Lurita Doan

Lurita Alexis Doan (born January 4, 1958), was the Administrator of the United States General Services Administration from May 31 2006, to April 29, 2008. She was the first woman to hold the position.

Education

Doan attended Ursuline Academy, a Catholic school for girls in New Orleans.cite web
url=http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?contentId=11164&contentType=GSA_BASIC
title=Lurita Alexis Doan - Administrator] Fact|date=August 2008 She graduated from Ursuline in 1975. Doan graduated with honors in English from Vassar College in New York. [cite web
url=http://www.ewomennetwork.com/conf2005/speakers.html#doan
title=e-Women Network International Conference and Business Expo 2005 Conference Speakers ] Doan received a master’s degree in Renaissance Literature in 1983 from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Career

In 1984, Doan began teaching as an adjunct professor at colleges in Louisiana, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia. From 1986 she worked 4 years with Unisys as a technician deploying Unix systems.cite web
url=http://pr.tennessee.edu/alumnus/alumarticle.asp?id=740
title=Doan Heads GSA] Doan launched her company, New Technology Management Inc. in 1990. In 1993, Doan secured a $250,000 Navy contract to install Unix on ships. By 2002, revenues had grown to $29 milliion.cite news
title=FYI: The Million-Dollar Post-it Note
author=George Gendron
publisher=Inc.com
date=February 2002
url=http://www.inc.com/magazine/20020201/23831.html] In 2005, Doan sold her firm for an undisclosed sum to a group of investors and retired.cite news
title=GSA Chief Scrutinized For Deal With Friend
author=Scott Higham
coauthors=Robert O'Harrow Jr.
publisher=Washington Post
date=January 19, 2007
page=A01
url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/18/AR2007011801758_pf.html]

On April 6 2006, Doan was nominated by President George W. Bush to head the General Services Administration. She was confirmed by unanimous consent in the U.S. Senate on May 26 and was sworn in as the 18th administrator of GSA on May 31.cite web
url=http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?contentType=GSA_BASIC&contentId=21103&noc=T
title=Lurita Doan Assumes Role as GSA Administrator
date=May 31 2006] cite web
url=http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0506/052606d2.htm
title=Senate confirms FEMA, GSA chiefs
date=May 26 2006] [cite web |url=http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?pageTypeId=8199&channelId=-13260&P=XAP&contentId=21099&contentType=GSA_BASIC
title=Lurita Doan Takes Oath of Office] On April 29, 2008 Doan submitted her resignation in accordance with a request from the White House,cite web
date= 2008-04-30
last= Stout
first= David
url= http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/washington/01doan.html?hp
title= Federal Contracting Chief Is Forced Out
publisher= The New York Times
accessdate = 2008-04-30] which did not disclose the reason for the request. The resignation followed a period of internal GSA conflicts with the agency’s inspector general and a number of congressional and special counsel inquiries, none of which resulted in any action taken against Doan.cite web
date= 2008-05-01
last= Cable
first= Josh
url= http://www.govpro.com/News/Article/80110/
title= White House Mum on Doan Resignation
publisher= GovPro.com
accessdate = 2008-08-11]

In July 2008, Doan began her ‘Leadership Matters’ commentaries on Federal News Radio in Washington, D.C., discussing government managerial practices. [Lurita Doan - Leadership Matters http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=443]

Politics

Between 1999 and 2006, Doan and her husband, Douglas, a former military intelligence officer and business liaison official at the Department of Homeland Security, donated nearly $226,000 to Republican campaigns and causes.

Doan, a Republican Party member, was cited by Vice President Dick Cheney in a speech at the Small Business Administration in 2003. [cite web | title=Remarks by the Vice President at the Celebrating Women in Business Breakfast, The Washington Hilton Hotel, Washington, D.C., September 18 2003 | url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/09/20030918-9.html] She met with President George W. Bush as a woman small business owner in 2004. [cite web | title=President Speaks with Women Small Business Owners on the Economy, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C., January 9 2004 | url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/01/20040109-7.html] In 2004, she addressed the Republican National Convention. [cite web
url=http://www.prnewswire.com/micro/reps04
title=2004 Republican National Convention]

