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2023 Wash100 Awardee Stefanie Tompkins Honored With Commemorative Profile
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2023 Wash100 Awardee Stefanie Tompkins Honored With Commemorative Profile

On Tuesday, Executive Mosaic honored Stefanie Tompkins – one of the government contracting industry’s strongest leaders – with an in-depth profile detailing the remarkable accomplishments that earned her a spot in the 2023 Wash100 Award class.

This iteration of Wash100 marks the award’s 10th anniversary of highlighting the top tier of GovCon talent. Each year, the achievements of each nominee are carefully weighed to determine which 100 executives will receive the most coveted recognition in the GovCon field.

Tompkins, who currently serves as director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, won her second Wash100 Award for her impactful work to establish and progress technology development initiatives and foster the next generation of scientific talent.

Her dedication to promoting innovation led to the launch of multiple new initiatives, including the Advanced Research Concepts program and the DARPA Innovation Fellowship Program. To read her full profile, click here.

Though today marks the conclusion of Executive Mosaic’s series of celebratory profiles, the Wash100 spirit will continue through April 28 with the exciting annual popular vote contest! Before the competition wraps up, be sure to cast your 10 votes at Wash100.com.

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Noam Oz Instated as Director of Innovation Operations at ONR-Backed NavalX
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Noam Oz Instated as Director of Innovation Operations at ONR-Backed NavalX

Noam Oz, a former Naval Sea Systems Command program manager with 20 years of combined industry and government experience, has been appointed director of innovation operations at NavalX at the Office of Naval Research.

In a recent LinkedIn post, Oz said he would work closely with government, industry and academia to support the Navy’s Unmanned Task Force and other innovation hubs throughout the Department of Defense.

Oz joined NavalX from the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, where he served as a sprint and transition lead responsible for building and executing strategy for the development, prototyping and fielding of unmanned capabilities to the U.S. Navy Fleet.

He previously held various roles at NAVSEA and companies such as Noblis, Lockheed Martin and eBay Enterprise.

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Executive Order Seeks to Update Regulatory Review Process
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Executive Order Seeks to Update Regulatory Review Process

An executive order signed by President Joe Biden will increase the threshold for regulatory analysis that policymakers use to understand the effects of regulatory actions on the economy as part of efforts to modernize the U.S. regulatory review system.

“In order to focus OIRA and agency resources where they are most beneficial, the executive order increases the threshold to $200 million from $100 million in annual effects and directs that it be adjusted for GDP growth every three years,” Richard Revesz, administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs within the Office of Management and Budget, wrote in a blog post published Thursday.

The EO will encourage the public to increase their involvement in the regulatory review process and directs OMB through OIRA to revise Circular A-4.

Revesz said the circular serves as guidance that seeks to help agencies determine the effects of their regulatory actions.

“Specifically, the revision updates the discount rate that translates future costs and benefits into present-day values, provides greater support for analyzing distributional effects, and provides more thorough guidance for accounting for risk and uncertainty,” he wrote.

Revesz noted that OMB is also advancing revisions to Circular A-94, which offers guidelines on how federal grant funding is spent annually and that the proposed updates seek to “help better target federal funds for crucial projects.”

OMB is soliciting public input on the proposed revisions to the two circulars.

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Aerospace Expert Ravi Chaudhary Becomes USAF Assistant Secretary for Installations, Environment & Energy
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Aerospace Expert Ravi Chaudhary Becomes USAF Assistant Secretary for Installations, Environment & Energy

The Department of the Air Force has appointed aerospace and defense executive Ravi Chaudhary as assistant secretary for installations, environment and energy.

He will lead budget management as well as implementation of programs and plans concerning energy, installations, environment, occupational health and safety within the department, the U.S. Air Force said Friday.

Chaudhary previously served as director of advanced programs and innovation at the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation. He also spent time as acting deputy assistant secretary for energy at the Department of the Navy.

His service within the Air Force has taken him from the Space Command to the Materiel Command, as well as the Charleston and Andrews Air Force bases.

One of his notable roles was as commissioner for the White House Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders from 2014 to 2019.

“Ravi’s experience serving in numerous government agencies, to include the Department of the Air Force as a pilot, space launch engineer and acquisition officer, will be a major asset to our team as he steps into his new role,” said Frank Kendall, Secretary of the Air Force and four-time Wash100 winner.

NNSA Establishes Committee to Advise on Nuclear Security Matters
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NNSA Establishes Committee to Advise on Nuclear Security Matters

The National Nuclear Security Administration has renewed an advisory committee tasked with providing recommendations on counterterrorism and counterproliferation programs, nuclear weapon modernization initiatives and nuclear nonproliferation and arms control regimes.

The Advisory Committee for Nuclear Security, formerly known as the Defense Programs Advisory Committee, will provide insights on building and implementing the nation’s mission to counter emerging nuclear threats, the Department of Energy said Friday.

In addition, the committee will advise the NNSA administrator on the technical approach to nuclear security and other topics, including workforce development and pipeline activities.

According to NNSA, the renewal of the committee is essential to ensure that the agency performs its duties and complies with rules and regulations related to nuclear security.

ACNS will operate in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

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FCC to Hold Kickoff Event for Space Bureau & Office of International Affairs
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FCC to Hold Kickoff Event for Space Bureau & Office of International Affairs

The Federal Communications Commission will hold a public event on Tuesday, April 11, to mark the official launch of its new Space Bureau and Office of International Affairs as part of a reorganization effort.

