Intro to Federal Procurement

Wednesday, July 12
8:30 – 11:30 AM CST
In-person: Global Water Center Auditorium
247 W. Freshwater Way
Milwaukee, WI 53204 USA
Or via Webinar: via GoToMeeting

PRESENTERS

Aina Vilumsons, CEO
Wisconsin Procurement Institute (WPI)

Aina Vilumsons came to WPI in 1997 as a Procurement Specialist, was promoted to Executive Director in 2000 and since 2016 serves as the CEO of the organization.  She currently serves on the Boards of WPI, Wisconsin Chapter of the National Contract Management Association (NCMA), Lake Michigan Post of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME), Great Lakes Chapter National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) and Wisconsin Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). Before to coming to WPI, Ms. Vilumsons was the General Manager of a Department of Defense contractor. Prior to that she was a Business Analyst for a large Milwaukee based manufacturer and also a Trust /Investment Analyst for a Regional bank. Her career has equipped her with a broad range of experience in finance, operations, systems development, business analysis, government contracting, purchasing, technology and training.  Ms. Vilumsons received her BS degree from the University of Minnesota, MBA from Marquette University and Certified Federal Contracts Manager (CFCM) from the National Contract Management Association (NCMA).

Chip Laingen, MPA
Commander, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Executive Director, Defense Alliance

Chip Laingen is the Executive Director of Defense Alliance. He is on the board of directors for AirSpace Minnesota, and was a member of the executive commission of the Minnesota Science & Technology Authority from 2009-2011. He was selected as an Executive Fellow for the University of Minnesota’s Center for Integrative Leadership in 2010. In 2011 he joined the graduate faculty at the UofM’s Technological Leadership Institute. He is a past President of the Twin Cities Council of the Navy League and is the owner of Laingen Communications.

Commander Laingen is a 21-year Veteran of the U.S. Navy. A 1983 graduate of the University of Minnesota NROTC program, he earned a B.A. degree in International Relations; and an M.P.A. (National Security) in 1993 from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. He was designated a Naval Aviator in 1985, and was assigned to seagoing squadrons, amassing 3,000 fixed and rotary wing flight hours, including combat flight time during Desert Storm in 1991. He is also a qualified Officer of the Deck – Underway.

On shore duty, CDR Laingen’s duties included: Ph.D. study in national security at the Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy; Speechwriter to the Secretary of the Navy during the tenures of the 70th and 71st Secretaries; and Commanding Officer of Helicopter Training Squadron Eight in Pensacola, Florida. During his tour as CO the squadron was named the number one advanced squadron among 17 in the naval air training command, and received the Chief of Naval Operations Aviation Safety Award and the Secretary of the Navy Safety Award, as the squadron surpassed 900,000 mishap free flight hours. He retired from active duty in 2004.