Colleen A. Preston, Esq.
Executive Vice President for Policy and Operations

Colleen A. Preston joined PSC during the association’s merger with the Contract Services Association, where she had been the Senior Vice President for Public Policy. Prior to accepting her position at CSA, Preston was a consultant focusing on the federal acquisition process and business process reengineering.

From 1993-1997, she held the newly created position of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Reform, where she led a small team that provided the catalyst for reengineering and improving the Department of Defense acquisition process through internal process, regulatory and legislative (Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act and the Federal Acquisition Reform Act) changes.

For six months prior to becoming deputy undersecretary, Preston was the Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Legal Matters, advising the Secretary of Defense on all legal issues coming before him and handling the legal, ethical and financial issues arising out of the appointment and Senate confirmation of the Department of Defense Presidential appointees.

Before her stint at DoD, she served for 10 years as the primary legal advisor on acquisition policy issues for the Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives, beginning with her assignment with the Investigations Subcommittee and ending as General Counsel to the full committee. She was instrumental in the development of numerous acquisition improvement measures, such as the Competition in Contracting Act, the Small Business and Federal Competition Enhancement Act, acquisition provisions of the Goldwater-Nichols Act, and the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act.

She came to the committee staff after 4 years as an attorney/advisor in the Office of the General Counsel, Secretary of the Air Force, where in addition to providing legal guidance on acquisition issues, including bid protests, she acted as counsel to the Air Force Contract Adjustment and Debarment and Suspension Boards.

Preston received both her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and her Juris Doctor with Honors from the University of Florida, where she was a Law Review Student Works Editor. She received her Masters of Law, with emphasis on government contracting, from Georgetown University.

Preston is the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Contract Management Association (NCMA) Herbert Roback Award, the Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Medal, the Defense Acquisition University Alumni Association David C. Acker Award, and a four-time recipient of the Federal Computer Week Federal 100 Award. She is a member of the Florida Bar and a Fellow, NCMA.

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