Mr. Joseph B. Anderson, Jr., born in Topeka, Kansas, graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Math and Engineering. He subsequently received two master’s degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles. Mr. Anderson attended the Army’s Command and General Staff College and is a graduate of the Harvard Advanced Management Program. Mr. Anderson received an Honorary Doctor of Management Degree from Kettering University and an Honorary Doctor of Commercial Science Degree from Central Michigan University. In May 2016, Mr. Anderson received the Distinguished Graduate Award from the United States Military Academy at West Point, honoring him for his lifetime of achievement.

During his military career, Mr. Anderson commanded troops as an infantry officer in the 82nd Airborne Division and served two tours of duty with the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam. In addition to troop command, Mr. Anderson served as aide-de-camp to two general officers, and he also was an assistant professor in the Department of Social Sciences at West Point. Mr. Anderson and the infantry platoon he commanded in Vietnam were subjects of the highly acclaimed documentary film “The Anderson Platoon”. The documentary has been shown in more than 20 countries and has won several awards to include the Oscar of the Academy Awards and an Emmy. Mr. Anderson’s military awards include two silver stars, five bronze stars, three Army Commendation Medals, and eleven Air Medals. Mr. Anderson resigned his commission after 13 years of service and early selection for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel.

While in the Army, Mr. Anderson was selected to be a White House Fellow and worked as Special Assistant to Secretary of Commerce, Juanita Kreps for one year. After the assignment, Mr. Anderson continued to work for Secretary Kreps until he joined General Motors.

Mr. Anderson began his business career with General Motors at Pontiac Motor Division. After several manufacturing assignments, Mr. Anderson was named Plant Manager of the Pressed Metal and Plating Operations, Pontiac Motor Division. After three years as a plant manager, Mr. Anderson held several staff assignments until he was appointed General Director, Body Hardware Business Unit, Inland Fisher Guide Division, General Motors Corporation, a business unit with 7,000 employees and revenue of $1 billion. After 13 years of service, Mr. Anderson resigned from General Motors to become President and Chief Executive Officer of a privately held company, Composite Energy Management Systems, Incorporated (CEMSI). He later acquired controlling interest in another privately held entity, Chivas Products Limited, which manufactured interior trim products and lighting assemblies principally for the automotive industry. Mr. Anderson is currently the majority owner, Chairman and CEO of TAG Holdings, LLC which has owned several manufacturing, service and technology-based companies. Over the course of its history, TAG Holdings has engaged in 15 acquisitions and joint ventures located in North America, Korea and China. These businesses have served a variety of industries including automotive, heavy equipment, aerospace and defense.

Mr. Anderson currently serves on the Defense Business Board, Board of Directors of Business Leaders for Michigan; Board of Directors of Michigan Aerospace Manufactures Association (MAMA); Wynnchurch Capital Advisory Board, Modular Assembly Innovations Board of Managers. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Branch Insurance, AmeriVet Securities, Lordstown Motors Corporation and Gentex Corporation. His community involvement includes the PNC Community Advisory Council and Chairman of the Board of the National Recreation Foundation. He is the immediate past chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago- Detroit Branch. He is also a past chairman of the U.S. Department of Commerce Manufacturing Council.

Mr. Damion Bailey is a Small Business Professional within the Army Contracting Command - Orlando (ACC-Orlando) Office of Small Business Programs, which supports the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) and the Army Contracting Command - Orlando (ACC-ORL). Mr. Bailey serves as advocate and Subject Matter Expert (SME) for all matters concerning small business, disadvantaged business, veteran-owned, women-owned, HUBZone, and other related socio-economic programs. He analyzes acquisition requirements to propose strategic options that increase opportunities for small business participation. He provides guidance to small businesses on how to locate prime and subcontract opportunities, regulation interpretation, as well as resolution of contract payment issues. He briefs senior leadership [Senior Contracting Official (SCO) and Program Executive Officer (PEO)], as well as Program Managers, Contracting Officers, and other acquisition team members on small business program matters.

Mr. Bailey has 18 years of DoD acquisition experience in supplies, services, construction, research and development (R&D), and systems acquisitions; he has also previously served as a warranted Contracting Officer and Grants Officer. He is Level III Certified in Contracting, has obtained the NCMA Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM) certification, and is a member of the Army Acquisition Corps.

Mr. Rodderick D. Barney Sr. is the Program Lead Manager for the Mentor Protégé Program (MPP), Office of Small Business Programs, at the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA). He is responsible for complete control of NGA's MPP Program, which assists Small Businesses in developing their qualifications and their ability to compete for prime contract and subcontract awards by joining/combining forces with large businesses. The program provides incentives to Federal contractors who provide evolution or developmental assistance to help meet the NGA and DoD mission.

Mr. Barney is a Veteran that served in the United States Army (USA) and the United States Marine Corps (USMC) where he retired in 2007 after 21 years of service. After military service he served in the Pentagon from 2007-2009 with the Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD) with the Office of South/Southwest Asia and from 2009-2010 with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a contractor. In 2010 Mr. Barney became a federal government employee with the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency as a Staff Officer and then a Program Manager/Contracting Officer Representative (COR) which is his current position.

Mr. Barney has a Bachelors of Science in Government Contract Management and Bachelors in Christians Ministries. He also has Associates degrees in Business Management and Biblical Studies.

David E. Barr, Jr. serves as Program Analyst for the Mentor Protégé Program (MPP) supporting the Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) and the Department of the Army. He reviews and analyzes policy documentation and legislation associated with the MPP program and supports the development of program policy.

Prior to joining DOD OSBP, Mr. Barr served 26 years in the United States Air Force where he obtained knowledge in multiple weapon systems, logistics, operations, and acquisitions. He has a Bachelor’s of Science in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Mr. Barr developed a passion for public speaking early in his professional career. He has hosted or emceed over 50 professional military ceremonies  to include promotions, retirements, change of commands, and the Air Force Ball.

John Briggs serves as the Program Manager for S3’s award winning Mentor Protégé Program and primary point of contact for Small Business outreach. Since assuming responsibility for the program seven years ago, Mr. Briggs has developed the program into a strategic asset and partnership with our current and past Protégé’s designed to develop our small business partners into effective small business prime contractors. To date, S3 has mentored five protégé firms, has two active MP agreements, and was the only Army winner of the 2019 Nunn-Perry Award.

Mr. Briggs has over 40 years’ experience planning and managing complex military and commercial logistics operations and organizations, including establishing new organizations, achieving AS 9100/ISO 9001:2015 registration, and managing performance risk. He is a Project Management Institute Certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
Mr. Briggs holds a Bachelor Degree in English from the Virginia Military Institute and a Master’s Degree in Logistics Management from the University of Central Texas. He is a retired US Army Officer and Veteran of DESERT STORM/DESERT SHIELD, whose assignments include logistics command and staff positions in the 101st Airborne (Air Assault), 3rd Armored and 1st Cavalry Divisions, as well as, the Senior Logistics (Maintenance) Advisor to the leadership of the Maintenance Depot Command, Saudi Arabian Ministry of the National Guard.

Mr. Brown currently serves as a Small Business Professional for the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) Mentor Protégé Program group. The Department of Defense (DoD) Mentor Protégé Program assists small businesses (protégés) compete for prime and sub-contract awards while partnering with large companies (mentors) under project based agreements. Mr. Brown is responsible for the administration and compliance reporting of Mentor Protégé Agreements on behalf of the DoD Office of Small Business Program (OSBP).

Mr. Brown’s acquisition career spans over 16 years to include serving in various Contracting roles with the U.S. Air Force and DCMA. He is an experienced contract negotiator, with an excellent understanding of government policies. As a Contract Specialist, he performed pre-award contract actions on Acquisition Category (ACAT) I, Source Selections.

Mr. Brown attended Wichita State University and Friends University, from which he received a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. He completed his postgraduate education at Friends University, where he received a Master of Science in Operations Management.

Mr. Brown is a U.S. Air Force veteran who honorably served his country as an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Technician with many awards and honors.

