In March 2024, National Industries for the Blind appointed Soraya Correa as its new president and chief executive officer. She leads the efforts of the dedicated professionals within NIB and across nearly 100 nonprofit agencies to create employment opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired.
Ms. Correa’s professional experience includes more than 40 years of federal government service as a career contracting and acquisitions professional and information technology specialist. She held key leadership roles at several agencies, including the General Services Administration (GSA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). As a founding member of DHS, she ascended to the ranks of Senior Executive Service, created two heads of contracting activity organizations, and managed major operational and information technology programs.
In January 2011, Ms. Correa was appointed as the DHS chief procurement officer and senior procurement executive. In this role, she successfully transformed the acquisition community into an innovative, mission-driven, and customer-focused organization driving collaboration with industry, academia, and other federal agencies to improve mission outcomes. Ms. Correa is best known for the creation of various initiatives, including the Procurement Innovation Lab, Reverse Industry Days, and Strategic Industry Conversations with techniques to enhance creativity and learning and foster teamwork and cooperation. Today, several agencies have implemented similar initiatives.
After retiring from federal service in July 2021, Ms. Correa became an independent consultant providing strategic advice and support to industry associations and companies supporting the federal government. In 2023, the National Contract Management Association (NCMA) appointed Ms. Correa as the executive director of the Contract Management Institute (CMI). She established the CMI as the research arm of the NCMA to advance the contract management profession and related acquisition communities through research to elevate engagement, standards, and professional development.
Ms. Correa is the recipient of a number of distinguished awards and recognitions from the federal government, private industry, and industry associations. She is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and a Procurement Round Table director, and she serves as an Advisory Board member of several organizations, including the NCMA and the American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC).
