TIMOTHY A. COOK

Timothy A. Cook is the Executive Director of the Center for Procurement Advocacy. As Executive Director, Cook oversees the development of strategies for interactions with the Executive and Legislative branches of government. He has managed congressional/legislative relations, customer relations, and strategic planning/branding linked to company budgets and policy objectives with numerous federal, state, and commercial entities that work with the technology and defense industry. Cook served for twenty years in the United States Coast Guard. During this period, he was the Senate Liaison Officer and a fellow on the Senate Commerce Committee. Cook graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy. He holds master’s degrees in Public Policy Studies from Duke University, and Political Science from Brown University. Mr. Cook can be reached via email at tcook@thecpagroup.org. 

TOM SISTI

Tom Sisti is General Counsel to the Center for Procurement Advocacy, providing law and policy support to promote common sense procurement solutions. Tom comes to the CPA after serving in several law and policy leadership positions in the private sector. In addition, he served as Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs (now Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs), chaired by John Glenn (D-OH), where he was lead staff counsel responsible for the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 and oversight counsel on major IT initiatives.  His background includes working as Procurement Counsel detailed to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Operations (now Oversight and Reform), chaired by Jack Brooks (D-TX), where he supported the committee on IT oversight and legislative initiatives, such as the Procurement Integrity Act. Tom also has served as Chief Counsel to the then-GSA Board of Contract Appeals, and he began his career as Counsel with the Government Accountability Office.

A graduate, cum laude, of New York Law School, Tom also earned his M.A. in Economics from the SUNY Center at Stony Brook, N.Y., and his B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. He is a member of the bar of the District of Columbia.

HEATHER TARPLEY

As Vice President of Business Development & Sales, Heather is responsible for driving membership growth for CPA. She is an accomplished nonprofit executive with more than 20 years of B2B sales experience spearheading membership and non-dues revenue generation for various trade associations in the Washington, DC metro area. Heather has a strong sense of devotion in building relationships, enjoys learning about business challenges and sharing new opportunities that will contribute to an organization’s overall growth strategy.

Prior to joining the team, Heather worked at the Data & Marketing Association where she was a leader in nation-wide and international membership acquisition. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the State University of New York at Fredonia. She is married with two children.