Student Q & A
Maj. Kenneth L. Mitchell
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Baltimore District
Chief of Operations, Contracting Division
Background
Kenneth recently received his Master's Certificate in Government Contracting. He has worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for nearly two years. He is responsible for overseeing 36 people who contract for supplies and services for the Corps, Arlington National Cemetery and the Washington, DC public school system, including school construction/operations and maintenance activities.
His contracting career began in 1993 with the U.S. Army where grace under pressure was a must. Kenneth said he was among the first contracting officers sent to Haiti in 1994 during the U.S.-led invasion that removed a military junta and reinstalled Jean-Bertrand Aristide as president. While in Haiti, he was charged with providing multi-service contracting for everything from food, cars and generators to Club Med memberships for American troops. This assignment also entailed spending two weeks in Puerto Rico buying items that were not available in Haiti. ESI spoke briefly with Kenneth about his recent graduation from ESI/GW's contract management master's program.
1. Why did you decide to pursue the ESI/GW Master's Certificate in Government Contracting?
"It signifies technical expertise and sets you apart from your peers. Also, I believe in training. I encourage my people to better themselves by taking courses. The more courses you take, the better you can do your job. I've recommended to my boss that my people need to look at these courses."
2. How will the material covered in the master's certificate help you on the job?
"It makes it easier to do my job. The courses are outstanding. ESI has courses that tell you more about the commercial side of the house and that gives me insight into the people we deal with on a daily basis. It gives you insights on how to get the contract ready for these companies and allows you to build partnerships with them. It just makes it easier to build relationships when you understand their processes."
3. What did you like best about your ESI courses?
"The courses are informal but professional. They have some outstanding instructors. Whenever a question came up in the class, the instructor was able to easily explain it. You can tell when someone knows the topic.
Also, the instructors made the classes interesting and focused on concepts so that you can apply them creatively at your job. You can take that concept they teach you and apply it to anything you want to. It's not like memorizing a formula."
4. What's your biggest challenge on the job?
"Ensuring that my division is constantly thinking out of the normal box of contracting to be innovative and meet the many demands/requirements of such a diverse group of customers - District of Columbia Public Schools, National Health Institute, Walter Reed Army Hospital, Fort Belvoir DPW and University of Maryland."
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