ISOA Small Business Forum for DoD, USAID, and DOS
| By isoa_admin
Guest Speakers include George L. Price, Director of the Office of Small Disadvantaged Business Utilization; Farooq Mitha, Department of Defense (DoD) Director, Office of Small Business Programs; and John Watson, Minority Serving Institution (MSI) Program
Coordinator for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
George L. Price
Director of the Office of Small Disadvantaged Business Utilization
George L. Price is the Director of the Office of Small Disadvantaged Business Utilization for the U.S. Department of State. He assumed the role in October of 2015. In this capacity, he advises the Department on all small business procurement issues and
is responsible for promoting the use of Small Businesses within the Department of State to support the Department’s mission of protecting U.S. interests abroad and implementing foreign policy initiatives.
Farooq Mitha
Department of Defense (DoD) Director, Office of Small Business Programs
Farooq A. Mitha currently serves in the Biden administration as the Director of the Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP). As Director, Mr. Mitha oversees more than $140 billion of annual awards to small business. In addition,
he assists the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Secretaries of Military Departments, Under Secretaries of Defense, Directors of Defense Agencies, and Major Commands in including small business planning into the readiness of the Department. These efforts
aim to modernize and restore the nation’s industrial commons through focusing on advanced manufacturing, applied research, and innovative programs that align small business capabilities with the DoD’s current and future needs.
John Watson
Minority Serving Institution (MSI) Program Coordinator for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Mr. John M. Watson is the Minority Serving Institution (MSI) Program Coordinator for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), located in the Office of Small and Disadvantage Business Utilization (OSDBU). The mission of the MSI Coordinator
is to promote the inclusion of colleges and universities that are underrepresented in federal programs and activities.
John Watson joined USAID in November 2008 in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer; responsible for providing funds management oversight in the use of Letters of Credit. He later served as Senior Program Manager in the Office of Democracy, Conflict
and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA)/Office of Civilian Response (OCR).