Full Name
Ms. Carlen Capenos
Job Title
Director, Office of Small Business Programs
Company
Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)
Speaker Bio
Carlen Capenos serves as the director of the Office of Small Business Programs for the Defense Information Systems Agency. She is responsible for ensuring small businesses are provided with maximum opportunities to participate at both the prime contract and subcontract levels. In fiscal year 2023, DISA awarded $1.86 billion in prime contracts to small businesses, representing 29.25% of DISA’s dollars obligated.
Previously, she was the chief of the acquisition resources branch for DISA’s Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization. She led and managed two teams providing contracting services to various customers throughout DISA and the Department of Defense. She was a working contracting officer with an Unlimited Warrant and was the Contracting Officer for the $7.5 billion Systems Engineering, Technology and Innovation (SETI) multiple award contract vehicle. SETI won the DOD’s Vanguard’s Verdure Award, which recognized the small business team that best demonstrated industrial competitiveness and innovative solutions that balance the development of efficient buying methods and utilization of small business.
She also served as the chief of the secure environment contracting branch at the Real Property Services Field Office for the Baltimore District Corps of Engineers. In five years, she and her branch awarded $5 billion in contracts. The highlight of this was the successful awards of the $1.5 billion Utah Data Center and the $650 million High Performance Computing Center projects.
Additionally, Carlen spent six months on a detail as the deputy chief of the Construction Division for the Baltimore District. She has also been the deputy for small business and spent a year in the Contracting Division on the Civil Works Team.
Carlen worked for 10 years for the Air Force at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England; Los Angeles Air Force Base; McGuire Air Force Base, NJ; and Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. She is level III certified in contracting. She served as the mission manager for the Emergency Response Team for Debris Removal and deployed as the Contract Specialist to support Hurricane Gustav Relief. She is a graduate of the North Atlantic Division’s Executive Leadership Program, graduated as a fellow in the Excellence in Government Leadership Development Program sponsored by the Partnership for Public Service and completed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pilot Program for Contracting Personnel and earned a Construction Management Certificate from Auburn University.
Previously, she was the chief of the acquisition resources branch for DISA’s Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization. She led and managed two teams providing contracting services to various customers throughout DISA and the Department of Defense. She was a working contracting officer with an Unlimited Warrant and was the Contracting Officer for the $7.5 billion Systems Engineering, Technology and Innovation (SETI) multiple award contract vehicle. SETI won the DOD’s Vanguard’s Verdure Award, which recognized the small business team that best demonstrated industrial competitiveness and innovative solutions that balance the development of efficient buying methods and utilization of small business.
She also served as the chief of the secure environment contracting branch at the Real Property Services Field Office for the Baltimore District Corps of Engineers. In five years, she and her branch awarded $5 billion in contracts. The highlight of this was the successful awards of the $1.5 billion Utah Data Center and the $650 million High Performance Computing Center projects.
Additionally, Carlen spent six months on a detail as the deputy chief of the Construction Division for the Baltimore District. She has also been the deputy for small business and spent a year in the Contracting Division on the Civil Works Team.
Carlen worked for 10 years for the Air Force at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England; Los Angeles Air Force Base; McGuire Air Force Base, NJ; and Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. She is level III certified in contracting. She served as the mission manager for the Emergency Response Team for Debris Removal and deployed as the Contract Specialist to support Hurricane Gustav Relief. She is a graduate of the North Atlantic Division’s Executive Leadership Program, graduated as a fellow in the Excellence in Government Leadership Development Program sponsored by the Partnership for Public Service and completed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pilot Program for Contracting Personnel and earned a Construction Management Certificate from Auburn University.
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