Ms. Courtney (Silies) Gray is a cost analyst at ITA International with over five years of experience in cost estimating and analysis supporting programs for the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, and Federal Aviation Administration. She has previously served as the Secretary of the ICEAA Washington Capital Area Chapter (WCAC) and is eager to continue serving in the vice presidency position. Ms. Gray also serves as the Deputy Chair of the Association Awards Committee for the ICEAA national.
Ms. Gray places particular emphasis on the social aspects of ICEAA, including 1) cooperation between various organizations across government and industry, 2) inclusion of cost professionals from different backgrounds and levels of experience, and 3) recognition from colleagues for exceptional work and character. Regarding the latter, much of Ms. Gray’s work over the past four years has involved promoting and managing the ICEAA awards at the Chapter level. She created the templates for the Chapter’s current nomination form, awards ballot, and winner certificates; drafted announcements and reminders to the Chapter; sent nominations to the judges; compiled the judges’ rankings; corresponded with nominators and nominees; and read the winning narratives during each award ceremony. At the FY22 WCAC All-Members Meeting, Ms. Gray also presented a list of tips for improving the quality of award nominations and simplifying the writing process, which she hopes will result in an increase in the number of submissions going forward. As a result, she has been asked by the ICEAA Business Office to publicize this information for the benefit of the entire Association. Ms. Gray believes displays of appreciation and praise, such as the ICEAA awards, are essential to maintaining engagement and satisfaction among members of the cost community.
In addition to promoting the ICEAA awards, Ms. Gray intends to continue efforts to improve historical documentation for the Board of Directors and increase Chapter membership rates. She would like to implement a practice of sending a monthly list of all memberships and certifications within an organization to its designated ICEAA Chapter Advocate, a group that was established during the previous term. This should help employers keep track of their employees’ current statuses and reduce the incidence of lapsed memberships and certifications.