Nine individuals have been appointed by President Trump to fill key acquisition positions.
President Donald Trump appointed nine individuals to acquisition executive positions, including eight appointments to the General Services Administration and one at the Department of Defense.
Bridget Brennan has been appointed to the position of the United States GSA's senior adviser to the administrator for administrative services. In this position, Brennan will be focusing on the development and compliance of internal workplace and administrative initiatives that will help the GSA best serve the American people, according to a press release.
In the past, Brennan served as a press advance lead and was the director of the Tech Coast Angels in Orange County. Her most recent position was serving as the special assistant to the Secretary of Treasury, a position that had her tracking presidential executive orders and drafting legal memos.
Brennan graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts in legal studies, as well as from Chapman University's Dale E. Fowler School of Law, earning her a juris doctor.
Charles S. Manger has been appointed by President Trump to become the associate administrator of the GSA's Office of Small Business Utilization. In this position, Manger will be overseeing the GSA's efforts to promote use of small business categories in the federal acquisition process, according to a press release.
He comes into the position after having a distinguished career as a financial adviser at JP Morgan and UBS Financial, where he manages several billion-dollar portfolios.
Manger graduated from St. Lawrence University with a Bachelor of Arts.
For the position of senior adviser to the Office of Small Business Utilization, President Trump has appointed William Pettigrew. At this position, Pettigrew will focus on social media communication and outreach to the small business community to help streamline participation with the GSA.
Before joining GSA, Pettigrew worked in the public transportation sector, emphasizing information technology and marketing. He has had various leadership positions with the Philadelphia Parking Authority and served as partner and manager to several private sector IT companies.
Pettigrew studied information technology and political science at Drexel University and earned a certification in computer systems technology from Lincoln Technical Institute.
Ellen M. Lord was appointed for the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics position in the Department of Defense. This position also comes with the title of undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment following the reorganization of the Office of the Secretary of Defense that is effective Feb. 1, 2018, a press release details.
The Rhode Island native previously held the position of president and chief executive officer of Textron Systems. The position called for Lord to effectively manage businesses providing hardware and software for unmanned systems, precision weapons, marine craft, armored vehicles, simulation and training, electronic warfare, and intelligence software to the United States Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, as well as a variety of international customers. Prior to this position, Lord worked within the Textron Automotive Technology Center in various technical and management roles.
Lord received her undergraduate degree from Connecticut College and her masters from the University of New Hampshire, both in chemistry.
The position of special assistant in the GSA's Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs has been appointed to Jessica Jennings, according to a press release. In this position Jennings will assist in monitoring the federal legislation impacting the GSA as well as maintaining an agency liaison with multiple officials including members of Congress, Congressional committees, state and local government officials and official national organizations.
Jennings is brought into this position from her previous position with VanScoyoc Associates where she served as a legislative assistant and supported client goals by using relationships with federal agencies, members of Congress, and members of their staff. Before that, Jennings served as the junior legislative assistant and scheduler for Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., where she was responsible for communications, constituent calls, and any meetings dealing with matters of the Judiciary Committee.
Jennings graduated from the University of Alabama where she received a master's degree in consumer sciences, and received a bachelor of arts in political science from North Carolina State University prior to that.
Michael R. Solomon has been appointed the position of senior adviser to the Public Buildings Service commissioner for the GSA, according to a press release. The appointee of President Trump is to provide strategic guidance while working with members of the Public Buildings Service for effective and efficient real estate solutions for federal agencies with the American taxpayer's best interests in mind.
Before this position, Solomon was a senior adviser to the Trump administration's beachhead team, working closely with the Office of the Chief Financial Officer. He has also served in a variety of senior positions in investment banking and other financial services.
Solomon graduated from Emory University's Goizueta School of Business with a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance.
President Trump appointed Benjamin Kenney for the position of GSA associate administrator in the Office of Strategic Communication. There, Kenney will oversee communication initiatives for the GSA while ensuring strategic communication policies are in context with the Trump administration.
Previously, Kenney worked in the office of then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence serving numerous positions. Prior to that, he served as a political and legislative aide to then-U.S. Sen. Dan Coasts, R-Ind., as well as in several private sector public affairs positions.
Kenney graduated from Purdue University earning a Bachelor of Arts in political science.
Appointed as the senior communication adviser of GSA's Office of Strategic Communication, Jeff Leieritz will be ensuring the agency's communications align with the priorities of the Trump administration.
Before this position, Leieritz was with Associated Builders and Contractors as the senior media relations manager where he led the external communications, oversaw social media and internal communications, and coordinated communication between the 70 chapters of the association. Before his position with ABC, Leieritz served in several positions with the House of Representatives Small Business Committee.
The Redlands, California native graduated from San Diego University with a Bachelor of Science in business administration and a Bachelor of Arts in political science. He has also participated in the Panetta Institute's Congressional Internship Program.
And finally, Emily McBride has been appointed by President Trump to take the position of special assistant to the administrator of the GSA. In this position, McBride will be a critical member of the administrator's team helping the chief of staff and the administrator with their duties.
Prior to this position, McBride served as the assistant to the cabinet secretary in the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs under President Trump. Before that, she was the acting legislative assistant to the then-Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., where she provided the senator with advice on legislative matters in portfolios of healthcare, pension, labor, and education, coordinated delegation efforts addressing concerns of constituents, and helped to establish strategic relationships that would ensure access to federal funding.
Having graduated from Auburn University, McBride holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science with a concentration in public law.
Rachael Kalinyak is an editorial intern with Network Solutions.
