This episode of The Contracting Experience features a discussion with Robin Harrah, the new Contracting Technical Director at the Air Force Materiel Command. Harrah discusses her previous contracting assignments and explains her new role as the Technical Director. As the former Chief of Contracts for Special Projects, Harrah shares her passion for working in the vault and clarifies several misperceptions about working in a controlled environment. Harrah also offers some solid career advice...

This episode of The Contracting Experience focuses on artificial Intelligence with guest Lt. Col. Dan Finkenstadt, an officer in the Air Force Contracting Force Development division. Finkenstadt holds a PhD from UNC Chapel Hill and served as a professor at the Naval Post Graduate School for the three years. In this episode, Finkenstadt describes the relationships between Artificial Intelligence, Bots, Machine Learning and Large Language Models while offering use cases, benefits, and risks for...

The Contracting Experience Podcast partnered with the Air Force Materiel Command’s Small Business Directorate to interview two business leaders of women-owned small businesses who have successfully entered the Department of the Air Force market and demonstrated their capabilities and commitment to the Air Force mission. They are Jaqueline Gamblin, Chief Executive Officer of JYG Innovations, and Lisa Coker, Chief Executive Officer of Infinite Management Solutions. The Department of the Air...

In this episode of The Contracting Experience podcast we sit down with Head of Air Force Contracting, Maj. Gen .Alice Trevino. Trevino talks about the Great Power Competition and what contracting’s role will be in optimizing the Air Force towards this mission. She also addresses where we are going with digital transformation in Air Force Acquisition and some of the top initiatives contracting professionals can get involved with in 2024. Trevino also advises the workforce on her top areas to...

In this episode, we sit down with Capt. Alicia Binggeli, Heather Carino, and Capt. Oleksandr Bakuta who are Air Force contracting professionals who have completed Education with Industry (EWI) fellowships. Alicia, Heather, and Oleksandr share their experiences working with 8VC, SpaceX, and Intel Capital. They each discuss what they found impactful during their EWI fellowships as well as how contracting professionals can start applying their lessons learned today. Acronyms: EWI – Education...

In this episode, we learn about the Air Force Acquisition Toolbox. There are three contracting folks that are part of this conversation. Two of the individuals are members of the SAF/AQC Operational Imperative Field Support Team, Elizabeth Midkiff and Laura Fuller, and the third person is Air Force Materiel Command Contract Data Specialist, Justin Lyles. In this conversation you’ll learn about what the Acquisition Toolbox is and how it is supported for effectiveness to assist acquisition...

In this episode, we sit down with Roger Westermeyer, Director of Enterprise Solutions Support at the Air Force Installation Contracting Center. Roger partnered with Defense Acquisition University to develop a course on critical thinking. He discusses how we can apply critical thinking to the acquisition process. Roger also gives insight into where you can start if you’re interested in learning more about how to better think critically. Acronyms: ASP – Acquisition Strategy Panel Defense...

In this episode, we sit down with Rob Lorton, Branch Chief for Data eUtilization within the Air Force Materiel Command Contracting Digital Division. Rob talks about the vision for the new Contract Data Specialist positions that were created in Air Force Contracting. He discusses expectations of the responsibilities and experience level of the positions. Rob also gives insight into where you can start if you’re interested in a Contract Data Specialist position. Acronyms: CDS – Contract...

In this episode, we sit down with Col. Eric Obergfell, Deputy Director of Contracts, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. Obergfell explains what psychological safety is and why it’s important in our Air Force organizations. He also speaks to the value that personal growth adds to Air force missions and how to know when you need a mentor and when you need a coach in your career. Acronyms: STRATCOM – United States Strategic Command DCMA – Defense Contract Management Agency SOCCOM –...

This guest episode features the Defense Acquisition University’s (DAU) Contracting Conversations podcast hosted by DAU Department Chairs, Jim Valley and Scott Williams. Contracting Conversations aims to provide listeners with updated information on the credentialing contracting curriculum and answer questions on the training structure at Defense Acquisition University. This featured episode from Contracting Conversations talks about the Back-to-Basics certification structure, one year after...

In this episode, we sit down with Air Force Materiel Command Commander, Gen. Duke Z. Richardson. Richardson talks about visiting many AFMC centers and installations in his first six months in his current role and what surprised him most about what he saw. He also shares how his 2023 Air Force Materiel Command Strategic Plan was developed and how the workforce can utilize it in executing their missions. Acronyms: OI - Operational Imperatives DMM - Digital Materiel Management AFMC - Air...

In this episode, we sit down with two Air Force Contracting professionals leading the adoption and transition to CON-IT. Jay Olson comes to us from SAF/AQCI--Air Force Contracting Business Systems, and Dan Parish is from the contracting directorate at Headquarters, Air Force Materiel Command. The guests outline the top three things teams should be doing to prepare for the transition to CON-IT. They also talk about recent successes on the program and opportunities for e-business at the...

