Originally published Ramona Watts-Sutton Announces Retirement After 30 Years in Federal Service on by https://www.hstoday.us/industry/people-on-the-move/ramona-watts-sutton-announces-retirement-after-30-years-in-federal-service/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ramona-watts-sutton-announces-retirement-after-30-years-in-federal-service at Homeland Security
After a distinguished three-decade career in federal acquisition, Ramona Watts-Sutton has announced her retirement from public service. She shared the news in a reflective and heartfelt LinkedIn post, marking the end of an era for a professional who played a pivotal role in shaping procurement strategy across several of the federal government’s most mission-critical agencies.
Watts-Sutton’s federal journey began as a Contracting intern working on major weapons systems programs—a high-stakes environment that introduced her early to the scale, responsibility, and impact of public service. Over the years, she built a career that spanned the Department of the Navy, Department of Homeland Security, Department of the Army, and the Department of State.
At every step, her work advanced the federal acquisition mission, from aviation and ISR contracts at the U.S. Coast Guard to modernizing procurement operations for Customs and Border Protection, to overseeing strategic procurement at the Department of State as a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES). Her leadership helped refine federal acquisition frameworks, enhance operational contracting, and guide policy evolution to meet emerging mission demands.
Watts-Sutton’s most recent role was as Managing Director of the Acquisition Management Directorate and Deputy Senior Procurement Executive at the U.S. Department of State, a position she assumed in October 2024. Prior to that, she served as Director of the Office of Acquisition Management and Head of Contracting Activity at State, a post she had held since 2022. Earlier in her career, she led the Mission and Installations Contracting Command at Fort Belvoir for the U.S. Army Contracting Command. She also served as Chief of the Contracting Office at U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Division Chief of Aviation and C4ISR Contracts at the U.S. Coast Guard.
In her retirement message, Watts-Sutton expressed “immense gratitude and pride” for a career defined by collaboration, innovation, and service. She highlighted the relationships built, the mentors and teams she worked with, and the sense of purpose that guided her throughout. Though she is stepping down from federal service, she emphasized that this is not a goodbye, but the beginning of a new chapter. She signaled her intent to remain engaged with public service in “new and meaningful ways.”
(AI was used in part to facilitate this article.)
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Originally published Ramona Watts-Sutton Announces Retirement After 30 Years in Federal Service on by https://www.hstoday.us/industry/people-on-the-move/ramona-watts-sutton-announces-retirement-after-30-years-in-federal-service/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ramona-watts-sutton-announces-retirement-after-30-years-in-federal-service at Homeland Security
Originally published Homeland Security
