In my role supporting the DHS National Protection & Programs Directorate (NPPD), I am responsible for working with the organization's Cybersecurity and Communications Division (CS&C) on acquisition program management activities as well as the development of the organization's requirements development process. I also provide Capital Planning Support to the agency as required to support programmatic reporting to DHS and OMB. In my work as a CPIC SME I was recently asked to write an article for cybersecurity month. The focus of this article was on the importance of the OMB Business Case for government cybersecurity leaders. Recently, the article was published in the Federal Times. It underscores the need for government leaders who manage a portfolio of projects and programs to actively manage these assets. This is critical in the rapidly changing of world of online threats and attacks. I have included a PDF Version of the article that was published in the November Issue of Federal Times.

Lead the Component’s CPIC Process to oversee fifteen major IT and Non-IT Investments with a total annual budget of $1.6 Billion. Champion the importance of the Exhibit 300 Process, striving to “get to green” resulting in overall green ratings for the TSA Exhibit 300 Portfolio for the past three years; BY13, BY14, & BY15 based on the DHS Exhibit 300 Scoring Criteria.Work with Programs during the budgeting process to comply with the budget guidance provided by DHS. For BY-15 assist them with reducing their capital budgets by 0.5%Established a repeatable governance process for CPIC within TSA. Proactively manage a structured CPIC Process for TSA IT & Non-IT Programs from initiation to submission. Presented at the 2011 CPIC Conference on the Importance of Leadership in the CPIC Process and TSA’s Model for Success.Develop a Center of Excellence for the TSA CPIC Process including the integration of other related activities such as: UII administration. coordination with TSA IT Security Team, and Capital Investment Plans. Recognized by the TSA Leadership and the DHS CAG for: outstanding OMB Exhibit 300 Process Governance including a 2010 Letter of Commendation from TSA. Create supporting documentation, guides and templates to support TSA Programs completing the Exhibit 300 to include an organizational program charter, operational Analysis Guide & Template, and Risk Management Plan.Lead TSA Internal Scoring of the Exhibit 300s and provided program offices with recommendations for improvement. Collaborate with PMs throughout the process to craft a solid business case for submission to OMB.Coordinate with the DHS Scoring Subject Matter Experts to resolve issues with TSA Exhibit 300s.Lead a TSA IPT Workshop to train Leaders and Team Members on all facets of the IPT Process.Developed the TSA CPIC iShare Site in 2009, a one-stop portal for PMs, for education materials and document repository.

CPIC Senior Consultant, Department of Education: April 2006-May 2009CPIC Consultant, DHS United States Citizenship and Immigration Service: January-August 2005CPIC Senior Consultant, DHS Federal Law Enforcement Training Academy: September 2005-September 2006Senior Consultant, United States Agency for International Development: June-September 2005CPIC and Earned Value Management Consultant, Department of Labor: March 2004-April 2006Managed the capital planning process for projects at DHS, USCIS, DOL and USAID to complete the annual Exhibit 300 submissions to OMB. Led meetings with subject matter experts to gather the necessary data and developed all sections of the Exhibit 300 including the project’s performance measurements, earned value, lifecycle costs, alternatives analysis, risk management, security, and enterprise architecture. Coordinated the formal agency reviews prior to OMB Submission. Provided IV&V support by reviewing and scoring Exhibit 300s for USAID. Assisted the Project Team in strengthening the USAID Knowledge for Development Exhibit 300 to prepare it for agency scoring.Developed the Dept. of Education’s Migrant Student Information Exchange (MSIX) business case and OMB 300 submissions on the required quarterly updates. Participated in Agency CIO IT Oversight Reviews for MSIX including technical architecture reviews, security reviews, and production readiness reviews.Supported business case development for the Training Technology Modernization Project, a major new investment for DHS FLETC. Developed the Statement of Needs, Requirements, and Market Research documents. Reviewed and provided input for the Exhibit 300.Consulted with federal project managers to develop formal internal governance documents such as the Department of Labor Information Technology Capital Planning Guide. Worked with cross-agency staff to develop the requirements for OCIO initiatives such as Earned Value Management.

CMMI Lead Consultant, Department of Housing and Urban Development: April 2006-January 2008CMM Consultant, Department of Housing and Urban Development: October 2002-March 2004Led the process improvement efforts within the HUD PIH-REAC Division’s Initiative to attain CMMI Level 2 Maturity for four projects. Facilitated gap analysis work sessions with project staff to document current processes and develop corrective action plans. Coordinated the creation of project management plans for each of the projects and documented key processes that embraced best practices and aligned with the CMMI Software Methodology. Managed a database to capture the data from all the projects to help the division prepare for the formal CMMI Assessment. Reviewed the project documentation such as Government Cost Estimates, Training Plans, Project Plans, and Functional Requirements Documents to ensure alignment with the project’s processes. Draft corrective action plans for the project and tracked issues until resolved. Developed training materials for CMM project to educate staff and senior management on the model and the requirements for process improvement. Worked with seven projects across HUD to improve their software acquisition processes. Assisted the PMs with developing the required artifacts to be used in the formal assessment. Documented repeatable processes and coached PMs on how to better refine their processes to align with the Level 2 Maturity of the SA-CMM Methodology.

Project Manager to Marchfirst Corporation: March 2000-January 2001Project Manager & Senior Consultant to Sykes Corporation: May 2001-January 2002 Served as the project manager for commercial projects ranging from $500,000-$1,500,000 for clients including MasterCard Corporation, Emerson Electric, and HostOne. Managed the overall client relationship to ensure project details were communicated in a timely manner and coached the three consultants so that they understood their roles and project-related tasks. Produced call center strategic plans for MasterCard and Emerson Electric to help the organizations define their future objectives and goals including IT systems, business processes, and potential outsourcing opportunities.Managed software implementation projects for commercial CRM packages including Remedy, Siebel, and Vantive. Oversaw the end user testing, system design, implementation and rollout, and the design and development of technical training. Created the initial scope of work and the project plan and assigned staff members to project tasks, and managed costs in order to meet the requirements of the fixed bid contract. Performed initial client needs analysis including client interviews and conducted assessments to develop detailed work plan.  Identified core business processes in need of improvement and use best practices to develop structured process workflows. Worked with call center leadership and other stakeholders to ensure their commitment to implement revised business processes based on the new workflows. Drafted presentations and facilitated staff awareness sessions to communicate with all affected stakeholders. Developed formal training for project staff and facilitated informal sessions with work teams and individuals.