A Procurement Officer's Calling to Serve, from the Pentagon to K-12 | Joel Klemmer

In this episode of Generation Reset, Kerry Rodriguez sits down with Joel Klemmer, Chief Procurement Officer at Gallup McKinley County Schools, to discuss how a career in business led him into federal procurement, and what it actually takes to make government systems work better for the people they're meant to serve.

Joel traces his path from entrepreneurial ventures and corporate leadership to a challenge from a retired Air Force colonel that pulled him into government — starting as a GS-4 federal employee, then through the U.S. Army Reserves, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command, before landing at a K-12 school district in New Mexico.

The conversation explores:

• why he traded a senior leadership role in the private sector for a low-level government position
• how procurement, integration, and outdated technology quietly shape whether government actually delivers
• the difference between chasing federal contracts through SAM.gov versus local government co-ops
• why AI is "just a tool" and the real bottleneck is how agencies choose to use it
• the ethical lines around procurement integrity and why elected officials shouldn't be picking vendors
• how public servants build (or lose) public trust in government efficiency
• and what it takes to stay bipartisan while working across red and blue institutions

Throughout the discussion, Joel argues that cybersecurity, technology integration, and procurement aren't back-office details — they're the infrastructure that determines whether government can actually function for the people who depend on it, from veterans waiting on benefits to schoolchildren without reliable systems. He also reflects on the personal cost of holding a nonpartisan, results-first approach in an environment that often rewards loyalty over competence.

This episode is ultimately about political activation, government efficiency, public procurement, and what it takes to build trust in institutions from the inside out.

Generation Reset with Kerry Rodriguez is a podcast exploring political activation, civic engagement, and the forces that push people into — or away from — public life.

Produced by the ContraSearch Network, a division of ContraSearch, Inc.

Transcript

Intro & Cold Open

SPEAKER_01 0:00

I think for the local governments, the biggest opportunity is integration. I think K-12 is behind in everything technology, but I'm also coming from a place where technology was the most advanced. So when I went in, I said, no more paper, everything's electronic. And I started talking to these uh software companies, and they're like, we don't integrate. And I'm like, you don't have APIs? And they're like, no. I'm going, oh my goodness. If I could find a replacement, you guys are gone.

Meet Joel Klemmer, Procurement Officer

SPEAKER_00 0:29

Welcome to Generation Reset, a podcast that explores political activation, the forces and impulses that push people into or out of U.S. politics. I'm Carrie Rodriguez, your host, and on the show this week, Joel Klemmer, a veteran procurement officer who pivoted into U.S. politics after a retired Air Force colonel challenged him to put his strengths to work in service of his country. We discuss how entrepreneurs can pursue federal and local government contracts, how public servants can help reshape public perceptions of government efficiency and what voters can do to elect strong, effective leaders.

The Call to Public Service

SPEAKER_01 1:02

I always thought I was going to serve. My grandfather, many of my family members come from military background, who's always in the back of my head to serve. But in all honesty, my passion has always been business. And so I've started different businesses. I've had uh lots of entrepreneurial ventures, was a senior lead leader. Uh, you know, for a short time I was even met Man Hen. So while I was in New York City, a retired Air Force colonel basically challenged me and said, I have a good set of skills and I should be serving the country. That's really what started it all. What was that conversation? And so I went from being a senior leader to a GS4, which is on the pace scale relatively low. You know, my first impression of the government was there is some amazing people, just extraordinary people that are far less effective than uh they should be. So, you know, it just kind of drove the passion to bring about efficiency, effectiveness, and change within the government.

From Business Career to Government

SPEAKER_00 2:13

Was that something that was intentional on your end that you wanted to jump into the public sector in a way that was a bit more operational, if if if you would say that that's what you were focusing on more?

