GAO, DCMA losing two-long time senior executives to retirements

Ronald Youngs, the director of the Defense Contract Management Agency's cost and pricing center, and Eileen Larence, a director for Homeland Security and Justic...

Two long-time federal executives with expertise in contracting and homeland security issues are calling it a career.

Ronald Youngs, the director of the Defense Contract Management Agency’s cost and pricing center, is retiring effective Dec. 31 after more than 30 years in government.

Eileen Larence, a director for Homeland Security and Justice Issues at the Government Accountability Office, also is leaving government service after more than 37 years. Her last day is Jan. 2.

DCMA and GAO press offices confirmed their employee’s decision to leave.

Youngs has served as the director of the cost and pricing center since 2009, where he oversaw the agency’s expertise in negotiating pricing rates, evaluating major cost/price proposals and helping resolve issues around cost accounting standards and contractor business systems.

Steve Trautwein, the deputy director of the center, will take over for Youngs until a permanent replacement is found.

Youngs began his career in 1984 working for the Air Force before coming to DCMA in 1991.

During his career at DCMA, Youngs also served on two details: the first in the mid-1990s as a visiting instructor at the Air Force Institute of Technology, where he taught the DOD Overhead Course. He also served in 2001 as a politico- military analyst assigned to the Joint Staff at the Pentagon for one year.

As for Larence, she too spent all but one year of her entire federal career with one agency. She joined GAO in 1979 after spending a year working for the Transportation Department.

During her time at GAO, Larence spent a year on detail with the House Appropriations Surveys and Investigations subcommittee, but otherwise worked on a variety of oversight program, including contracting, human resources and hazardous waste cleanup.

Larence became best known for leading GAO’s oversight in the post 9/11 era.

She analyzed government efforts to improve sharing of homeland security information, including terrorist threats, risks, vulnerabilities as well as the Intelligence Community’s use of the terrorist watchlist and other information sharing initiatives.

Larence recently joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to talk about GAO’s latest work on the progress of the Homeland Security Department’s fusion centers.

David Maurer, who also is a director of homeland security and justice issues at GAO, will take over for Larence.

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