FORT LEE, Va. –
“Wow. You did it,” said Roxanne Banks, while imagining her 12-year-old self’s response to 41 years of government service.
While growing up in Isleta Pueblo, New Mexico, Banks would often craft budgets in her head and plan how she could make ends meet. But, like her capacity to wonder, her ambition outgrew her hometown confines. She always knew she would leave. She was less assured she would succeed.
Four decades later, Banks recently retired as Defense Contract Management Agency Contract’s director after a distinguished career of federal budgeting. After joining the agency in 2022, Banks met her final success developing and maintaining rules, tools, and training for the contracting workforce.
Three years in 41 is a snapshot not a summation, however. Banks said her extensive career, which included many successes and challenges, shaped her as a leader and as a person.
“One of my best assignments was at the Human Systems Center, Armstrong Laboratory, Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio, from 1992 to 1997,” Banks said. “I received my first unlimited warrant and led a team focused on some truly cutting-edge research and development. We bought prototypes for helmet-mounted display systems, night vision goggles, ejection seat technology, chemical and biological defense research and development — you name it. We were young, the pace was furious, and we got things done. We worked hard. We played hard. We had a clear purpose and strong support. We knew the mission, and we believed in it.”
Banks also faced her share of professional hardship too, the most notable occurred during her time with the Space and Missile Systems Center.
“At SMC Detachment-12, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, in the early 2000s, I was serving as deputy director of contracting,” Banks said. “Then, due to reductions in another organization and how the system works, I was displaced — asked to step aside for someone else with greater tenure. I had worked hard to get there, and I was angry. Angry at a system that didn’t seem to value my work. I felt abandoned — demoralized.”
This experience taught Banks a valuable lesson; she drew strength from the adversity, and it helped her grow professionally.
“Despite this, I stayed,” Banks said. “I showed up and continued to serve in a different capacity. And over time, I healed. That moment taught me humility. It also taught me something deeper: you can lose a position, but not your purpose. You can feel broken and keep building.”
Banks persevered and years later served as deputy director of acquisition at the Defense Logistics Agency, commonly known as DLA, where she spent eight years, the longest tenure of her career.
“I supported eight major supply chains by helping to formulate and advise on long-term acquisition objectives and priorities valued at over $40 billion. It was a very rewarding assignment where I got to see logistics in action in support of several real-world events,” Banks said. “My first week in that assignment in 2014, I found myself negotiating a letter contract for US vessel transport services to supplement our support to the Ebola outbreak in Western Africa. I am also immensely proud of my role representing DLA in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Her eventual move to DCMA represented an easy decision, having regularly collaborated with the agency.
“I really appreciated the partnership and when the opportunity came, it felt like a natural progression for me, so it wasn’t too difficult of a decision to apply for DCMA,” Banks said. “Honestly, I never appreciated all the work that goes on within the agency. I often refer to it as an iceberg. Many of us in the defense acquisition world have a very general idea of DCMA’s mission set. It’s that part of the iceberg that most people see, but once you look under the surface, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the multitude of roles and responsibilities that happen behind the scenes within the agency.”
With her career ending, Banks highlighted her proudest accomplishments.
“A moment that stands out was my selection to attend the Eisenhower School — formerly the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, or ICAF. I had initially been slated to attend the Naval War College. While I hold great respect for my Navy colleagues, my heart was set on ICAF, as many of the leaders I admired had walked that path,” Banks said. “I accepted the Naval War College assignment with grace, trusting that it was part of a larger plan. But just a month before I was scheduled to report, I received a call that a seat had opened at ICAF. (They asked) if was I still interested? I didn’t hesitate. That experience proved to be transformative, and I encourage anyone aspiring to senior leadership to pursue one of the military senior service schools. It’s an investment in yourself and your future that you won’t regret.”
Reaching GS-15 is another milestone she recalls fondly, validating her years of tenacity and hard work.
“Promotion to the GS-15 level at the Missile Defense Agency brought me great pride. Not only did I achieve a career goal a bit sooner than expected, but it also felt like a meaningful acknowledgment of my track record: my ability to collaborate, deliver results, and build trust in support of objectives for the Ballistic Missile Defense System,” Banks said. “I had the privilege of working under a senior executive who was, to me, the Yoda of contracting: wise, demanding of excellence, yet approachable and kind. His name was Barney Klehman, and though he’s no longer with us, I still found myself asking in difficult moments, ‘What would Barney do?’”
Banks looks forward to retirement and the promise of new goals and opportunities, but her first assignment is simple.
“As I prepared for this next chapter, I sought guidance from several longtime mentors,” she said. “Unanimously, they advised me to take at least six to nine months to rest: breathe, reflect, and decompress after a long and fulfilling career. I plan to take that advice to heart. After a year, I may explore ways to continue contributing in other public service capacities. But for now, I’m excited to shift my focus toward personal renewal by reconnecting with loved ones, making time for regular exercise, and reading broadly beyond the realm of defense acquisition. I’m entering this phase with a spirit of gratitude, openness and peace.”
Somewhere, her 12-year-old self is smiling.