Defense Department names new procurement chief

A senior Marine Corps contracting official has been appointed to take over as director of procurement and acquisition policy at the Defense Department, effective April 2.

Shay Assad is assistant deputy commandant for installations and logistics with the Marine Corps where, as the senior civilian procurement official, his responsibilities include overseeing procedures and policy for contingency contracting, field procurement, electronic business and general acquisition.

His appointment was announced in a March 20 internal memorandum from the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics.

According to his Marine Corps biography, Assad began his career with tours of duty on Navy destroyers, and worked as a Navy contracting officer before moving to the private sector to work with Waltham, Mass.-based Raytheon Co. Over 20 years, he advanced to senior vice president for contracts before becoming chairman and chief executive officer of Raytheon's engineering and construction business.

Assad will replace Dominic Cipicchio, who has served in an acting capacity since August 2005. Before that, Deidre Lee served as the Pentagon acquisition chief.

After leaving the Defense Department, Lee served briefly with the General Services Administration as the Federal Acquisition Service's assistant commissioner for integrated technology services. Earlier this month she was named acting deputy director of operations at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The Arlington-based Professional Services Council has had "an excellent working relationship" with Assad, said Stan Soloway, the industry group's president, in announcing the appointment to members.

Soloway previously has called on the federal community to accelerate the process of filling key acquisition leadership positions. "When even the most talented professionals are 'acting,' their ability to provide that leadership, drive change and resist regression is severely impaired," Soloway wrote in a December Washington Technology column.

Chris Jahn, president of the Contract Services Association, said Assad's experience in the private sector will furnish him with useful insight into the skills and expertise that contractors can bring to the table in federal contracting.

"Some of our public servants, while they've got great public sector experience, not having been on the other side of the table they're not as aware of how the private sector works," Jahn said. "[Assad] has been on both sides of the table."