WORKFORCE
Empowered with delegation authority to enter, administer or terminate contracts, she’s handled various types of contracts, including firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-plus- award-fee contracts. Most contracts she has dealt with during her career, Jones noted, have been with major defense contractors.
Looking to external sources for professional development and leadership growth has also been important to her career progres- sion, Jones said, noting that she especially enjoyed taking Darden Executive Education classes at the University of Virginia and attending National Contract Management Association World Congress conferences, with the latter uniting the contract management community each year for a training event on the impact of collaborative problem solving.
A GRAND OL’ TIME
Jones vacationing at the Grand Canyon in November 2024. (Photo courtesy of Felicia Jones)
military to maintain national security by providing the technol- ogy and weaponry needed to do so.”
In addition, she explained, her team is responsible for the procure- ment of information technology (IT) requirements in the form of computer hardware and software, desktop and laptop computers, printers, software renewal licenses and other IT requirements.
To sum it all up, Jones and her team contribute to the Army’s success by ensuring troops are equipped, supported and prepared for their missions, but Jones stated that her greatest satisfaction “is being a part of the Army that protects the United States.”
Jones has come a long way since her AMC internship making small purchases in Repair Parts. For several years, she continued in that role before working in Major Weapon Systems, where she supported Close Combat Weapon Systems (now Tactical Avia- tion and Ground Munitions) for the majority of her career. “I became a contracting officer and then became a supervisor,” she said. “I later moved to EXPRESS [Expedited Professional and Engineering Support Services] and now work in the Moderniza- tion Directorate—all in acquisition.”
Te most important points in her career, Jones said, were being chosen for a developmental assignment on a Major Weapon System team early on in her career and, later, becoming an unlimited warranted contracting officer. “I thought it would be interesting to work in contracts,” she said of the latter position.
“Te career points mentioned helped me to consider seeking a supervisory position,” said Jones, adding that in addition to classes and conferences, working in a program office to “under- stand the other side of contracts” is something she wishes she pursued that might have also been of benefit to her. “I would have liked to better understand the perspective of the team that put the requirement together,” Jones said.
Learning all there is to know about contracts doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years of experience and training to build upon your skills, and according to Jones, mentoring doesn’t hurt either. “I have told many acquisition personnel to learn your craft and not to be in a big rush to get the next promotion,” Jones said. “It takes time to learn contracting, and you want to be fully prepared for the next position. Get with an experienced person and let them mentor you.”
Outside of work, Jones is active with her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and its foundation, Te Ivy Center of Hunts- ville Madison County, as well as Te Links, Incorporated, a volunteer service organization. She also enjoys decorating and making live flower arrangements for various events for family, friends and her church, where she is co-chair of the ladies minis- try. Tough it may seem to have nothing to do with her day job, putting together flower arrangements, like contracting, requires creativity, attention to detail and strategic planning. Both also emphasize problem solving, resourcefulness and delivering results that meet specific requirements. Jones explained, “With the contracting field, you often must become creative and work with various individuals outside of your team—as I have done with my outside activities.”
—CHERYL MARINO
https://asc.ar my.mil 81
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