Past Events & Speakers

16th Annual EOY Federal Contractor Update. 01.25.2024.

WAUWATOSA, WI - Thank you for joining Wisconsin’s Federal contractors and subcontractors for this annual event. Attendees had the opportunity to engage directly with DoD leadership and like-minded peers from industry, both large and small businesses. This event provided a series of briefings focusing on the changes and challenges in DoD/Federal contracting. Topics of discussion included FY updates in contract management, Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), federal case law, small business initiatives, CMMC and security issues for federal contractors, intellectual property in government contracting, and alternative contracting methods such as Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Other Transaction Authority (OTA). Guest speakers included:

• Benjamin Blanc, President, NCMA Wisconsin Chapter and Wisconsin Procurement Institute (WPI)
• William Hughes, Partner, Husch Blackwell LLP
• Eric Ness, Wisconsin District Director, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
• Jason Rathsack, Senior Contract Specialist at Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) Central Region
• Daryl Zahn, CFCM, Senior Manager, Contracts and Compliance, DRS Naval Power Systems, Inc.
• Aina Vilumsons, President / Executive Director, Wisconsin Procurement Institute (WPI).

Hosted by the National Contract Management Association Wisconsin (NCMA WI), NDIA Great Lakes Chapter, and Wisconsin Procurement Institute (WPI).

14th NDIA Great Lakes Chapter Annual Meeting: Brig Gen Guy Walsh, USAF (Ret), and Maj. Gen. Rich Neely, Adjutant General of Illinois. 07.26.2023.

WOOD DALE, IL - Thank you to everyone who made our 14th Annual Meeting a success! From our sponsors, co-host AAR Corp., speakers, and exhibitors, to nearly 100 attendees traveling from across Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. We are proud to announce how your Chapter is making an impact across the Midwest and National levels. This year, we contributed $10,000 to our Chapter's STEM Scholarship and Charitable Giving programs! Guest speakers included Darryl Thomas, APEX Accelerators - Illinois; Brig Gen Guy Walsh, USAF (Ret.), NDIA; and our keynote from Maj. Gen. Rich Neely, 40th Adjutant General of Illinois and Commander of the Illinois National Guard. Topics of discussion ranged from supply chain and procurement resources for the Defense Industrial Base (DIB), NDIA strategic priorities, and cyber operations, to the Illinois National Guard's 300-year history and its 30-year state partnership with Poland. Special thanks to our Chapter sponsors for your ongoing support and dedication to the mission. Your contributions make our events and programs possible. Stay tuned for our next event!

15th Annual EOY Federal Contractor Update. 01.25.2023.

OSHKOSH, WI - Thank you for joining Wisconsin’s Federal contractors and subcontractors for this annual event. Attendees had the opportunity to engage directly with DoD leadership and like-minded peers from industry, both large and small businesses. This event provided a series of briefings focusing on the changes and challenges in DoD/Federal contracting. Topics of discussion (see full agenda) included FY updates in contract management, Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), federal case law, small business initiatives, CMMC and security issues for federal contractors, intellectual property in government contracting, and alternative contracting methods such as Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Other Transaction Authority (OTA). Guest speakers (see full bios) included:

• MAJ Thomas Cayia, Site Director, DCMA Oshkosh
• Jason Rathsack, Senior Contract Specialist, DCMA Central Region
• Alec Streeter, Director, Global Trade Compliance, Oshkosh Corporation
• William Hughes, Partner, Husch Blackwell LLP - Milwaukee
• Brian P. Waagner, Partner, Husch Blackwell LLP - Washington, D.C.
• David Zvenyach, Tech + X Nerd, (previously Deputy Commissioner of U.S. GSA FAS and Director of TTS)
• Eric Ness, Wisconsin District Director, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
• Daryl Zahn, CFCM, Senior Manager, Contracts and Compliance, DRS Naval Power Systems
• James Pitcher, Contract Manager, Scale AI
• Aina Vilumsons, Executive Director, WPI an APEX Accelerator (previously PTAC)

Hosted by the National Contract Management Association Wisconsin (NCMA WI), NDIA Great Lakes Chapter, and Wisconsin Procurement Institute (WPI).

