Veterans Affairs Acquisition Academy (VAAA)
In The News Archives
Archive Start Date: 01/2018
2017
The 2017 Learning! 100 - The VA Acquisition Academy receives acknowledgement as a top 10 in this years 100 honorees. [from Elearning!] (09/06/2017)
Veterans Are Our True North - Executive Interview with Ruby Harvey, Chancellor, VA Acquisition Academy [Extracted from the April 2017 Contract Management Magazine] (04/26/2017)
2016
2016 Learning! 100 Award Winner - Collaboration, innovation and high performance are the mark of this year’s winning organizations. [Article from August/September Issue of Elearning! Magazine] (08/29/2016)
Innovation is a Contract Sport - Ways that agencies can achieve innovative outcomes through acquisitions. [Publication from the Partnership for Public Service] (08/29/2016)
Warriors to Workforce Program Trains Veterans - The program offers new optimism and confidence to returning wounded warriors and provides a great source of talent for the federal workforce. It’s mutually beneficial and rewarding. [Article from August/September Issue of Learning! Magazine] (08/29/2016)
2015
Training Opportunities - Federal Construction and Facilities Managers Training - Did you know there is a law requiring Federal facilities management (FM) personnel to have the competencies necessary to manage Federal buildings? [Article from Issue 8 Winter 2015 FAI Quarterly Newsletter] (12/11/2015)
Training Opportunities - Big "A" Training - Recognizing that it takes an entire team to make the acquisition system work better, the Academy recently expanded its curriculum offerings through its Performance Excellence (PE) program to provide opportunities for contracting, program, legal, finance, industry, and others to learn together and tackle some of agencies’ most critical mission challenges. [Article from Issue 8 Winter 2015 FAI Quarterly Newsletter] (12/11/2015)
Academy trains the VA workforce that buys and manages goods and services for Veterans - A school for the Veterans Affairs workforce trains professionals to buy and manage goods and services. [Extracted from The Baltimore Sun] (11/07/2015)
Setting the Standards - PMNetwork Voices - Inside Track Interview with Melissa Starinsky, Chancellor, Veterans Affairs Acquisition Academy, U.S. Department of Veterans, Frederick, Maryland [exceprt from the July 2015 Project Management Institute magazine] (07/01/2015)
Warriors to Workforce Program receives a 2015 Bright Ideas Award - Interview with David Sella, Program Manager, Warriors to Workforce and Federal News Radio 1500 AM (03/13/2015)
2015 American Council for Technology - Industry Advisory Council Acquisition Excellence Conference - Interview with Paul Gregory, Vice Chancellor, Program Management School and Federal News Radio 1500 AM (03/03/2015)
VA and NASA Win Multiple Innovation Awards - The Veterans Affairs Department earned three and NASA garnered two of the prestigious “Bright Ideas” for innovation awards announced on Wednesday by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. [From GovExec.com] (02/19/2015)
2014
Warriors to Workforce Program Graduates First Intern Class - W2W Interns are asked to create a team stand that symbolizes who they are and what they represent as a team. This is the inaugural W2W team’s stand. [Article from the VAntage Point Blog] (11/19/2014)
Once Upon A Time In Training - Employees not grasping your trainers’ lessons? The content may need a kick-start from storytelling. Illustrative anecdotes go a long way to helping learners get the point. [Article from the July/August 2014 edition of Training Magazine] (09/01/2014)
Leveraging Expertise and Resources - Over the past year, we’ve worked closely with the OFPP and the FAI to leverage our respective expertise and resources and reduce duplication of efforts so that we can deliver better and more cost-effective acquisition-related training to our Government-wide workforce. [Article from Issue 4 Spring FY 2014 FAI Quarterly Newsletter] (05/13/2014)
VA Warrior to Workforce Program - Interview with David Sella, Program Manager, VA Warrior to Workforce Program and Federal News Radio 1500 AM (03/25/2014)
Acquisition Brain Drain; Episode 68 Government Contracting Weekly - Federal procurement professionals are under intense strain due to retirements, downsizing, and an increased demand for contract professionals. Guests, Melissa Starinsky, VA Affairs Acquisition Academy, RADM Lenn Vincent, Defense Acquisition University, and Steve Schooner, GWU discuss the challenges facing acquisition professionals and the steps being taken to address this "brain drain". [YouTube video from www.governmentcontractingweekly.com] (03/09/2014)
2013
Hiring Our Heroes: Filling the Acquisition Workforce Pipeline - On several occasions, throughout the spring and summer of 2013, we visited with and interviewed the Veteran Afffairs Acquisition Academy's Chancellor Melissa Starinsky, Program Management School Vice-Chancellor Richard Garrison and Acquisition Internship School Vice-Chancellor Joanne Choy. We were fortunate to tour the facility and learn how the Chancellor and her team are developing more government buying professionals to a higher standard and at lower costs. [Article from People Science - The Journal of Human Capital Management & Leadership Fall/Winter 2013-14] (12/01/2013)
