Luncheon May 2020

Speaker: Nancy Gunderson

Director of Contracts
Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command

In March 2015, Nancy Gunderson was appointed to serve as the Contracting competency lead
for the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR). In this role, she is responsible
for the contractual oversight and support for the Command, which obligates approximately $7
Billion annually in support of its Program Executive Offices and other organizations. She also
executes Head Contracting Activity oversight of two Field Activities located in San Diego,
California and Charleston, South Carolina.
Ms. Gunderson was selected to the Senior Executive Service in December 2007. During her 26-
year federal career, Ms. Gunderson has served in a variety of acquisition and management
positions. In November 2009, Ms. Gunderson was selected as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Grants and Acquisition Policy and Accountability for the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) where she provided Department-wide leadership in grants and acquisition
through policy development, performance measurement, oversight, and workforce initiatives.
She first joined HHS in February 2009, serving as the Department’s Senior Procurement
Executive.
Before joining HHS, Ms. Gunderson was the Director of Acquisition Operations for the Federal
Emergency Management Agency. She also held several positions within the Department of
Defense. As the Acquisition and Business Lead/Director of Contracts for the Pentagon
Renovation Program, Ms. Gunderson earned the Procurement Round Table’s Elmer B. Staats
Contracting Professional Excellence Award. She began her professional development and
training in the Navy’s contracting career intern program and served as a contracting officer for
several Navy weapon systems at both Naval Air Systems Command and Naval Sea Systems
Command.
Ms. Gunderson graduated from St. Lawrence University in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts degree
in Economics. She is a graduate of the Navy Acquisition Intern Program, is certified as a
Contracting Professional, and is a member of the Department of Defense Acquisition Corps and
Department of Navy Acquisition Professional Community.