13th NDIA Great Lakes Chapter Annual Meeting: BG Geoffrey A. Norman, Director, U.S. Army NGCV CFT. 10.18.2022.

Attendees had the opportunity to engage directly with Army Futures Command (AFC) leadership and like-minded peers from industry, both large and small businesses. U.S. Army is undertaking the largest modernization effort of armored vehicles in the past 40 years. U.S. Army Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) Cross Functional Team (CFT) is driving this effort and is actively seeking new ideas from industry, academia, and beyond. NGCV CFT seeks innovative solutions using contracting methods such as Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Other Transaction Authority (OTA). Our speaker lineup included: Rachel McCaffery, NDIA; Matt Frost, WPI; Koreen Grube, U.S. Department of Commerce: International Trade Administration; and BG Geoffrey Norman, U.S. Army NGCV CFT. (See Agenda)

8th Annual DoD Contract Management Update: Supply Chain Challenges and Solutions. 05.17.2022.

OSHKOSH, WI - The Government and the Defense contractors are facing increasing challenges – supply shortages, cost escalation, labor shortages, new requirements, and security challenges to name a few. This year’s event (see full agenda) focused on gaining a better understanding of the current supply chain dynamics, current impacts, and requirements as well as solutions, new initiatives, and upcoming opportunities – how the government and current contractors and subcontractors are meeting these challenges supporting the Defense Industrial Base. Guest speakers (see full bios) included:

• Lt. Col. Susan M. Styer, Commander - Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) Milwaukee
• TSgt. James Pitcher, Contracting Officer - 21st Contracting Squadron
• Arthur Trevethan, Director - Army Applications Laboratory
• Sean Ketter, VP of Supply Chain Operations - Oshkosh Corporation
• Maj. Thomas Cayia, Site Director - Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) Oshkosh
• Kelly Gerbino, Contracting Officer, PMJLTV - US Army Contracting Command-Detroit Arsenal (ACC-DTA)
• Joseph Jackson, Branch Chief, Tactical Support and Systems - US Army Contracting Command-Detroit Arsenal (ACC-DTA)

Hosted by the National Contract Management Association Wisconsin (NCMA WI), NDIA Great Lakes Chapter, and Wisconsin Procurement Institute (WPI).

12th NDIA Great Lakes Chapter Annual Meeting: COL Wes Hallman, USAF (Ret), SVP Strategy & Policy - NDIA. 01.13.2022.

WAUWATOSA, WI - Thank you for joining us for in-person networking after the 14th Annual EOY Federal Contractor Update. We are excited to keep you informed and provide maximum impact within our Chapter Region and at the National Level. Presentations included: Chapter EOY Review, STEM Scholarship Awardees, Charitable Efforts, and our keynote speaker: Wes Hallman, SVP Strategy & Policy (NDIA).

NDIA Midwest Regional Conference Series #3: COL Wes Hallman, USAF (Ret), SVP Strategy & Policy - NDIA. 07.15.2021.

The National Defense Industrial Association’s (NDIA) Great Lakes, Great Rivers, and Iowa-Illinois chapters, partnered with the Wisconsin Procurement Institute (WPI) on a virtual series focused on current issues, programs, and priorities critical to Defense contractors and subcontractors.

Colonel Wesley Hallman, USAF (Ret), Senior Vice President, Strategy & Policy, National Defense Industrial Association discussed various legislative issues and efforts vital to the National Defense Industrial Base and NDIA including the annual Vital Signs report. Vital Signs is a study on the health and readiness of the defense industrial base. The goal of Vital Signs is to persistently monitor a set of key metrics to measure the health of the defense industrial base over time. Wes will talk about the 2021-second edition as well as ongoing efforts for the third edition. (See full bio).

