Lee Whalen, Chief Strategy Officer
As the Chief Strategy Officer at Tri-Kore and a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, Lee brings over 40 years of experience in defense acquisition, services reform, and enterprise-level program integration. He has deep expertise in contracting, program management, and strategic oversight that strengthens Tri-Kore’s ability to drive efficiency, mitigate risk, and deliver reliable mission solutions.
Most recently, Lee served as the Agency Lead for Services Acquisition at the Missile Defense Agency, overseeing $4.6B in annual spend—over half the agency’s budget. He led a 21-member advisory team and spearheaded initiatives that reduced acquisition cycle times by more than 65%, generating measurable reinvestment strategies for OSD.
Lee’s prior roles include Program Manager and Liaison at DCMA and Commander of DCMA Iraq-Kuwait, where he led 400+ personnel in theater, managing high-risk aviation and space contracts. At NASA, he served as Senior Contracting Officer for programs including X-34, X-37, and a $350M Safety and Mission Assurance contract, while also leading key negotiations across major systems like SLS and GMD.
In the commercial sector, Lee directed sales, contracts, and proposal strategy at Speedring and Summa Technology, supporting top-tier programs for Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Ball Aerospace. He has managed multimillion-dollar portfolios and critical NASA-to-DoD technology transitions.
A mission-first strategist, Lee is passionate about transforming acquisition from a compliance-driven process into a value-generating force multiplier. His leadership style emphasizes cross-functional collaboration, stakeholder alignment, and continuous improvement—positioning Tri-Kore to lead with purpose, precision, and performance across defense and government sectors.
Lee holds DAWIA Level III certifications in Program Management, Contracting, and Production, Quality, and Manufacturing (PQM). He also holds a Master of Science in Contract Management and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