Recapitalizing VA's Acquisition Workforce - The VA Acquisition Academy (VAAA) operates three intern training programs: a two-year Acquisition Internship Program to develop contract specialists; an intern program designed specifically for returning Veterans called the Warriors to Workforce Program, which offers training in acquisition and program management; and a Project Management Fellows program for aspiring mission-critical project managers. Each program uses a curriculum that includes formal instruction, skill-building workshops, business competency development, and on-the-job training, along with mission service projects to connect the interns to the mission of serving Veterans. (11/25/2013)
Federal News Radio Interview with Melissa Starinsky - In Depth Show Blog — April 26 [1500AM FederalNewsRadio.com] (08/09/2013)
How to measure training effectiveness - If some ways of training on similar topics produce better results than others, we need to learn what distinguishes success from failure so we can spread good practice. [From The Lectern Blog at FCW.com] (08/08/2013)
Program and Project Manager (FAC-P/PM) Update - New Entry-level PPM Course Developed by VA Acquisition Academy, Department of Energy, and Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) [Article from Issue 3 Summer FY 2013 FAI Quarterly Newsletter] (07/02/2013)
Program Managers Too Scarce in the Federal Government, Survey Concludes - The key to curbing government waste and duplication lies in training more specialists in program management, analysts said Wednesday at a Capitol Hill panel hosted by the House Government Efficiency Caucus. [Article from GovExec.com] (06/12/2013)
VA Warriors to Workforce Program Answers the Call to Serve - Though they come from different backgrounds and circumstances, the Veterans in the VA Acquisition Academy’s Warriors to Workforce (W2W) Program share more similarities than differences—a sense of duty and love of country, an unparalleled loyalty to one another borne of their military service, and all have experienced the wounds of war. ~Article from the Spring 2013 VAnguard (05/31/2013)
Meet Clifton Blount - One of the challenges of teaching the complexities of supply chain management is having the right experience to balance theory and practice in order to translate instruction into successful work practices in the field. [Extracted from Issue 5 May/June 2013 of the VA Supply Chain News] (05/06/2013)
Department of Veterans Affairs Acquisition Academy Welcomes a New Chancellor - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has named Melissa Starinsky, a member of the Senior Executive Service, to serve as Chancellor of the VA Acquisition Academy (VAAA). [Extracted from the Spring FY 2013 Edition of the Federal Acquisition Institute Quarterly Newsletter] (05/06/2013)
2013 CAOC/SBPAC Small Business Excellence Award Winners - Congratulations to the VA Acquisition Academy Internship School for being the winner of the 2013 Chief Acquisition Officers Council/Small Business Procurement Advisory Council Small Business Excellence Award for Innovation! [Extracted from the Spring FY 2013 Edition of the Federal Acquisition Institute Quarterly Newsletter] (05/06/2013)
Federal News Radio Interview with Melissa Starinsky - In Depth Show Blog — April 26 [1500AM FederalNewsRadio.com] (04/26/2013)
New acquisition academy head lays out goals - The government has done well in training its acquisition workforce to meet the contracting certification standards that the Office of Federal Procurement Policy laid out in 2006. Yet employees need to understand organizational leadership even when "playing in the sandbox," said Melissa Starinsky, the new chancellor of the VA Acquisition Academy. [Article from FCW.com] (02/04/2013)
VA Academy Gets New Leader - Melissa Starinsky, a member of the senior executive service, is the new chancellor of the Veterans Affairs Department's Acquisition Academy, the department announced Jan. 28. [Article from FCW.com] (01/29/2013)
2012
Head of VA Acquisition Academy to step down - Lisa Doyle, chancellor of the Veterans Affairs Acquisition Academy, is leaving her position in June, she said May 17. [Article from FCW.com] (05/17/2012)
Warriors to Workforce program gives Vets a second chance - Lisa Doyle, VA Acquisition Academy Chancellor, speaks with Federal Computer Week senior writer Matthew Weigelt about the need to provide veterans with career support and the particular talents they bring to the workforce. [Article from FCW.com] (05/03/2012)
Federal 100: Lisa Doyle - The Federal 100 award winner is an individual who takes a program from the drawing board to completion. Who solves a problem that has left others baffled. Who steps up in the face of a crisis. Who puts the interests of the community above his or her own. [Article from Federal Computer Week] (03/28/2012)
New program brings Veterans into acquisition workforce - WFED Radio, VAAA Warriors to Workforce program [1500AM FederalNewsRadio.com] (01/31/2012)
VA kicks off acquisition training program for wounded Vets - The Veterans Affairs department formally launched its new program designed to train wounded Vets to become acquisition professionals with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held Jan. 19 at its Frederick, Md., facilities. [Article from Federal Computer Week] (01/19/2012)