Ms. Kimberly D. Buehler was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in August 2019. She currently serves as the Director for the Army Office of Small Business Programs, where she provides executive leadership for all aspects of the Army's small business mission, including: advocacy and outreach for all small business programs, development and dissemination of policies and procedures for execution of small business functions, and oversight over the execution of the small business program at the Army’s contracting activities, equating to over $24 billion dollars of annual spend. Ms. Buehler represents the Secretary of the Army at congressional committee and subcommittee hearings on small business matters, and leads strategic inter-agency communication with the Small Business Administration, the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, the Minority Business Development Agency (Department of Commerce), and other agencies and presidential commissions. Ms. Buehler holds a Master of Arts Degree from Temple University, is Level III Certified in Contracting, and Army Acquisition.

Ms. Celis has served the Department of Defense (DoD) for over 34 years; starting at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1988 until 2004, where she held a variety of positions in financial management, personnel management, program analysis/management, computer information systems development, and training. It was during this period in her career that she became involved with the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Next, she served as the U.S. Army SBIR Program Manager from 2004-2008, where she developed and successfully implemented several program and system modernization initiatives. For eleven years she served as the SBIR/STTR Program Manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) where she focused on creating an environment that considers small business concerns as a primary source of innovative solutions. In 2019, she joined the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to unify and manage the SBIR/STTR programs across the Department.

Ms. Celis holds a Bachelor of Science in Management and Computer Information Systems from Park University, and a Master of Public Administration from American University.

Mr. Tim Cole is the Director for Small Business Programs at the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). Working collaboratively with Program Management Offices across MDA, as a small business advocate, he applies extensive knowledge of acquisition regulations and various types of contracts, incentive arrangements, policies and procedures to plan, develop and implement initiatives that incentivize small business utilization in acquisitions supporting MDA’s mission. He has more than 13 years as a contracting professional with MDA in multiple roles, including Director of Contracts for Sensors and Director of Contracts for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense.

Mr. Cole also has 19 years of private sector experience in the federal business arena and held positions in contracting, subcontracting, pricing, cost control, and small business. Before joining MDA in 2009, he served as the Contracts/Subcontracts Manager and Small Business Liaison Officer for industry.

Mr. Cole has a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Auburn University, Bachelor of Science – Business Administration from University of Alabama Huntsville, and is Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Level III Certified in Contracting.

Mr. Cole is excited for the opportunity to be an advocate for small business. He looks forward to ensuring the small businesses are represented early in the acquisition process for contracting opportunities with MDA
Current as of December 5, 2022

Dr. Amy D’Agostino leads the Army’s premier prize competition program, xTech, which focuses on bringing innovative science and technology to the warfighter. Previously, Dr. D’Agostino worked for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as a Human Factors researcher. In her time at the NRC, Dr. D’Agostino also built and implemented the NRC’s innovation program. Dr. D’Agostino transitioned to her role in the Army in Fall 2021. Dr. D’Agostino received a BA in Psychology from West Chester University, an MA and Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from the University of Connecticut and is the author of numerous manuscripts and technical reports. She has received several awards including a Meritorious Service Award in 2020 from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Mr. Dwight D. Deneal is the Director for the DLA Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP), Headquarters, located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. In this capacity, Mr. Deneal provides executive leadership for all aspects of the DLA’s small business mission, including small business program functional operations for DLA's six Major Subordinate Commands (MSCs). Under Mr. Deneal’s leadership he supervises and directs advocacy and outreach for all of DLA’s small business programs, development and dissemination of policies and procedures for execution of small business functions, and oversight for the execution of the small business program at the DLA’s contracting activities--equating to more than $35 billion dollars of annual contract spending.

Under Mr. Deneal’s direction, he provides the vision for the DLA Small Business program and oversight of the agencies’ fiduciary responsibility to maximize small business federal procurement dollars. Mr. Deneal maintains, and grows strategic partnerships that attract traditional and non-traditional businesses into the DLA supply chain; while striving to build dynamic ecosystems that help grow the national defense industrial base. This includes representing the program to state policy, industry and federal acquisition leaders; while working collaboratively towards a common goal and vision. Additionally, Mr. Deneal is responsible for the execution and management of policies, plans and sub-programs of the congressionally mandated U.S. Department of Defense
(DoD) Procurement Technical Assistance (PTA) Cooperative Agreement Program, for which DLA is the agent; which establishes a nation-wide network of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs).

Previously, Mr. Deneal served as Director, Small Business and Industry Liaison Programs for the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), an operational component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In this capacity, Mr. Deneal served as USCG’s authority on all small business and socio-economic related guidelines, policies, regulations and was delegated the authority for planning and carrying out acquisition activities in support of the small business programs. In recognition of his professional efforts and mission impact, Mr. Deneal was awarded the 2018 U.S. DHS Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) Excellence in Industry Engagement Award and 2018 Federal Small Business Champion by Homeland Security Today, a media outlet.

Before joining the Office of Advocacy, Diamond served as a Business Resource Partner that provided enterprises, anchor institutions, and municipalities with administrative solutions to support their ability to compete for government contract procurements. Additionally, she is a staunch community and business advocate that has previously served as an arbitrator for the Better Business Bureau, a Civil Mediator for the City of Atlanta’s Citizen Review Board, and as a Juvenile Delinquency Mediator for the Cobb County Juvenile Court. She holds a Master of Science in Conflict Management from Kennesaw State University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Howard University.

As the Region 4 Advocate, she represents the following states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The Office of Advocacy has regional advocates in each of the 10 federal regions. This team identifies new issues and concerns of small business owners. They work closely with local government officials, state officials and legislators, and the Chief Counsel for Advocacy to develop programs and policies that support small business growth.

Prior to joining DoD OSBP, Ms. Diaz worked in the private sector where she provided direct program management support for federal government small business policies and programs with the objective of maximizing utilization of small and disadvantaged small businesses.

Prior to providing programmatic and management support to the federal government, Ms. Diaz was instrumental in enhancing membership recruitment, retention and outreach and influential in all membership-level activities as the Assistant Director for nonprofit associations. Ms. Diaz has more than 17 years of experience in technical, programmatic, administrative and management assistance in support of DOD as a subject-matter expert on small business and acquisition policies, procedures and related matters at the major command level. She has a BS in Biology from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Mario A. Diaz was appointed as the 21^st Deputy Under Secretary of the U.S. Army on October 10, 2021. As the Deputy Under Secretary of the Army, he is the principal civilian senior advisor to the Secretary of the Army and Under Secretary of the Army. In his role, Mr. Diaz has management oversight of civilian senior leader assignments, the Army Test & Evaluation Executive, and other areas of policy and strategy as identified by Army senior leadership. 

Mr. Diaz served as an Infantry officer for 30 years in the US Army, including combat command  of both an Infantry Stryker Battalion in Iraq and an Infantry Brigade Combat Team in  Afghanistan. Formative strategic assignments included Military Assistant to the Secretary of the  Army and Senior Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Mr. Diaz  culminated his military career as the Assistant Division Commander-Support for the 25^th Infantry Division and then the Chief of Staff for I Corps. 

Post military career, Mr. Diaz served as a Senior Mentor and Highly Qualified Expert with the US  Army Mission Command Training Program. Mr. Diaz advised commanders and staff at the Army  Corps, Division, and Brigade levels during exercises and provided expert knowledge in integrating war fighting capabilities and programs. Additionally, Mr. Diaz has served as a Special Assistant for Outreach & Mentorship to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower & Reserve Affairs. 

In this capacity, he was responsible for developing, leading, and managing plans and programs  designed to ensure that the U.S. Army prioritizes talent acquisition commensurate with the  American population. 

Mr. Diaz is a graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point, the School of Advance Military  Studies at Fort Leavenworth, and the National War College in Washington D.C. Mr. Diaz also has  received a Master of Arts in History. He is married to Shawn Diaz, and they have three adult  daughters – Marissa, Shaylin, and Olivia. 

Anthony Di Stasio is the Director of the Manufacturing, Capability Expansion, and Investment Prioritization Directorate (MCEIP) at the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment (OUSD A&S). MCEIP prioritizes and invests in industrial development and production critical for protecting national security. It is comprised of the DPA Title I, DPA Title III, and IBAS (dba ICAM) portfolios.

