Goverment Procurement Law Perspectives Fall 2017

T H E GEORGE WA SHI NGTON U N I V ER SIT Y L AW SCHOOL

GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT LAW

Perspectives

PROGRAM ESTABLISHED 1960

FALL 2017 ISSUE

FOCUS ON VETERANS

CGP Awards First Veterans Scholarship

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n a strikingly beautiful August morning, the Coalition for Government Procurement (CGP) hosted its fifth annual Joseph P. Caggiano Memorial Golf Tournament at Whiskey Creek Golf Club. This year’s outing was marked with celebration as the CGP recognized Tom Roltsch, a student in the GW Master of Science in Government Contracts (MSGC) Program, as its first scholarship recipient.

Earlier in the summer, the Coalition had achieved its fundraising goal to endow a scholarship for a veteran concentrating his or her studies in the field of government contracts and pursuing a degree at the George Washington University. The goal of the scholarship is to encourage the next generation of acquisition professionals and veterans to lead this important sector of the U.S. economy.

The first recipient of the annual scholarship, Mr. Roltsch is an engineer (contractor) at the Customs and Border Patrol Office of Acquisition and the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) Office of Acquisition, where he manages the development, production, and fielding phases of complex projects.

Like many MSGC students, Mr. Roltsch

Army veterans Tom Roltsch, MSGC Class of ’18, and Prof. Karen Thornton expressed gratitude to the Coalition for Government Procurement for endowing a veterans scholarship.

The Coalition for Government Procurement presented a generous check to the law school.

Pictured (left to right): Won Lee, Robert Rendely, Tom Roltsch, MSGC Class of ’18, Prof.

Karen Thornton, Roger Waldron, and Hon. Jeri Somers

already holds one advanced degree, in systems engineering and physics, which he uses to evaluate, review, and analyze complex high technology related to the enforcement mission of the U.S. CBP and TSA, with special emphasis on systems engineering, reliability, availability, and maintainability evaluation.

Mr. Roltsch says he came to the MSGC program to make a career transition and prepare for leadership responsibilities in the acquisition field. “For the past 15 years, I have been bouncing around from one contract to another, along with four deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with the U.S. Army Reserve,” he says. “My goal is to get a government job at the GS 14 or 15 level, preferably as a project manager. I have the engineering background to be a project manager, but I do not have the business acumen. That is why I am doing this course of study at GW.” The GW foursome was rounded out

by Judge Jeri Somers and Won Lee, two military veterans on the Government

Contracts Board of Advisors. Judge Somers, Chair of the CBCA, retired from the Air Force Reserves as a military judge at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and Mr. Lee, Associate General Counsel at General Dynamics Mission Systems, served 20 years as an Air Force JAG, including as Staff Judge Advocate at Hanscom Air Force Base. They were joined by Karen Thornton, Director of the Government Procurement Law program, who served as a JAG assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chief Counsel’s Honors Program. n

Hon. Jeri Somers shared golfing tips with Prof. Karen Thornton at the 18th hole of scenic Whiskey Creek Golf Course.

FOCUS ON WOMEN IN GOVCON • FOCUS ON VETERANS

Patricia Wittie, JD ’77, Retires as PCLJ Editor in Chief, Tara Ward, JD ’09, Takes Reins

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he Public Contract Law Journal’s (PCLJ) May 2017 editorial board meeting marked a bittersweet occasion, the retirement of Editor-inChief Patricia Wittie. Ms. Wittie passed the torch to Tara Ward, an associate at

Wiley Rein, who had been Managing Editor of the journal, as well as the student Editor-in-Chief as a 3L. Before becoming Editor-in-Chief of the PCLJ, Ms. Wittie was Editor-inChief of the Procurement Lawyer, the

Pictured from left: Prof. Karen Thornton, Hon. Victor Wolski, Herman Levy, Michael Mason, JD ’96, Leslie Harrelson, Patricia Wittie, JD ’77, Tara Ward, JD ’09, Nicole Giles, JD Class of ’18, Professors Chris Yukins and Steve Schooner, and Kevin Park, JD Class of ’18

quarterly newsletter of the ABA Section of Public Contract Law. Ms. Wittie’s career has been marked by extraordinary service to the section, for which she served as Chair from 2004 to 2005. Since serving as Chair, Ms. Wittie has held the position of Liaison from the section to the ABA’s Commission on Women in the Profession.

