Congressman James R. Walkinshaw is serving his first term in Congress representing Virginia’s 11th Congressional District. The district includes most of Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, and the towns of Vienna and Herndon.

Congressman Walkinshaw serves on the influential House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which oversees the federal workforce, government operations, and federal IT management—areas that are critical to Northern Virginia’s economy. He also serves on the Military and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee. In these roles, Congressman Walkinshaw is focused on protecting the nonpartisan civil service, supporting fair pay, benefits, and treatment for federal employees, strengthening oversight of federal procurement and information technology, and holding the Administration accountable.

He also serves on the powerful Committee on Homeland Security, which has broad jurisdiction over national security policy, overseeing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its components, covering areas like border/port security, cybersecurity, transportation security, counterterrorism, emergency management (FEMA), and customs, handling legislation and conducting oversight for the nation's security.

He is the Founder and Co-Chair of the Federal Workforce Caucus, launched alongside Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), to defend a merit-based civil service and ensure federal workers can serve the American people free from political interference. The caucus is advancing policies to strengthen recruitment and retention, boost morale, modernize pay and professional development, and reinforce the good-government values that keep public service strong.

Walkinshaw is also engaged on other critical issue areas, including protecting Social Security and Medicare, expanding investment in transportation and infrastructure, addressing the climate crisis, expanding access to affordable housing, defending reproductive freedom, and strengthening democracy at home and abroad.

In addition to his Committee assignments, Walkinshaw is a member of the New Democrat Coalition, Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. A full list of Walkinshaw’s Caucus memberships are here.

Prior to his election to Congress, Walkinshaw served on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors from 2020 to September 2025, representing the Braddock District. He chaired the Board’s Legislative Committee, where he successfully secured state funding for local schools, expanded local authority to protect the environment, and advanced common-sense gun safety reforms. He also chaired the Board’s Environmental Committee, where he helped lead efforts to install solar panels on county facilities and support residents and businesses to reduce their emissions and utility bills.

At the regional level, he represented Fairfax County on the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and chaired the Regional Transportation Planning Board, where he helped align regional transportation planning with environmental goals and expanded transportation options across our region. In 2023, he served as Chair of the Virginia Railway Express Operations Board, helping lead the system’s historic plan to grow service and ridership.

Walkinshaw also helped lead county efforts to implement collective bargaining for employees, reduce plastic waste, expand affordable housing, strengthen protections against gun violence, and provide tax relief for the spouses of fallen service members.

Before serving in elected office, Walkinshaw spent more than a decade working in Congress as Chief of Staff to Congressman Gerry Connolly. In that role, he advised Congressman Connolly on federal policy, constituent services, and regional priorities such as Metro funding and federal workforce protections.

Walkinshaw graduated from New York University in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics. He lives in Fairfax with his wife, Yvette, and their son, Mateo.

Ms. Carbone is a Director of Procurement Service C and a warranted Contracting Officer (CO) for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Technology Acquisition Center (TAC) where she leads a division of acquisition professionals responsible for delivering mission-critical information technology contracting solutions in support of the Agency. Ms. Carbone has 19 years of federal acquisition experience. Ms. Carbone started her career in the intern program at the Department of Defense (DoD), Army Contracting Command, CECOM Contracting Center and then moved to VA in 2010 where she has served as a Contract Specialist, CO, and most recently, since 2018, a Division Director. She specializes in cradle-to-grave contracting, strategic procurement, and leadership of complex information technology acquisitions. Throughout her career, Ms. Carbone has managed major VA programs, including the Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) and Financial Management Business Transformation (FMBT) programs, as well as large scale enterprise agreements. She is recognized for her ability to lead high-performing teams, ensure regulatory compliance, and deliver acquisition outcomes that support the VA’s mission to serve Veterans.

Ms. Carbone holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management, a Master's in Business Administration with a concentration in Healthcare Management, and a Post Graduate Degree in Accounting - all from Monmouth University. Ms. Carbone has also completed leadership training at VA, including Federal Executive Institute training.

Benjamin Bryant is the Acting Head of Contracting Activity for the Advance Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) and Acting Director of the Business Innovation Division (BID). BID provides expert business advice, crafting and managing acquisition and assistance arrangements with industry performers to further the ARPA-H mission.