SPEAKER_01 2:24

So politics were around way before I entered the government. I have been part of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs since about 2008. I've had opportunity to engage with presidents, foreign ministers, ambassadors, a lot of leaders in the political system. So I think that's also what shaped me. So the council is nonpartisan. The way I address public affairs is I'll examine the facts and kind of never assume one party has a monopoly on the good ideas. So, you know, each side has their values in the political spectrum, and both sides can be consumed by their extremisms. You know, as far as the operational, it was just an opportunity to really fit in and exceed. I was in an agency I've never heard of before, but that was kind of the point. What was the agency? It was so it was through the department. Well, now Department of War, Defense Information Systems Agency. It's a combat agency. So, you know, you're you're doing things where you're doing business and you're working with vendors and you're doing negotiations and you're doing everything that I was successful in business, but now the outcomes are that are mission critical, and you see movies and you're like, I know what's real and what's not, and I can never say, you know. And so it it was just a it was an amazing opportunity. And where it seemed like career-wise, I was going backwards, in essence, it was just a start. It was absolutely amazing. Um, I was able to go head deep, and then from there, uh, I liked it so much I decided to get in uniform and and join the US Army Reserves, and from there, uh, you know, built a career all the way to senior leadership.

Delivering Mission-Critical Tech

SPEAKER_00 4:07

There's not enough attention that gets put into the work that gets that goes behind the capabilities that the United States has or any government has when it's doing its missions. Would love to know a little bit of what that was like for you, like what were um the things that kept you up in terms of trying to deliver mission critical needs, and where do you think this is moving towards in the future as we you know look into what AI is doing in transforming basically everything, uh to say, to put it very bluntly.

AI as a Double-Edged Tool

SPEAKER_01 4:36

Sure. So my last position, I was the division chief of the US Army Test Evaluation Command. And so I got to see firsthand a lot of the capabilities that the United States has. And I I can easily say that uh technology is running extremely fast, uh, and the capabilities are are absolutely phenomenal. And so one of the um key important things with technology, with AI, is not only is there a speed of technology growing, but there's a speed to get to market. And so there's been a lot of frameworks, uh a lot of people with the Department of Defense who had you know brought in capabilities to test quickly and go through it so that the capabilities can get into the hands of those who are serving and doing the mission. And I think uh, you know, a lot of that has been absolutely phenomenal. I know the president has many times talked about uh, you know, how amazing the Patriot missile is, and that's 100% against hypersonic and everything. And and although I wasn't necessarily the engineer or the person doing the telemetry, I I was the business person behind it driving that operational force. And I can tell you that that team worked hard, and that team did a lot of late nights, and uh, you know, everybody was towards that mission uh to ensure that we had the capabilities to protect not only our nation, but our allies as well. As far as AI, AI is a tool, and and it could be the worst tool and the best tool. Just really, whatever you put in it is what you're gonna get out. And there's a lot of I think unique things that are being implemented right now, not just in federal side or on the local, but just in industry as a whole. And so, you know, I think it's been the hot topic. Every everything I'm seeing now is AI. AI, you know, AI is great, but it's a tool, and you have to know how to use it. You have to know how to get the best return on investment.

Advice for Govtech Entrepreneurs

SPEAKER_00 6:39

This this podcast talks to people who may want to enter into the role that you did, but then at the same time, may also have the entrepreneurial spirit. But we'd love to know from your perspective, you know, what are things for an entrepreneur to consider? We'd love to hear from you.

SPEAKER_01 6:52

And I think there's different ways of people starting the business. At the end of the day, what's going to last is that you're solving a problem. If you're either solving a problem or making an impact, then you basically have a mission that's above yourself that other people can get behind. And whatever problem you're solving or whatever impact you're making, that's what's going to determine the value. And it's very simple. I mean, you can look at the value of certain companies, people are just astonished, but then you look at the value and the problem that they're solving, it makes perfect sense as to why they have that valuation. It's really just taking a look at what's all the problems in the world, and then which one hasn't been solved yet, or which one has been solved but can be solved better. And as long as you're driving through that, you're going to at least be kind of out of the red ocean approach and more into the

Cybersecurity Threats to Local Gov

SPEAKER_01 7:40

blue ocean.

SPEAKER_00 7:40

When I think about some of the issues, like you want some of the threats that are coming about. You know, there's some of a lot of it is cyber. I think that there are some adversaries in the in the world where maybe their capability isn't that they can launch strikes as effectively as a superpower like the United States, but they could leverage, you know, cyber capabilities to uh threaten systems. Is that one of the biggest areas that you think you're gonna see a lot of entrepreneurs try and aid the government? Or are there others that I'm not considering that, you know, would be problems that you think entrepreneurs should keep in mind as we're entering in a different type of warfare?