GW Law is proud to house the PCLJ, not just for the outstanding caliber of scholarship it produces but also for the professional development opportunities it offers student members and editors as they sharpen their written communication and leadership skills. We are grateful to the alumni who return to serve as journal adjuncts to support and mentor our student authors, including alumni Bryan Byrd, JD ’13, Jayna Rust, JD ’13, Collin Swan, JD ’12, and Sonia Tabriz, JD ’13. n

From left to right: 1LT Warren Bianchi, JD ’16; 1LT Kyle Ainsworth, JD ’16; 1LT Tara Arndt, LLM ’15; 1LT Alycia Stokes, JD ’16; 1LT Aimee Rider, JD ’16.

Alums Graduate Army’s Direct Commissioning Course

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wo members of the Public Contract Law Journal 2015-16 editorial board, Warren Bianchi, JD ’16 (Articles Editor), and Aimee Rider, JD ’16 (Symposium Editor), were among five GW Law alumni who graduated from the U.S. Army Direct Commissioning Course (DCC) in Ft. Benning, Georgia, in February. The training at Ft. Benning included the Army physical fitness test, land navigation, basic rifle marksmanship, and a timed six-mile ruck march.

“We all agree that DCC was a great experience to establish that we are serving the Army and our country as dual-professionals,” said LT Rider.

The newly minted first lieutenants, which include 1LT Kyle Ainsworth,

JD ’16; 1LT Tara Arndt, LLM ’15; and 1LT Alycia Stokes, JD ’16, received guidance from several former JAG officers on the faculty, including Professors Gregory E. Maggs, Steven L. Schooner, and Karen Thornton, as well as Deans Hank R. Molinengo and Lisa M. Schenck.

LTs Bianchi and Rider will enter the JAG Corps as reservists in May upon graduation from the Judge Advocate General’s School in Charlottesville, Virginia. LT Bianchi will be joining the Washington, D.C. office of Hogan

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Lovells, and LT Rider will return to the Winchester, Virginia, office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where she serves as a procurement attorney in the Chief Counsel’s Civilian Honors Program. They’ll be assigned to the same Reserve unit in Maryland. Their fellow GW Law alumni and DCC classmates LTs Kyle Ainsworth, Tara Arndt, and Alycia Stokes will be entering active duty and assigned to duty stations around the world. n

FOCUS ON WOMEN IN GOVCON

GW Law Women in GovCon Holds Luncheon, Launches Speaker Series with Angela Styles

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n September 8, GW Law hosted its inaugural Women in Government Contracts Luncheon and Workshop. We were pleased to welcome newly retired alumna Karen Wilson to offer reflections on the role grit and resilience played during her career. Judge Ruth Burg’s appearance was a delightful surprise, and her biography and words of encouragement were inspiring.

After the presentation portion of the program, Karen Thornton, Director of the Government Procurement Law Program, led a workshop designed to start conversations among women at varied stages in their careers about decisionmaking, communicating, and forging connections with mentors. The workshop borrowed from the ABA Commission on Women in the Law’s Grit Project Toolkit, which provides a guide and practical training tips on how to build a growth mindset and improve adaptability to overcome ever-changing barriers in the workplace. The exercises prompted frank and revealing conversations among participants, who brought varied perspectives from different career stages and paths.

Program participants left energized to bring these conversations back to their workplaces, and to continue building supportive relationships within the GW Law Government Contracts community.

Assist. Dean Jessica Tillipman, Ioana Cristei, JD ’16, and Alice Eldridge, JD ’91, shared experiences as part of the workshop on grit and resilience.

The launch of the Women in Government Contracts group was a dream come true for alumnae Prof. Karen Thornton and Assist. Dean Jessica Tillipman, who were delighted to welcome back to campus Karen Wilson, LLM ’82, and Hon. Ruth Burg, BS ’45, JD ’50.

