Lea Gessaman serves as a project manager for federal agency acquisition projects for Jefferson. Ms. Gessaman provides full lifecycle procurement and acquisition support to federal agencies and provides procurement expertise and proposal support to Jefferson's commercial clients. Ms. Gessaman also assists with research, analysis, communication and marketing projects.

Prior to joining Jefferson, Ms. Gessaman worked as a warranted contracting officer for the federal government. In that role, she worked with stakeholders to develop and conduct successful solicitations, evaluated offers, awarded contracts and performed post-contract award administration. As a team leader, Ms. Gessaman provided guidance to other staff and reviewed contracts to ensure compliance and best value for the government.

Ms. Gessaman also has substantial private sector experience. In a previous role at Northrop Grumman, she was charged with managing subcontractors and administering contracts in a fixed price, performance-based environment. Ms. Gessaman worked extensively on international contracts. She also has experience with Federal Supply Schedule contracts, from the perspective of a government buyer as well as a private sector contracts professional.

Ms. Gessaman is a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she double majored in Economics and Public Policy Analysis and was admitted to the Order of Omega Honor Society. Ms. Gessaman is a member of the National Contracts Management Association. She holds a graduate certificate in Contracts and Procurement and has FAC-C Level II Certification.