Contracting official retires after four decades of service Published Dec. 16, 2014 By Susan Griggs 81st Training Wing Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE, Miss. -- In 1972, Carlet Jones began her federal career making $1.65 an hour as a summer hire clerk typist for the Navy at Port Hueneme, California. Forty-two years later, she's retiring as a GS-13 supervisory contract specialist in the 81st Contracting Squadron. Jones was born in South Carolina and grew up in California where her father was a career Navy man. When she graduated from high school in 1974, she took the civil service exam and began working as a clerk typist, earning two secretarial promotions before becoming a resources technician. Jones moved to Keesler with her former husband in 1982 and became a secretary in the travel management office. The next year, she began her contracting career as a secretary in the base contracts office. She was promoted to positions as a purchasing agent, contract administrator, contract specialist and lead contract specialist. She assumed her current duties more than five years ago, supervising 24 people and managing 1,200 contract actions valued at $49 million during fiscal 2014. Jones went to college part-time after she finished high school and with the help of civilian tuition assistance, she earned her bachelor's degree and a master of business administration degree, both from William Carey University. "The more things change, the more they stay the same," said Jones about the contracting career field. "When I started, we had keypunch cards, data processing and electric typewriters. Now everything is electronic. "But even with the changes in technology, contracting principles remain basically the same," she pointed out. "As stewards of the taxpayers' money, it's our responsibility to pay a fair and reasonable price for goods and services." Jones explained that sometimes it's difficult for customers to understand "that we have their best interests at heart. We don't try to make things difficult, but we have laws to follow." The self-professed "mother hen" said that guiding and mentoring people has been one of the most satisfying aspects of her job. "Carlet keeps track of everyone ... feeding them, counseling them and making sure the job gets done," said George Budz, the squadron's director of business operations. "Her wisdom and corporate knowledge make a lot of difficult things easier," he continued. "She's developed solid working relationships with our customers over the years, and just one of her phone calls can solve a lot of issues." "Carlet has a heart of gold, but can be tough when the situation calls for it," said 81st CONS Construction Flight Chief Reggie Temple, who's served with her both as an active-duty member and a civilian. "She was my go-to person for things I needed done expeditiously." Jones treasures the friendships and care she's received over the years from her co-workers during some very difficult times. She is a breast cancer survivor and had a lot of support during her recuperation from surgery and chemotherapy. She was able to return some of that support when a fellow employee was diagnosed with cancer. "That person had no family to help her, so Carlet took care of her as if she was an immediate family member," Temple recalled. "She took her to every treatment, both here and in New Orleans. She assisted her in all her affairs and made daily visits to the hospital until the end." Jones said that after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, her office family worked on her flooded home, tearing out sheetrock and demolishing showers, floors and cabinets. "Then we had a painting party after everything was put back together," she remarked. Jones' mother had a stroke while visiting friends and when Jones flew to California during the crisis, the 81st CONS team came to her aid, cleaning out her mom's apartment and putting her belongings in storage. She admitted she'll miss her co-workers "and even some of the work." She'll still be a familiar face at Keesler, helping with the African-American Heritage Committee's annual soul food sampling and cooking for squadron gatherings. Jones and Temple refer to each other as "work spouses" because of their longtime relationship at Keesler. "She is a mother to us all from great cooking to counseling," Temple said. "She's been a godsend to me, professionally and personally. "She makes me dinner each day and has even picked up my kids from school and provided some good counseling on the way home. Everybody loves Ms. Carlet." Jones plans to remain in the area after her Jan. 2 retirement date, but says she has a lot of traveling to do. She hopes to visit her daughter, who's a pharmacy technician in San Diego. "We'll find someone to fill Carlet's position, but we'll never be able to find anyone who can take her place," Budz concluded.