Press Release - President Biden Announces Key Appointments to Boards and Commissions

WASHINGTON – Today, President Biden announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to the U.S. AbilityOne Commission:

• Matthew R. Beebe, Commissioner, Department of Defense
• Angela Billups, Commissioner, Department of Veterans Affairs
• Megan Dake, Commissioner, Department of the Army
• Carol L. Dobak, Commissioner, Department of Education
• Robert D. Hogue, Commissioner, Department of the Navy
• Tara M. Jamison, Commissioner, Department of Justice
• Malcom A. Shorter, Commissioner, Department of Agriculture

U.S. AbilityOne Commission

The U.S. AbilityOne Commission is the independent federal agency that oversees the AbilityOne Program, whose mission is to tap America's underutilized workforce of individuals who are blind or have significant disabilities to deliver high quality, mission-essential products and services to federal agencies in quality employment opportunities. AbilityOne is one of the largest sources of jobs in the country for people who are blind or have significant disabilities, an underserved population that has historically experienced the lowest employment rate of any segment of U.S. society. Approximately 40,000 AbilityOne employees, including over 2,500 veterans, work at approximately 450 nonprofit agencies from Guam to Maine. The Commission administers the Program with the assistance of two central nonprofit agencies – National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and SourceAmerica – in accordance with the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act.

The U.S. AbilityOne Commission is the operating name for the agency, whose statutory name is the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled. The Commission consists of 15 Presidential appointees: 11 represent federal agencies and four are private citizens representing people who are blind or have significant disabilities.

Matthew R. Beebe, Commissioner, Department of Defense
Matthew Beebe currently serves as Director of Acquisition at the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He also serves as the Component Acquisition Executive and Senior Procurement Executive for DLA. He is responsible for the development, application, and oversight of the DLA acquisition program which exceeds $40 billion annually. In 2010, Beebe became a member of the Senior Executive Service when he joined DLA as the Executive Director of the Joint Contingency Acquisition Support Office (JCASO). JCASO was established to orchestrate, synchronize, and integrate program management of contingency acquisition across combatant commands and U.S. government agencies during pre-conflict operations, contingency operations, and combat operations. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering in 1983 from Clarkson College and later that year commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps. His postgraduate education resulted in a Master's Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois in 1989. After 25 years, Beebe retired from the Navy. His service included tours in the Naval Construction Force with multiple deployments to the Middle East and East Asia, and a combined 17 years of acquisition experience. Following his military service, Matthew joined PMA Consultants, LLC, a program, project, and construction management firm. Beebe is a registered Professional Engineer, certified Project Management Professional, member of the Defense Acquisition Professional Community, and graduate of the Carnegie Mellon University Program for Executives.

Angela Billups, Commissioner, Department of Veterans Affairs
Angela Billups is a public servant who has sustained transformative multi-site organizations while simultaneously building teams and driving consensus. She continuously contributes to and spearheads efforts to increase customer focus, efficiencies, transparency, and accountability. Billups strategically and continuously builds coalitions which improve organizational performance, deliver better outcomes, and deliver results effectively and efficiently to drive mission success. She has held positions responsible for multi-billion dollar acquisition mission areas, leading efforts related to: training and professional development; coordinating and ensuring implementation of strategies; policies; and systems, especially focused on enterprise organizational systems and structures. She is results driven with a clear understanding that real change involves improved administrative and technical environments. Billups has served at four cabinet-level federal departments as Senior Advisor for secretaries, deputy secretaries, and assistant secretaries supporting global missions. Over the years, she has helped modernize and transform the federal acquisition environment, and is routinely selected to lead highly visible initiatives including complex organizational changes. She has supported the White House, Congress, Office of Management and Budget, and cabinet-level departments.

Megan Dake, Commissioner, Department of the Army
Megan Dake currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Procurement) under the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition Logistics and Technology), where she oversees all aspects of procurement with an oversight function for the acquisition of Army weapon systems, research and development, logistics, and the Army's full range of services. She also serves as the functional career chief for the contracting career field and oversees the recruitment, training, certification and professional development of the 8,000+ military and civilian contracting workforce worldwide. Dake leads the Army Contracting Enterprise in three lines of effort: developing people, integrating relationships, and revolutionizing contracting. In previous roles, Dake served as the Army Executive Director for Services Acquisition, Senior Contracting Official for the National Guard Bureau, and Senior Contracting Official for the Marine Corps Systems Command. As the head of Army procurement, she is the largest proponent of the Army's support of the AbilityOne programs. Her office and leadership guide the Army's organizations as it looks to increase opportunities for AbilityOne supplies and services.

Carol L. Dobak, Commissioner, Department of Education
Carol Dobak is the Acting Commissioner for the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) within the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the U.S. Department of Education. Dobak served as Acting Deputy Commissioner since 2017 and Director of RSA's State Monitoring and Program Improvement Division since 2016. She began her RSA career in 2000 and has held a variety of positions, including Program Specialist with responsibility for the Client Assistance Program and the Protection and Advocacy of Individual Rights Program, Policy Advisor in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Office of Policy and Planning with responsibility for the State Vocational Rehabilitation Services and other RSA programs, and Chief of RSA's Vocational Rehabilitation Program Unit. Dobak holds a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law and is a member of the Maryland Bar.

Robert D. Hogue, Commissioner, Department of the Navy
Robert Hogue is currently serving as the Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower & Reserve Affairs, where he is responsible for the development of programs and policy related to military personnel, their family members, and the civilian workforce. He oversees the Department of the Navy's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity; Sexual Assault Prevention Program Office; Naval Education; Manpower, Analytics and Human Resources Systems; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and lifecycle management of senior executives across the department. Hogue served as the Counsel for the Commandant of the Marine Corps for 17 years, where he led the delivery of legal services to the Commandant and the Corps on the full spectrum of business and commercial law, acquisition and fiscal matters, civilian personnel matters, and national security law. He began his career as a civil rights attorney and later served as counsel to numerous programs in the Department of the Navy in the areas of major systems acquisition and environmental management. He is a survivor of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and received the Defense of Freedom Medal, the civilian equivalent of the Purple Heart, for injuries incurred that day. Hogue received his undergraduate degree from the George Washington University and his J.D. from the George Mason University School of Law. He has practiced law in both the public and private sectors, is a native of Virginia, and is a member of the Virginia Bar.

Tara M. Jamison, Commissioner, Department of Justice
Jamison is the Deputy Senior Procurement Executive and Director of the Office of Acquisition Management for the Department of Justice. As the principal consultant to the Chief Acquisition Officer and Senior Procurement Executive, she oversees all acquisition-related policy, new initiatives, systems, workforce programs, and strategic priorities. She provides leadership to over 800 acquisition workforce members worldwide in executing their acquisition portfolio. As a leader in the acquisition community, Jamison serves as the Department of Justice's Category Management Lead, Acquisition Innovation Advocate, and Industry Liaison. Jamison has contracting experience as a contracting officer responsible for critical programs at the Department of Justice, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Department of Navy. She is the recipient of a Department of Justice, Justice Management Division, Special Commendation Award, and the Department of Defense's David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award. Jamison holds his Bachelor in Public Policy Studies from Duke University and a Master of Business Administration from Georgetown University.

Malcom A. Shorter, Commissioner, Department of Agriculture
Malcom Shorter is a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration in the United States Department of Agriculture. As a member of the Senior Executive Service, he is an administrative and financial professional with combined expertise in government relations and operational management. Shorter retired from the United States Army in September 2003 after a distinguished military career of more than 22 years. He graduated from Rutgers University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and has his Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University. Shorter resides with his family in Bowie, Maryland.