WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- An Air Force Materiel Command senior executive joined an elite group of civilians when she was named a Presidential Rank Award recipient.
Heidi Bullock, Director of Contracting, Headquarters, Air Force Materiel Command, was selected as a Meritorious Executive by President Joseph Biden, an achievement bestowed upon less than five percent of career SES members.
The Presidential Rank Award is one of the most prestigious awards in federal career civil service and recognizes the exemplary contributions of civilian leaders throughout the federal workforce. The President of the United States selects the recipients based on their sustained high performance and contributions to federal service.
“It’s an honor that the leadership up through the Air Force, Department of Defense, and the Federal Government recognizes the significant contributions of Air Force Materiel Command’s contracting directorate,” said Bullock. “This award is a testament to my outstanding contracting teammates, past and present, my magnificent mentors, leaders and bosses.”
Leading her to this achievement is 38 years of experiences that have molded Bullock into who she is today.
Out of those 38 years, Bullock spent 25 of them serving as an active-duty Airman in the Air Force.
She was introduced and commissioned to the Air Force through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps at Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, Vermont.
It kicked off a uniformed service career, including numerous administrative, missile, and acquisition assignments. She also served two significant deployments to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Her military career culminated in 2010 as the Aeronautical Systems Center Deputy Director for Contracting at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Following active-duty retirement, Bullock immediately switched uniforms to become a government civilian in the contracting field at AFMC.
She has spent her civilian career tackling acquisition contracting needs across the AFMC enterprise. It’s a job of various responsibilities as she provides oversight to contract awards to qualified vendors. She also leads the evaluation of vendor performance to ensure that AFMC funding is used efficiently and appropriately.
According to Bullock, her civilian career has been impactful but trying at times, as she was denied SES entry on several occasions.
“I wanted to be able to influence contracting at a high level, so I stayed persistent, listened to senior leaders and adapted,” said Bullock.
In 2015, her breakthrough came as she was officially selected as an SES.
Currently, she leads the 4,100-person AFMC Contracting workforce and executes $63 billion annually, procuring emerging technologies, major weapon systems, supply chain products, installation support, and a wide range of contracted services.
“My advice to the next generation to find success is to surround yourself with good role models, mentors, and sharp individuals that you can study and learn from,” said Bullock.