Colette
La Grave

Personal Experience

Colette La Grave is a Senior Procurement Advisor with over 17 years of contracting and program management experience in the United States Air Force and the private sector.
Colette has proven procurement skills and leadership abilities stateside and overseas. She has held a multitude of positions while serving her country, from Branch Chief to AFCENT Chief of Contracting. She is well versed in pre-award and post-award procurement functions for CPAF/CPIF/CPFF/FFP contracts. During Colette’s tenure in the military, she was a warranted Contracting Officer nine times with five different agencies to include an unlimited warrant. Colette has led multiple acquisition teams from strategy to source selection.
During Colette’s military career, she was assigned to Pacific Air Forces, Air Combat Command, Space and Missile Systems Center, Defense Contract Management Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office and Air Forces Central Command. Each unique assignment allowed her to broaden her knowledge of vastly different missions and positions. She spent over four years in the Middle East and other locations supporting Operation Bright Star, Operation Olive Harvest, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Inherent Resolve, and Operation Freedoms Sentinel. In her final duty assignment, Colette was handpicked to lead as the Chief of Contracting for AFCENT and the senior contracting authority supporting efforts in 12 countries.
After a fruitful and successful career in the Air Force, Colette decided to explore her creative side.
She studied Interior Design and left with skills in drafting, AutoCAD and an appreciation for architecture and an eye for design.
Her next endeavor led her to the private sector as an Acquisition Program Manager leading a team of contracting professionals managing $110M efforts for 56 locations throughout the nation. Colette served as the primary interface with government program authorities on technical and program issues.Colette has volunteered in many different roles. She built homes for the less fortunate in Mexico with 1Mission, packed boxes of food for Feed My Starving Children, taught Sunday school to first and second graders at Southview Community Church, helped emotionally and physically challenged children learn how to care and ride horses at Sprout Therapeutic Riding Center, cooked for battered woman at New Life Center, accepted donations and organized inventory at Habitat for Humanity Restore, and assisted local elderly residents rent free rehabilitation medical equipment at Helping Hands.
Colette was on active duty in the US Air Force for over 20 years. She currently does floral design part-time. She holds APDP Level Ill Certification in Contracting, a A.S. graduate degree in Leadership and Management, a B.S. undergraduate degree in Management, an A.S. associate degree in Aircrew Life Support and a Certification in Interior Merchandising.
Colette enjoys horseback riding, sailing, volunteering, designing and loves to travel. She has visited 31 countries and plans to sail around Europe.
Colette can be reached at clagrave@stealthict.com.