Information on all sessions in this series is posted to the NDIA Midwest Regional Conference Series.

NDIA Midwest Regional Conference Series #2: MG Richard "Ross" Coffman, Director of NGCV CFT, U.S. Army Futures Command (AFC). 06.22.2021.

The National Defense Industrial Association’s (NDIA) Great Lakes, Great Rivers, and Iowa-Illinois chapters, partnered with the Wisconsin Procurement Institute (WPI) on a virtual series focused on current issues, programs, and priorities critical to Defense contractors and subcontractors.

MG Richard “Ross” Coffman, director of the NGCV CFT, provided an overview of NGCV CFT’s lines of efforts and the way forward for combat vehicles. The Army is engaged in the largest modernization effort of armored vehicles in 40 years. The Next Generation Combat Vehicles Cross-Functional Team is driving that effort and is actively seeking new ideas, from industry, academia, and beyond, on how to drive new technologies into our future vehicles. (See full bio).

Information on all sessions in this series is posted to the NDIA Midwest Regional Conference Series.

NDIA Midwest Regional Conference Series #1: Jay Carr, Executive Director, ACC-RI. 06.02.2021.

The National Defense Industrial Association’s (NDIA) Great Lakes, Great Rivers, and Iowa-Illinois chapters, partnered with the Wisconsin Procurement Institute (WPI) on a virtual series focused on current issues, programs, and priorities critical to Defense contractors and subcontractors.

Mr. Jay T. Carr the Executive Director and Senior Contracting Official for the Army Contracting Command-Rock Island, a major contracting center of the U.S. Army Contracting Command serves as the center’s senior civilian procurement authority, supporting the total contracting requirements of diverse customers including the U.S. Army Sustainment Command; the Joint Munitions Command, the Joint Program Executive Office Armaments & Ammunition; the Program Executive Office Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives and Chemical Materials Agency; the Program Executive Office-Enterprise Information Systems; Army Central Command; U.S. Forces Afghanistan; Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan; Office of the Administrative Assistant for the Secretary of the Army; the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command; and the Office of the Program Manager-Saudi Arabian National Guard. (See full bio).

Information on all sessions in this series is posted to the NDIA Midwest Regional Conference Series.

11th NDIA Great Lakes Chapter Annual Meeting: Rep. Adam D. Kinzinger and COL Walt Yates, USMC (Ret). 10.20.2020.

NDIA Great Lakes 10th Anniversary Celebration: LTG Darrell K. Williams, Director - Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), and Gen. Hawk Carlisle, USAF (Ret), President & CEO - NDIA. 08.22.2019.

BROOKFIELD, WI - Thank you for joining us for networking, corporate match-making, supply chain panel discussions, and our special guest speakers! 

Lieutenant General Darrell K. Williams (see full bio) is the Director of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), with headquarters in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He provides strategic leadership for the Defense Department's combat support agency for worldwide logistics. LTG Williams directs nine supply chains supporting the U.S. military, as well as federal, state, local and international partners. DLA provides food, medical material, uniforms, and construction equipment, 98% of the Defense Department's fuel, and the majority of spare parts for military weapons systems. He oversees the National Defense Stockpile, an international network of 25 distribution centers, and the Department's process for reverse logistics. He leads a global, expeditionary workforce of over 25,000 military and civilians.

General Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle (see full bio) became president and chief executive officer of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) June 15, 2017. Carlisle came to NDIA after a 39-year career in the Air Force, from which he retired as a four-star general in March 2017. His last assignment was as commander, Air Combat Command (ACC) at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. Prior to serving as the ACC commander, Carlisle was the Commander of Pacific Air Forces; the Air Component Commander for U.S. Pacific Command; and Executive Director, Pacific Air Combat Operations Staff, Joint Base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii... Carlisle served as director of operational planning, policy and strategy; deputy chief of staff for air, space and information operations, plans and requirements; and twice in the plans and programs directorate. He also served as deputy director and later director of legislative liaison at the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force.