C0001 Registering as a Federal "Small Business" 

In this half-day workshop, you will learn when and how to register your business as a Federal “Small Business”.  

The U.S. Government is the largest single purchaser of goods and services in the world, awarding approximately $500 billion in contracts every year.  The Small Business Administration’s Office of Government Contracting & Business Development works with Federal agencies to award 23+ percent of all prime government contract dollars to small businesses and help Federal agencies meet specific statutory goals for small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned small businesses (WOSB), service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB), and small businesses that are located in historically underutilized business zones (HUBZone).  An overview of these programs will be presented as well as strategies to become a Federal supplier.  

Instructor Bio:

Karen A. Williams retired from Northrop Grumman Corporation as the vice president of corporate contracts, pricing & supply chain in 2013, and currently serves as a SCORE Mentor to small businesses in the DC Metro area. Ms. Williams was responsible for Northrop Grumman’s risk review process and provided companywide policy, direction, training and oversight of contracts and pricing.  Ms. Williams served as the principal interface with key government regulators regarding all contract and pricing matters, government regulatory policy and oversight.  She also developed and implemented companywide supply chain strategies and key processes, including socio-economic business planning, strategy and compliance relative to its supply chain.

Prior to that role, Ms. Williams was vice president and general manager of Defense Technologies Division, a billion dollar division within Northrop Grumman Information Systems that provided end-to-end support systems and services for defense customers.  Earlier, Ms. Williams was vice president of the company’s Air and Missile Defense Systems; and she was the vice president of the Mission Support Systems operating unit within the C2 Division.  Ms. Williams has significant experience in the development of strategies, plans, tactics, policies, procedures and budgets.  She led a sector-wide Six Sigma team to enhance the sector’s profitability. 

An instructor in Northrop Grumman program management and capture courses, Ms. Williams also was the founding sponsor of Northrop Grumman’s Women in Leadership Program, a program established to promote the professional growth of women professionals, and she served on the company’s Executive Inclusion and Diversity Council. 

Ms. Williams holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree in procurement and acquisition management from Kogod School of Business of American University, Washington, D.C.  In addition, she completed the TRW Executive Leadership Program and the Northrop Grumman LEAD1NG Executive Development Program. Ms. Williams served on the AFCEA Board of Directors and on the University of Delaware Alumni Board of Directors.