2011
VA Acquisition Academy Chancellor Named Chief Learning Officer of the Year - Lisa Doyle was honored for her work in standing up the VA Acquisition Academy. ~Article from the Fall 2011 VAnguard (12/01/2011)
2011 Chief Learning Officer of the Year - 2011 Chief Learning Officer — Learning In Practice Awards (11/30/2011)
VA Acquisition Academy teaches both technical and interpersonal skills - A conversation with Lisa Doyle and Francis Rose on In-Depth [1500AM FederalNewsRadio.com] (11/22/2011)
Training new acquisition leaders - A conversation with Lisa Doyle and Roger Waldron on 1500AM FederalNewsRadio.com (11/15/2011)
VA Acquisition Academy chancellor wins national award - Chief Learning Officer magazine honored Lisa Doyle of the Veterans Affairs Department as the 2011 Chief Learning Officer of the Year. [Article from Federal Computer Week] (10/26/2011)
Head of the Class: The VA's Solution For Acquisition Talent Shortage - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has found an innovative way to address a shortage of trained acquisition professionals, growing contracting complexities and a need to curb waste, fraud and abuse for itself and other federal agencies. [Article from AOL Government] (10/03/2011)
The VA Acquisition Academy: A model worth building on? - Although the academy incorporates classroom work, it takes a more holistic approach. The coursework goes well beyond rote learning of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to cover the softer skills needed by contracting officers. [Article from Federal Computer Week] (06/02/2011)
Learning to Serve Veterans - Veterans can count on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Acquisition Academy to help secure the development they need once they come home from war [Article from the May 2011 edition of the Chief Learning Officer] (05/24/2011)
Training the Next Generation of Acquisition Professionals - "We create learning interventions that change behavior and improve performance. We are not about check-the-box training." ~Article from the January/February 2011 VAnguard (03/01/2011)
2010
Operation Holiday Cheer - Operation Holiday Cheer, an intern mission service project, at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center. (12/20/2010)
Interns Connect with VA’s Mission at Quantico National Cemetery - VA Acquisition Academy’s newest cohort of acquisition interns visited Quantico National Cemetery. (08/26/2010)
VA's Jan Frye explains the rationale behind the department's Acquisition Academy - The case for more acquisition training options. (06/17/2010)
A Way to Give Back - Acquisition Interns Spend the Day with Veterans at the VA Loch Raven Community Living and Rehabilitation Center. (06/04/2010)
Let the VA's Acquisition Academy serve other agencies! - The VA Acquisition Academy has been widely praised, and appropriately so, for its fantastic approach to training a new generation of contracting professionals through its three-year program. (06/03/2010)
VA's New Acquisition Academy Centers on the Learner - E-learning plays a major role in Federal acquisition professionals’ holistic learning process. In Virtual classrooms, instructors will review the lesson, followed by asynchronous break-out sessions for group projects, then back to the virtual classroom. (05/01/2010)
At the VA, It's Academic - The Veterans Affairs Acquisition Academy is gaining notice, particularly for its internship program, which lasts for three years. (04/01/2010)
2009
Intern Field Trips - VA Acquisition Academy interns participate in appreciation and understanding field trips. (12/28/2009)
Academy Students Reach Out to Troops Abroad - VA Acquisition Academy students recently partnered with a local non-profit organization and several Frederick County Public Schools in a letter writing campaign to thank U.S. troops stationed abroad during the holidays. (11/25/2009)
VA's Acquisition Academy gets excellence award - The academy plans to open its classes to all agencies. (07/08/2009)
Interns Hold Career Assistance Fair for Veterans - Acquisition interns partner with Army Community Services to assist area Veterans in obtaining employment in the Federal government. (06/04/2009)
VA Acquisition Academy Receives Excellence Award - VA Acquisition Academy receives the Chief Acquisition Officers Council (CAOC) 2009 Team Acquisition Excellence Award. (05/01/2009)
Government needs wide net to recruit talent - Business schools could be great source for the acquisition workforce. (04/29/2009)
VA Shows the Way on Acquisition Training - Steve Kelman participates in a panel at a National Contract Management Association World Congress presenting the Department of Veterans Affairs newly opened Acquisition Academy. (04/14/2009)
2008
VA Secretary dedicates acquisitions center - The Department of Veterans Affairs' new Center for Acquisition Innovation and Acquisition Academy is officially open for business. (11/25/2008)
The Lectern: VA contracting interns - Steve Kelman speaks with the first group of about 30 or so contracting interns at the brand-new VA Acquisition Academy in Frederick, Maryland. (11/18/2008)
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