Previously, Mr. Di Stasio served as the Director of the Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III Program, now known as Defense Production Act Investments (DPAI). Prior to his role leading the DPA Title III Program, he was the program manager for the Department of Defense Joint Enhanced Munitions Technology Program (JEMTP) at the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering (OUSD R&E), while also serving as the U.S. national lead for the OUSD R&E’s Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) for energetics. Mr. Di Stasio also has 17 years of experience at the United States Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center (Armaments Center), headquartered at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey, where he focused on munitions design and development.

While at Armaments Center, Mr. Di Stasio served as portfolio manager for the Insensitive Munitions Program, project officer for the Future Requirements of Enhanced Energetics for Decisive Munitions Energetics (FREEDM) Program, project officer for the Joint Program Executive Office for Armaments and Ammunition Explosive Thrust, and Insensitive Munitions technical lead. He led more than five field transition technologies and holds five patents for the development of the subscale insensitive munitions testing and production of nano-energetics. Mr. Di Stasio won three research and development awards from the Army, as well as awards from NATO, TTCP and MSIAC for contributions to insensitive munitions technology development. Time magazine recognized him for having one of the “Inventions of the Year” in 2010.

Mr. Di Stasio has expertise in government acquisition, energetic materials, detonation train design, nano-energetics, gun propulsion, rocket propulsion, insensitive munitions, program management, and risk analysis.

Ms. Dokes serves as the Team Lead for the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP) team. She has over 14 years of experience working with DCMA, including five years in contracts. In her role as the Team Lead, Mrs. Dokes is responsible for the administration and reporting of the Department of Defense (DoD) Mentor Protégé Program (MPP) to include providing data for congressional inquiries. Ms. Dokes is Lean Six Sigma, Yellow Belt Certified, Small Business Professional Certified, DAWIA Level III Certified, and is a member of the Defense Acquisition Corps.

Prior to her government career, Ms. Dokes worked as a teacher/ administrator in Public Education for 15 years. Ms. Dokes holds a Bachelor of Science in Math Education from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and a Masters in Educational Administration from Lindenwood University.

Captain William G. Earnest was born May, 1939 in Tuscaloosa, AL. Following high school, he joined the Navy in July, 1956 and attended Recruit Training in Great Lakes, IL. His early enlisted tour included the USS CROW (MSC(0) 7), USS VITAL (MSO 474) and USS VALOR (MSO 473). During this time, he was advanced to Chief Petty Officer. Captain Earnest also served two tours in Vietnam - first, as a Patrol Boat Commander from 1965 -1967 and then in 1968, as an advisor to the First Patrol Boat Squadron to train the Vietnamese in patrol boat operations. During both tours, he participated and led patrols in combat operations against North Vietnam insurgencies. He was wounded during patrol and returned to the states in 1969.

In 1969, while serving as Engineer Officer aboard the USS SALUTE (MSO 470), Captain Earnest was selected and promoted to Chief Warrant Officer. After commissioning, he attended Warrant Officer Candidate School, Newport, RI and was awarded the Inspirational Leadership Award for the Class of 1970. Captain Earnest's first officer assignment took him the USS SHANGRILA (CV A 38). Subsequent tours in Pearl Harbor, HI included Engineer aboard the USS ELKHORN AOG 7), USS GRAPPLE (ARS 7) and Material Officer for Commander, Service Squadron FIVE. He returned to the East Coast in 1976 for duty on the USS SARATOGA (CV 60) followed by a tour as Engineer aboard the USS KALALMAZOO (AOR 7). He then reported to Readiness Support Group, Mayport, FL, where he served as Officer in Charge of the Mobile Training Team. In December, 1982, he reported as officer in Charge of Battleship IOWA's Liaison, Pascago MS. IOWA was commissioned April 28, 1984, and he became the Engineer Officer. Captain Earnest assumed command at SIMA Charleston in June, 1985. Under his command, SIMA was awarded two Meritorious Unit Commendations and the 1987 Secretary of Defense Maintenance Award. After SIMA,

Captain Earnest returned to sea as Engineer aboard the USS SAIPAN (LHA 2), then back to shore duty as the Director of Training at Fleet and Mine Warfare Training Center. In September, 1991, Captain Earnest once again took the helm of SIMA Charleston. Under Captain Earnest's tutorage, SIMA received the Navy Unit Commendation, three Meritorious Unit Commendations, the Secretary of Navy Activity Award for Achievement in Safety Ashore, the Secretary of Defense Maintenance A ward and the Armed Forces top maintenance award, the Phoenix Award. Since 1970 Captain Earnest has been recognized numerous times for his leadership abilities. Awards include the Navy League's Leadership Award, the Admiral Ben Morrell Award for Inspiration Leadership, six separate nominations for the John Paul Jones Award, the Martin Luther Award for Community Service and the Reverend Daniel Joseph Jenkins Select Award for directing the renovation of the Jenkins Orphanage.
Captain Earnest has received the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with Combat ''V'', Purple Heart, six Meritorious Service Medals, five Navy Commendation Medals, Navy Achievement Medal, three Navy Unit Commendations, five Meritorious Unit Commendations, the Combat Action Rlobon and numerous other assorted personal and foreign awards.
After Navy retirement, Captain Earnest worked as Technical Advisor and Consultant for the South East Regional Maintenance Center, Mayport, Florida. During his eight year tenure at this position he was awarded two of the highest Civilian awards presented by our government. The Meritorious Public Service Awards. Captain Earnest is married to the former Judi Brady of Northport, AL. They have two children. Their son, Chris, is in specialized medicine, Jacksonville, FL. Their daughter, Lisa, is a Doctor at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD specializing in Otolaryngology and facial plastic surgery. Captain Earnest serves as a Director for Q.E.D. Systems, Inc., a Company with Offices worldwide. He continues to work with our superb military men and women and really enjoys working with the Sailors in support of the United States Navy.

Mr. Randy Edney is the Director, Army Contracting Command, Office of Small Business Programs, at the Program Executive Office for Simulation Training & Instrumentation (PEO-STRI). Mr. Edney is responsible for policy implementation, establishing procedures, and publishing general direction and guidance on issues impacting small business initiatives. He serves as the principal advisor to the Program Executive Officer (PEO), Deputy Program Executive Officer (DPEO), Program Managers, Principal Assistant Responsible for Contracting, Acquisition Staff, PEO staff and elements reporting directly to the PEO on all matters pertaining to small business, disadvantaged business, labor surplus area, veteran-owned and HUBZone business, Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Servicing Institutions (HBCU/MSIs) and other socio-economic business programs. He works closely with the competition advocate to ensure that potential small business opportunities, to include all socio-economic categories, are thoroughly explored.

Mr. Edney has over 33 years of acquisition experience, with the Department of Navy and the Department of Army. He is Level III Certified in Contracting, and is a member of the Acquisition Corps.

Ms. Faircloth began her career as a Navy Contracting Intern in May 1997 supporting the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) after earning her bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Central Florida. While earning her Master’s degree in Business Administration in August 2000, she worked as a Contract Specialist on multiple R&D efforts in support of training and simulation. She became a Contracting Officer & Team Lead for the US Army’s Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) in January 2007 where she was responsible for overseeing her team’s efforts to award and administer many complex, multi-million dollar contract actions for Army training and simulation. She also served as the Interim Associate Director for Small Business at PEOSTRI in 2007, standing up PEO STRI’s first generation Small Business Office and establishing PEO STRI’s first local policy baselines to govern its Small Business Program. Ms. Faircloth accepted her current position in as Deputy Director, Office of Small Business Programs at NAWCTSD in 2015. She fulfills this role by serving as a resource and partner between NAWCTSD, its customers, Team Orlando Partners, the Small Business Administration, and Industry in the execution of the command’s Small Business Program.

Lonye Nicole Ford is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Arlo Solutions, a minority/veteran/8a/HUBZone owned and operated business headquartered in Washington, DC. Arlo offers Intelligence, Cybersecurity and a full range of cutting-edge Program Management and Strategic Communication solutions to the United States Government. The combination of these service offerings allows Lonye to lead Arlo into new frontiers capturing significant market share as a small business.
With over 10 years of duty in the United States Air Force, Lonye acquired a love for, and ultimately the expertise in, Cybersecurity and Information Assurance. Through her expansive involvement in these disciplines, she gained an in-depth knowledge of information technology, and began her career as an Information Technology Specialist. At the age of 21, as a young professional exuding exemplary leadership quality, Lonye was hand selected to lead a 24/7 helpdesk operations servicing 7,000 customers.