SPEAKER_01 8:20

Cybersecurity is absolutely at the forefront, and that is a daily threat that grows on a daily basis. I mean, I think if we were to focus on all our resources towards cybersecurity, we still wouldn't have enough. Now you start looking at local governments, you look at county governments, you look at schools where their finances are extremely constrained. And then even still, you you mentioned the entrepreneur companies that don't have large VC backings or large funding, they they're absolutely at risk. Even doing the right things, there's still vulnerabilities. And I mean, unless you're going into each code and ensuring everything is protected and that you know, down to the each's, which most people don't have those types of resources, there's vulnerabilities. And so you really have to do risk assessments and say, which ones can I assume, which ones can I mitigate, which ones do I absolutely have to protect? And then and then even so realize that even with the greatest intent and all the greatest knowledge, it doesn't mean you're

Federal vs. Local Government Contracts

SPEAKER_01 9:31

safe.

SPEAKER_00 9:31

You know, you mentioned this distinction between federal and local. I don't would you advise them to think go for the federal government and try and win bits there? Or do you think there's still a pathway to building a viable startup working with local agencies?

SPEAKER_01 9:46

So so I think there's opportunities for both. Absolutely. The federal government is gigantic. And so one of the things that I really noticed about some of the smaller businesses is that for those that have their own internal frameworks, the government can saturate those very quickly. And so even some of the larger enterprise companies had a problem working because we would have so much data being moved, so much different users and integrations and roles and protections. And when you add it all up, there's a lot of constraints. And so even the best of the best systems can sometimes seem slow, but they're extremely protected. For the local governments, the best opportunity for them is a lot of commercial off the shelf. And so if you have good products that have continuous support, bring in updates and continual movements and have a good roadmap, the opportunity for the government is they don't have to necessarily be the experts. They can purchase the experts. I think for the local governments, the biggest opportunity is integration. When I came to the school, I think K-12 is behind in everything technology, but I'm also coming from a place where technology was the most advanced. So when I went in, I said, no more paper, everything's electronic. Then I said we're gonna integrate everything with everything. And I started talking to these uh software companies, and they're like, we don't integrate. And I'm like, you don't have APIs? And they're like, no. I'm going, oh my goodness. If I could find a replacement, you guys are gone.

Integrating Outdated School Tech

SPEAKER_00 11:22

And so this is this is at the county schools uh in New Mexico, is that correct?

SPEAKER_01 11:26

Correct.

SPEAKER_00 11:27

Got it. And how were how re uh receptive were the providers in trying to meet the requests that you were suggesting?

SPEAKER_01 11:34

So so I I had one of three reactions. One was, well, we're not gonna change. And which after I ended that meeting, I said, Well, you guys are gone. The the second one was let me understand this so we can get get there. And I think there's a number of companies who are extremely receptive, and we had a lot of great conversations where they're literally going to be building over the next year a lot of uh new capabilities to be able to interact. And then the third one is they have it, um, they just don't have kind of the connections to it. And so a lot of times I've been being a systems engineer, just connecting those points so that uh we can get those efficiencies. And it has been extremely effective.

Reaching Government Decision-Makers

SPEAKER_00 12:18

If you are an important stakeholder in connecting the dots between government and businesses, how does if a business is providing something that could be really useful, how do they get in front of someone like Joel? Is it that they're you gotta like be in the universe, be well read, and know that there are certain maybe conferences that they should be aware of that happen on an annual basis?

SPEAKER_01 12:44

So it's a two-part question. So with the federal government, there's sam.gov, and that's where all the opportunities are, it's where all the requirements are. And so prior to a solicitation, there is usually market research done and what's called RFIs or request for information. And so those are great opportunities to see kind of where the government is thinking and where the government is going. Um, a lot of agencies will also hold industry days, and they will basically say these are the capabilities we're looking for over the next year, three years, five years. And so it's key, it's good to key into those and then respond to these requests for information so that the information could be brought in, a requirement could be made, and then uh obviously get solicited um to the greater public, in which case, you know, just depending on their evaluation criteria is how you'll win the

Using SAM.gov & Co-op Contracts

SPEAKER_01 13:46

contract.