The bureau will oversee policy and licensing matters related to satellite and space-based communications to foster a competitive communications marketplace worldwide, FCC said Friday.

It is positioned to play a key role in coordinating with other U.S. government agencies on space policy and governance and promote the efficient use of scarce spectrum and orbital resources, in addition to other responsibilities.

The Office of International Affairs, among other activities, will implement FCC’s policies to promote competition and foreign investment in U.S. international telecommunications markets while addressing national security, trade and foreign policy issues.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel first announced the creation of the new offices in November is a function of the push to meet the needs of the satellite industry, advance long-term technical capacity to address policies and enhance coordination with other agencies.

National Space Council Director Jacob Middleton Ascends to Brigadier General
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National Space Council Director Jacob Middleton Ascends to Brigadier General

Vice President Kamala Harris presided over a ceremony for the promotion of Jacob Middleton, director of national security space policy at the National Space Council, to the rank of brigadier general.

In his new rank, Middleton will continue to support the development and implementation of policy and strategy to synchronize civil, commercial and national security space initiatives, the U.S. Space Force said Thursday.

“As these sectors become more overlapped, it is critical there is a national entity that looks across all these sectors to ensure we get the most out of our space sectors and drive towards synergies that benefit people across the Nation and the world,” Middleton said.

Middleton previously served as the director of Space Forces, U.S. Air Force Central Command, vice commander of the 50th Space Wing at Schriever Air Force Base and commander of Aerospace Data Facility Colorado.

He was selected to transition into the Space Force in 2019 following nearly three decades of service in the Air Force.

Lloyd Austin, defense secretary and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, announced Middleton’s appointment to the rank of brigadier general in May 2022.

Adm. Christopher Grady Recommends Parallel Processing for Faster Capabilities Acquisition at DOD
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Adm. Christopher Grady Recommends Parallel Processing for Faster Capabilities Acquisition at DOD

The Department of Defense should consider accomplishing some steps in the acquisition process in parallel rather than in sequence in order to speed up supply procurement, U.S. Navy Adm. Christopher Grady, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was quoted as saying in DOD News.

Grady, a Wash100 inductee, made his remarks during an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

He recommended the agency’s Adaptive Acquisition Framework and Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve as two pathways to expedite the acquisition of capabilities needed by warfighters. AAF includes five decision routes that can be combined or tailored by decision authorities and program managers according to the capability to be purchased. RDER, meanwhile, is an initiative to encourage, expand and accelerate prototyping and experimentation among different DOD components.

Grady cited the testing phase as an ideal stage for parallel processing. “We can do and embed the testing apparatus in the acquisition process as we work our way along, such that when we’re ready at the very end, all we have to do is that final test, as opposed to then starting the whole testing process,” he suggested.

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Former Ball Aerospace Exec Makenzie Lystrup Appointed Goddard Space Flight Center Director
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Former Ball Aerospace Exec Makenzie Lystrup Appointed Goddard Space Flight Center Director

Makenzie Lystrup, former vice president and general manager of Ball Aerospace‘s civil space unit, has been sworn in as director of the Goddard Space Flight Center.

Lystrup, who takes over for acting center director Dave Mitchell, will be the first woman to lead the NASA research laboratory, the space agency announced Friday.

Earlier in her career, Lystrup was a postdoctoral research fellow of astronomy and astrophysics at the National Science Foundation. She also spent a year as a science policy fellow at the U.S. House of Representatives.

She joined Ball Aerospace in 2013 as business development manager of space sciences and technologies. She served in various roles before being appointed as the company’s civil space VP and GM.

“As center director, she will lead a world-renowned team of scientists, engineers, and technologists focused on Earth and space science. Under her leadership, the Goddard workforce will continue to inspire, innovate, and explore the unknown for the benefit of all,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said.

Mitchell, who was chosen as Goddard’s interim director in January, will return to NASA’s headquarters and continue his responsibilities as chief program management officer.

KBR’s Byron Bright & DOD’s Nickolas Guertin Recognized for 2023 Wash100 Achievements
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KBR’s Byron Bright & DOD’s Nickolas Guertin Recognized for 2023 Wash100 Achievements

On Monday, Executive Mosaic highlighted the accomplishments of two 2023 Wash100 Award winners — KBR Government Solutions President Byron Bright and Nickolas Guertin, nominee for assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition — in individual profiles describing why they were selected to this year’s elite list.

The Wash100 list comprises 100 of the top executives across the government contracting landscape. The annual award recognizes these individuals for demonstrating excellence in their organizations and for shaping the future of GovCon.

This year, Bright gained his fourth consecutive Wash100 recognition for driving KBR’s continued delivery of weapons systems and technologies to vital United States military branches, space agencies and other high-growth markets in today’s constantly evolving battlespace. Read more about why Executive Mosaic selected Bright for the 2023 Wash100 list here.

Guertin won his first Wash100 Award this year in recognition of his past and current impact as director of Operational Test and Evaluation within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and in anticipation of the influence he will have over the GovCon space upon his confirmation to the Navy assistant secretary role. Click here to read Executive Mosaic’s profile of Guertin and learn more about his vision for the position.

Have you used all ten of your votes for this year’s Wash100 popular vote competition? If not, head over to Wash100.com to cast your votes for your favorite GovCon leaders! The race ends April 28, so get your votes in today!

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