DoDEA

Mr. Chris Pigott

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA — August 25, 2008 — Mr. Chris Pigott has been selected as the new Procurement Chief for the Department of Defense Education Activity.

Mr. Pigott, a native of Washington, D.C., joins DoDEA from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) where he was the Director of the Human Capital and Finance Division in the Office of Acquisition at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). His division was responsible for the contracting requirements for TSA's Office of Human Capital, Office of Finance and Administration, and Office of Acquisition.

As Chief of DoDEA's Procurement Division, Mr. Pigott will oversee purchases and contracts for goods and services valued at approximately $47 million annually.

"When we went into the selection process for a procurement chief, we needed a person who was strong on the legalities of procurement but equally strong on customer service," said Mr. Kevin Kelly, DoDEA's Associate Director for Financial and Business Operations. "In addition to his vast knowledge and experience, he came across as an absolute team player - someone who understands the mission, and someone who knows how to work with people and motivate people to get the job done," Kelly added.

Mr. Pigott has 29 years of government contracting experience and in addition to his service at DHS, he has worked at the Defense Supply Service-Washington (Office of the Secretary of the Army), Defense Fuel Supply Center (Defense Logistics Agency), Naval Sea Systems Command (Department of the Navy), U.S. Mint (Department of the Treasury), and at GovWorks (Department of the Interior).

During his contracting career, he has been both a Contract Specialist and a Procurement Analyst, and has held an unlimited Contracting Officer's warrant for almost 19 years. He has been involved in all phases of the pre- and post-award procurement process and has negotiated contracts for commercial and non-commercial supplies and services, to include crude oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve; major weapon systems; information technology services and equipment; and human resources services.

Mr. Pigott is looking forward to working for the school system he once attended.

"DoDEA clearly has a very important mission and doing my part to fulfill this mission will undoubtedly be rewarding but also challenging," he said. "As a youngster I attended Department of Defense schools overseas so I have a special fondness for the schools that DoDEA supports and believe that any success I have had in my career is, in part, the result of this schooling,"

Mr. Pigott received a Hammer Award in 1997 and again in 1999 for his use of innovative contracting approaches. In February 2003, he was selected as one of two Navy representatives to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations Supplement (DFARS) Transformation Task Force.

He earned his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech).

DoDEA plans, directs, coordinates, and manages the education programs for Department of Defense dependents who would otherwise not have access to a high-quality public education. DoDEA consists of the Department of Defense Dependents Schools located overseas, and the Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools located in the United States and its territories and possessions. DoDEA provides education to eligible DoD military and civilian dependents from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.