Ms. Tracey L. Pinson became the Director for Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Office, Secretary of the Army in May 1995. Ms. Pinson advises the Secretary of the Army and the Army Staff on all small business procurement issues and is responsible for the implementation of the Federal acquisition programs designed to assist small businesses, including small disadvantaged businesses and women-owned businesses. She is responsible for the management of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions (HBCU/MI) program, and develops policies and initiatives to enhance their participation in Army funded programs. As the top female in the Army’s acquisition career field, she is responsible for the integration of small businesses, HBCUs and MIs in acquisition strategies developed at the Army Headquarters. She also provides management and oversight for the Army’s Mentor-Protégé Program.

From 1986 – 1995, Ms. Pinson served as Assistant to the Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Office of the Secretary of Defense. During this time frame she served as the program manager of the DOD Small Disadvantaged Business Program and the HBCU/MI Program. In this capacity she was responsible for developing acquisition policy for the military departments and Defense agencies relative to contracting with small disadvantaged businesses and HBCUs/MIs. She also developed the implementation strategy for the DOD Mentor-Protégé Program resulting in over 250 participants with a budget allocation as high as $120 million. This program has served as the model-mentoring program for all Federal government agencies.

Upon graduation from law school in 1982, Ms. Pinson participated in the Lyndon Baines Johnson Internship Program with the U.S. House of Representatives. She worked in the Congressional office of Representative Augustus Hawkins and was responsible for constituent affairs and legislative analysis. From November 1982 to June 1986, she served as Counsel to the Committee on Small Business, U.S. House of Representatives and Special Counsel to the late Representative Joseph P. Addabbo. In this capacity, she was responsible for drafting legislation and analyzing federal policies and procedures impacting the small and minority business community.

Ms. Pinson was born in Washington, D.C. She received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science from Howard University. She also received a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. She is a member in good standing of the Maryland Bar Association and the National Contract Management Association. She resides in Silver Spring, Maryland with her husband Darryl Dennis and daughter Maya.