Lamont Otis Hames
Vice President, Strategic Programs • Access Systems Inc. • Reston, Va. • Age: 39
Coming full circle as a professional, Lamont Otis Hames is vice president of Strategic Programs at Access Systems Inc., a rapidly growing information technology and professional services contractor to the federal government. As the chief architect of the company’s business development, his focus is on expanding client relationships and creating strategic alliances. Prior to Access Systems, Hames spent 15 years as chief of staff in NASA’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, obtaining $3.6 billion dollars in contracts for small, minority and woman-owned small businesses.
Hames, as a presidential management intern, worked with U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun to shape the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act, which mandated that 5 percent of all federal contracts be awarded to women-owned small businesses. His work with the legislation resulted in a “big win” for Sen. Moseley-Braun, and the small-business community he says. “Ironically, my first job out of the public sector is with a small, minority- and woman-owned business. I think that when you work really hard and give your best, you also benefit from a little luck along the way,” he says.
His public sector service includes being the chief diversity officer at Cornell University and as a featured speaker at the World Diversity Leadership Summit (WDLS) in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Hames graduated from St Augustine’s College with a degree in computer science and from Bowie State University with a master’s in management information systems. He has developed a personal motto, “Take control of the things that you have control of. The rest will work itself out,” which he shared with students when he was invited by Lane College in Jackson, Tenn., to deliver their commencement address. He uses anecdotal experiences to share his philosophy of L.I.F.E.: Leadership, Intuition, Faith and Evolution. “As I strive to continue to make contributions to society and the world, I will continue to follow this mantra,” he says.