=Community involvement= Doan has been involved in the business community through participation in many trade associations, membership in business organizations, and involvement on charitable community activities.Lurita Doan Assumes Role as GSA Administrator http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?contentId=21103&contentType=GSA_BASIC&noc=T] In addition, Doan provides support to the American Red Cross, National Women’s Business Center, D.C. Rape Crisis Center, United Negro College Fund, American Women’s Business Centers, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Whitman-Walker Clinic, and many others. Doan has also served on a number of boards and committees including the Vassar College Board of Trustees, the Shakespeare Theatre of Washington, D.C. Board of Trustees, the Committee of 200, Council on Competitiveness, National Association of Women Business Owners, National Association of Female Executives, Women in Technology International, Minority Business Network, and the Northern Virginia Technology Council.

Controversies

In 2007, the "Washington Post" reported on several controversies involving Doan. In one, Doan intervened in an effort to determine whether five major contractors should be suspended from doing business with the federal government for failing to turn over rebates on travel on government contracts. In another, Doan proposed to curb the agency's contract audits and to cut the inspector general's budget by $5 million. The inspector general had reported that the audits, which aim to ensure that the government is getting the best prices for goods and services, had saved taxpayers more than $1 billion over the past two years, while Doan contended that the budget cuts were part of an attempt to rein in spending at the GSA. [cite news
title=GSA Chief Is Accused of Playing Politics: Doan Denies 'Improper' Use of Agency for GOP
author=Scott Higham
coauthors=Robert O'Harrow Jr.
publisher=Washington Post
date=March 26, 2007
page=A01
url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/25/AR2007032501048.html]

In March 2007, a Congressional investigation by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform produced findings critical of Doan. [http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20070327105037-20322.pdf] Ranking Member Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) published a separate set of findings defending her conduct.cite news
title=Allegations of Misconduct at the General Services Administration: A Closer Look
author=Tom Davis, Ranking Member
publisher=Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
date=March 28, 2007
url=http://republicans.oversight.house.gov/Media/PDFs/Reports/20070328GSAStaffReport.pdf]

On March 26, 2007, in a front page story the "Washington Post" reported another controversy:quote
Witnesses have told congressional investigators that the chief of the General Services Administration and a deputy in Karl Rove's political affairs office at the White House joined in a videoconference earlier this year with top GSA political appointees, who discussed ways to help Republican candidates. With GSA Administrator Lurita Alexis Doan and up to 40 regional administrators on hand, J. Scott Jennings, the White House's deputy director of political affairs, gave a PowerPoint presentation on Jan. 26 [2007] of polling data about the 2006 elections. Investigators state that the Hatch Act may have been broken when the question "How can we help our candidates?" was asked by Lurita Doan, according to witnesses at the meeting. The Hatch Act states that federal resources may not be used for partisan politics. The Office of Special Counsel investigated Hatch Act questions at GSA. Once again, Doan appeared in front of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on June 13, 2007 whereupon Chairman Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) suggested she resign. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/24/AR2007102402016.html Under Waxman's Surveillance - washingtonpost.com ] ]

A no-bid contract for an analysis of how GSA could improve on its record of awarding business to minority and women-owned business with Edie Fraser, was proposed. Fraser is a woman with whom Doan, and her prior company, New Technology Management, had an "extensive personal and business relationship." Waxman alleged that Doan "attempted to go forward with issuing a $20,000 no-bid contract to Fraser even after GSA General Counsel Alan Swendiman repeatedly advised that the contract be terminated due to its questionable legality."cite news
title=House panel raises new allegations against GSA chief
author=Daniel Pulliam
publisher=GovExec
date=March 6, 2007
url=http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0307/030607p1.htm] Doan did not have authority to award such a contract on a no-bid basis, and the proposal was called off.

