Congratulations to our 2021 Outstanding Academic Achievement Award Winners!
NCMA DC is honored to announce the three recipients of the 2021 Outstanding Academic Achievement Award (OAAA). We had an exceptionally competitive group of applicants this year, making the Selection Committee’s task very difficult. From this strong group of candidates, the following students were chosen:
From L-R: Major Nicole Vele, Major Bruce Mayeaux, and Amanda McDowell
First Place – Major Nicole A. Vele
Major Nicole Vele is the Chief of the Field Support Branch, Contract Law Field Support Center at Joint Base Andrews. In this role, she leads a team providing expert contract law advice to Air Force lawyers worldwide on a wide variety of contracting issues, including solicitations, source selections, modifications, claims, terminations, contracting officer’s final decisions, and corrective actions.
Major Vele received her B.A. in Criminology & Law Studies, cum laude, from Marquette University and then worked as a police officer in Milwaukee for over five years. Major Vele received her M.S. in Organizational Leadership & Quality from Marian University. She went on to pursue a dual degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received a Juris Doctor and an M.S. in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis. She received her commission via the Direct Appointment Program, entering active duty in 2011.
In 2021, Major Vele earned her Master of Laws in Government Procurement, with Highest Honors, from The George Washington University Law School. In addition to her numerous military honors, she won both the Patricia A. Tobin Government Procurement Law Award and the Arnold & Porter Government Contracts Moot Court Competition while at GW. Major Vele also authored “Eliminating Corruption? How the FCPA and Corporate Compliance Programs Fail to Deter Greed Amongst the Most Challenging Offenders” in the Wake Forest Journal of Law & Policy.
Second Place – Major Bruce L. Mayeaux
Major Bruce Mayeaux was awarded his Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Government Procurement Law, with Highest Honors, from the George Washington University Law School in 2021. At GW Law, Bruce’s experience in the procurement legal practice helped him translate complex legal theories into easy-to-understand solution-oriented arguments and analysis that were routinely selected by his professors as examples for his peers. Additionally, his research on the use of the Army Materiel Command’s agency-level bid protest program as a model risk management tool for the DOD is expected to help shape procurement policy at the Congressional level.
Prior to his studies at GW Law, Bruce was awarded an LL.M. in General Military Law with a Contract and Fiscal Law Specialty from the Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School; a Juris Doctorate in General Law, Magna Cum Laude, from Mississippi College School of Law; and a B.A. in History from the University of New Orleans. Major Mayeaux holds the Army’s Senior Contract and Fiscal Law Professional Development Proficiency Code designation, which signifies him as one of the most experienced procurement law military practitioners in the Army.
Bruce currently serves as Chief, Trial Team III, Contract Litigation and Intellectual Property Division within the U.S. Legal Services Agency, where he leads a team of civilian and military attorneys representing the Army in bid protests and contract appeals. He has served as a procurement law litigator and advised U.S. contracting officers and acquisition leaders regarding contract formation and administration issues throughout the U.S. and Europe. In his free time Bruce enjoys writing about procurement law matters, and spending time with his wife—a contract specialist in DOD—and his three children.
Third Place – Amanda McDowell
Amanda McDowell is a recent graduate of The George Washington University Law School where she earned her J.D. with Honors and a Concentration in Government Procurement in May of 2021. During the course of her studies, Amanda served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Public Contract Law Journal and received the Roger N. Boyd Memorial Scholarship. In 2020, Amanda was a finalist and the highest overall scoring competitor in the Arnold & Porter Government Contracts Moot Court Competition and was recognized by the National Association of State Procurement Officials for her achievement in the procurement field.
Amanda's experience in government procurement began with an internship at the World Bank in the Office of Suspension and Debarment. From there, she worked for DLA Piper as a law clerk in their Government Contracts Group and then for Crowell & Moring as a summer associate. In October 2021, Amanda will join Crowell & Moring as an associate in their Government Contracts Group.