Keynote Speaker

Ms. Tracey L. Pinson
Director
Office of Small Business Programs
Secretary of the Army

Ms. Tracey L. Pinson became the Director for the Office of Small Business Programs,  Secretary of the Army in May 1995.  Ms. Pinson advises the Secretary of the Army and the Army Staff on all small business procurement issues and is responsible for the implementation of the Federal acquisition programs designed to assist small businesses.  She provides management and oversight for the Army’s Mentor-Protégé Program as well as the Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions (HBCU/MI) program, and develops policies and initiatives to enhance HBCU/MI participation in Army funded programs.  As one of the top females in the Army’s acquisition career field, she is responsible for the integration of small businesses, HBCUs and MIs in acquisition strategies developed at the Army Headquarters.

From 1986 until 1995, Ms. Pinson served as Assistant to the Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Office of the Secretary of Defense.  During this time frame she served as the program manager of the DOD Small Disadvantaged Business Program and the HBCU/MI Program.  She developed the implementation strategy for the DOD Mentor-Protégé Program resulting in over 250 participants with a budget allocation as high as $120 million.  This program has served as the model-mentoring program for all Federal government agencies.

Ms. Pinson was born in Washington, D.C.  She received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science from Howard University.  She also received a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.  She is a member in good standing of the Maryland Bar Association.