The finalists for WashingtonExec’s 2024 Pinnacle Awards were announced Sept. 20, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place live, in-person Nov. 21.
Next is Meredith Bussey, vice president of contracts at BlueHalo, and finalist in the Contracts Executive of the Year, Private Company, category. Here, she talks about recent achievements, shares career advice and more.
What were your key achievements in 2024?
Professionally, my team has grown threefold over the past year. To strengthen our skills and foster team cohesion, I organized a three-day offsite in Dallas, where we focused on best practices in proposals, contract management, and negotiations. The structure of this offsite has since been adopted as a best practice across BlueHalo. Additionally, I’ve been actively involved in the successful integration of Eqlipse following its March acquisition, which brought in over 800 employees, hundreds of contracts, and a rapidly growing business. I also led my team to secure key negotiations, contributing to major wins for BlueHalo’s 2024 Annual Operating Plan.
On a personal note, I couldn’t pursue my passion without the support of my family. This year, we welcomed our third son, which has been one of my proudest achievements of 2024!
What are your primary focus areas moving forward, and why are they critical to the mission?
In 2024, my team is focused on deepening our partnerships with business leaders to integrate into our business development strategy, consistently finding innovative solutions that reduce risk and protect our bottom line. By actively collaborating with customers, we create unique contracting solutions through our proposals and negotiations, while maintaining a strong emphasis on contract terms and conditions. In the past, this approach has led to wins over $1 billion, and we remain committed to making it a core focus. By aligning with our customers’ top priorities, we ensure mission success while staying within contract scope, budget, and schedule.
What’s your best career advice for someone looking to follow in your footsteps?
My best career advice is to be a sponge and gain as much diverse experience as possible within the business. You can’t effectively negotiate or manage contracts without understanding both the pricing and the technology you’re delivering. This is why I promote from within and move my team across different contract types and customer bases, giving them a broad range of expertise. Embrace challenges — some of your greatest learning moments will come from difficult customers or contract execution issues. Turn those challenges into success stories.
Additionally, building strong relationships is key in this industry, which can feel small at times. I’ve had the privilege of working with many of the same people for over 15 years across different companies, and those relationships have been invaluable. Lastly, practice servant leadership. Get to know your employees both professionally and personally, and stand by them until the job is done, even if it means working late into the night. Lead by example, mentor, and reward hard work through bonuses and promotions. The team you build reflects your leadership, and their success is your success.
Fun Fact: What’s something most people don’t know about you? (Hobbies, passions, etc.)
Back in 2002, I auditioned for a “No Doubt” music video but didn’t make the cut because I didn’t have enough tattoos or piercings! Spoiler alert: I didn’t have any then, and I still don’t!