As a government contractor for 20+ years, Lonye led large teams and managed projects and portfolios ranging from $2M to $1.5B. She developed a myriad of innovative solutions and policy that were implemented at the highest level in the government, including co-authoring the Air Force Fast Track process, and assessing, developing and streamlining the United States Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Framework process. Lonye’s strong work ethic afforded her numerous outstanding performance and leadership awards. Her quick wit to identify and solve complex problems, and her positive and astute business acumen, deems her a highly sought-after tech executive and teaming partner.

Lonye is a Hampton University graduate. She holds a master’s degree in Business Administration and is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). Known for being honest and forthright, Lonye is well respected in the business community. She has an amiable and genuine persona, and a passion for mentoring youth in underserved communities. As part of her outreach, she partners with UrbanPromise, a nonprofit youth organization in Camden, NJ, to equip children and young adults with the skills necessary for academic achievement, life management, spiritual growth, and Christian leadership. She gives unselfishly of her time and resources to underprivileged communities also in the Washington, DC and Chicago metropolitan areas. Lonye’s desire to one day organize a legacy nonprofit of her own is beyond a mere thought, but rather a life goal she undoubtedly will achieve.

Lonye’s commitment to Arlo, family, and community is none other than paramount!

For over 20 years, Michael A. Hardin, General Manager, has been dedicated to the success of Hardin Optical and continuing the legacy of being a premier state-of-the-art supplier of precision optical components. My experience as a second-generation owner has exposed me to many challenges facing small businesses. From employee recruitment and retention to local, state, and federal compliance, I have a good understanding of the unique challenges facing a business on the Southern Oregon Coast.

Mr. Hardin leads five (5) direct and eighty (80+) indirect reports with duties from Business Development, Engineering, Finance, Quality, Supply Chain, Production Management, Maintenance, and Human Resources

Chris Hergett is an industrial and manufacturing engineer with experience in lean manufacturing, facility design and layout, and process design for a variety of industries. He provides assistance in Technology Transfer and Transition (T3) efforts and is part of the Mentor-Protégé Program that provides developmental assistance to small businesses in the DOD supply chain. Chris previously provided engineering support for small businesses across Montana through the state’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

Ms. Hostetler joined the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) Small Business Compliance Center in 2015. She serves as a Small Business Professional for the DoD Mentor Protégé Program (MPP). In her role, she performs the administration and management of assigned Mentor Protégé Agreements (MPAs) on behalf of the Office of Small Business Programs.  Before becoming a Small Business Professional, Ms. Hostetler worked as a Contract Administrator with DCMA Navy Special Emphasis Operations (NSEO), as well as a Logistics Management Specialist with the United States Air Force. In 2022, Ms. Hostetler completed a 90-day volunteer deployment with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Operation Artemis Coordination Center (OACC).

Ms. Hostetler holds a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Toledo and a Master of Public Administration from Wright State University. She is a member of honor societies with each program. 

Ms. Hostetler possesses DAWIA certifications in contracting, logistics, and program management and is a member of the Defense Acquisition Corps.

Cheryl Ingstad serves as the Managing Director of the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN). She was sworn in on November 9, 2022 by Heidi Shyu, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)). NSIN was established by the U.S. Department of Defense in 2016 to bring together defense, academic and entrepreneurial innovators to solve national security problems in new ways.

Ingstad brings extensive experience in both government and industry to NSIN. She most recently served as the inaugural director of the Department of Energy (DOE)’s Artificial Intelligence and Technology Office, where she was responsible for coordinating the department’s development and application of AI. In addition to standing up the new office, and achieving approval of its directives and authorities (charter), her team created the department’s AI strategy and created its first-ever AI coordination capability to track, prioritize and share best practices from 700 AI projects, with goals such as addressing climate change, supporting first responders, and providing COVID insights during the peak of the pandemic.

Prior to DOE, Ingstad led corporate and defense organizations for over 20 years. At 3M, she led critical R&D commercialization efforts in AI/Machine Learning for a business unit with revenue of $12 billion. At the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), she directed intelligence operations and was responsible for standing up new capabili­ties in joint information operations.

For over twenty-eight years, Dr. Kendig has been a leader in Air Force research, development, and transition of technologies to meet the needs of the DoD and our nation. He currently serves as the Chief Engineer for AF Ventures and is responsible for technical processes and execution. AF Ventures is a division of AFWERX, which executes the AF SBIR/STTR Program with an annual budget of over $1B. His focus is on creating and maintaining rigorous and scalable processes, and on partnering with other organizations to meet the DoD’s need for technology solutions.

Kendra Kinnie is a graduate of Tennessee State University where she obtained a bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management. With over a decade of civil service, Kendra offers exceptional knowledge and skill in supporting the warfighter.

Kendra first started her career with the United States Government as a Contract Administrator Keystone where she managed multi-million dollar programs, such as Big Safari. Shortly after graduating the Keystone Program, she became a Small Business Professional with the Defense Contract Management Agency Mentor-Protégé Team. As a Small Business Professional, Kendra has primarily managed and supported Mentor-Protégé Agreements for United States Army and Defense Contract Management Agency. Kendra passionately manages each agreement, ensuring that all requirements are met in excellence

Scott A. Kiser, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Director of Air Force Small Business Programs, located at the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. He is responsible for policy, advocacy, execution and advice pertaining to Small Business Programs and personnel throughout the department.

Mr. Kiser, a Manhattan, Kansas, native, was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force in 1985 and served 27 years on active duty. He garnered extensive experience in international, major weapons system, operational and logistical contracting. Throughout his career, he held other key positions, to include Senior Contracting Official as Chief of Contracting, Headquarters Air Combat Command; Director of Contracting, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center; the Alternate Principal Assistant Responsible for Contracting and Chief, Contracts Policy, Headquarters, U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command; the Director of Contracting, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass; and most recently as Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Contracting at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. He aided the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Contracting in leading an 8,000 military and civilian contracting organization responsible for annually executing $70 billion for acquisition of major weapon systems, logistics, special access program, operational supplies and services and resourcing worldwide contingency operations. He served as the Air Force Head of the Contracting Authority and provided policy, guidance and oversight of Air Force Acquisition and Contracting Operations. Mr. Kiser retired from active duty as a colonel in August 2012 and entered Senior Executive Service in June 2014.

Matthew T. Kitzman is the Chief of the Entity Vetting Division of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA).

In this capacity, Mr. Kitzman serves as the subject matter expert on FOCI and the FCL process and provides government senior leaders and industry with interpretation of related higher level policies and regulations. In addition, he provides program and project management support on all related change management processes related to FOCI and FCL, including optimization of the FCL process and FOCI risk management reforms. Lastly, he is responsible for managing and tracking the FCL and FOCI processes to ensure effective overall processing timelines.

Prior to his current role, Mr. Kitzman served as a Risk Mitigation Officer within Entity Vetting’s Mitigation Strategy Unit where he was responsible for determining and implementing some of the DCSA’s most challenging and cutting-edge mitigation strategies.

Mr. Kitzman received a Bachelor of Science in Political Science in 2009 from the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh, a Juris Doctorate with a concentration in International Law in 2012 from The Thomas M. Cooley Law School, a Master of Laws in National Security & U.S. Foreign Relations Law in 2014 from The George Washington University Law School, and a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence in 2020 from the National Intelligence University. Mr. Kitzman wrote a thesis for both his LL.M. entitled, "Kinetic Armed Attacks in Response to Cyberattacks" and MSSI entitled, "United States Management of Foreign Investment Risk in the Defense Industrial Base."

Senate-confirmed in April 2022, the Honorable Dr. William A. LaPlante serves as the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (USD(A&S)). In this role, he is responsible to the Secretary of Defense for all matters pertaining to acquisition; contract administration; logistics and materiel readiness; installations and environment; operational energy; nuclear, chemical, and biological defense; the acquisition workforce; and the defense industrial base.

