Chad Hepp

Chad Hepp is the Director of the Western Acquisition Division (WAD) of NOAA’s Acquisition and Grants Office. Located in Boulder, CO with an additional office in Seattle, WA, Mr. Hepp oversees the day-to-day management of acquisition functions in support of all offices within OAR, NMFS, and NWS's Office of the Chief Operating Officer. These clients reside in locations throughout the world including the South Pacific islands, Alaska, and the continental United States.

Mr. Hepp joined NOAA and WAD in 2010, and has previously served the division as a Contracting Officer, Branch Chief, and Deputy Director. During this time he managed various procurements including contracts in support of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response and damage assessment, completion of the OMAO’s FSV-6, and refurbishment efforts for the NWS NEXRAD radar system.

Mr. Hepp brings nearly 20 years of federal acquisition experience to his current role. Prior to joining NOAA, he spent three years as a Contracting Officer for the Department of Interior (DOI), Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Denver, CO, procuring a variety of supplies and services of various scope and complexity. Prior to his work at BLM, Mr. Hepp spent the first four years of his acquisition career as a Contract Administrator for the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), a component of the Department of Defense (DoD). Here, he administered numerous contracts, the preponderance of which were cost type requirements, requiring close coordination with the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA).

Mr. Hepp graduated from Colorado State University, where he earned a B.S. in Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Entrepreneurship. In 2016, Mr. Hepp graduated from the Department of Commerce (DOC) Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP). Mr. Hepp originates from Colorado and currently resides north of Boulder, CO.