Students (L-R): Milan Sanchez, Matthew Vaught, Kimberly Ross, Melvin Nye, Maria Latif Braxton, Kyle Coopersmith, Katlyn Har and Amaiya Johnson.
In October 2023, students from GW Law’s Government Procurement Law program, joined by MPC Reporter Dixon Robertson (pictured at left), presented an important series of state and local procurement reform proposals based on their coursework, research and materials from the Summer 2023 series on reforming the ABA Model Procurement Code (MPC).
Kyle Coopersmith – Addressing Micro-Purchases in the MPC — As 50 States Already Have – Slides – Summary of Proposal
Kyle Coopersmith is a third-year law student at the George Washington Law School concentrating his juris doctor in government contracts. Kyle has clerked at the U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals and interned at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Additionally, Kyle is a Notes Editor for the Public Contract Law Journal.
Katlyn Har – Reassessing the MPC’s Provisions on Disadvantaged Businesses After Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard – Slides
Katlyn Har (Kate) is a 3L J.D. candidate at George Washington Law School pursuing a Government Contracts concentration. She is an Articles Editor for the Public Contract Law Journal and a member of the Government Contracts Student Association. She has interned at the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, and she is currently an intern in the compliance division of the Office of General Counsel at Navy Federal Credit Union.
Amaiya Johnson – Per the OMB Grants Guidance, Addressing Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCIs) in the MPC – Slides
Amaiya Johnson is a 3L JD candidate at The George Washington University Law School. Amaiya has interned at the U.S. District Court of Maryland – Greenbelt Division, U.S. General Services Administration, and is currently at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. She will be joining Thompson Hine LLP as a Government Contracts Associate upon graduation.
Maria Latif Braxton – Adding Guidance on Cybersecurity to the MPC – Slides
Maria Latif Braxton is a Procurement Analyst for the United States Army Chief of Chaplains office at the Pentagon. She has been in Federal Government Contracting for 13 years. She is a student at the George Washington University, a candidate for a Master of Studies in Law (MSL) Government Procurement degree.
Melvin Nye – Revising the MPC to Create an Expedited Bid Protest Option for Smaller Protests – Slides – Summary of Proposal
Melvin Nye is a student in the George Washington University Law School’s MSL Government Procurement Law Program. He’s currently employed by Hennepin County, State of Minnesota, as a Senior Contract Specialist. He has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in Finance from Cuttington University (Liberia) and a Master’s in Public Procurement Management from University of Turin (Italy). For the past 17 years, Melvin has worked in procurement and contract management for private and public organizations, including the United Nations.
Kimberly Ross – Addressing Time-and-Materials Contracting in the MPC, Per the OMB Grants Guidance – Slides
Kimberly Ross is a Procurement Analyst for the United States Army Corps of Engineers Fort Worth District previously with the Mission and Installation Contracting Command 418th Contracting Support Brigade Fort Cavazos, Texas. She has been in Federal Government Contracting for 14 years having started at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. She is a student at the George Washington University for a Master of Studies in Law (MSL) Government Procurement degree.
Milan Sanchez – Updating the MPC to Include Contractor Past Performance – Slides
Alfredo (Milan) Sanchez serves as the division chief for Installation Support (construction services) as part of the Mission and Installation Contracting Command at Fort Drum, NY. He began his career in acquisitions over a decade ago as a Logistics Captain in the U.S. Army. He is a candidate for a Masters of Studies in Law (MSL) degree in procurement law at GW Law School.
Matthew Vaught – Conforming the MPC to OMB’s Guidance Requiring an Independent Price Estimate – Slides
Matthew Vaught is a third-year law student (Class of 2024) at the George Washington University Law School working towards obtaining a J.D. with a concentration in Government Procurement Law. In addition, he is a Legal Associate with Freedom Technologies Inc. and holds a background in national security. Mr. Vaught served in the U.S. Army for seven years, including five years as a Special Forces Communications Sergeant (Green Beret). Recently, Mr. Vaught has interned at the U.S. General Services Administration, Office of the General Counsel, where he provided research, analysis, and memoranda for clients on issues relating to government contracts. He also serves as a Journal Member for The George Washington University Law School’s Public Contract Law Journal. Mr. Vaught is a 2013 University of California, San Diego graduate.
Professor Christopher Yukins – GW Law
Chris Yukins also serves as an academic advisor to the ABA’s ongoing initiative to update the MPC.