Prior to this appointment, Dr. LaPlante served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Draper Laboratory, a research and development company specializing in advanced technology solutions in national security, space exploration, health care, and energy. Previously, he was senior vice president and general manager at MITRE National Security, where he oversaw the operation of two federally funded research and development centers and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Dr. LaPlante served as the Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics from 2014 to 2017, where he aligned that Service’s $43 billion acquisition enterprise budget with the Air Force vision and strategy. During his tenure, he forged a path forward on critical Air Force acquisition programs such as the B-21 long range strike bomber, while realizing nearly $6 billion in “should-cost” savings in other programs. Prior to this position, Dr. LaPlante spent 26 years at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), ultimately leading the Global Engagement Department where he was responsible for all of APL’s work supporting offensive strike military capabilities. He also served as a member of the APL’s Executive Council.

Dr. LaPlante has been a member of several scientific boards and commissions focused on maintaining national security, including the U.S. Strategic Command Senior Advisory Group, Naval Research Advisory Committee, and Defense Science Board. He joined other national experts as a commissioner on the congressionally mandated Section 809 Panel, which performed a comprehensive review of Department of Defense acquisition policies and provided improvement recommendations, many of which became law.

Dr. LaPlante holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the Catholic University of America, a master’s degree in applied physics from The Johns Hopkins University, and a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics from the University of Illinois.

Ms. Carol Ann Logue is Co-Founder and Director of the Central Florida Tech Grove which is a unique virtual and physical collaboration space established through a Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) between the UCF Research Foundation and the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division. Additional PIA members and funders are the simulation & training acquisition commands of the Army (PEO STRI, STTC) and Army Futures Command (STE CFT), Air Force (AFAMS), Marine Corps (PM TRASYS) and Space Force as well as the NavalX Central Florida Tech Bridge.

Ms. Logue also serves as Director of the University of Central Florida eight-site Business Incubation Program and Innovation Districts. Four incubators are located in the three UCF Innovation Districts anchored around UCF campuses focusing on early-stage companies in specific clusters of technology and industry that are key drivers of Central Florida’s economy. Four others are located in other areas of Metro Orlando serving a wide range of fast-growing companies.

Prior to joining UCF, she was a member of the University of Florida faculty serving as Associate Director for the Southern Technology Applications Center supporting NASA and other federal laboratories and universities across nine southeastern states in their technology commercialization activities as well as the companies commercializing the federally-funded technologies.

She has served as Vice President of Information Services for Technology Strategic Planning Inc. (a spinout from the Defense Intelligence Agency) providing global competitive technology analysis for Fortune 50 clients, and as an Information Specialist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Carol Ann serves as the UCF representative on the Orlando Tech Community, Synapse Florida Advisory Board, and Athena Orlando Powerlink Program Board. She represents UCF on the Boards of Team Orlando, NDIA Central Florida Chapter, VRARA Central Florida and the Florida Photonics Cluster. She also serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Central Florida STEM Education Council.

She graduated from the University of Arkansas with a BS in Biology and from Louisiana State University with a MS in Library and Information Science.

Tizoc S. Loza is the Director of Business Development for MIDI Enterprise, LLC. a Native American 8(a) Tribal Organization and Small Disadvantaged Business located in New Town, North Dakota. His responsibilities include internal and external strategies and policies of Government programs to maximize business opportunities within the twelve Business Units of Midi Enterprises. Tizoc proactivity develops and implements small business partnerships and teaming arrangements with other Large and 8(a) companies and coordinate small business Joint Ventures. Tizoc attends and participates in Federal, State and Local seminars, trade-shows and Geo-political events.

Tizoc retired from North Grumman Corporation after 30 years in Contract Management and in Supplier Diversity supporting major DoD small business initiatives as a Subject Matter Expert of the Mentor-Protégé Programs (MPP), Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), AbilityOne and Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Hispanic Serving Institutions/Tribal Colleges and Universities (HBCU/HSI/TCU’s) Programs. Tizoc had the responsibility for the review and implementation of strategies concerning small business initiatives. Tizoc also works with various small businesses to implement processes that enable them to collaborate and develop partnerships with other small businesses that have innovative technologies that can be incorporated into government platforms.

Tizoc has an MBA in Supply Chain and two undergrade Degrees one in Financial Management and the other in International Business, in addition Tizoc is a Adjunct Professor at Northern Virginia Community College at its Annadale Campus.

Stephen Luckowski is a Competency Manager at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center (CCDC-AC), Picatinny Arsenal, NJ. His primary roles are Program Manager of the Department of Defense (DoD) Revolutionary Fibers and Textiles Manufacturing Innovation Institute and providing organizational strategic planning for the Armaments Engineering and Manufacturing Directorate, CCDC-AC. As Government Program Manager for the Institute, Mr. Luckowski is working on behalf of the DoD’s Manufacturing Technology Program to provide guidance and direction on the establishment of an advanced fibers and textiles manufacturing innovation ecosystem. As Competency Manager, Mr. Luckowski’s focus is developing and demonstrating new manufacturing process technology improvements in the prototype development of armament systems and components, to help reduce system costs and enable new designs as they transition from prototype to production. Mr. Luckowski has been responsible for transformational efforts in several key manufacturing technology thrusts within the Army/DoD to include titanium material processing and joining, digital manufacturing and design, and additive manufacturing.

Prior to this, Mr. Luckowski served as Chair of the Metals Processing and Fabrication Subpanel within the Joint Defense Manufacturing Technology Panel (JDMTP) and spent one year on a professional development assignment with the Defense Production Act Title III program, working in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy. He has also been a member of the Technical Advisory Committees for other DoD Institutes, including America Makes and Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT).

Mr. Luckowski holds a Bachelor of Science in materials engineering from Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and previously served in the U.S. Army, leaving service at the rank of Major. He is a member of the Army Acquisition Corps and a prior Chair/current member of the American Welding Society D1.9 Structural Welding Titanium Code Committee. Mr. Luckowski has been awarded multiple patents and has been recognized by the Army’s Greatest Invention Awards Program for inventions in titanium welding as well as armament and protection systems.

As the Associate Director of Policy for the Director of the Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP), Mr. Mack serves as the Principal Advisor to the Director on small business industrial base related policy, regulation, and legislation.

Prior to joining the DoD OSBP, Mr. Mack served as Branch Chief for the Rapid Prototyping Acquisition Branch at the Washington Headquarters Services Acquisition Directorate, where he planned and executed non-FAR based acquisitions, including Other Transactions, for several customers within the Department of Defense. Previous to his tenure at Washington Headquarters Services, Mr. Mack served in various contracting roles for the Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM).
Prior to becoming a federal civilian, Mr. Mack was a consultant, specializing in acquisition and finance, for several federal agencies including the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Mr. Mack earned his Bachelor of Science degree, in Business Management, from Hampton University and his MBA from the George Washington University. He is also a graduate of the University of Virginia’s Federal Procurement and Contract Management Graduate Program.

Michael Madsen is the Acting Director and Deputy Director of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) at the U.S. Department of Defense. Established in 2015, DIU fields leading-edge commercial capabilities to the military fasterand more cost-effectively than traditional defense acquisition methods. With offices in Silicon Valley, Boston, Austin, Chicago, and at the Pentagon, DIU is embedded in key innovation ecosystems across the country and builds direct relationships with organizations that strengthen our national security innovation base.

As the Deputy Director, Mike manages strategic relationships with senior defense officials by leading DIU’s Defense Engagements Team and commercial technology and venture leaders under the Commercial Engagement Team. He also oversees DIU’s operations strategy, including managing its planning, programming, budgeting, and execution (PPBE) process in coordination with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)).

Before joining DIU, Mike was the Executive Director for the Section 809 Congressional Advisory Panel on Streamlining Acquisition. The Panel provided the intellectual underpinnings for acquisition reform language in defense authorization statutes. 

Prior to this, Mike served for 22 years in the U.S. Air Force where he led at the group and squadron levels and is a decorated combat pilot. Mike retired from the Air Force while he was the Senior Air Force Advisor to the Director at the Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Mike also served as Division Chief in Legislative Liaison in the Office of the secretary of the Air Force, directly advising the Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff of the Air Force on issues before the congressional defense committees. 

