HHS Acquisition with Jennifer Johnson

"It's so important to have operational people and operational experience writing policy because if you've never really done the operational work, you don't understand the reality of getting contracts awarded." Jennifer Johnson

In this episode of the Greg and Camille Baroni Center Podcast, host Mike Derrios speaks with Jennifer Johnson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Senior Procurement Executive at HHS. Jennifer shares her career journey from private sector contracting to federal acquisition leadership. She discusses HHS's significant workforce reductions and rebuilding efforts, her vision for a strategic and mission-focused acquisition enterprise, and the implementation of FAR regulatory overhauls. Jennifer emphasizes the importance of leadership, calculated risk-taking, and transparent communication in driving cultural change within federal procurement.