Prior to her tenure supporting the SBI program in both this capacity and as the Deputy Director for the SBI Program Executive Office, in June 2004, Ms. Hixson joined the Department of Homeland Security as Deputy Director for the Office of Procurement Operations. In this position she co-managed and delivered procurement services for key department offices including the Office of the Secretary and the Undersecretaries for Management, Science and Technology, Preparedness, and 11 other component agencies of DHS with a combined acquisition portfolio valued at $2 billion per year.

Ms. Hixson began her federal career at the U.S. Department of Commerce where she served for 15 years in contract specialist, procurement analyst, and director positions overseeing acquisitions ranging from ship repair, to the purchase card program, to complex information technology acquisitions including the COMMITS line of government-wide acquisition contracts.

Ms. Hixson is a graduate of American University’s Key Executive Program and holds a Master of Public Administration. She received her undergraduate degree from Seattle University’s College of Arts and Sciences in political science. She frequently participates in government-wide forums discussing the merits of streamlined and innovative acquisition programs, and has coauthored several articles on these and other subjects. She is 2001 graduate of the Industry Advisory Council’s Partners Program, and in 2005 served as President of the American Society of Public Administration’s National Capital Area Chapter.

Ms. Hixson was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2007, and is the recipient of Commerce’s Bronze and Silver Medal awards, the National Performance Review’s Hammer Award, and has been honored by Government Computer News.