From 2009 – 2018, Benjamin led dynamic teams to achieve the unique acquisition needs of the Pentagon’s senior leadership. In 2018, he developed a new division to support the Undersecretary of Defense (USD) for Research and Engineering, where he successfully pursued the facilities, training, and authorities necessary for the team to acquire a broad range of unique classified and unclassified technology using Other Transactions (OT) for Research and Prototyping. Within a year of developing a rapid research and development team, Benjamin’s team obligated the 4th most Other Transactions in the Government. Some of these efforts include successful transition from prototype to production for micro nuclear reactors, autonomous ships, and Hypersonics research and development.

Originally from Charleston, SC, Benjamin attended Boston University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Business Administration. Benjamin achieved his Master of Public Administration from the American University Key Executive Leadership program with Distinction in addition to gaining his LEAD certification through OPM. As an acquisition leader, Benjamin is driven to deliver on an audacious collective vision, celebrate individual and team successes, and create a culture built on trust and creativity with a fierce pursuit of excellence.

Polly Hall brings over 15 years of federal acquisition experience and a national reputation for transforming how the government approaches procurement, workforce development, and technology modernization. She is a key leader for the Practitioner Workstream supporting the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) initiative driven by the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) and the FAR Council, where she has guided the development of non-regulatory buying guides, supported testing of the new acquisition process, and helped shape the government-wide change management and training approach for the modernized regulatory framework.
Polly formally joined the General Services Administration (GSA), Office of Governmentwide Policy (OGP) in December 2025. In her new role, Polly serves as a strategic advisor and senior leader supporting OGP’s mission to strengthen federal acquisition policy, delivery, and
capability. She previously served as the Senior Advisor to the Chief Procurement Officer at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where she provided strategic leadership for a $23.9 billion annual procurement portfolio, advised on enterprise acquisition strategies, and strengthened management of DHS’s 15,000-member acquisition workforce. Her work modernizing budget strategy, establishing data-driven performance models, and advancing alternative procurement authorities has shaped major decisions across the Department. Before that, Polly served as Executive Director of the DHS Procurement Innovation Lab (PIL), where she built and led one of the government’s most influential acquisition innovation programs. She pioneered hands-on learning models, launched high-impact professional development offerings for tens of thousands of acquisition professionals, and led development of government-wide tools such as the Periodic Table of Acquisition Innovation and the Artificial Intelligence for Past Performance marketplace. Many of these programs have been adopted across federal agencies.
Polly’s career reflects a consistent commitment to modernizing acquisition practices, building high-performing teams, and forging strong partnerships across government, industry, and academia. Her experience spans the full acquisition lifecycle, including complex contracting at
TSA, strategic planning at DHS headquarters, and the creation of innovative frameworks that have reshaped the procurement community’s approach to technology and market research.
Polly serves as President of the Federal Innovation Council, where she collaborates with thought leaders across government to drive improved results in federal service delivery. In addition to her government work, Polly is a faculty associate in supply chain management at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

Ms. Hixson is a Director in Baker Tilly’s Government Contractor Solutions practice, where she helps federal contractors make sense of the complex world of acquisition, pricing, and compliance. After more than 35 years in federal contracting—including serving as Head of the Contracting Activity at Commerce, DHS, and GSA—she brings a practical, real‑world perspective to navigating government requirements and opportunities.

At GSA, as an Assistant Commissioner, she led programs delivering over $70 billion a year in professional services, IT, and payment solutions, which gave her a front‑row view into how agencies buy and what contractors need to succeed. Her specialties include the FAR, pricing strategy, business systems readiness, contract vehicle strategy, and handling the trickier parts of contract administration and litigation. She has led unique programs like GSA's MAS, MACs—including OASIS and OASIS+—and GWAC programs, and brings deep insight into how acquisition professionals and contractors can strengthen their skills to improve source‑selection outcomes and reduce compliance and pricing risk.

Ms. Hixson holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from American University and received her undergraduate degree from Seattle University. She frequently participates in Government-wide forums to discuss the merits of streamlined and innovative acquisition programs, and has coauthored several articles on these and other subjects.

She also served as the government's first category manager for professional services, President of the American Society of Public Administration’s National Capital Area Chapter and Chair of the American Council for Technology’s Industry Advisory Council’s Partners leadership development program. Her recognitions have included the 2019 Coalition for Government Procurement's Lifetime Acquisition Excellence Award, 2016 Fed 100, 2015 Coalition for Government Procurement’s Government Savings Award, 2008 DHS CFO’s Budget, Planning and Execution Award, Commerce’s Bronze and Silver Medal awards, and National Performance Review’s Hammer Award.

