Capitalizing on DCAA Services – Business Systems

Rick Hicks is a Program Manager within DCAA’s Accounting and Cost Principles Division. He is primarily responsible for Pre-Award Accounting System Audits and the DFARS 252.242-7006 Accounting System Administration Requirements Audit.   In his role, he reviews audit guidance and recommends periodic updates.  He also coordinates closely with the field audit offices to ensure consistency in interpretation and application of the guidance across the Agency.

Rick has 22 years of Government Contract Auditing experience and has served in a variety of roles in his distinguished career.  He holds a Master of Science in Accounting and is currently a Licensed CPA from the State of New Hampshire.

Ms. Chartese Nelson assumed the position of Program Manager, Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) Headquarters, in February 2022, and provides exceptional technical guidance focusing on implementing agency policy that is aligned with audit requirements and regulation, and makes decisions on

audit policy to support the mission of the agency. Her program area focuses on Contractor Business Systems as she is highly regarded as a trusted expert within the agency in the planning and performance of Contractor Business System audits. She is responsible for identifying and implementing audit policy/guidance to improve the audit process; ensuring audits are efficient, effective, and compliant with GAGAS. 

Since joining DCAA in July 2008, Ms. Nelson has held various positions with increased responsibilities and takes pride in demonstrating innovation and efficiency by making informed decisions based on her analytical and critical thinking skills, developing others through continuous learning, and promoting team building within the workplace.

Ms. Nelson holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Webster University, a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Cal State University Dominguez Hills, and various certifications.

Mr. Jason Fuentes is driving change by directly shaping the Department’s Contract Audit Policy as Program Manager within Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) Policy, Accounting and Cost Principles Division by taking a fresh look at how we perform audits, identifying field tested best practices, considering current technological advances, and creating conditions for innovation in order to provide auditors in the field the optimal framework for audit execution.

Mr. Fuentes joined DCAA as an Auditor in November of 2017, where he led highly technical and complex audits at major contractors leading to significant sustained questioned costs in price proposal, forward pricing rate proposal, and final indirect cost rate proposal audits resulting in significant savings to the taxpayer. As a Supervisory Auditor, Mr. Fuentes challenged his team to think different and do different by using data analytics, including business intelligence software to gain a deeper understanding of contract costs, and bringing in the knowledge of subject matter experts to significantly reduce audit completion time. 

Prior to joining DCAA, Mr. Fuentes served in Corporate Accounting roles within various industries including Software, Insurance and Real Estate Investment. He holds a Master in Accounting from the University of Florida. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the state of Florida and holds Level II DAWIA Certification in Auditing and Level III DoD Financial Management Certification.