DAU Alumni Association celebrates anniversary: twenty years of value and service to the acquisition community - Acquisition Credentials

Program Manager, March-April, 2003 by Sylwia Gasiorek-Nelson

For 20 years, the DAU Alumni Association (DAUAA)--a world class association of acquisition professionals--has been actively working to provide value and service for its members. This year DAUAA will be celebrating its 20th anniversary during the Annual Symposium, to be held June 17-19 at DAU Headquarters, Capital and Northeast Regional campus, Fort Belvoir, Va. This years theme--Delivering Warfighting Capabilities Today and Tomorrow through Evolutionary Acquisition-will serve as a review of the acquisition initiatives of today and tomorrow now foremost in the minds of the acquisition community.

Describing the value of the symposium, Frank Varacalli, DAUAA President said, "We'll use the symposium to bring life to the policies and emerging practices of Evolutionary Acquisition by exposing the attendees to DoD and Congressional leadership and to successful practitioners. As we have in the past, we'll present a series of workshops to complement the distinguished speakers."

2003 Symposium

This year's symposium will bring together a large diversified group of professionals from government and the defense industry, representing many career fields: program management, contracting, logistics, engineering, manufacturing, software, and test and evaluation. Also participating will be financial professionals, information technologists, and senior defense and government executives as well as many distinguished speakers and panelists.

These include Heather Wilson, Congressional Representative, N.M.; Michael Wynne, Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics; Deidre A. Lee, Director, Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy; Army Gen. Paul Kern, Commanding General, Army Materiel Command; Claude Bolton Jr., Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology; John Young, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Research, Development and Acquisition; Dr. Marvin Sambur, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition; Dr. Ronald M. Sega, Director, Defense Research and Engineering; Louis A. IKratz, Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Logistics Plans and Programs; Frank Anderson, DAU President; Army Col. Ronald Flom, DAU Commandant; and many others.

The two-day event will provide a wide variety of workshops, seminars, and panels on several relevant topics:

* Contracting for Evolutionary Acquisition

* Congressional View on Evolutionary Acquisition

* Performance Based Logistics

* Research and Development and Evolutionary Acquisition

* Interoperability for the Future Combat System

* DoD Initiatives for Software Productivity

* The Defense-wide Information Assurance Initiative.

According to DAU Professor Wayne Glass, who is the current DAUAA Vice President for Operations, the symposium is a great opportunity to network, to share and promote ideas, and to stay current with acquisition policies. "It's all about evolutionary acquisition and spiral development," Glass said. "These concepts are crucial to preserve the ability of systems to adapt to the changing needs of today's acquisition environment. It's all about capability--how to improve and how to sustain."

Other highlights of the annual event will include a special presentation to DAUAA Corporate Sponsors; the Acker Award presentation; a 20th Anniversary cake-cutting ceremony; and a Golf Tournament on June 16, which is a voluntary kick-off event, traditionally held in the afternoon on the day before the symposium.

About the DAUAA

Today, with the membership now over 1,250, the association is headed by Varacalli, an ardent supporter and friend of the Defense Acquisition University Working closely with Glass, Varacalli runs the association with advice and counsel from elected officers, a board of directors, board of advisers, Service representatives, and a DAU Liaison.

DAUAA Goals

The main goal of the association is to focus on providing value and service to its members, on establishing and maintaining interpersonal networks, and on growing as the primary association of Defense Acquisition Professionals. "The goals for the future depend largely on what our membership tells us is important to them," said Varacalli. "I hope to maintain a continuing dialogue through improvements in our Web site and by working with the DAU regional centers and local chapters."

Of course, within those broad goals, the association has two primary objectives:

* To provide a means for continuing professional growth within the defense acquisition community

* To promote DAUs reputation as a world-class acquisition learning center.

Corporate Sponsors

One of the greatest successes to date has been getting the Corporate Sponsor program off the ground. This initiative provides the broadest possible outreach in strengthening the partnership between the defense acquisition workforce and the defense industry

"By becoming a sponsor," Varacalli explained, "companies can help us advance reciprocal learning opportunities, and can participate in developing the government and industry acquisition workforce to meet the accelerating needs of Evolutionary Acquisition." To date, the association has four Corporate Sponsors: Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman. Several more companies have indicated intent to become Corporate Sponsors.