'05 Greater Washington Contractor Awards: IT leaders take their turn in the spotlight

It's a small cadre of men and women, but among them, one helped found an industry, another withstood the angry criticism of co-workers to do what she thought was right, and yet another would be just as happy to avoid the limelight.What these and seven other people and companies honored with Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards have in common is a belief in partnerships with their employees, customers and communities."I can't show you on an accounting sheet how what you're doing as a community ultimately goes back to the bottom line, but it does. It paid off in the long run," said Earle Williams, the former chief executive officer and chairman of BDM International Inc. "I feel extraordinarily fortunate to have been a part of all this."Williams received the Hall of Fame Award at the third annual awards banquet presented by Washington Technology, the Professional Services Council and the Fairfax County, Va., Chamber of Commerce Government Contractors Council.A panel of leaders from industry, government and academia chose the finalists and award winners.Deflecting the spotlight's glare with praise for her team and employees was Joann Kansier, director of the Office of Competitive Sourcing at the Federal Aviation Administration. She was one of two winners of the Public Sector Partner of the Year award.Kansier ran an A-76 competition that pitted FAA workers against the private sector. She endured angry voice mail and e-mail messages from FAA employees, but stood behind the decision to award an outsourcing contract to Lockheed Martin Corp."I did everything I could for our employees," she said.Kansier and the other award winners offer their stories and a few lessons learned from the front lines of the government-contracting world.