SPEAKER_00 13:46

And so it's it's more of a name of the you what was it called again? You mentioned the n the maybe the shorthand version. Sam Sam.gov.

SPEAKER_01 13:54

Okay, Sam.gov. So SAM.gov. For what I would say K-12, for local governments, and for counties, the the best way to get in front of them is to get into co-ops. Uh so there's a lot of different cop co-ops across uh across the nation, but these are contracts that once you're on a vehicle, they can use it. And so, you know, I think that's the most difficult part is either you have to win a solicitation that they put out, or uh you have to already be on a contract already. And so a lot of times if you're on these co-ops, the easy button for most people is just to use them because they don't have to do all the administration work, they don't have to understand or learn how to do all the procurement side of the house, and so it's very easy um for people to purchase. Now, what I realized was a lot of the co-ops they don't do very well with terms and conditions, they don't really look at I think a more advantageous eye than what a federal government employee would. So for our school, we actually uh put language in all our contracts uh or most of our contracts, where if you win a solicitation from our school, local cities, governments, county, state can actually use our contracts. And so it allows vehicles for not only our school, but also the local schools of, you know, maybe the district that only has a few schools and just a very small staff. And so they don't have to go through that administrative burden already there

Procurement Integrity & Ethics

SPEAKER_01 15:42

for.

SPEAKER_00 15:42

What other elected officials are within the room of decision makers that people should keep in mind, either as a voter when they're thinking about who they want to have in the room managing the funds of taxpayer money to then go to support market needs with businesses in mind, or and then on the flip side, as entrepreneurs, even talking to the right stakeholders can can give information. So when it comes to elected officials who are decision makers, who would you say are your typical people that you should keep in mind?

SPEAKER_01 16:12

Put this out there. Uh so before I came to Gallup McKenley County School, you can easily see a lot of newspapers and articles written about the school about procurement integrity. And I would say it's something I have been focused on, and I would say possibly even have had some issues myself since I've been here. But it's these officials that get elected feel that they have a power to determine who gets contracts, who who's the one uh that should be uh selected. And that's not how the government works. So you know, there is separation of powers. The only person that should be selecting vendors is either the chief procurement officer or their staff. And so if there's anyone else choosing it, all it would take is a quick note to the ethics guideline for them to quickly end up in an orange jumpsuit. You know, if you want to do it the right way and not get caught up in the front page of a newspaper, uh go to your purchasing office.

Public Servants Building Trust

SPEAKER_00 17:27

Purchasing office. Got it. I wanted to touch on something that as I was reading a bit more about on your profile, you mentioned this piece about how public servants can play a big role in the way that they conduct operations. We to just talked about the ethical way of procurement and you know, the way to show up as a public servant can have an impact on a voter's perspective on government and whether they see it as well functioning or not. Can you talk a little bit about that? Because this is a big topic of conversation depending on where you are in the political spectrum, about whether or not you see the government as efficient. And depending on whether, for instance, on the amount of money you make, you may say, Well, I don't know if I want to give my taxes to a government that might not be using it to the best of their ability. And so then it might worsen the way a voter looks at government because we see it as a government that is wasteful. When did you start to see this balance of, okay, if you want to improve how a voter looks at the government agency, you need to, you know, public servants have to, there's a duty for them to show up in a certain way.

