A self-described “acquisition nerd,” Coforma’s new Head of Solutions, Imogen Thomas, is a lifelong member of the GovCon geek community. From her first job in the industry supporting the National Reconnaissance Office to her recent work supporting the Digital IT Acquisition Professional (DITAP) program as an acquisitions expert, Imogen has earned a reputation as a federal acquisition powerhouse.
In addition to starting two successful consultancies, Imogen is an entrepreneurial leader with proven success in driving growth, winning competitive opportunities, and shaping strategic initiatives for small, mid-tier, and large businesses across federal and civilian agencies.
Imogen’s philosophy emphasizes the often-overlooked roles of personal communication and well-aligned partnerships. She focuses on building solutions that meet the needs of civil servants as they serve the people.
“Imogen’s extensive experience is an incredible value-add to Coforma’s leadership team as we embark on a season of accelerated growth and increased impact,” says Coforma CEO Eduardo Ortiz. “We’re excited to welcome her to Coforma and look forward to the opportunities and innovations her expertise and insights will bring.”
Imogen lives near Washington, DC, with her spouse, where they spend Sunday afternoons talking about new regulations. An active figure in the local community, Imogen volunteers extensively and participates in mutual aid efforts. When she takes an occasional break from deciphering the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), you might find her engaged in nonprofit advocacy for women’s health and LGBTQIA+ youth.
In her new role, Imogen is poised to help our growth team explore new avenues for sustainable growth and ensure the expertise within the team reaches even broader horizons.
We recently had the opportunity to glean some pearls of wisdom from Imogen and chat with her about her vision for Coforma’s future.
Q: How did your early career set you on the path toward your current role in civic tech?
In my first real job post high school, I was an executive assistant at SAIC. Because I was 18 years old, it was very easy to get a high-level security clearance. So I was staffed at the National Reconnaissance Office in Chantilly, where I lived.
My billet was with 14 physicists who were working on wild and crazy satellite things with very large computers. They had a recompete coming up that nobody was keeping track of, and nobody had clearance to support. So they shipped me off to SAIC proposal school at 18. And that was my first capture—helping these physicists figure out how to respond.
That was the beginning of my passion for procurement. It got me into what I love doing to this day, which is getting people who are smarter than me together in a room to create a solution.
Q: What’s made the most meaningful impact on you throughout your career?
It’s always the people. I’ve had the chance to work with a massive cross-section of the people who do this work. Everyone from software developers to engineers, physicists to railroad consultants, enterprise architects to public health experts. I think every person I’ve come across who has a passion for what they do has been amazing.
When you find people who have ideas based on a large breadth of knowledge and the tenacity to move the federal government to get it done, that's what’s changed me.
Like getting into the FAR and finding people who are just as nerdy as me, who really understand how we can use the power of these regulations to drive things forward and reduce waste, has been very rewarding.
It made me realize I’m not just a salesperson. I can actually affect how the regulations work in the government. I always call federal consulting moving the largest rock up the largest hill, like Sisyphus. If you do a perfect job in your career, you can move that rock a quarter turn. And that’s a great job. You don’t see much change, but it happens.
Related Reading: The Social Impact of Incremental Progress in Civic Tech
Q: What drew you to Coforma?
I’ve used tools Coforma built as part of my own work, which is how I initially found out about the company, and I’ve kept up with them ever since. I’ve had a number of friends who worked here and have seen the great work they were doing as a company.
But I think the thing that dragged me in was their unique and innovative acquisition strategy on a high-profile contract. They creative-solutioned their way into a contract using an approach I’ve never seen outside the Department of Defense, and I wanted in.
Q: What impact do you hope to bring to your role and to the growth team?
My biggest goal is to make sure we’re positioning the growth team overall as a service. Our job is to make sure the folks who work here have meaningful work to do. Our job is not to go out and solve the government. It’s to bring the expertise that lives inside Coforma to the government—and beyond—to solve problems.
I’d like to open up new doors to turn our passion and expertise into more good work for people. I want to make sure we are addressing every open door and knocking on others to find what’s out there. Whether that be in Luxembourg for the European Union, or in a small town, or in an underserved hospital. No matter where it might be or what we might be doing, my biggest mission is to ensure we can continue our impactful work and grow sustainably while we’re doing it.