Summer Myatt
Michael Parrish, chief acquisition officer and principal executive director for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of Acquisition, Logistics and Construction, has joined the ranks of Executive Mosaic’s Wash100 for his work advancing the VA’s major programs and acquisitions and supporting U.S. veterans.
As a 2024 winner, Michael Parrish is a contestant in the annual Wash100 popular vote contest! Visit Wash100.com to cast your ten votes. Voting is open until April 30, and the winners will be announced in May.
Each year, Executive Mosaic selects the top 100 executives of consequence working in the federal government and the government contracting industry to receive the coveted Wash100 Award. The annual Wash100 list is composed of the best and brightest individuals across the sprawling GovCon landscape, and it highlights the executives to watch in the coming year and beyond.
This year marks Parrish’s first appearance on the Wash100 list.
“In his role at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Michael is responsible for a $40 billion procurement budget, he provides oversight of $100 billion in major programs and he manages VA’s $22 billion major construction and leasing program,” said Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and founder of the Wash100 Award. “Michael earns his first Wash100 Award this year for his outstanding strategic leadership and proven impact both within the VA and in support of our nation’s veterans.”
Parrish was appointed to his current role in March 2021, and in the past three years, he has spearheaded multiple initiatives to support and improve the VA’s acquisition processes and activities.
In 2022, Parrish was instrumental in rolling out the VA’s Pathfinder website, which was designed to help contractors seeking to work with the VA.
“For those that are interested in trying to help break that that black hole mold of trying to figure out how to do business, we’re rolling out — and it’s ready to use now, there’s still some processes that we have to go through on the [operational technology] side for compliance — but there’s a new website, it’s a single entry point into VA, both for innovation and selling,” Parrish said of Pathfinder.
More recently, Parrish championed greater oversight on the VA’s major acquisitions through independent verification and validation, or IV&V, efforts. The agency released a draft request for proposals for IV&V of its major acquisition programs in July 2023.
“This will enable true independent and agnostic oversight, to validate and provide confidence that what we have asked the contractor to do was properly delivered, on time and on budget,” said Parrish.
Executive Mosaic congratulates Michael Parrish and the Department of Veterans Affairs on their selection to the 2024 Wash100 list.
