Ashley Fetherman

GS-1102-15

• Leading five (5) operational contracting Branches responsible for the acquisition of NOAA’s Professional, Technical and Scientific Services, Information Technology/Cloud/AI services, High Performance Computing, and Facilities and Construction
• Managing five (5) GS-1102-14/15 Branch Chiefs and ~45 Contract Specialists/Contracting Officers, in the execution of 1,300 actions and $327M per fiscal year (5-year average)
• Overseeing the acquisition planning and acquisition management efforts for the Division’s top priorities, including the $8B, 10-year strategic sourcing vehicle for NOAA’s Professional/Scientific/Technical services (ProTech), a $1B commercial cloud acquisition, $30M Manchester Campus Addition Construction (Design/Bid/Build), and the $500M Weather and Climate Operational Supercomputing System (WCOSS)
• Developed (in 2021) and currently leading NOAA’s Acquisition Innovation Lab (NAIL), facilitating a culture of innovation through: 1) the development of an Acquisition Innovation Guide and an internal website of resources and samples, 2) enterprise-wide training, 3) implementation of various techniques from the Periodic Table of Acquisition Innovation (PTAI), 4) execution of AGO’s first Robotic Process Automation (RPA) pilot – a manual closeout bot, which reduced 1,114 hours of labor in the preparation of 426 contract closeouts; and 5) an annual ”NOAA Nails Innovation” Award
• Authored AGO’s first Pathways Internship Curriculum and led the first two cohorts, resulting in the conversion of two (2) student-interns to full-time GS-1102 contract specialists after two (2) years of career development, on-the-job training, coaching, and mentoring
• Engaging in cross-functional leadership teams to guide acquisition solutions that meet the dynamic needs of clients such as the Office of Space Commerce and their requirements for the Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS), a modern, cloud-based IT system that provides safety notifications of potential in-space collisions to satellite operators
• Ensured that all small business and socio-economic goals were achieved through extensive market research and detailed acquisition planning strategies
• Enabled NOAA’s Spend Under Management (SUM) achievement through the administration of the Organization’s two (2) flagship strategic sourcing vehicles - ProTech ($8B, four Domains, total small business set aside, Multiple Award IDIQs) and NMITS ($2B, Total Small Business Set Aside, Multiple Award GSA Blanket Purchase Agreement) for commercial IT services
• Contributed to the Organization’s FY24 96.7% client satisfaction rating as one of five (5) operational contracting/grants Divisions providing proactive, collaborative customer service to the Office Chief Information Officer (OCIO), the National Weather Service, the Deputy Under Secretary’s Office (DUSO), and the Office of Space Commerce (OSC), among others
• Provided thoughtful, equitable, and inclusive leadership, contributing to the Organization’s 88% employee engagement index in the 2023 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS).
• Led a number of initiatives to retain an engaged and high-achieving workforce during a transition from telework to fully remote, including virtual staff spotlight interviews, a fitness competition, themed staff meetings, awards and recognitions, and an annual in-person All-Hands meeting.
  Managed the Division’s annual PMTS sheet (Performance Management/Ratings/Awards) and annual travel and training budgets ($200K)
• On track to complete the OPM LEAD Certificate for Management in April 2025.
• Special Act Award for Acquisition Innovation (2024)
• Quality Step Increase (2021)

GS-1102-14

• Served on a team of 4 managers to stand up a new operational acquisition Division to support the National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS), hiring and on-boarding approximately 35 new staff members, including 13 direct reports, and creating new processes and procedures for the Branch to run efficiently and effectively as measured by various performance metrics.
• Directly supervised a team of acquisition professionals ranging from GS-10 thru. 14 procuring Information Technology (IT) products and services, professional and technical services, Research and Development services, and facilities support services in support of NOAA's satellite and information programs.
• Continuously promoted the organization’s core values of excellence, innovation, integrity, and inclusion by finding new and different opportunities to engage with the team, reflecting on how we represented each principle throughout the year, and seeking input on how we could grow in our pursuits during the following year.
• Coached and mentored each of the branch members throughout the fiscal year by scheduling individual 1:1 sessions outside of mid-year and annual performance reviews to obtain feedback and discuss individual challenges, goals, and workload priorities.
• Achieved performance objectives through adequate internal quality control procedures, and managerial oversight of priority acquisitions and day-to-day operations.
• Managed, tracked, and organized a challenging and diverse workload that allowed for the execution of approximately 400 actions per year, maintaining a minimum of 85% timeliness, and 4.8/5 client satisfaction ratings; The portfolio included Firm Fixed Price, Time and Materials, and Labor Hour contracts.
• Contributed to the Division’s “Excellent” rating on the FY18 Acquisition Management Review (AMR), owning 67 of 90 files identified for quality control review.
• Worked with Contracting Officer (CO) to draft key points for Senior Leadership for a Congressional briefing on the Hill for NOAA's Commercial Weather Data Pilot program.
• Led the acquisition team in an Acquisition Review Board (ARB) at the Department of Commerce, obtaining Senior Procurement Executive (SPE) approval of an Acquisition Plan for a non-commercial, FFP/CPFF Hybrid Task Order valued at $104M that included consolidation.
• Conducted training for staff and clients on Budget and Acquisition (Apr. 2019 and July 2019), COR roles and responsibilities (Mar. 2017), Procurement Request (PR) package development (May 2017), and appropriate interactions in a blended workforce (Dec.). 2017).
• Developed and managed a division-wide Peer-to-Peer Recognition Program, “The People’s Choice Award,” which aimed at increasing cohesion among the branches and allowed teammates to take an active role in the acknowledgment of peers in their representation of the core values of the organization.
• Facilitated the participation of employees in various growth and development programs, including 2 COs for the Leadership Excellence in Acquisition Professionals (LEAP) program, 1 CS for the CXO Fellowship, 1 CO for the DITAP program, and have sent multiple staff members to the NCMA World Congress.

GS-1102-13

• Directly supervised a staff of ten (10) 1102 contract specialists, geographically dispersed in three (3) locations, including Baltimore, MD, Norfolk, VA, and Oakland, CA.
• Provided oversight of all cradle-to-grave formal contracting services for supplies, services, and depot-level maintenance and repairs to sustain 63 vessel classes, consisting of 1,800 U.S.
• Awarded and managed the Centralized Cutter Boat Pooling contract for the inspection, maintenance, repair/refit, testing, storage, and transportation of approximately 114 Cutter Boat Over-the-Horizon (CB-OTH) III/IV boats, and trailers deployed on cutters worldwide.
• Provided oversight of the Branch's execution of over 500 actions, valued at $35 million in 2015.
• Developed and implemented innovative ways to engage with and develop staff, including biweekly Fact Finder Contests relevant to the Federal Acquisition Regulations and agency-specific supplements that govern daily work assignments.
• Trained clients and staff on matters of acquisition management, including performance evaluations in the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS), to improve the accuracy and quality of narratives and assessments being entered.
• Extracted obligation data from three procurement systems, and routinely reviewed procurement milestones in order to decrease procurement action lead times (PALT).
• Provided thorough and detailed write-ups for Quality Step Increases (QSIs) and On-the-Spot awards to recognize top performers.

GS-1102-4/5 (Intern) - Contract Specialist GS-7/9/11/12

• Progressively advanced through the Student Career Employment Program (SCEP) as a full-time undergraduate student at the University of Maryland, converting to a GS-1102-7/9/11/12 Contract Specialist upon Graduation (May 2008).
• Completed all formal training requirements for FAC-C Level III Certification and obtained a $10M Contracting Officer's Warrant in September of 2012