SPEAKER_01 18:34

Well, one of the things that I've noticed is in the government, unless you are an elected official, most people are a yes man, yes, sir. And so they do not have the courage to challenge. And this is not everybody, I'm just saying the the majority, not the minority, uh, doesn't have uh the courage to, you know, essentially challenge. Uh not necessarily go against or be divisive, but really have a challenging perspective of I don't know if that's the right or the best way. Well, please help me understand why it is. Or where do we come in that conclusion? And so the ones that do typically get frustrated because they'll get put into a corner or there's a lot of different political things, I think we've seen all over the TV, uh, that can be used against those individuals to kind of quote unquote put them in line. And uh, you know, so they usually will jump ship out of the public and then go into the private, in which case they're very, very successful because that's what private sectors want. They want someone that can drive the bottom line and really bring in efficiency, effectiveness, and and lean type mentality. And so, you know, does that mean we go to the extreme and say, let's get rid of the government? No, I I think the government is of an amazing helping hand to small businesses, it gives amazing opportunities to people that maybe won't have it. And the fact of the matter is is as United States citizens, you know, we are protected. And and w we're given so many opportunities that could only be done with with it. So I I think it instead of looking at extremes, it's just saying, okay, what can we do to be more effective and efficient? But it starts at those elected officials because they're the ones that have the greatest voice. Now, with that said, elected officials need to stop with the sound bites. And and what I mean by that is uh they do a lot of mouthplay and they say a lot of things, but uh more times or not, it it gets completely diminished after you know they get their FaceTime. And so not only do they have to say it, but they have to put their their money where their mouth is and and really show the execution and show some output with that. Uh and I think one of the biggest ways to do that is stop pointing the fingers at each other and just say what's best for the people, what's best for our community, what's best for our businesses, and make that the decision, not just, well, he does this and she said this and my party this, which is why I I've been so bipartisan my entire life.

Voter Leverage Over Officials

SPEAKER_00 21:29

Yeah. And when I talk about, you know, what leverage voters have over trying to incentivize public officials to act the way that you would want them to act, where they're not doing political tit for tat. People say, Well, you get them at the at the polls. Like if you don't like a certain public official and you think they're not conducive to the type of you know change that you want to see, that's really the biggest avenue you have to maybe change an outcome. If that's true, what would be a way for people to assess? And to pick the right folks in office.

SPEAKER_01 22:02

It it's going to be difficult. I mean, you're you're talking about a lot of finances backing people. And when you have media campaigns that can go against individuals and use anything and not everything as a means, uh, you know, it's very difficult. And so the other difficult part is people believe what they see. And and so I I've been personally where I've been involved in certain things that have shown up in the media on the back end, and I'm looking at it going, well, that's not correct. I see how they kind of made that, but they definitely did some storytelling. It's it's a very difficult game, and and so it's one of those things of can you win without addressing those? I don't know. And I I personally couldn't speak on it because I've never won. But I think as a nation, we can get behind individuals with good character and people doing the right thing and trying to really do good for the community, not just trying to get a title. If we can get people behind that will act and and really try to do the best they can in whatever that area of responsibility that they're given, I think we'll do great. We need people to advocate around those individuals and and almost force their hands, because most most of those individuals don't want to be in the spotlight and they don't want to go for a political party, but they

Recruiting Future Public Leaders

SPEAKER_01 23:26

probably should.

SPEAKER_00 23:26

There are a lot of people who I've already met, and I'm sure you have met as well, who you you think they would be great at you know running for office. And then when you tell them, they're just like, oh no, like not for me. I think someone else is better suited for it. What would you say to those folks that you you can see it in them that they're they have the qualities that you think are are great? What how would you get them to change their mind? I clearly don't have that answer, but maybe you do.

SPEAKER_01 23:52

Well, I I think you know, if there's some business owners that could back that decision, um, it would be kind of force the hand to get them on a ballot. So um uh aside from that, it it's just gonna be you need a community, you need uh, you know, people to come together. And even that's difficult because a lot of the things that you see on TV are completely I I see these things on TV and I'm like, I live in that area, I've never seen one poster or flyer. How did so many people show up? And then you find out they just paid for it and they just paid actors basically to come. And it's like, no, that's not true. But I think there is if if a community comes and they're like, no, I really want to see this for my community. For Gallet McKinley, the the we need businesses, we need economic growth. I am trying so hard to bring the money into the community so that we can uh put money in the pockets of these parents to bring stability to the children. Uh, you know, we want to advocate for leaders to come in. We we have a 97% poverty rate. We have kids that don't even have plumbing. This is a merit. And and you know, it's unreal what some of these families are going through, and they need people to go in and care about them and and raise them up and and try to, you know, get them to look beyond uh what they're used to. And so even if you're a business leader and can speak, or uh, you know, a leader that can just encourage these kids uh or bring development into this area, that's that's what's needed. And so that's that's what my big push and what I've been working on, and and it's not an alone effort, it's been uh the mayor, um, you know, the county, the uh economic development, local legislation. It's been a group effort of an amazing individual's all working

Practicing True Bipartisanship

SPEAKER_01 25:56

towards this.

