Commissioned

The Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan has a new member: Katherine Schinasi. Today's Congressional Record says Schinasi was appointed to the seat vacated by Linda Gustitus.

Schinasi, who spent five years as a managing director at the Government Accountability Office, joined The Conference Board as a senior adviser in March, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Meanwhile, four staffers from the commission are in Iraq and Kuwait this week conducting interviews and briefings on the challenge of managing the huge contractor workforce that supports U.S. operations in Southwest Asia.

“Managing the Iraq drawdown will involve many contractors in closing hundreds of bases and processing more than three million pieces of U.S. property,” Robert Dickson, the panel's executive director, said in a statement. “We are interested in the adequacy of the planning, management, and oversight of a major contractor effort. The welfare of the troops, the achievement of U.S. objectives, and good stewardship of taxpayers’ money require it.”