Heather Chelson

Ms. Chelson is the Program Director of the Integrated Program Office for Collection and Data Services, where she applies her deep acquisition expertise to delivering the next generation of IT solutions to meet the future vision of Tasking, Collection Orchestration, and Dissemination for the Intelligence, DoD, and Civil communities.

Over the past decade she has managed, as deputy office director, division chief and program manager, over a billion dollars of GEOINT Data Content programs throughout their lifecycles, the NGA's Transport budget and programs, and most recently was the Program Director for the Needs and Collection Management Integrated Program Office at NGA where she instantiated NGA's first Software Pathway Acquisition for the IC.

She led NGA's Cost Estimating Office for over 10 years providing engineering buildup, parametric and analogy-based cost estimating, data analysis, and Cost Estimating Relationship.

(CER)/model building for automated information systems for the Intelligence Community. She also led the Clinger Cohen Certification Compliance for most of NGA's Major System Acquisitions.

Ms. Chelson earned her A.B. degree in Mathematics and Economics from the College of William and Mary, an M.B.A. from George Mason University, and a M.S. in Systems Engineering from George Washington University. She has been working in the Intelligence Community for over 25 years, both as a contractor and a civilian employee.

She is DAWIA certified at Advanced in three different fields (Program Management, Financial Management, Cost Estimating) and at Practitioner in Engineering and Technical Management. She also has Joint Duty Credit through her work at the National Reconnaissance Office and was a member of the Defense Acquisition Corps. For her body of work, she has been recognized by NGA, NRO and the ODNI with multiple Meritorious Unit Citation awards and Director Team awards.