as DLA’s Component Acquisition Executive and Senior Procurement Executive and is responsible for the development, application and oversight of DLA acquisition policy, plans, programs, functional systems and operations for the annual agency acquisition program. As the director of acquisition, he oversees the directorate as well as DLA Strategic Materials which administers the National Defense Stockpile for strategic and critical materials.
“As we discuss the challenges that come in supporting the warfighter as an agency, I know that we’ll have numerous ideas because we’re bringing in three organizations during today’s conversation,” Beebe said. “I’m beginning to assemble a list of your initial ideas and I want to keep growing that list. Today, I’ll be taking your ideas, capturing them and using them to make actual, definitive decisions, not just let them fade away.”
Atwood serves as Head of the Contracting Activity for DLA Contracting Services Office, DLA Disposition and DLA Distribution. He also serves as the DLA Competition Advocate, the DLA Senior Services manager and the Contracting Functional Area Leader.
“I really see how there is a great sense of collaboration between the DLA Contacting Services Office, DLA Disposition and DLA Distribution,” Atwood stated. “We’re here to talk about continuing to strengthen your network internally, across stakeholders and outside. We need to do things differently. We need to think differently, and we pick up different ideas by engaging with different people, bringing us new perspectives. This is something we need to keep doing, especially as we put this agency on a path to an enhanced state of operational readiness.”
Together, Beebe and Atwood recognized employees from DLA Contracting Services Office, DLA Distribution and DLA Disposition for various contributions to the agency’s mission.
“I recognize how important it is for us to be able to get after the real challenges for the warfighter that face us,” Beebe said. “It’s that ‘warfighter always’ culture we have at these levels that we need to achieve success going forward, and I want to recognize that today.”
The DLA employees recognized included:
From DLA Disposition Services:
- Myra Hampton, procurement technician
- Lizzie Roberts, contract specialist, MSC culture champion
- Jose Tovar, procurement analyst
- Andrew VanKoevering, business process analyst
- Matthew Wonch, contract specialist
From DLA Contracting Services Office:
- Desiree Cudeyro, contract specialist, DCSO Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Jennifer Dewease, contract specialist, DCSO New Cumberland, Pennsylvania
- Elizabeth Hanlon, contract specialist, DCSO Columbus, Ohio
- Heesun Redmond, acquisition specialist, DCSO Richmond, Virginia
- Alice Seideneck, procurement analyst, DCSO New Cumberland, Pennsylvania
From DLA Distribution:
- Karen Dus, procurement analyst
- Bryan Hanisko, acquisition project officer
- Allexas Kirchgessner, contract specialist
- Courtney Plank, acquisition project officer
- Jason Taylor, contract specialist