Soraya Correa, chief procurement officer at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) since 2015, has informed her staff that she will retire from the federal government at the end of July after a more than four-decade career.
Correa is responsible for ensuring the delivery of operational procurement services throughout the DHS in her current capacity and is known for leading the establishment of the department's Procurement Innovation Lab framework, which received the Secretary's 2016 Award for Excellence.
Her federal service also included leadership roles at Naval Sea Systems Command, General Services Administration (GSA), NASA and the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Several industry executives said Correa's leadership brought common sense to federal deals, encouraged internal collaboration within the DHS, opened the CPO's office to the industry and championed innovation.
“She was reachable and responsive no matter the issue. We didn’t always like the response we got, but we always got one no matter the issue,” David Berteau, president and CEO of the Professional Services Council (PSC) as well as a two-time Wash100 Award winner, was quoted as saying by Federal News Network.
“She also brought continuity and stability to DHS procurement that was very much appreciated by industry," he added.