Doan faced accusations of interfering with the extension of a contract involving Sun Microsystems. Sun Microsystems announced the end of its long-standing contract with the federal government in mid-September 2007. However, the week before Sun announced its decision, Doan alerted Congress to factors that may provide disincentives for companies to do work with the federal government. Doan expressed her concerns in a Sept. 7, 2007 letter to Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) about the credibility of the GSA Inspector General's office and how that credibility gap can adversely affect relations with vendors, stating:

quote|"Over the past several months, I have heard complaints questioning the ability of the GSA's IG to conduct independent reviews in an unbiased manner. Contributing to this perception has been a troubling inability within the office of the IG to safeguard testimony and hold in strict confidence information provided. Companies involved in audits, as well as whistleblowers across the agency, must have the confidence that the IG will safeguard information provided. Sadly, there have been several instances where confidential information provided to the GSA IG was immediately leaked to media outlets, and I am concerned that these occurrences have fostered the impression that the IG's credibility is compromised." [cite news
title=Response from Administrator Doan to Senator Grassley
author=Lurita Doan
publisher=General Services Administrator
date=September 7, 2007
url=http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?contentType=GSA_BASIC&contentId=23520&noc=T]

Sun announced its decision to stop selling directly through the GSA.

In the face of recommendations by the United States Office of Special Counsel that Doan be "disciplined to the fullest extent" [http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-06-11-gsa-political_N.htm Report: Contracting head illegally political - USATODAY.com ] ] and an ongoing congressional investigation, [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/24/AR2007102402757.html?sid=ST2007102402846 White House Feels Waxman's Oversight Gaze - washingtonpost.com ] ] on April 29, 2008 Doan submitted her resignation in accordance with a request from the White House. Doan stated that "It has been a great privilege to serve our nation and a great President."cite web
date= 2008-05-01
last= Harrow
first= Robert
url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/30/AR2008043001271.html?hpid=topnews
title= Doan Ends Her Stormy Tenure as GSA Chief
publisher= washingtonpost.com
accessdate = 2008-05-01]

References

External links

*cite news | url=http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/0005/ma000502.htm
title= A High-Tech Honcho Who Says No to Hypergrowth For Lurita Doan, life and business got a lot better after she constrained her company's expansion
publisher=Business Week |date=2000 | first= | last= | accessdate =
*cite web
url=http://innovators.vassar.edu/innovator.html?id=45
title= From Shakespeare to IT
*cite web
url=http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?pageTypeId=8199&channelId=-13260&P=XAP&contentId=21099&contentType=GSA_BASIC |title= Lurita Doan Takes Oath of Office
publisher=GSA |date=2006 | first= | last= | accessdate =
*cite web
url=http://www.inc.com/magazine/20020201/23831.html
title= FYI: The Million-Dollar Post-it Note Confessions of a compulsive bootstrapper
*cite web
url=http://www.bwni.com/tb/doan.html
title= Lurita Doan, Moderator for the Technology Breakfast session at this year’s Diversity and Women Leadership Summit & Gala
*cite web
url=http://thinkprogress.org/2007/03/07/gsa-illegal/
title= Senior Bush Official May Have Violated Law Trying To Block Pelosi From Appearing At Event
*cite web
url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/18/AR2007011801758.html
title= GSA Chief Scrutinized For Deal With Friend No-Bid Contract A Mistake, She Says
publisher=Washington Post |date=2007-01-18 | first= | last= | accessdate =
*cite web
url=http://thinkprogress.org/2007/03/27/doan-email-gsa/
title= GSA Administrator Lurita Doan To Employees: ‘You Are The Wind Beneath My Wings’
*cite web
url=http://thinkprogress.org/?page_id=11397
title=Statement Of GSA Administrator Lurita Doan To House Committee On Oversight And Government Reform, 3/28/07
*cite web
url=http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1200
title= Documents Reveal New Allegations Against GSA Administrator
publisher=Oversight House |date=2007 | first= | last= | accessdate =
*cite web
url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/24/AR2007052401130.html
title=GSA Chief Violated Hatch Act, Special Counsel's Report Alleges
publisher=Washington Post |date=2007 | first= | last= | accessdate =

*cite web
url=http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?programId=9620&channelId=-13331&ooid=11143&contentId=13969&pageTypeId=8199&contentType=GSA_BASIC&programPage=%2Fep%2Fprogram%2FgsaBasic.jsp&P=JPM |title=OIG Reports
publisher=GSA |date=2007 | first= | last= | accessdate =
*cite web
url=http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?last=DOAN&first=LURITA
title= Doan's list of campaign contributions at Newsmeat.com
*cite web
url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VePqzIrR-ao&e
title= Doan being questioned by Rep. Braley