SPEAKER_00 25:56

Yeah. Maybe to get us closer to the ending here. You mentioned this piece about bipartisanship and the need to have a willingness to hear different perspectives and then from it to get to pick the correct one that gets you to the end point that you have in uh in mind. How much of it is a muscle that you exercise daily in the the work that you do?

SPEAKER_01 26:20

You know, when you're on the blue side, you have blues that take care of you and you hate the red. And when you're on the red side, you have reds that like to take care of you and you hate the blue. When you're in the middle like me, that looks at both and says, you're both idiots, but you both have valid points that should be brought in. You're hated by everybody. And so one of the things that I've learned is you have to be beyond transparent, you know, have ethical and hold on to them with dear life because they will be tested in every way, shape, and form. And I have examples where, you know, you've basically been on the hot seat for nothing but them trying to smear you and get you off the high horse. And at the end of the day, you're right. And you just kind of have to hold on. And as you get higher, that pressure uh and those resources become a lot higher. You know, it's just one of those things where at the end of the day, sticking by what's right, what's ethical, what's good for the people, and and making sure that we take care of each and every person because we're all we got.

SPEAKER_00 27:25

This is something that I've experienced the psychological pressures of you know, sticking true to your North Star, and it might not be well received, but there's a conviction that you have that you think that this is the direction it we need to go to. And there will be pressure points of people trying to take you off your high horse, like you mentioned. How do you manage it? How do you manage that stress? Because to play that strategy in the long run requires a lot of perseverance, a cool head, and making sure that you're playing your your steps methodically. So it how are you able to do it if if you are doing it? Um, and what advice do you have for people who who want to be like

Handling Political Pressure

SPEAKER_00 28:11

that?

SPEAKER_01 28:11

So uh let me just be transparent. Uh it you're you're not going to get it every time. Um, you know, there's there's times that, you know, I show frustration, I show emotion. I'm just trying to control it as best as I can. Um, you know, there's there's times that I get frustrated. I mean, I've been investigated for no reason. I've I've been uh brought into the spotlight and and honed for no reason. I do appreciate that uh the United States military has taught me resilience, um, but it's tough. Uh I think one of the things that you hold on to is you see the result, and you don't necessarily see it each and every day, but at the same time, I look back and at DISA we reduced efficiency by 60%. For the Department of Veteran Affairs, we removed the backlog for nine million veterans over 2,000 hospitals. And for the US Army Testing Evaluation Command, we are the most capable country in the world by far. And so at the end of the day, you could try to smear me, you could try to make my life horrible, you could, you can just, you know, use every little thing. At the end of the day, when you see those results, you just want to hold on and take everybody with you because you know you're on the right track.

Final Advice for Engagement

SPEAKER_00 29:42

Yeah, yeah, and counting your blessings. I I think that's a great, great place to to put an end to the conversation. And I would love to maybe I usually close the conversation with um what advice does the speaker have to the guests have in in encouraging people to to care and to engage if they're not currently engaging. So we'd love to know what you what your advice would be.

SPEAKER_01 30:06

I I think you hit it right on of what can an entrepreneur do? It's it's if you see a problem, try to solve it. And you may not know all the answers. And if you think you know all the answers, you don't. Let's just put that out there. Uh, but as long as you're open, humble to to learn better, and we're all trying to work towards making this place a better place, I I think we could, you know, not only set it up for this generation, but the generations to come.

Outro & Sign-Off

SPEAKER_00 30:33

Yeah. Awesome. Well, thank you, Joel. I really appreciate the conversation and what you had to share, and hope the listeners do as well.

SPEAKER_01 30:40

Thank you. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00 30:43

That is Joel Clemmer, Chief Procurement Officer at the Gallup McKinley County Schools. If you like this episode, then I encourage you to subscribe to the show wherever you listen. I'm Carrie Rodriguez. Thank you for listening, and I'll see you at the next episode.