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News | Feb. 16, 2022

My DCMA: Debra Doll Rush, supervisory contract termination specialist

My DCMA showcases the Defense Contract Management Agency’s experienced and diverse workforce and highlights what being a part of the national defense team means to them. Today, Debra Doll Rush shares her story.

My name is Debra Doll Rush, and this is “My DCMA.”

I am a supervisory contract termination specialist for the Terminations Group in the Contract Lifecycle Management Center. I am based in Smyrna, Georgia. My job duties include managing a team of 10 termination contracting officers located in Smyrna and at Hanscom Air Force Base in Boston, Massachusetts. The Terminations Group consists of a small cadre of specialized contracting officers whose mission is solely to negotiate the settlement of contracts terminated for the convenience of the government.

I manage a workload over $4 billion, and I coordinate team efforts to execute the termination processes with a focus on compliance, efficiency and responsiveness to customer requirements. I provide termination training and specific guidance to Department of Defense components and other defense agencies as well as coordinate efforts with external and internal technical team members to facilitate timely and accurate settlements. I am a lead action officer on the CLMC virtual shadowing program, which I helped establish. This program was created to promote unity and combine efficiencies to maximize center productivity.

I have been a part of the DCMA team for 2.5 years. I previously worked for the Army Contracting Command in Warren, Michigan, as a lead contract specialist for 13 years. While working for the Army, I gained experience in awarding “cradle to the grave” multi-million dollar contracts for major weapon systems.

I like working at DCMA because the agency has allowed me to expand my leadership skills by honing in on training, mentoring and motivating a specialized team of warranted contracting officers that support DOD, other federal agencies and international partners. My team ensures that contractors recoup their costs from terminated contracts and ensure the government does not overcompensate them for their products and services. The DCMA Terminations Group is the only organization that provides termination settlement support for DOD, NASA and other governmental agencies. The team works hard at meeting the customer’s needs and supporting the men and women who protect our country.

Some of the great things about my location include working with my leadership and team members. Another great thing is that my job is seven miles from my home, so I have less than a 15-minute commute. There is great shopping nearby, and I am close to the Atlanta Braves baseball park.

DCMA is important to America’s warfighters because the services the agency provides to take care of our warfighter is coordinated through supporting the buying commands, military installations, and depots. Our services provide administration, logistics and transportation to assist DOD while ensuring the products and services reach the front lines for the warfighter.

After being at DCMA the past two years, I have seen a shift in the culture of the mission. We are becoming more customer focused, both to our internal and external customers. The agency continues to grow to become the leading support agency to our partners and other federal agencies. The agency is also promoting more cross-functional engagements and working to keep talented people by providing more opportunities to influence work-life balance.

Some of the goals I have for myself and my team in 2022 are to become more involved with strengthening policies and seeking new strategies for the organization. I initiated a forum on my team called “Team East Cafe Bistro.” This virtual platform has promoted camaraderie, improved team communication skills and motivated self-investing, which is one of the agency’s strategic goals — to enhance and strengthen the skills, readiness and effectiveness of the workforce. A personal goal is to seek and engage in career-broadening opportunities.

My future career goals are to strengthen my leadership skills and explore future opportunities to represent DCMA at the senior leadership level. I would like to pursue a developmental assignment at the Pentagon. In addition, I would like to travel to our agency partners and other DOD agencies to educate them on the services that DCMA can offer.

My favorite hobbies include traveling, decorating and spending time with my family. I have traveled to more than 15 countries and visited more than 30 major cities across the United States. I have vacationed on all the islands in Hawaii, but my favorite is Maui. My favorite countries that I have visited are Dubai and Singapore.

Something unique about me is that I have a bell collection. I collect bells from every state or country that I have visited. I currently have over 50 bells that are different shapes and sizes. Another unique fact is that I have held acquisition warrants as a procurement contracting officer, administrative contracting officer and a terminations contracting officer.