TranslateKaren A. Williams retired from Northrop Grumman Corporation as the vice president of corporate contracts, pricing & supply chain in 2013 and currently serves as the District Director for the Washington, DC SCORE District. She is also a member of the SCORE Advisory Council and the SCORE Women's Cohort Group. Previously, Ms. Williams was the Chapter Chair of the Washington, DC SCORE Chapter. SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship.
As Northrop Grumman's vice president for contracts, pricing & supply chain, Ms. Williams was responsible for the company’s risk review process and provided companywide policy, direction, training and oversight of contracts and pricing. Ms. Williams served as the principal interface with key government regulators regarding all contract and pricing matters, government regulatory policy and oversight. She also developed and implemented companywide supply chain strategies and key processes, including socio-economic business planning, strategy and compliance relative to its supply chain.
Prior to that role, Ms. Williams was vice president and general manager of Defense Technologies Division, a billion dollar division within Northrop Grumman Information Systems that provided end-to-end support systems and services for defense customers. Ms. Williams managed enterprise solutions and business operations in areas such as global command, control and communications; enterprise infrastructure; cyber security and identity management; and business transformation.
Earlier, Ms. Williams was vice president of the company’s Air and Missile Defense Systems, a business unit within Defense Technologies Division that provided integrated air, space and missile defense solutions to the Missile Defense Agency and the U.S. Army for the national security of the United States and its allies; and she was the vice president of the Mission Support Systems operating unit within the C2 Division. Ms. Williams has significant experience in the development of strategies, plans, tactics, policies, procedures and budgets. She led a sector-wide Six Sigma team to enhance the sector’s profitability.
An instructor in Northrop Grumman program management and capture courses, Ms. Williams also was the founding sponsor of Northrop Grumman’s Women in Leadership Program, a program established to promote the professional growth of women professionals, and she served on the company’s Executive Inclusion and Diversity Council.
Ms. Williams holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree in procurement and acquisition management from Kogod School of Business of American University, Washington, D.C. In addition, she completed the TRW Executive Leadership Program and the Northrop Grumman LEAD1NG Executive Development Program.
Ms. Williams served on the AFCEA Board of Directors and on the University of Delaware Alumni Board of Directors.
