Temeka Stroud

My career in contract management began during high school when I interned with the City of Jacksonville through the Cities in Schools program, helping with various administrative tasks. After graduating, they hired me full-time, and I worked my way up while attending college, moving from the front desk to processing expense reports to working with program managers across different departments. This experience sparked my interest in contracts. After earning my associates and bachelor's degrees, I managed contracts for the city, evaluating state and federal funding applications from nonprofit agencies serving homeless shelters, people with AIDS, and home building programs, then monitoring how those agencies spent the funds and reported back to local and federal government. After five years with the city, I transitioned to the private sector with Collins Aerospace in Jacksonville, which is about 100% naval. My boss at the time, Liz Giglio, a former Air Force professional, took me under her wing and showed me the ropes. I started as a principal specialist and worked my way up to contracts manager. Now I support Collins' site in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, managing contracts for propeller systems serving both commercial and government customers. Throughout my career, I've been fortunate to have people take me under their wing, explain how the industry works, and show me what I need to do to move around and work my way up. Contract management is cradle to the grave work - every day brings new challenges, whether it's getting export documentation, putting out fires, or meeting customer demands. I work with legal, program management, global trade, and various departments to ensure everyone has what they need while constantly processing and reviewing contracts to make sure everything is in line.