Mike holds a Bachelor of Science degree in meteorology from the University of Nebraska and Master’s degrees in international relations, national security strategy, and national security studies. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Ms. Gayna C. Malcolm-Packnett serves as the Assistant to the Director for the Department of the Army Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) where she is responsible for the Mentor- Protégé Program. She serves as the Small Business Liaison for the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs as well as the HBCU/MI program.

Ms. Malcolm-Packnett began her career in private industry as an acquisition professional and later accepted a position in the Federal Government. She has worked as a contract specialist, cost/price analyst, branch chief, division chief, small business professional, procurement analyst, and Deputy to the Commander. Gayna retired from the U.S. Army Reserve after 30 years of service where she also served in a variety of leadership roles in the Human Resource, Logistics and Acquisition career fields.

Ms. Malcolm-Packnett has an Associate, Bachelor of Science, and Master of Business Administration degrees. She is Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Level III Certified in Contracting and a member of the Army Acquisition Corps.

Lisa Mays, JD, CFRE, was named CEO of The Catalyst Center for Business & Entrepreneurship in Spring 2020. Lisa possesses a unique combination of experience in the areas of nonprofit leadership, fund development, grant writing, capital campaigns, law, public speaking, strategic planning, marketing, public relations, and collaborative partnerships. After practicing law for several years, she transitioned into the nonprofit sector to fulfill her passion for helping others. In years prior to coming to The Catalyst, Lisa impacted numerous lives, raised millions of dollars for a local nonprofit, and successfully led a $7.1 million capital campaign to build a 30,000 sq. ft. facility for homeless women and children. Lisa and her Catalyst “Dream Team” have seen unprecedented growth since they began their journey together during a global pandemic, including exponential growth in client base and program offerings, increased and diversified revenue streams, and a vastly expanded organizational footprint – they now serve clients all over the U.S., and beyond. In November 2020, The Catalyst was awarded the Seal of Excellence by the Standards for Excellence Institute.

Lisa was selected as “Fundraising Professional of the Year” in 2017 by the North Alabama Association of Nonprofits and has previously been listed among 256 Magazine’s “40 Under 40.” Lisa is an Alabama native, and she earned her B.S. in Business Administration from Samford University in Birmingham and her Juris Doctor from The University of Alabama School of Law in Tuscaloosa. Lisa is a member of Leadership Greater Huntsville’s Flagship Class 34, Huntsville Committee of 100, Association of Women’s Business Centers, Association of Fundraising Professionals, and Huntsville Area Mothers of Multiples (HAMOM). She and her husband Kevin have a beautifully blended family with four boys - Jackson (20), Kaden (17), twins Cannon and Asher (8) - and their dog Vivi Rose.

Mr. Justin K. McFarlin currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Development & International Engagement at the U.S. Department of Defense. In this role, Mr. McFarlin is responsible for Defense Industrial Base engagement strategy development and coordination, as well as the coordination and integration of all international agreements in the fields of research, development, acquisition and logistics, and foreign military sales. Specifically, he acts for the ASD(IBP) on matters concerning international programs while directing and monitoring the implementation of defense policies on international armaments cooperation within the Department. Mr. McFarlin oversees the Office of International Cooperation and the Office of Industry Engagement.

Prior to re-joining the U.S. Department of Defense, Mr. McFarlin spent almost two decades working in Aerospace & Defense. He was most recently a Director in the Corporate Strategy & Development group at L3Harris, where he shaped a corporate portfolio of businesses valued at over $40B. His work included managing special projects, leading internal deal teams, and serving as external coordinator for select M&A activities. Previously, Mr. McFarlin was a strategy and operations consultant at Monitor Deloitte and Censeo Consulting Group, working with Fortune 500 companies and U.S. federal agency clients. Mr. McFarlin began his career as an Army Officer, holding leadership and staff positions domestically and abroad, including Platoon Leader in a Patriot missile battery and Aide de Camp to a Deputy Commanding General of Multi-National Corps-Iraq. Mr. McFarlin earned the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, multiple Army Commendation Medals, and both the Chilean and U.S. Parachutist badges.

Mr. McFarlin received his B.S. in Computer Science from West Point, his MBA from Dartmouth College, and his MPA from Harvard University. He is a Term Member at the Council on Foreign Relations, a Security Fellow with the Truman National Security Project, and a Life Member of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA).

Ms. Messina joined the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) in 2013, first as a Contract Administrator, and then in June 2017 as a Small Business Professional within the Small Business Specialized Support Group, Mentor Protégé Team. Her workload consists of a DCMA Credit Agreement, Air Force and Navy Reimbursable Mentor Protégé Agreements.

Prior to joining DCMA, Ms. Messina worked for Northrop Grumman Electronics Systems (Missions Systems) for 18 years in Contract Administration and Data Management.

Ms. Messina is a native to Illinois. She received her BA in Organizational Leadership and Management in 2006 from Judson University in Illinois, and is a Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Level II Contracting professional. She has been married to her husband Paul for 32 years, and has two adult children, Joe and Alyssa.

Farooq A. Mitha currently serves in the Biden administration as the Director of the Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP). As Director, Mr. Mitha oversees more than $140 billion of annual awards to small business. In addition, he assists the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Secretaries of Military Departments, Under Secretaries of Defense, Directors of Defense Agencies and Major Commands in including small business planning into the readiness of the Department. These efforts aim to modernize and restore the nation’s industrial commons through focusing on advanced manufacturing, applied research, and innovative programs that align small business capabilities with the DoD’s current and future needs.

Prior to his appointment Mr. Mitha served on the Biden-Harris transition team as a member of the DoD Agency Review Team. Mr. Mitha also served in the Obama administration as the Senior Advisor to the Director of the DoD Office of Small Business Programs and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy.

Mr. Mitha served as the President and CEO of Imbue Group, Inc., which provided the subject matter expertise to DoD’s industrial base and innovation programs on small business programs, supply chain risk, defense procurement policy, utilization of other transactional authorities, engaging small businesses within the national security technology and industrial base, and advanced manufacturing.
In his previous time at the Department of Defense, Mr. Mitha led several programs and initiatives that have increased the visibility of small business within DoD, modernized programs to infuse small business capability into major defense acquisition programs and increased effective dialogue with industry.

Mr. Mitha has a strong background in international policy and national security. He is fluent in Arabic and published opinion-editorials offering commentary on issues concerning the Middle East and the American political system. In 2009, Mr. Mitha was a Fulbright Fellow in Amman, Jordan where he coordinated a Track II diplomacy conference and conducted research on economic reform in the Middle East. Mr. Mitha has also lectured at domestic and international universities on economic reform in the Middle East, U.S. policy in the Middle East, and civic engagement.

Mr. Mitha obtained his law degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and holds a B.S. degree in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences from the University of South Florida.

Omar S. Muhammad is an entrepreneurship ecosystem builder who works with entrepreneurs, small business owners, corporations and government entities to build their respective economies and communities. Omar currently serves as the Director & EN-TRE-PRE-NEUR for the Entrepreneurial Development & Assistance Center (EDAC) at Morgan State University. Omar knows a little about the entrepreneurship landscape. He has been actively involved in entrepreneurship since the age of 12, served as a vice president for a nonprofit organization where he operated a $4 million small business loan fund within Baltimore’s Empowerment Zone, provided small business counseling and entrepreneurial training for women and other budding and existing entrepreneurs. His love for entrepreneurship led him to media outlets. He served as a business columnist for a national business newspaper and served as a business radio talk show host for 22 years on National Public Radio. Omar is the board chair for the Technology Development Corporation of Maryland (TEDCO) and serves on other committees to further build entrepreneurship ecosystems for all. Omar is an active entrepreneur participating in ventures that include an entrepreneurial assistance and development platform, ATMs, waste management, mobile delivery, podcast host management company and real estate investing and development.
Omar holds a Masters in Technology Entrepreneurship from the University of Maryland and a Bachelors of Science in Accounting from Morgan State University. Omar has four daughters and two grand daughters. When he is not building entrepreneurship ecosystems, he is spending time living life with his family and friends, playing golf, riding his bike, enjoying a nice mystery or tuning in to a podcast. His mantra for life is improve and progress!