Jennifer Johnson is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisitions (DAS-A) and Senior Procurement Executive (SPE) – the top Department executive responsible for the strategic management, oversight, and execution of HHS' acquisition programs. In this capacity, she provides executive leadership in shaping acquisition policy, ensuring compliance with Federal acquisition statutes, driving operational excellence across all procurement activities, and serves as the principal acquisition advisor to HHS senior leadership, including the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and Chief Acquisition Officer (CAO)/Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources (ASFR) in carrying out their responsibilities for leading the Department’s acquisition program of over $25B annually in federal contracts.

Previously, Ms. Johnson served as the Executive Director for the Office of Acquisition Policy, Legislation, Oversight & Workforce for HHS where she advised the DAS-A/HHS SPE and CAO/ASFR on the formulation and promulgation of Department-wide policy, proposed legislation, regulations governing the Department's acquisition programs, and provided executive leadership of the acquisition workforce certification, training and development and procurement oversight and compliance programs.

Prior to joining HHS, Ms. Johnson served as Associate Director for Acquisition Policy, Oversight and Business Strategies for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Office of the Senior Procurement Executive in the Office of the Secretary (OST). Earlier in her career, she previously held roles as an Acquisition Policy Team Lead, Small Business Specialist and Contracting Officer at the Federal Highway Administration. She worked as a contracting professional in the private sector prior to joining the Federal Government. Ms. Johnson has over 19 years of experience as an acquisition professional and holds a Master of Public Administration, Bachelor of Science of Administration of Justice – both from George Mason University and a Master’s Certificate in Government Contracting from The George Washington University.

Emily W. Murphy is a senior fellow in the School of Business at George Mason University. Murphy's direct appointment is with the Center for Government Contracting.

Murphy is a leading expert in government contracting and the business of government. She has held multiple leadership roles in the federal government, most recently serving as Administrator for the U.S. General Services Administration. She has also served in multiple leadership roles on congressional committees for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Murphy served as the GSA Administrator from 2017 to 2021, leading a workforce of more than 11,000 federal employees, and overseeing 371 million square feet of office space and $75 billion in annual contracts. As Administrator, she increased GSA’s sales by 36%, from $55 billion to $75 billion, increased revenues by $8.2 billion, and saved customer agencies $21.6 billion. Under her leadership, GSA had the highest customer, vendor, and employee satisfaction scores in the history of the agency.

Prior to being confirmed as Administrator, Murphy served as the Senior Advisor at GSA and oversaw the merger of the Federal Acquisition Service and the Technology Transformation. During the administration of President George W. Bush, she was appointed as GSA’s first Chief Acquisition Officer from 2005 to 2007. In that role, she was responsible for more than $40 billion in acquisition programs. She also served at the U.S. Small Business Administration from 2004 to 2005 as the Senior Advisor for Government Contracting and Business Development, and as Acting Associate Administrator for Government Contracting.

In addition to her seven years of senior roles in the Executive Branch, Murphy spent nine years serving in various procurement policy and leadership roles for the House of Representatives. She served as Counsel and Professional Staff Member to the Committee on Armed Services, negotiating acquisition and industrial base provisions in military public policy. She also held Senior Counsel and Policy Director roles for the Committee on Small Business from 2011-2016, where she directed the legislative and oversight agenda of the Committee and authored over a hundred contracting reform provisions that ultimately became law. Emily previously worked for the Committee from 1997-2000, focusing on government contracts matters, disaster loan policy, and telecommunications issues.

In the private sector, Murphy was the General Counsel and Vice President for Operations for TerreStar National Services Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of TerreStar Networks, which operated integrated satellite and terrestrial telecommunications systems. She also practiced government contracts law with Wiley LLC as an associate from 2001 to 2003.

Murphy is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law and Smith College. She is a member of the Young Presidents Organization, the Economic Club of Washington DC, and the Chief Executives Organization.

 

Joanie F. Newhart, CPCM, has over 40 years’ experience in Federal government contracting. For 16 years, she has been the Associate Administrator for Acquisition Workforce Programs at the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) within the Office of Management and Budget and Executive Office of the President. Prior to her position at OFPP, Ms. Newhart gained a variety of work experience ranging from being a contractor to being the Senior Procurement Executive at both the SBA and DoT. Ms. Newhart has Master’s Degrees in Strategic Studies and Business Administration. She is a 2012 and 2017 Fed 100 winner.

