Elmer Staats was the first Chairman of the Procurement Round Table, lending his prestige to the formation of the non-profit group in 1984,. He remains Chairman Emeritus. Mr Staats had a distinguished career as a public servant beginning in 1939 following receipt of his Ph.D from the University of Minnesota when he joined the Bureau of the Budget – predecessor of the Office of Management and Budget. He was later appointed as Deputy Director – and served in that position under Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson. In 1966 President Johnson appointed him Comptroller General of the United States, and he served in that position until 1981. In that time Mr. Staats introduced modern management methods, especially automated information processes and acquisition management to the Government Accountability Office, influencing the management process transformation of federal government agencies

He continued his public service during the 1980s and 1990s as a member of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board and as the first Chairman of the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board.

The Directors of the Procurement Round Table believe that Elmer Staats’ dedication to public service excellence demonstrated over a career spanning nearly sixty years should serve as a beacon to both civil servant and military acquisition professionals.

The Procurement Round Table’s annual award to the Outstanding Young Acquisition Professional in the Federal Government is named in the honor of Elmer Staats.