Ms. Hughes serves as a senior acquisition analyst on the Program, Budget and Acquisition team, Secretariat for Special Operations (SSO), in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict. Her responsibilities in the SSO office include analyzing United States Special Operations Command’s (USSOCOM) $13B budget and formulating policy positions for senior leaders in the Department of Defense (DoD) on contracting, acquisition and National Defense Strategy alignment matters.

Ms. Hughes is a career acquisition professional for the Department of Defense. She has served in numerous acquisition positions, including multiple Program Manager roles at USSOCOM to include Special Programs, Sensitive Activities, Preservation of the Force and Family (POTFF), SPEAR Body Armor Systems, TCCC Medical Kits, and 127e. Ms. Hughes also worked in Contracting at Naval Special Operations Command in Coronado, Ca and served as a lead Procurement Analyst overseeing Army Contracting Command and the Army Corps of Engineers.

Ms. Hughes has served in multiple DoD wide policy roles to include the Defense Acquisition Regulation (DAR) Council, the Regulatory Reform Task Force, and the 809 Panel in support of modernizing the way DoD buys goods and services. Ms. Hughes is a Packard award recipient and was the USSOCOM Civilian of the quarter in 2013. She is a Supply Chain Security and Artificial Intelligence advocate and public speaker.

Kelly Hughes is member of the Acquisition Corps, the National Contract Management Association, Women in Defense and multiple philanthropic organizations.

Ms. Hughes received her undergraduate degree from Salisbury University in Maryland and is completing her graduate degree at American Graduate University. She holds multiple Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certifications including Program Management Level II and Contracting Level III. Ms. Hughes entered government service in July 2010.