STATE OF HAWAII STATE PROCUREMENT OFFICE
Like most people in Hawaii , when we spoke to Sarah Allen in the middle of May she was preoccupied with the rumblings of Kilauea . There are hundreds of islands in the Hawaii Archipelago but the ‘ Big Island ’, home to Kilauea , is the largest in area and the active volcano has created a lava lake that threatens to spill over – if it hits water enormous steam explosions that could send 10-ton molten rocks a kilometer from its crater . So it ’ s little wonder that Sarah Allen , the State ’ s Procurement Administrator and Chief Procurement Officer , in common with other government leaders , is concerned .
Disaster management is very much within her remit . The remoteness of the islands means that food security is very important . If a hurricane were to close the harbors , food , already more expensive than on the mainland , would have to be flown in . In the longer term , the global food shortages that are predicted could impact Hawaii harder and sooner . “ We have no food security here in these islands ,” Allen says . “ Disaster preparedness
Sarah Allen
Hawaii State Procurement Administrator / Chief Procurement Officer
Sarah Allen is the Administrator of the State of Hawaii Procurement Office and the Chief Procurement Officer for the Executive Branch .
Allen ’ s expertise is in contracting , acquisition and financial management . From 2007 to 2013 , she was a Senior Manager for ASI Government Inc ., during which she acted as Executive Advisor to the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency .
Prior to that , she was a Senior Acquisition Analyst from 2006 to 2007 for CACI at the Pentagon , and served in the U . S . Air Force as a Commissioned Contracting Officer from 2004 to 2006 and a Non- Commissioned Officer at Hickam Air Force Base from 2000 to 2004 .
Allen earned a Global Executive Master of Business Administration from George Mason University , a Master of Acquisition Management from the American Graduate University , and a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Auditing from the University of South Africa
110 June 2018