Summit Keynote RemarksMr. Christopher D. Parker,Deputy Chief Procurement Executive (DPED) of the Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction (OALC)and the Deputy Chief Acquisition Officer at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

Parker is the Deputy Chief Procurement Executive (DPED) of the Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction (OALC) and the Deputy Chief Acquisition Officer at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). He is responsible for managing and overseeing 17,000 acquisition and support personnel across VA’s portfolio of acquisition, logistics, and construction activities, which deliver care at 1,255 facilities for more than 9 million veterans.

Previously, Mr. Parker served as the Associate Executive Director of the Strategic Acquisition Center (SAC) and the National Acquisition Center (NAC) as the Head of the Contracting Activity (HCA). In this role, he provided strategic guidance and oversight to a multi-disciplined organization of nearly 700 acquisition professionals and support staff. He operationalized a contracts portfolio exceeding $400 billion. Under his leadership, the SAC and NAC delivered acquisition and logistics solutions that enhanced access to and the quality of healthcare and services for veterans and their families. These centers awarded and administered contracts across all VA national programs, including the Community Care Network, national pharmaceuticals, prime vendor contracts, telehealth, prosthetics, medical equipment, and enterprise supply and service contracts, impacting every phase of the veteran lifecycle for healthcare and benefits. Additionally, he oversaw nine medical Federal Supply Schedules and $1 billion per year in national direct-to-veteran and direct-to-VA healthcare facility order fulfillment operations, along with associated warehouse and logistics activities.

Before joining the VA, Mr. Parker served in the U.S. Navy as a Supply Corps Officer, retiring as a Captain after 30 years of service. In his role as Director of Contracting for the Navy’s Office of Special Projects, he supported the Navy’s highest-priority programs. He also served as the Division Chief for Strategy and Readiness on the Joint Staff, where he developed joint operation plans and logistics strategies to support national defense objectives. As Commanding Officer of the Fleet Logistics Center for Europe and Africa, he led 600 personnel across 10 operating sites and managed theater logistics and acquisition operations in support of fleet and expeditionary units. His responsibilities included coordinating emergent ship repairs, ensuring safe refueling and operational logistics at port and aviation sites, and establishing deployable logistics teams to support operations in austere environments across two continents. Prior to his command, he was the Director of Contracting for Naval Supply Systems Command, where he supported the acquisition of weapons system support and theater logistics and led Navy-wide efforts to re-engineer and implement new global ship port visit and voyage repair processes. He has received several awards, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, three Legion of Merits, three Meritorious Service Medals, and various individual, unit, and campaign awards.

Mr. Parker earned his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree from the University of Virginia and his Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. Additionally, he completed a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College and graduated from the Darden School of Business Executive Program. He holds Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Level III Certifications in both Contracting and Budget/Financial Management, as well as a DAWIA Level II Certification in Program Management.

To learn more about Mr. Parker, click here.

For additional information and to register, click here.

The Offices of US Senator Thom Tillis and US Senator Ted Budd and the North Carolina Military Business Center are pleased to announce the Southeast Region Federal Construction, Infrastructure & Environmental Summit on April 14-16, 2026 in Wilmington, North Carolina.

When. April 14-16, 2026

Where. Wilmington Convention Center, 515 Nutt Street, Wilmington NC, 28401

PURPOSE. “The Summit” brings together over 800+ representatives of the Corps of Engineers, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Fort Liberty, Marine Corps Installations East, Seymour Johnson AFB, other Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps installations, US Coast Guard, Department of Veterans Affairs, General Services Administration, other federal agencies, general and specialty contractors, designers and construction suppliers from throughout the Southeast of the United States.

ATTENDANCE. Attendance is encouraged for:

General and specialty contractors that work in VA, NC, SC, GA and FL.
Design firms that work in VA, NC, SC, GA and FL.
Construction supply firms that work in VA, NC, SC, GA and FL.
Companies that provide facility-support contracts in VA, NC, SC, GA and FL.
Current federal contractors seeking partners and suppliers

WHY ATTEND THE SUMMIT?

The Summit is the premier, best-established and most-recognized federal construction event in the Southeast– businesses who are already engaged or want to perform in the federal market need to be there!
“Program and Requirements Dialogues” address future projects and acquisition strategies, contractor experiences, teaming and supplier opportunities and other issues related to acquisition and execution of projects at military bases and government throughout the Southeast. These sessions also include information on federal opportunities in environmental engineering and remediation, energy and horizontal infrastructure (including roads and intersections, water, wastewater, natural gas and other utilities)
Other Summit sessions address critical and timely topics, including supplier, service contract and public-private opportunities, small business programs and utilization, budget impacts, contracting processes and pre- and post-award legal issues for federal contractors
Summit networking and trade show activities allow businesses to market their services and products to over 800+ general contractors, specialty contractors, engineers, architects and suppliers
In addition, Summit networking opportunities include a golf event hosted and organized by the Cape Fear Post of the Society of American Military Engineers and an evening Summit Social at the Embassy Suites in downtown Wilmington – a huge hit from for the past several years!