VA Acquisition Academy chancellor wins national award

Chief Learning Officer magazine honored Lisa Doyle of the Veterans Affairs Department as the 2011 Chief Learning Officer of the Year.

Doyle is chancellor of the VA’s Acquisition Academy. She was named the academy’s first chancellor when it was formed in 2008 with a mandate to train, certify and expand the VA’s 40,000-member acquisition workforce.

Doyle received the award for her work in standing up the VA Acquisition Academy. As chancellor, she’s responsible for training VA’s acquisition workforce. She has established career development programs and is developing experiential learning opportunities.

Although the academy incorporates classroom work, Doyle takes a more holistic approach. The coursework goes well beyond rote learning of the Federal Acquisition Regulation to cover the softer skills needed by contracting officers.

“We take it to the next level,” Doyle said in a recent interview with Federal Computer Week. “Technical training is not everything. We develop the whole person.”

“The CLO of the Year award is given annually to the candidate who best exemplifies leadership qualities, creates the vision for change in his or her organization, and adds value for stakeholders,” the magazine said in a news release on Oct. 26.

Doyle was selected for the award by a panel of seven judges, including past recipients of the honor.