This episode of the podcast is with Head of Air Force Contracting, Maj Gen Alice Trevino and podcast guest interviewer and future Contracting Squadron Commander, Maj Delaney Kiernan. Gen Trevino talks about looking at the challenges and opportunities in Air Force Contracting through a lens of alignment, prioritization, and simplification. She also addresses how Lines of Effort are being reviewed and addressed within the Air Force Contracting Flight Plan. Gen Trevino encourages...

AFMC/PK Podcast Episode 41: Follow-up: Collaborating with Industry - Chelsea Fulham & Abby Doorn In this episode, we follow-up with our guests from episode 36, Chelsea Fulham and Abby Doorn, who are Air Force Contracting professionals that completed Education with Industry (EWI) fellowships. Chelsea's work with Amazon and Abby's work with Anduril really got them thinking about how collaborative industry is with its partners and how Government Acquisition may better take advantage of...

This episode of "The Contracting Experience" (TCE) podcast features a conversation between F-16 Systems Program Office (SPO) Director Col Timothy Bailey and TCE host Amber Pecoraro during the F-16 SPO workforce development discussion "Sharpen the Claw". Amber talks about two initiatives she's been leading in Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command Contracting Directorate - Creating and hosting "The Contracting Experience" podcast and creating the first-ever one-on-one coaching program for...

In this episode we sit down with Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Program Manager, Maj. Paul Weisgarber, and Procurement Contracting Officer, Noel Burke, to talk about their experience working on the Special Operations Command Ghost Program. Weisgarber and Burke give insights into what the Ghost program is and the culture they experienced there. They also share their advice to anyone thinking of applying for the program and what they learned that has shaped their perspective for future...

What can you learn from establishing a new contracting squadron? For the first time in Department of Defense history, there was a transfer of a military base from one Service to another. It was Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling (JBAB), which transferred from the Navy to the Air Force in October 2020. Maj. Ruben Arredondo was tagged to assist in the effort. Then he was selected as Commander of the 11th Wing Contracting Squadron, a unit that he would need to build and lead for the first time. In...

In this episode, Certified Professional Coach and host, Amber Pecoraro, talks about a topic that she has worked on with Contracting Supervisors: taming task lists/to-do lists. Is your task list/to-do list making you feel guilty and like you are constantly behind, rather than helping you be effective and efficient in your job? If so, this episode is for you. Amber gives you strategies to help your task list work for you, instead of you working for your task list. If you would like to...

In this episode, we sit down with Chelsea Fuhlam and Abby Doorn who are Air Force Contracting professionals doing Education with Industry (EWI) fellowships. Chelsea’s work with Amazon and Abby’s work with Anduril really got them thinking about how collaborative industry is with its partners and how government acquisition can take better advantage of opportunities to collaborate with industry to meet its goals. As part of their EWI capstone project, Chelsea and Abby are working with Data...

In this episode, we feature another great Air Force Materiel Command podcast. It is Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s podcast, The AFLCMC Leadership Log. The podcast has over 75 episodes and covers a variety of topics like, what’s happening at the Rapid Sustainment Office, Civilian Developmental Education, cyber resiliency and perspectives from Air Force Leadership. In this episode, we feature the Leadership Log’s episode #40 on Digital Engineering. It is important for acquisition...

This episode features Air Force Materiel Command's Commander's Initiatives Group Director Kimberly Norman, and Procurement Analyst Barbaralee Mariano Kelleher, who discuss the AFMC CDX office and how it is accelerating innovation initiatives. They talk about what CDX’s mission is and the progress that has been made through the AFMC We Need initiative. In addition, the ladies share how the AFMC workforce can engage with CDX to get additional resources and help solve problems out in the...

In this episode, we sit down with Chief of the Contracting Business Systems Division under the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary (Contracting), Jay Olson. Olson talks about the transition from Air Force contract writing system ConWrite to CON-IT. This episode gives important information to all members of the acquisition team on what they should expect in preparation for and transition to the new CON-IT system. Olson also introduces the ConWrite Transition Plan which can be found by Air...

In this episode, we sit down with the Department of the Air Force Digital Transformation Office Chief, Kyle Hurst. Hurst talks about the mission of the Digital Transformation Office and why it’s so important for the Air Force to automate unnecessary manual processes and transform digitally in order to compete with near peer adversaries. He also shares what everyday Airmen can do to contribute to this immediate challenge facing the Air Force. Acronyms: AFMC – Air Force Materiel Command DAF –...

In this episode, we talk to the Commandant of the Acquisition Instructor Course or AQIC, Col. Steve Smith. The Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force directed the establishment of an advanced acquisition career field training course developed in partnership with the United States Air Force Weapons School. This unique opportunity for United States Air Force and United States Space Force acquisition professionals aligns with the Force Modernization Talent Management Framework to develop broadly...