GREENVILLE, S.C. –
My DCMA showcases the Defense Contract Management Agency’s experienced and dedicated workforce and highlights what being a part of the national defense team means to them. Today, Olukemi Okafor shares her story.
My name is Olukemi Okafor, and this is “My DCMA.”
I am a termination contract specialist with Contract Terminations Team A within DCMA’s Contract Lifecycle Management Center’s Terminations Group, known as AQXB.
I enjoy contributing to the DCMA mission, while working with great individuals. It provides a deep sense of fulfilment.
My team members value integrity, service and excellence to fully support our warfighter in accomplishing their mission. I work alongside dedicated professionals and outstanding leaders who foster a dynamic and intellectually stimulating environment that is collaborative and welcoming. It is great to work with individuals who are focused on excellence, integrity and the mission.
Contracting plays a critical role in supporting the warfighter to ensure they have quality products in a timely fashion to complete the mission. This can be challenging because doing this is a multi-step procurement and logistics process from start to finish. I enjoy that my unique role contributes to finishing the process well.
I use my critical-thinking skillset to successfully negotiate and equitably settle terminated contracts. This means I can strategically use my collaborative skills within the contracting team — to include the customer and the contractor — to problem-solve or come to an equitable settlement with large and small defense contractors. Being able to contribute to the DCMA mission to support the warfighter by handling the settlement and closure of terminated contracts so that the customer may continue supplying quality resources to the warfighter is fulfilling.
Another aspect I enjoy about my position is the people component. I work with some outstanding individuals who value excellence, support, integrity and service. From leadership to first line supervisors, from coworkers on my team to professionals around DCMA, there is a strong sense of excellence and servant leadership that inspires everyone to do their best. Again, I want to emphasize both our leadership and team members within the Contract Lifecycle Management Center are outstanding. I want to use this time to thank them all for creating a strong work environment.
My short-term goals include growing within my role. I am a strong proponent of continuous learning and training. My goal is to continue my learning by obtaining my warrant and contributing to educational and training material within my team and at large. I volunteered to lead and collaborate with another outstanding coworker to compile our Termination Guidebook, a future training tool for AQXB. The DCMA director is now reviewing the guidebook, which I hope becomes an internal resource for my team.
My long-term goals are to support and serve my team and DCMA by pursing leadership opportunities within the agency; fostering and encouraging team cohesiveness; promoting and creating process improvement initiatives; and encouraging and contributing to a positive metrics-based atmosphere.
My favorite hobbies are centered around family time. My husband and I have two young children who participate in recreational sports and music. We enjoy cheering for them.
One unique fact about me is that I value education and hold four degrees. As an undergraduate, I graduated as a dual major with two degrees: one in finance and one in accounting. I earned my master’s degree and have a doctorate degree in higher education administration.