Date: 30 August 2023

Time:  1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Eastern (10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Pacific)

CLPs: 1.5

Description:

Learn how to take your middle tier program to the next level. From 2019 to 2022 programs using the Middle Tier pathway have increased from 19 to over 100 programs. As GAO's latest study of leading acquisition practices found in March 2022, leading companies rely on key principles for successful product development. If the military departments and other DOD components incorporate these leading principles more fully into their MTA policies, they will be better positioned to meet their users' needs with greater speed—the core goal of the MTA pathway.

Speakers:

Shelby S. Oakley

Ms. Oakley is a Director in the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) Contracting and National Security Acquisitions team. She oversees GAO’s work examining the most complex and expensive acquisitions within the federal government. Her portfolio includes Navy Shipbuilding programs, DOD acquisition policy and oversight, and leading practices in product development. She is also responsible for GAO’s annual work to assess the cost, schedule, and performance of DOD’s portfolio of major defense and middle-tier acquisition programs. Previously, Ms. Oakley led teams reviewing the activities of NASA with a focus on acquisition management. Her reviews covered key aspects of NASA’s operations, such as sustainment of the International Space Station and reviews of all major NASA systems including in-depth reviews of NASA’s human spaceflight programs and the James Webb Space Telescope. Ms. Oakley earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and her Bachelor’s Degree from Washington and Jefferson College. 

Christopher Durbin

Chris Durbin is an Assistant Director in the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) Contracting and National Security Acquisitions team. He has 20 years of experience evaluating Department of Defense (DOD) acquisition programs, policies, and culture. He has recently overseen reviews evaluating DOD’s middle tier of acquisition pathway and industry leading practices for successful product development. He previously oversaw GAO’s annual assessments of execution risks and performance in over 80 major weapons acquisition programs and defense science and technology reviews on topics that included leading practices in innovation investments and management, laboratory governance, and industry independent research and development. Earlier in his career, he led detailed reviews of major Navy shipbuilding programs and capabilities, along with an evaluation of the best practices that leading commercial shipbuilders and ship buyers around the world employ. He holds a Master of Public Administration degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree, both from the University of Kentucky.

Host: Mr. Venkat Rao, Professor of Acquisition Management, DAU