Survey responses submitted after the lunch suggested that the participants welcome future opportunities to return to campus for speakers, workshops, and mentoring opportunities.

Just four weeks later, we hosted Angela Styles, former Chair and Partner at Crowell & Moring, for the first installment in our speaker series. The Public Contract Law Journal co-sponsored the event, and 3L member Melanie Baker had the distinct honor of interviewing Ms. Styles. Again, those in the room were treated to very candid observations about diversity within the legal profession.

PCLJ member Melanie Baker, JD Class of ’18, was thrilled to interview Angela Styles.

Ms. Styles recounted an epiphany she’d had in the last month. She was participating on a panel about implicit bias when a young female attorney in the audience asked a question about how to deal with sexual harassment in the workplace. Ms. Styles said she realized she had mistakenly assumed, perhaps because of her own seniority, that our profession had advanced to the point where active bias has been resolved. Her advice to those in the audience was to listen well when a colleague brings troubling complaints and not be dismissive just because the situation is complex and layered with emotion.

She emphasized the importance of having a mentor to talk to before elevating an issue. After her remarks, students were able to meet and mingle with alumni, and many strong mentorships were forged. n GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT LAW PERSPECTIVES 3

FACULT Y FOCUS

Faculty Play Vital Role at World Bank’s Suspension and Debarment Colloquium

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n September 14, Professors Steve Schooner and Chris Yukins and Assistant Dean Jessica Tillipman participated as moderators and panelists in the Fourth Colloquium on Suspension and Debarment, organized by the World Bank Office of Suspension and Debarment. Collin Swan, JD ’12, counsel in that office and adjunct faculty member, played a significant role in planning the event. The colloquium showcased recent developments in suspension and debarment systems worldwide, examining the various uses of suspension and debarment in the procurement and anti-corruption contexts. In particular, panelists examined recent changes to suspension and debarment rules and policies, their application to small and medium enterprises,

USTDA Recognizes Faculty Efforts

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homas R. Hardy, Acting Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), hosted an award ceremony at GW Law on October 13, featuring former Associate Dean Daniel I. Gordon, to recognize the successful partnership between the Government Procurement Law Program faculty and his agency’s Global Procurement Initiative (GPI).

When then-Associate Dean Gordon brokered the partnership with GPI in 2013, the purpose was to promote best practices in procurement and strengthen capacity in the national entities overseeing procurement procedures to achieve transparent and efficient systems. Over the past four years the

Professor Steve Schooner moderated a panel on recent trends and developments in suspension and debarment.

and ways different countries implement suspension and debarment. Building on themes discussed in previous colloquia, this year’s colloquium also examined suspension and debarment as it relates to the development missions of several of the multilateral development banks. GW Law’s Government Procurement Law Program also hosted a speaker’s dinner for international visitors from universities and nongovernmental organizations in Austria, Cameroon, Canada, France, Germany, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. n

faculty has presented to delegations from numerous states, including Botswana, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, the Phillippines, Romania, Turkey, and Vietnam.

During his remarks, Enrique Millán, the Colombian Embassy’s head trade counselor, gave credit to our faculty’s training for building understanding of best-value contracting, expanding competition, and helping the government of Colombia gain public trust. Tam Nguyen of Bechtel and Justin Koester of Medtronic explained that the GPI’s efforts had significantly lowered barriers for U.S. companies seeking to compete in overseas procurements, from vast infrastructure projects to small hospital supply contracts. In accepting the USTDA’s award, Dean Blake D. Morant expressed deep pride in the faculty’s leadership, professionalism, diplomacy, and cultural awareness, which are a service to the legal profession. n

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World Bank Counsel and adjunct faculty member, Collin Swan, JD ’12 (center)

Professor Chris Yukins provided remarks on the use of suspension and debarment as an anti-corruption tool.

USTDA Acting Director Thomas Hardy presents Dean Blake D. Morant with a plaque that reads “In appreciation of your partnership and contributions supporting the USTDA’s Global Procurement Initiative and your commitmenttopromotinginternationalbestpracticesin public procurement around the world.”