Her insight into policy direction on the DoD acquisition system and major weapon programs is timely and valuable, especially in light of recent budget decisions.
Arlington, VA (PRWEB) January 17, 2014
Women In Defense (WID) has announced that the Honorable Katrina G. McFarland, Assistant Secretary of Defense (Acquisition), will speak at its Annual National Dinner on March 4, 2014, at the Crowne Plaza Tysons Corner, McLean, VA.
Mrs. McFarland, who is expected to discuss acquisition reform and the DoD budget’s impact on acquisition and defense contractors, is the principal adviser to the Secretary of Defense and the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics on matters relating to acquisition.
The event, which will be held in conjunction with the WID National Conference scheduled for March 5, 2014, is hosted by WID, an affiliate of NDIA. The Annual Dinner event begins with a reception at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m.
“It is truly a pleasure to welcome Mrs. McFarland to address attendees at the WID Annual Dinner," said Karen E. Conti, WID President. "Her insight into policy direction on the DoD acquisition system and major weapon programs is timely and valuable to industry representatives, especially in light of recent budget decisions.”
Mrs. McFarland began her civil service career in 1986 as a general engineer at Headquarters Marine Corps where she was accredited as a Materials, Mechanical, Civil and Electronics Engineer.
Mrs. McFarland’s accolades and accomplishments are far-reaching. She has received awards for her efforts in the joint arena of CEC, C2 and Theater Missile Defense integration and received recognition for her work from agencies and publications including Government Computing News. Her articles have been published in the Military Operations Research Society, American Society for Computer Simulation, and the International Aeronautical Engineering Societies Proceedings. She has received the Presidential Meritorious Executive Rank Award for 2011, the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service Award, the Department of the Navy, United States Marine Corps, Commendation Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service, DAWIA Level-III-certified in program management, has a professional engineer license and has attained her PMP certification.
Prior to her current position, she served as the President of the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) where she continued to build DAU’s outstanding reputation as the DoD’s primary learning institution while overseeing the development and expansion of acquisition curriculum and supporting learning opportunities for over 150,000 members of the Defense Acquisition Workforce. Under her leadership, DAU provided practitioner training, career management, and services to enable the acquisition, technology, logistics, and requirements community to make smart business decisions and deliver timely and affordable capabilities to the warfighter. This included addressing the ever-changing Defense Acquisition climate as required by the Under Secretary of Defense’s (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics) “Better Buying Power” initiatives, and the recent National Defense Authorization Act directions and guidance.
Prior to joining DAU, Mrs. McFarland was the Director for Acquisition for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA)—a position she held since May 2006.
For more information or to purchase corporate tables or single tickets for the Annual Dinner event on March 4: http://wid.ndia.org/news/Pages/4WI1.aspx.
For more information on the WID National Conference: http://www.ndia.org/meetings/4WID.
WID, an affiliate of NDIA, is committed to cultivating and supporting the advancement and recognition of women in all aspects of national security.