Faces of the Force: Kay Hyska
Position and unit: Contracting officer and division chief, Aviation Field Maintenance Division, Aviation Maintenance Directorate, Army Contracting Command – Redstone Arsenal, Alabama
Years of Service in Workforce: 20
DAWIA Certifications: Level III in contracting
Education: MBA, University of Phoenix; M.S. in acquisition and management, Florida Institute of Technology; B.A. in general education, Columbia College
Awards: Army Contracting Command Team of the Quarter; Contracting Command Commander’s Award for Civil Service
Kay Hyska’s ‘long ride’
By Susan L. Follett
In her 20 years of working in Army contracting, Kay Hyska has committed more than $5 billion of the government’s money. And in doing so, she has kept her priorities straight.
“We make sure that Soldiers everywhere, regardless of duty station, have the best aviation equipment available to them, and that the Army is paying a fair and reasonable price for the equipment it purchases,” said Hyska, a contracting officer with the U.S. Army Contracting Command – Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. She got her start in quality assurance (QA) and transitioned to contracting four years later.
“I’ve seen a lot of changes over the past 20 years,” said Hyska. “It has been a long ride and I have put in a lot of hard work, but I’ve enjoyed it all and I’ve met and worked with some great people.”
What do you do, and why is it important to the Army or the warfighter?
I am a contracting officer with an unlimited warrant and the chief of the Aviation Field Maintenance Division. As the division chief, I lead and supervise 13 team members who support contracting actions for the Army Aviation Field Maintenance program worldwide.
What’s the hardest part of your job?
Losing talented and seasoned people, and being unable to backfill them as quickly as we need to. In today’s budgetary climate, we’re all being asked to do more with less and that can be difficult when it comes to executing contracts.
What’s the most important skill in doing your job well?
I think there are two things: having knowledge and experience in contracting, and having good time-management skills. Interpreting a requirement and assembling and executing a contract involve a specific timeline, so both of those skills are necessary to get everything done correctly and in the proper amount of time.
If you could change anything, what would it be?
This gets back to the previous question, and the importance of time management: While I understand the importance of the review process, if I could change anything, it would be to streamline it where possible. We try to incorporate time for reviews, but it often takes longer than we anticipate, and that affects the timing all the way through the process. Timing is crucial in effective contract execution, especially with overseas construction projects where there are a lot of moving parts—housing and transporting staff, for example.
How did you become part of the Army Acquisition Workforce, and why?
I started my career as a QA specialist intern, supporting various programs from a technical perspective. After I completed the intern program, I worked as a journeyman-level QA specialist. During that time, I had chances to interact with the contracting officers and I became interested in the roles and responsibilities of that position. I was impressed by the analysis and decision-making that the job entailed, as well as the work of interpreting and executing the contracts. Also, it seemed to me that the contracting side offered a lot of upward mobility. So, while I was working as a QA specialist, I took contracting-related classes from Defense Acquisition University and local colleges to better support and understand the contracts I was working with. That later helped me to switch from QA to contracting, which I did in 2000.
How was the transition from QA to contracting?
Very smooth, actually. When I worked in QA, I did a lot of cross-functional training and took some of the basic contracting classes, so that helped. And I also found that my QA background gave me some good experience for working in contracting: I was able to read drawings and compare them to the statement of work, for example, and to identify any drawing defects. One of my previous supervisors gave me a nice compliment that my QA background was added value to the contracting team.
What do you see as the most important points in your career with the Army Acquisition Workforce, and why?
The most important point in my career with the Army Acquisition Workforce is when I was appointed as a warranted contracting officer in 2006. Since then, I have awarded various contract actions from small purchases of supply items to large-scale construction projects (building renovations, bridge construction, overseas school expansions, for example); various services contracts (base operations contracts and engineering services for development of a missile system); and the production of missile systems for the U.S. government and foreign military sales customers. Since I started in contracting, I estimate the total contract actions I have awarded to be worth more than several billion dollars. The highest individual contract value I awarded was $2.3 billion.
Can you name a particular mentor or mentors who helped you in your career? How did they help you? Have you been a mentor?
My former supervisor, Roger Pearson, who was the director of the Aviation Maintenance Directorate, has been a great mentor. [Editor’s note: Pearson left that role in November 2015.] He was tremendously influential in my daily work routine. He helped me focus on daily challenges and prioritize actions I need to tackle, and encouraged me to lead the team in the right direction. He has been a mentor, adviser and counselor all at the same time—a great role model.
What’s the greatest satisfaction you have in being a part of the Army Acquisition Workforce?
Helping Soldiers and their families, providing goods and services and performing my job to the best of my ability are the greatest satisfactions I have as a contracting officer. About 10 years ago, I helped a Solider purchase some urgently needed supply items. I helped him put together a contract requirement package, guided him on the process for submitting a purchase request using our system, awarded the contract and made sure the items were delivered in a timely manner. After the items were delivered, he sent a handwritten thank-you note to my office. For me, that was a heartwarming experience.
What advice would you give to someone who aspires to a position or career like yours?
Be patient, be tenacious, set personal goals and do your best to achieve those goals. Don’t take things for granted.
“Faces of the Force” is an online series highlighting members of the Army Acquisition Workforce through the power of individual stories. Profiles are produced by the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center Communication and Support Branch, working closely with public affairs officers to feature Soldiers and civilians serving in a variety of AL&T disciplines. For more information, or to nominate someone, please contact 703-805-1006.
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