Episode 4: CAM’s Corner with Briannah Smith
Release: 01/30/26
Welcome to Episode 4 of Let’s Talk EVM—and the debut of our brand-new segment: CAM’s Corner. Hosts Amber Young and Barbara Phillips sit down with Brie Smith, a former Control Account Manager (CAM) with deep experience in defense contracting and EVM work, who later transitioned into consulting and EVM surveillance with NASA.
Brie walks us through how she became a CAM, starting with her academic path (including a computer science foundation, business administration, and an “electronic business” focus), and how early exposure to earned value concepts, scheduling fundamentals, and real-world internship experience on a large DOD sustainment program helped set her up for success.
From there, the conversation gets practical—fast. Brie shares what the CAM role really feels like in the day-to-day, including:
Learning the monthly rhythm of program controls and how to stay ahead of it
Building strong working relationships with PP&C / program controls teams and knowing when to ask for help
Getting out from behind the desk to meet the people charging to your control accounts, understand the work, and manage budgets without becoming “the annoying budget cop”
Gaining confidence in monthly variance analysis by understanding what’s happening technically, asking better questions, and being prepared to explain changes and variances to a government customer
Training and professional development—what helped (including early exposure to Defense Acquisition University training) and why in-person learning can make a difference
The episode also touches the bigger theme beneath CAM work: credibility—how good CAM habits (knowing the work, knowing the people, knowing the data) create clearer narratives, stronger forecasts, and better conversations with leadership and customers.
If you’ve ever wondered what CAMs do, what makes a CAM effective, or how to grow into the role with confidence—this episode is for you.
(Episode summary written with assistance from ChatGPT)
