I am serving as the GS-14 team lead for the CDC-wide contracts team. I have seen and participated in many responses to public health emergencies and outbreaks faced by the compassionate staff members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nearing my 15th year at CDC as a contract specialist, I am used to seeing some skepticism by the public but this COVID-19 emergency is the real thing and extracts a heavy toll from those not taking the situation seriously. Our time at the agency is often marked by the emerging threats and situations faced. I completed the Army War College between the post-Hurricane Katrina cleanup in 2006 and the H1N1 influenza outbreak in 2009, graduating in 2008. I credit the course focus on strategic thinking for enabling me to look outside of the norms and enhance planning for the worst conditions to be faced in the future.
COL (Ret) Kristopher D. ‘Kris’ Lemaster
Lead Contract Specialist/Contracting Officer
Office of Acquisition Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
