Leadership
Select the images below to see their professional bios.
Corey Nickens
Client Executive/Acquisition Innovation Advocate
AAS Innovation
Assisted Acquisition Services
Federal Acquisition Service
U.S. General Services Administration
Corey Nickens serves as a Client Executive for the Assisted Acquisition Services office (AAS), an office within the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) Federal Acquisition Service (FAS). In this role, he manages the AAS Innovation business unit.
Corey joined GSA in 2004. He served as AAS’ Deputy Assistant Commissioner from 2020 to 2023, and Acquisition Quality Director for AAS’ Federal Systems Integration and Management Center (FEDSIM) from 2017 to 2020.
Corey holds a Master of Library and Information Science from Drexel University and a Bachelor of Information Systems from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Chris Hamm
Client Executive
AAS Defense
Assisted Acquisition Services
Federal Acquisition Service
U.S. General Services Administration
Chris Hamm serves as a Client Executive for the Assisted Acquisition Services (AAS), an office within the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) Federal Acquisition Service (FAS). In this role, he manages the AAS Defense business unit, leading assisted acquisition services for the Department of Defense, including the Geographic Combatant Commands and the Special Operations Command.
Chris joined GSA in 1999 and leverages 25 years of experience in managing complex acquisitions and project delivery to provide innovative solutions. He previously led the Federal Systems Integration and Management Center (FEDSIM), managing over one percent of federal discretionary spending. As the first Acquisition Innovation Advocate at the GSA, he was named one of the Fed100 by Federal Computer Week and has served on the boards of the American Council for Technology and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association.
Chris holds a Bachelor of Political Science from Elon University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In 1999, he was selected for the Presidential Management Internship Program. He is a Senior Executive Fellow of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Pete Burr
*Assistant Commissioner
Assisted Acquisition Services
Federal Acquisition Service
U.S. General Services Administration
Pete Burr serves as the Acting Assistant Commissioner for the Assisted Acquisition Services (AAS), an office within the U.S. General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service (FAS). In this role, he is in charge of maintaining quality across AAS’ delivery of custom acquisition, project, and financial management services.
Pete has nearly 30 years of experience working with government and industry acquisition and program management. He has worked at AAS for 23 of those years in various operational roles, including as the Deputy Director of the Federal Systems Integration and Management Center (FEDSIM). Pete brings additional expertise that he gained from previous positions held at the Department of Health and Human Services and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
Erin Childs
Deputy Assistant Commissioner (AC)
AAS Operations (OSO)
Assisted Acquisition Services
Federal Acquisition Service
U.S. General Services Administration
Erin Childs serves as the Deputy Assistant Commissioner for the Assisted Acquisition Services (AAS), an office within the U.S. General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service (FAS). In this role, she leads AAS Operations (OSO).
Erin has worked at GSA for more than 15 years and has experience in project management, human capital, facilitation, and process improvement. She served previously as Director of the Program Management Office for the Federal Systems Integration and Management Center (FEDSIM).
Erin holds an MBA from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science from the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech University.
Joe Nickerson
Client Executive
AAS Army
Assisted Acquisition Services
Federal Acquisition Service
U.S. General Services Administration
Joe Nickerson serves as a Client Executive for the Assisted Acquisition Services (AAS), an office within the U.S. General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service, (FAS). In this role, he manages the AAS Army business unit.
In addition, Joe has operational responsibility for providing comprehensive solutions to the Department of Defense and civilian agencies worldwide.
Joe has more than 32 years of federal service managing regional and national programs within GSA. Before joining AAS, Joe served as the Regional Commissioner for FAS’ New England Region from 2014 to 2023 and as Director of Leasing for the Public Buildings Service.
Joe holds an MBA and MSF from Suffolk University and a Bachelor in Management from the University of Massachusetts.
Casey Kelly
Client Executive
AAS Air Force/Navy/Space Force
Assisted Acquisition Services
Federal Acquisition Service
U.S. General Services Administration
Casey Kelley serves as a Client Executive for the Assisted Acquisition Services (AAS), an office within the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) Federal Acquisition Service office (FAS). In this role, he manages the Air Force/Navy/Space Force business unit.
Casey has worked with GSA for 23 years. Before assuming his current role, Casey served as the FAS Pacific Rim Region Regional Commissioner for five years, after serving 10+ years in GSA’s Information Technology Category in multiple leadership roles managing over $13 billion annually.
In 2018 Casey received a Fed100 award for his leading role in developing GSA’s next-generation information technology contract vehicle, the Alliant 2 GWAC, a keystone in the federal government’s Information Technology modernization plans that took government/industry collaboration to a new level.
He is a Senior Executive Fellow of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He’s earned an MBA from Pepperdine University, a Bachelor of Science from San Diego State University, and a Master's certificate in Project Management from George Washington University.
Darrick Early
Client Executive
AAS Civilian
Assisted Acquisition Services
Federal Acquisition Service
U.S. General Services Administration
Darrick Early serves as an Executive for the Assisted Acquisition Services (AAS), an office within the U.S. General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service (FAS). In this role, he manages the AAS Civilian business unit.
He also serves as the Executive Sponsor for one of General Service Administration’s (GSA) affinity groups where he champions exposure and career growth opportunities for the workforce in collaboration with the GSA Administrator.
Darrick joined GSA in August of 2013 as the National Capital Region’s (NCR) AAS Director. He served in this role for five years and won the FAS Commissioner’s Award for his work on the Department of Labor’s Financial System during his tenure. Before joining AAS a second time, he served as the Regional Commissioner for the NCR/FAS within GSA from 2021- 2023. Before this appointment, Darrick served as Deputy Regional Commissioner for over four years.
Before joining GSA, Darrick was the Chief for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Contracts within the Office of Acquisition Management, Contracts and Grants for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He received two Secretary’s Awards for Distinguished Service for work on a next-generation anthrax vaccine and overall support of Project Bioshield. In addition to his work in the Federal government, he was an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland Global Campus where he taught general contract management, federal contract management, and project management.
Darrick holds a Master’s of Public Management from East Tennessee State University and is currently pursuing his PhD in Leadership and Interdisciplinary Studies at North Carolina A&T State University. He is a Senior Executive Fellow of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, a graduate of Johns Hopkins University’s Business Leadership Program, and a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute’s Leadership for a Democratic Society program. He is a Project Management Professional (PMP), certified at the highest levels of contract management (CPCM), and holds the FAC-C Professional certification.