From 2013 to 2018, Richard Pennington was general counsel to NASPO ValuePoint, a nonprofit that assists state governments with cooperative procurements. Richard started his Air Force career as a B-52 pilot and later served as a judge advocate specializing in federal government contracting. At the time of his Air Force retirement, he was Chief of the Air Force Commercial Litigation Division. He then served as assistant attorney general for the State of Colorado and later practiced government contract law with McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP. He is a former director of the Colorado Division of Finance and Procurement and State Purchasing Director. Richard’s columns and articles appear in NIGP’s Government Procurement magazine and the National Contract Management Association’s publication, Contract Management magazine. He is the author of Seeing Excellence: Learning from Great Procurement Teams.