Corey Nickens serves as the Client Executive for the Assisted Acquisition Services’ (AAS) Defense unit, housed under the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Federal Acquisition Service (FAS). Corey is also the FAS Acquisition Innovation Advocate (AIA).

Corey holds a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Drexel University and a Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)

Bradley J. Niese serves as NASA's Senior Procurement Executive, Deputy Chief 
Acquisition Officer, and Assistant Administrator for the Office of Procurement. In this role, he provides executive leadership and oversight of NASA's procurement operations, 
policies, and initiatives, leading a workforce of more than 600 professionals who execute over $20 billion in annual contract obligations.

With more than two decades of federal acquisition experience, he brings a distinguished record of leadership and results to NASA's Office of Procurement, supporting a wide range of operations. Prior to his current role, Niese served as Director of Procurement at NASA's Johnson Space Center, where he was responsible for more than $5 billion in annual obligations supporting NASA's human spaceflight programs.

Niese is a member of the Chief Acquisition Officers Council and a voting member of the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council. He is also active with the National Contract Management Association, having served as the past president of the Space City 
Houston Chapter.

Earning undergraduate degrees in both Finance and Management Information Systems from Ohio University, Niese went on to complete his Executive MBA at the Naval Postgraduate School. He also holds a Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) at the Professional level and is a graduate of Harvard University's Senior Executive Fellows Program.

Originally from Wapakoneta, Ohio, he and his wife live in Texas and are proud parents of four sons.

Brian Shipley is the director for the Department of the Navy (DoN) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs. In this role he oversees implementation of the programs to stimulate technological innovations, use small business to meet Federal research and development needs, increase private sector commercialization of Federally funding research and development, and foster and encourage minority and disadvantaged participation in
technological innovation.

Mr. Shipley has over 30 years of experience working with DoN and DoD programs. He began his career in financial management providing programming and planning for DoN shipbuilding and research and development programs. In 2007, he joined the DoD Office of Small Business Programs to provide overarching program management support to the DoD SBIR/STTR Programs. In 2013, Mr. Shipley transitioned to the DoN SBIR/STTR Programs Office to support policy development, program management and outreach and joined the civilian workforce in July 2020 as the DoN SBIR/STTR Commercialization Program Manager. He has been in his current role as Acting Director since May 2024.

Mr. Shipley earned a bachelor’s in marketing and management from the University of Maryland and a Master of Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University.

Gov-wide Professional Services Category Manager Office of Acquisition Solutions Development Federal Acquisition Service U.S. General Services Administration Adam Soderholm currently serves as the acting Gov-wide Professional Services Category Manager as well as a senior advisor within the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS). He leads category management initiatives to drive better acquisition outcomes across government in the area of knowledge-based services.

The Professional Services Category is the second largest government-wide category with more than $110 billion in spend annually. His prior role, when GSA was organized by categories was the Director for the Center for Professional services, providing strategic and program oversight for GSA’s professional services and human capital contract solutions including the OASIS+ program, the Human Capital and Training Solutions (HCATS) program, and the Multiple Award Schedule - for Professional Services Category and Human Capital Category. Adam joined GSA in early 2016 for the opportunity to play a lead role in implementing Category Management on a Government-wide scale. Along the way he led the Federal Marketplace Strategy, GSA’s plan to modernize and simplify the buying and selling experience for customers, suppliers, and acquisition professionals.

Prior to joining GSA, Adam served as the chief advisor and senior strategist to the Office of Personnel Management Human Resources Solutions, providing expert advice on business planning, acquisition, cost modeling, pricing analysis, process improvement, budget and execution reporting. Before his time as a federal employee he spent almost a decade as a principal in a women owned small business as well as an 8(a) firm providing consulting services to federal clients. Adam holds a degree in economics and certifications for Project Management Professional (PMP) and Federal Acquisition Program Management (FAC-P/PM III)

 Mike Pullen is an accomplished executive and information technology professional with over 30 years of technical and management experience. Serving as the leader of CGI’s IDIQ Strategic Solution Center (ISSC) responsible for federal IDIQ marketing, business development, and daily business activities for contract vehicles and schedules, he manages all aspects of the IDIQ contracts as well as CGI’s IDIQ contract vehicle portfolio.