Ms. Halimah Najieb-Locke currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Resilience at the U.S. Department of Defense. In this role, Ms. Najieb-Locke is responsible for assessing the health of the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and recommending key policies, investments and actions designed to strengthen the capacity and resilience of the DIB. She is also responsible for advising on actions to safeguard the DIB from potential adverse actions domestically, as well as foreign interventions. Ms. Najieb-Locke oversees the Office of Research and Analytics, the Office of Global Investment Review, and the Office of Industrial Base Support.

Ms. Najieb-Locke was most recently in the Office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense as the Senior Advisor of Industrial Base and Innovation for the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense where she advised on complex and high priority special assignments and strategies in areas such as federal procurement acceleration, joint experimentation, and critical technology areas. Prior to joining the Department of Defense, she served as the Senior Procurement Counsel for the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis in the U.S. House of Representatives where she conducted investigations and issued findings as they related to the health specific response to the coronavirus crisis, with a focus on procurement activities from companies that are government contractors and federal agencies.

Previously, Ms. Najieb-Locke was Counsel for the House Armed Services Committee where she handled all acquisition related policy issues and legislative development, including Title XIII, acquisition workforce, industrial base policy, foreign military sales (FMS)/export controls and technology transfer. Ahead of this, she served as senior professional staff for the House Small Business Committee handling contracting, entrepreneurial development, veteran’s issues and the SBIR/STTR programs.

Ms. Najieb-Locke is a graduate of the University of San Francisco and the George Washington University Law School, where she specialized in public procurement law and how procurement systems operate, both in the United States and abroad.

Michael Negron is Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and serves on the White House National Economic Council, where he works with federal agencies to develop, coordinate, and implement small business policy, among other policy areas. Prior to joining the Biden-Harris Administration, Michael was the Assistant Director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity under Governor JB Pritzker, where he spearheaded the establishment of roughly $1 billion in COVID emergency relief programs for small businesses, nonprofits, and local governments. Michael also previously served as the chief of policy to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and served in the Obama-Biden Administration at the White House Office of Management and Budget and U.S. Department of Defense. Michael is a former U.S. Naval Officer and lives with his wife Coral and children - ages 9 and 7 - in Arlington, Virginia.

Mr. Nelson received a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University in 1977. Following graduation, he was commissioned as an ensign in the United States Navy through the NROTC program. Following commissioning, he was assigned to the Navy’s Nuclear Propulsion Program school for training. He is a qualified submarine warfare officer with tours of duty on USS ALEXANDER HAMILTON (SSBN 617) as Navigation and Operations Officer and USS BERGALL (SSN 667) as division officer in various engineering divisions. Following department head assignment, he transitioned into the Engineering Duty Officer community where he completed an M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA.

His engineering duty officer assignments included Deputy Project Superintendent for Submarine Inactivation at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Fleet Maintenance Budget Officer on the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet staff. His final tour of active duty was as Hull, Mechanical, and Electrical Department Head at the Fleet Technical Support Center in Norfolk, VA. He retired from active duty in 2001.

He currently serves as Director of Proposals and Development Services at Q.E.D. Systems, Inc. in Virginia Beach, VA. Prior to this assignment, he held positions of Director of Engineering Services with program management responsibilities for several engineering and logistics services programs, and Program Manager for Ship Maintenance, alterations, repairs, and waterfront industrial services. He has also been assigned to management positions on the company’s Mentor Protégé contracts including a current contract mentoring TST Fab and Machine in Norfolk, VA.

Kanika “K.A.” Perkins is currently the Deputy Director of the All Small Mentor Protégé Program for the US Small Business Administration. Housed in Washington DC, she leads a tiny but mighty team of application and continuing eligibility Analysts for one of SBA’s newest programs, now in its third year of existence. K.A. oversees the operations of the program – ensuring that every decision we make is in the best interest of building the small business’ capacity, whether it’s through business development or contracting.

Before joining ASMPP in July of 2019, K.A. was a Business Management Specialist with SBA in Washington DC. She served as a subject matter expert in 8(a) regulations and federal procurement, and worked directly with 8(a) firms, federal agencies, and SBA District Offices to resolve federal contracting actions that are in the best interest of 8(a) firms she serves and the 8(a) portfolio.

K.A. comes to Washington DC from Kansas City, MO by way of San Antonio, TX. In San Antonio, K.A. was a Business Opportunity Specialist with the SBA’s San Antonio District Office. There, she managed, advised, and advocated for a portfolio of more than 30 8(a) contractors with a vast variety of expertise throughout their nine years in the 8(a) Business Development program. She also promoted SBA’s programs heavily, through conducting numerous training and outreach opportunities touting the agency’s small business certification programs.

K.A. brings to the SBA nearly seven years of federal procurement experience as a Contract Specialist specializing in construction, architecture-engineer, and construction management contracts. Prior to entering the federal sector, K.A. has worked in numerous industries including, real estate, non-profit, and education.

Always passionate about education, she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature with the minor in Spanish from the University of Missouri - Columbia and a Master of Arts degree in Marketing from Webster University.

Wayne Pizer is the Executive Director of Small Business at CACI and is responsible for developing and executing the small business strategy, managing the highly successful DoD mentor-protégé program, and ensuring small business compliance throughout the CACI organization. The CACI Small Business Office has won numerous awards during his tenure including five Nunn-Perry Awards: 2021, 2018 (2), 2016 and 2014, twelve straight (2010-2021) Champions of Veteran Enterprise Award from the National Veteran Small Business Coalition and the 2016 Small Business Partner of the Year from the Small and Emerging Contractors Advisory Forum (SECAF).

Prior to joining CACI, Mr. Pizer was the Vice President of the Small Business Office at L-3 National Security Solutions (NSS), Mr. Pizer was at L-3 for over 8 years. During his tenure, his office has received numerous small business awards, including the 2014 Nunn-Perry Award and two DoD Prime Subcontractor of the Year Awards in recognition of its support for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs). His office was a five-time winner of the Champions of Veteran Enterprise Award from the National Veteran Small Business Coalition, as well as the recipient of the Montgomery County Prime Partner of the Year award for 2013, in recognition of its active support of the National Center for the Veteran Institute for Procurement (VIP).

Prior to joining L-3, Mr. Pizer held several positions during a nine-year career at IBM, where he led its Mentor-Protégé and Strategic Alliance programs for federal customers.
Mr. Pizer holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from American University and a Master in Business Administration from American University. He sits on the Veteran’s Institute for Procurement (VIP) Advisory Board for Curriculum Development. In addition he is a certified Project Management Professional and holds an SAP certification in Production Planning.

Ms. Adele Ratcliff is currently the Director of the Industrial Base Analysis & Sustainment Program (IBAS) Program within the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy (IndPol). During her tenure in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, she has focused on building strong interagency partnerships to address broad transition of manufacturing issues, such as manufacturing readiness and the Advanced Manufacturing Enterprise. Her current position uses the broad authorities of the IBAS program element to enable a modern Industrial Base that integrates traditional and emerging sectors to be able to respond at will to National Security Requirements. Most recently, as the Director of the DoD Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) Program, Ms. Ratcliff led the effort in establishing the DoD’s national Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MIIs), now known as Manufacturing USA Institutes, outlined in the President’s 2013 State of the Union address.

Ms. Ratcliff’s long acquisition career has included serving as Program Manager for the congressionally mandated Defense Acquisition Challenge Program, Deputy Program Manager for the Foreign Comparative Test Program, and more than eleven years in Air Force Test and Evaluation at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. As Test Manager, she guided the Air Force’s Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser test program (better known as WCMD), from prototype through the production and deployment phase of the Platform, earning her the Air Force Materiel Command Test Engineer of the Year Award. More importantly, her efforts transitioned this Platform to support the Warfighter in the initial phases of Operation Enduring Freedom. She is a proud alumnus of the Mississippi State University Bulldogs, earning a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 1988. In 2011 she graduated from the U.S. Army War College (in-residence) earning a MS in Strategic Art and graduated from the Department of Defense’s Defense Senior Leadership Development Program (DSLDP). She received the SECDEF Award for Excellence for her support of the Pilot Institute for Additive Manufacturing in March 2013.

Mike Ray is a Deputy Assistant Director for the Vetting Risk Operations (VRO), responsible for Industry Operations. In this role, he is responsible for managing the Industry Personnel Security for Investigation budget, Interim Determinations, Customer Service Requests, Adverse Information reports and Continuous Vetting activities. Mike partners with Industry to support security management functions, collaborates with Industry to capture requirements for IT systems and represents Industry at multiple working groups. 

