GovConWire Events will host the Winning Business and FY21 Opportunities Virtual Forum featuring keynote speaker Brian Barnes, associate administrator of the Office of Small Business Utilization at the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), on October 20th.
The speakers will educate and inform small to midsize GovCon professionals on the current federal marketplace, FY21 opportunities to look out for, how to navigate the GSA Schedule and discuss what industry can do to help. Do not miss out on this must see forum!
To register for the Winning Business and FY21 Opportunities Forum, as well as view future events, visit GovConWire Events.
Keynote Speaker: Brian Barnes, GSA
Barnes was appointed to his role with the GSA’s Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization in January 2020, after a two-year appointment as the GSA White House Liaison. As head of OSDBU, Barnes has nationwide responsibility for GSA’s small business programs and is the chief advocate for small businesses.
He also drives the agency to achieve more than $2.4 billion in small business contract awards. Prior to joining GSA, Brian served as the assistant portfolio manager for a Minority Business Accelerator under the Greater Cleveland Partnership.
In the role, Barnes was instrumental in driving state, local, and private contracts to black businesses valued at $183 million. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the College of Wooster as an Urban Studies major and Economics minor.
Moderator: Rich Wilkinson, Unanet
Rich Wilkinson, director of Sales Engineering & Enablement with Unanet, will moderate the expert panel during GovConWire’s Winning Business and FY21 Opportunities Forum.
Wilkinson spent more than eight years as a contracting officer with the Naval Air Systems Command. After his service, he served for ten years in a variety of finance and accounting leadership positions at leading GovCon firms from ManTech to General Physics.
Throughout his career in GovCon, he implemented accounting systems in 12 different business units and managed both financial operations and government contract compliance functions. He has spent the last two decades in senior leadership roles with prominent GovCon software companies and service providers.
Panelist: Dwight Deneal, DLA
Dwight Deneal, director of the Office of Small Business Programs with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), will serve as a panelist during GovConWire’s Winning Business and FY21 Opportunities Forum.
The DLA is the Department of Defense's (DoD) logistics combat support agency, providing worldwide logistics support in both peacetime and wartime to the military services as well as several civilian agencies and foreign countries.
Deneal served as the director, Small Business and Industry Liaison Programs for the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), an operational component for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Deneal served as the USCG’s authority on all small business related socio-economic guidelines, policies, regulations and was delegated the authority for planning and carrying out acquisition activities in support of small business programs.
Panelist: Sharon Ridley, VA
Sharon Ridley, deputy executive director for the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), will be featured as a panelist during GovConWire’s Winning Business and FY21 Opportunities Forum.
With the VA, Ridley is responsible for oversight of programs that promote small business participation in VA procurements, with special emphasis on Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses and Veteran-Owned Small Businesses.
Prior to her position with OSDBU, Ridley served as the executive director network support, where she led initiatives to advance Secretary of Veterans Affairs priorities. She reported directly to the deputy under secretary for Health for Operations and Management. Ridley also provided health care operations guidance and information on strategic initiatives to regional leadership.
Panelist: Darlene Bullock, DHS
Darlene Bullock, executive director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), will serve as a panelist during GovConWire’s Winning Business and FY21 Opportunities Forum.
Bullock was appointed as the director of the DHS OSDBU in January 2020. Prior, she served as the acting OSDBU director in June 2019 and the OSDBU deputy director in June 2015. Bullock is responsible for implementing DHS small business procurement programs across the department’s $18 billion procurement operation.
The procurement arm awards approximately $6 billion each year to small businesses. Bullock joined the OSDBU in Jan. 2011 as the program manager for several small business programs, including 8(a), small disadvantaged and women-owned.
As a desk officer, she provided technical procurement and small business support to four DHS operational contracting offices. Before joining the OSDBU, Bullock was a division director and contracting officer in the DHS with the Office of Procurement Operations (OPO).
OPO is one of the largest procurement divisions in DHS, obligating approximately $4.5 billion a year. Her division was responsible for supporting the Office of the Secretary and other high-visibility offices at DHS Headquarters.
Panelist: Glenn Delgado
Glenn Delgado, associate administrator of the Office of Small Business Programs with NASA, will serve on the expert panel during GovConWire’s Winning Business and FY21 Opportunities Forum.
As NASA’s associate administrator, Delgado provides executive leadership and policy direction for developing and implementing policies and initiatives throughout the agency to ensure that all categories of small businesses are afforded opportunities to compete for Agency contracts.
Since Delgado’s arrival at NASA in fiscal year (FY) 2007, the dollars awarded to small businesses have increased significantly. In FY 2006, NASA awarded $1.94 billion directly to small businesses. At the end of FY 2014, NASA awarded $2.49 billion directly to small businesses. In FY 2012 and 2013, NASA increased its overall Small Business Administration (SBA) scorecard grade to A after receiving a grade of C in FY 2010 and a grade of B in FY 2011.
Delgado and his team have worked very closely with the Office of the General Counsel and the Office of Procurement to publish several new policies, contract clauses, and NASA Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Supplement changes that were very beneficial to the Agency’s small business program.
