(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill will be on campus next week to help small business owners navigate the federal procurement process.

The annual Procurement Conference is set for Thursday, May 29, at the University of Central Missouri’s Elliott Student Union. The purpose of the event is to show small business owners how to secure government contracts and network with potential contractors.

The conference is hosted by McCaskill, the Missouri Procurement Technical Assistance Centers and the Small Business and Technology Development Center at UCM.

Registration begins at 7:30 a.m., followed by a welcome from UCM President Charles Ambrose and Whiteman Air Force Base officials. Following comments by McCaskill at 9 a.m., Keith Koehler, president of Certified Energy and Environmental Labs, will speak on successful government contracting. Elliott B. Branch, deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy, will speak on government procurement at 9:30 a.m.

A 10:30 a.m. panel discussion with representatives of MO PTAC, the Small Business Administration, the General Services Administration and the SBTDC will focus on learning to do business with the government. A 1:30 p.m. panel discussion with representatives of the MO PTAC, state of Missouri and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will focus on how to do business with state and federal agencies. At 2:45 p.m., a panel discussion with representatives of Boeing, Northrup Grumman and ATK will focus on the same topics.

Exhibits by government purchasing offices and contractors will be available throughout the conference in the Elliott Student Union ballroom.

The featured luncheon speaker for the conference is Deborah Lee James, secretary of the U.S. Air Force.

James is the 23^rd secretary of the Air Force and oversees an annual budget of more than $110 billion, according to a news release.

James previously served as president of Science Applications International Corporation’s Technical and Engineering Sector, where she was responsible for 8,700 employees and more than $2 billion in revenue. James held a variety of positions with SAIC, including senior vice president and director of homeland security.

From 2000 to 2001, she was executive vice president and chief operating officer at Business Executives for National Security, and from 1998 to 2000 she was vice president of International Operations and Marketing at United Technologies.

From 1993 to 1998, James served in the Pentagon as the assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs. Prior to her Senate confirmation in 1993, she served as an assistant to the assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs.

From 1983 to 1993, she worked as a professional staff member on the House Armed Services Committee, where she served as a senior adviser to the Military Personnel and Compensation Subcommittee, the NATO Burden Sharing Panel, and the chairman’s member services team.

James earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in comparative area studies from Duke University and a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs.

The conference is open to business owners and interested individuals. A fee of $60 per person is required and includes lunch. Registration prior to May 24 is encouraged. Individuals who want to attend may register online at ucmo.edu/sbtdc, or by contacting the Small Business and Technology Development Center at UCM at 660-543-4402, or email sbtdc@ucmo.edu.