Katherine Weakley Lugo
Arlington,VA
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Deputy Office Director, Office of IT Acquisitions
Department of State
District Of Columbia, DC
01.2025 - Current
- Guided operations with annual financial oversight of $40 million and supervision of divisional leadership.
- Coordinated strategic focus to optimize annual spending of 1 billion dollars on IT contracts.
- Successfully secured waiver to hire more staff despite hiring freeze through thorough human capital analysis.
- Linked pivotal outcomes to overarching strategic plans and ambitions.
- Crafted a strategy for a seamless transition of USAID IT contracts to the Department of State.
- Facilitated in-person reintegration of remote employees with 100% retention.
- Secured over 95% of contracts by effectively detailing their indispensable role and mandatory requirements.
- Addressed challenges arising from a major workforce downsizing.
Division Director, Office of IT Acquisitions, Contract Services Division
Department of State
District Of Columbia, DC
01.2021 - 01.2024
- Established the Contract Services Division.
- Grew the division from a one-person role to a crew of 16 specialists.
- Managed an annual budget of $5 million.
- Oversaw IT acquisition strategy implementation, enhancing procurement processes.
- Spearheaded the development and execution of policies, resources, training modules, and governance frameworks to enhance IT acquisition processes across the Department.
- Enhanced clarity in IT acquisitions by launching Procure IT, guiding 900 users monthly through the IT procurement process.
- Executed and delivered the CIO-directed State IT Catalog project within a year after obtaining funding. The catalog assists 1,100 users a month with finding and securing technology cleared to use at the Department.
- Led comprehensive revision of 5 FAM 900 IT Acquisition Policy to meet compliance with GAO findings.
- Led collaboration among departments to investigate applying large language models for IT requirements.
- Offered insights through briefings to CIO and DCIO, facilitating informed decisions regarding IT acquisitions.
Senior Contracting Officer
Department of State
Arlington, VA
01.2014 - 01.2021
- Managed contract portfolios as a Senior Contracting Officer with an unlimited warrant for the International Narcotics and the Information Management Resource Bureaus.
- Led the solicitation strategy and development of the $10 billion Evolve IDIQ to support all IT services at the Department.
- Successfully awarded a contract to build a biometric system for the Government of Mexico in six months, and managed significant contract changes and political challenges, resulting in the successful completion of the project.
- Prevented operational failure of IT support at the department by terminating the help desk contract for poor performance, and awarding a new contract in under a month.
- Enhanced acquisition planning, eliminating reactive 'fire drills'.
- Established the acquisition policy team to address supply chain risk management in the IT contracts.
- Developed an extensive SharePoint site to educate IRM stakeholders on contracting best practices.
- Coordinated with various federal agencies and DOS stakeholders to develop and refine cybersecurity contract language.
- Successfully applied Agile contracting methods to launch RPA technology to support the helpdesk in under six month from contract award with no need for contract modifications.
Contracting Officer
Department of State
Arlington, VA
01.2009 - 01.2014
- Provided contract support for Diplomatic Security and African peacekeeping contracts.
- Supported eight U.S. Embassies by overseeing their local guard contracts, including site visits and corrective actions.
- Led solicitation process for Doha Embassy Guards contract, ensuring compliance with local labor laws.
- Corrected and updated files for Irbil/Kirkuk projects to comply with OIG audit requirements.
- Executed competitive solicitations under a 300 million IDIQ for African peacekeeping projects.
- Negotiated all contracts necessary for a successful multilateral event.
Education
MA - International Commerce and Public Policy
George Mason University
Arlington, VA01.2010
BS - Economics
University of Mary Washington
Fredericksburg, VA01.2008
BA - International Affairs
University of Mary Washington
Fredericksburg, VA01.2008
Skills
- Organizational Leadership
- Staff Development
- C-Level Communications
- Product/Project Management
- Policy Development
- Solicitation Development and Review
- Enterprise Solutions Development
- IT Acquisition Strategy
- Service Management
- Process Improvement
- Contract Management
- Solicitation Development
Career Overview
An award-winning product owner of enterprise IT solutions, demonstrating the ability to orchestrate complex initiatives across cross-functional teams. Known for integrity in mentoring and guiding teams to consistently exceed objectives. Expertise spans IT acquisition strategy, supply chain, requirements development, business process improvement, customer relationship management, UX/UI and workforce development. A distinguished leader in acquisition, product management, and policy development, with extensive experience across all phases of the Federal contracting process, particularly in IT. Recognized for driving innovation and operational excellence within the Department. A polished presenter at Under Secretary and Assistant Secretary levels.
Accomplishments
Recognized for exceptional performance with multiple Superior Honor Awards, Meritorious Honor Awards, and a Franklin Award.
Certification
- ITIL Managing Professional, 2025
- Project Management Professional (PMP), 2022
- Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting Core Plus Specialization in Digital Services (FAC-C-DS), 2019
- Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Level Three, 2012
Timeline
Deputy Office Director, Office of IT Acquisitions
Department of State
01.2025 - Current
Division Director, Office of IT Acquisitions, Contract Services Division
Department of State
01.2021 - 01.2024
Senior Contracting Officer
Department of State
01.2014 - 01.2021
Contracting Officer
Department of State
01.2009 - 01.2014
MA - International Commerce and Public Policy
George Mason University
BS - Economics
University of Mary Washington
BA - International Affairs
University of Mary Washington
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