CAREER DETAILS
Ben Zaslow
PRINCIPAL
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IN BRIEF
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Government Agency Work Experience:
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Department of Defense (DOD);
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​​Marine Corps Systems Command
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Naval Air Systems Command
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Department of Transportation (DOT)
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Department of Energy (DOE)
EDUCATION
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BA Communications, Temple University
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MA Management & Organizational Theory, University of Maryland
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Defense Acquisition University (DAWIA Level III, Contracting)
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Federal Acquisition Institute (FAC-C Level III, Contracting)
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Federal Executive Institute (Leadership for a Democratic Society)
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THE EARLY YEARS
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I began my career in U.S. Government Contracting at the Department of Defense (DOD), where I was trained first as a Contract Specialist, and then subsequently as a Contracting Officer. I initially served at Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM), Quantico VA, where I supported multiple warfighter programs, including:
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C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance)
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SIGINT (Signals Intelligence)
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NBC (Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical) Defense Equipment
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During this time, I received the most comprehensive and rigorous acquisition training available, attending the Defense Acquisition University (DAU), and attaining the highest certification in Defense Contracting – DAWIA Level III.
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Marine Corps Systems Command
http://www.marcorsyscom.marines.mil/Portfolios-and-Programs/
http://www.marcorsyscom.marines.mil/PEOs/JPEO-CBD/JPM-P/
Defense Acquisition University
https://www.dau.mil/about/Documents/brochure%20(23%20Feb%202016).pdf
DAWIA Level III Certification Standards
http://icatalog.dau.mil/onlinecatalog/CareerLvl.aspx?lvl=3&cfld=3
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MID-CAREER
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Following my initial training and career development at MARCORSYSCOM, I joined the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), based in Pax River, MD. Here I became a Senior Supervisory Contracting Officer, awarding and administering hundreds of millions of dollars in Defense Department contracts to companies such as Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Boeing, GE, SAIC, Northrup Grumman, United Technologies, and Raytheon to name just a few. Programs I supported included:
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P-3 and P-8 Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW)
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Research and Development, Jet Propulsion Systems (including the Joint Strike Fighter)
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Avionics and Electronic Countermeasures (ECM)
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Foreign Military Sales (FMS).
Naval Air Systems Command
After spending a number of years at NAVAIR, I left to join the Department of Transportation. As a Branch Chief and Supervisory Contracting Officer, I awarded, and provided acquisition oversight for hundreds of millions of dollars in Government Contracts, Grants, and Cooperative agreements. Programs included:
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Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center: over 20 laboratories conducting exploratory advanced research in nanotechnology, vehicle-highway interaction, human-centered systems, and intelligent transportation systems
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Long Term Bridge Performance Program: collecting bridge performance and deterioration data
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Modeling and Simulation tools to predict future transportation performance
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Research and Development of new technologies for high-performance concrete and asphalt
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Exploratory Advanced Research Program: transformational changes and revolutionary advances in highway engineering and intermodal surface transportation
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Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE): Developing and Implementing new NDE techniques and equipment to detect growing cracks in bridges, and provide forensic analysis after major structural issues
DOT Programs
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https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/tfhrc/programs/infrastructure/structures/ltbp/
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http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/focus/00jun/concrete.cfm
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CAREER HIGH
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I eventually accepted a position at the Department of Energy (DOE), where I subsequently became the Director of the Field Assistance and Oversight Division in the Office of Acquisition Management. I supervised a staff of Senior Procurement Analysts responsible for providing acquisition oversight and guidance to all DOE acquisition programs –totalling over $30 billion in contract and financial assistance awards.
Programs under my procurement oversight included:
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DOE’s network of world-class National Laboratories, advancing the state of science in High energy and Nuclear Physics, Basic Energy Sciences, and Advanced Computing among many others, maintaining the United States preeminence in science and innovation
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Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy technologies, including innovations in the areas of sustainable transportation technologies, renewable energy generation, and development of manufacturing technologies for enhanced energy efficiency for homes, buildings and industries
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Environmental Management, executing DOE’s cleanup responsibilities arising from decades of nuclear weapons research, development, and production during the Manhattan Project and the Cold War era. Contract awards ranged from cleanup of radioactive waste, spent nuclear fuel, and contaminated soil and groundwater, to deactivating and decommissioning excess facilities used by the nation’s nuclear weapons program​
In addition to providing oversight of all acquisition programs at DOE, my staff and I also provided executive, headquarters-level acquisition guidance to senior program and project managers, field acquisition organizations, and senior executive DOE leadership. Under the auspices of the Department’s Senior Procurement Executive, I assembled teams of program and procurement experts to conduct comprehensive procurement audits of DOE’s field acquisition organizations, ensuring that Government contracts were solicited, awarded, and managed in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) as well as Agency procedures. My teams also examined whether the organizations were structured appropriately to provide maximum efficiency and effectiveness, whether lines of communication were adequate, and that information and best practices were being properly managed and appropriately shared throughout the entire enterprise, using the latest technology.
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Department of Energy
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http://science.energy.gov/~/media/_/images/laboratories/DOE_Laboratories_Map_2014_Hi-res.jpg
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https://energy.gov/eere/office-energy-efficiency-renewable-energy
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