UMT Successfully Completes the DCMA Program for Developing Managers

ARLINGTON, Virginia, April 10, 2009 – The University of Management and Technology (UMT) successfully delivered the U.S. Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) Program for Developing Managers in March and April of 2009. Fifteen DCMA employees participated in the one-month program and graduated on 10 April 2009.

DCMA is the world’s largest contracts-related agency. In 2009, it will oversee some 325,000 contracts valued at $1 trillion. Its work is carried out by roughly 10,000 Federal employees. Its Program for Developing Managers is geared toward developing the next generation of DCMA leadership.

UMT is based in Arlington, Va, and is active in serving the education and training needs of Federal government agencies in the Washington, DC region. Its academic programs are led by Academic Dean Dr. J. Davidson Frame.

The 2009 program was held from March 15 through April 10, 2009 at the Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center, Washington, DC. The fifteen participants were selected competitively from a pool of eighty applicants. The program covered a broad range of topics pertinent to today’s public sector manager, including leadership, human behavior, project management, risk management, and effective communication. UMT faculty delivered courses by means of workshops and interactive lectures. In addition, participants were briefed on DCMA policies by senior DCMA managers through panels and site visits.

DCMA Director Charlie Williams addressed the participants at the opening ceremony and reminded them that in large measure the Agency’s future effectiveness depended upon them, as the new generation of DCMA leaders. At the closing ceremony, DCMA Executive Director Financial and Business Operations, James Russell, congratulated the participants on having completed the challenging, four week program.

“Working with the DCMA participants was a highly rewarding experience for the UMT faculty who taught them,” reports UMT President, Dr. Yanping Chen. “The DCMA participants were cheerful, energetic, articulate and informed. The four weeks passed in a flash.”