Mike has served in multiple roles in the personnel security arena, progressing through roles as an Investigator, Case Reviewer supporting an intelligence agency, Adjudicator for DoD CAF and the Intelligence Community. Mike has served within VRO as a Branch Chief, Program Analyst and Deputy Chief of Operations. Mike earned a Master’s Degree in Security Management and Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. 

Dr. Bryson Reynolds oversees OSBP efforts to expand market intelligence including the Market Research Center of Excellence (MRCOE), develop of digital platforms to streamline workflow including the Mentor Protégé Program (MPP) Portal, and mitigate risk to small businesses in the defense industrial base posed by foreign, ownership, control, and influence (FOCI). Prior to joining OSBP, Dr. Reynolds worked in neuroscience research at the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University focused primarily on neuroimaging and the biomechanics of head impact, and in STEM education at the Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach.

Prior to joining OSBP, Dr. Reynolds worked in neuroscience research at the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University focused primarily on neuroimaging and the biomechanics of head impact, and in STEM education at the Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach.

Dr. Reynolds earned his BS degree in Psychology from Middle Tennessee State University, and his PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Virginia.

Ms. Deborah G. Rosenblum currently serves as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs (ASD(NCB)). In this capacity, she is the principal advisor to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (A&S) on nuclear weapons, nuclear energy, and biological and chemical programs.

She is also currently performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, serving as the principal advisor to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (A&S) on industrial base policies. Her principal duty is the overall supervision of the Department of Defense’s efforts to develop and maintain the defense industrial base of the United States to ensure a secure supply of materials critical to national security.

Prior to her position as Assistant Secretary of Defense, she was the Executive Vice President at the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI). As part of NTI’s executive leadership team, she helped to oversee the organization’s operations, development, and programs, managing an annual operating budget of $15-20 million.

At NTI, Rosenblum led the successful development of Connecting Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance (CORDS) as an independent, self-sustaining global network of regional disease surveillance groups. She served on the board of CORDS, where she promoted good governance in her role as finance chair. Rosenblum also helped manage NTI’s work on security issues related to China and regularly travelled there to meet with government officials and non-governmental organizations. Additionally, she led NTI’s Middle Eastern partnerships, with a focus on the Levant region, where she travelled frequently for programmatic work as well as speaking engagements on behalf of NTI. Rosenblum has served on the board of the Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship since 2012. From 2017 to 2018, Rosenblum served as an N Square fellow focused on driving innovation in the nuclear field. Now, she currently serves as an advisor to the fellowship program.

Rosenblum spent seven years as vice president of The Cohen Group, an international consulting firm. She served in senior positions with the U.S. Department of Defense, in the areas of homeland defense, peacekeeping operations and support, nuclear forces, and counter-proliferation policy. Rosenblum represented the United States as a negotiator with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on multi-year bilateral negotiations around its nuclear program. Rosenblum holds a master's degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate with a bachelor's degree from Middlebury College. She is fluent in French.

Ian Roth currently serves as the Outreach, Education, and Technology Transition Senior Analyst (Contractor) for the Defense SBIR/STTR Program. For almost 20 years, Mr. Roth has supported various SBIR/STTR Programs, assisting small businesses to transition their technology to the government and/or commercial marketplaces.

Before joining the Defense SBIR/STTR Program Office, Mr. Roth spent 6 years supporting the Navy SBIR/STTR Program (STP) as a Business Consultant, 1.5 years as a Director, Advisory, Financial Management at KPMG, 11 years supporting the legacy Navy Transition Assistance Program (TAP) and SBIR/STTR programs at other agencies to include NASA, National Science Foundation, and Department of Energy among others as a Business Acceleration Manager. Prior to entering the SBIR/STTR world, Mr. Roth conducted glass research at a several institutions to include Battelle, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (DOE).

Mr. Roth holds a Bachelor of Science in Ceramic Engineering from Alfred University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Rochester.

Peggy Sammon is CEO of GeneCapture, a company that is developing a rapid and portable infection detection instrument for use by the Warfighter in remote areas. Peggy is one of ten children who grew up in Quebec, Canada on a farm. She moved to the United States in high school and pursued a liberal arts degree from Bucknell University, and then began an entrepreneurial journey that includes several for-profit and non-profit start-ups. In between start-ups, Peggy and her husband spent a year on a business assignment in Sydney Australia with their 4 children. Peggy’s interest is high tech and deep tech product development for solutions that do not yet exist. At GeneCapture, Peggy has assembled a team of biomedical, bio-chemical, software and hardware engineers to develop a portable, multi-pathogen instrument and cartridge that can test for dozens of pathogens in less than an hour for less than $20. Previous companies focused on wireless technology and environmental sensing. Peggy is the former Chair of Alabama’s state life sciences trade association, BIO Alabama, and has served on the Governor’s Innovation Commission. Along with the team at GeneCapture, Peggy has won several business plan competitions and was selected into the Army’s xTechSearch accelerator. GeneCapture is an associate company on the campus of HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville, Alabama. Peggy is pleased to share her experiences as a protégé of Tec Masters, part of the ARMY’s Mentor Protégé Program.

Tex Schenkkan is the Director of National Security Innovation Capital (NSIC), a new initiative within the U.S. Department of Defense. NSIC’s mission is to accelerate the development of dual-use hardware technologies critical to national security and economic competitiveness. NSIC enables startups to advance key milestones in their product development by addressing the shortfall of private investment from trusted sources.

He joined DoD as a contractor in the spring of 2019 before becoming a civilian employee (HQE) in September 2019. Since receiving Congressional funding for NSIC in FY2021, he has focused on building the team and operations to execute on its mission. NSIC was launched at the beginning of March 2021 and is on track to obligate the full amount of its Congressional appropriation of $15M in startups developing products related to batteries, hydrogen-based systems, space, sensors, hypersonics and quantum technologies.

Mr. Schenkkan had a 30-year career in Silicon Valley, all focused on combined hardware and software systems for businesses and consumers. He began as a strategy consultant before joining Hewlett Packard in the mid ‘80’s. After nearly twelve years at HP, he went on to senior executive roles in two Fortune 500 companies and then moved to smaller companies in various senior roles. Before retiring from the commercial sector, he was CEO of a startup developing aftermarket electronic products for the automotive market.

Mr. Schenkkan graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in History from Yale University. He was an Arjay Miller Scholar in the class of ’82 at Stanford Graduate School of Business where he received his MBA. A native of Austin, Texas, Mr. Schenkkan resides in San Francisco with his wife and near his two children and their families.

Brian Shipley is the Commercialization Program Manager for the Department of the Navy (NAVY) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs. In this role he ensures policy and programs are in place to facilitate, encourage, and increase the commercialization of SBIR/STTR-developed technology.

Mr. Shipley has over 30 years of experience working with Navy and DoD programs. He began his career in financial management providing programming and planning for Navy shipbuilding and research and development programs. In 2007 he joined the DoD Office of Small Business Programs to provide over-arching program management support to the DoD SBIR/STTR Programs. In 2013 Mr. Shipley transitioned to the NAVY SBIR/STTR Programs Office to support policy development, program management and outreach. Mr. Shipley has been in his current role as the NAVY SBIR/STTR Commercialization Program Manager since joining the civilian workforce in July 2020.

Mr. Shipley earned a Bachelor’s in Marketing and Management from the University of Maryland and an MBA from Johns Hopkins University.

Mr. Sikora is the Department of the Air Force Mentor Protégé Program Manager. He is responsible for advocacy and execution of the program throughout the Air Force.

Mr. Sikora has previously served as the Department of Defense Small Business Innovative Research / Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) Program Manager, the Air Force SBIR/STTR Program Manager, and the Air Force Technology Transfer Program Manager. He has a wealth of experience leveraging industry, academia, and private sector research and establishing collaborative partnerships. Before entering government service, Mr. Sikora supported two Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Directorates as a subject matter expert on Technology Transfer. Additionally he has held positions in private industry as a Design and Project Engineer in the paper machine and environmental equipment industries.

Mr. Sikora received his bachelor’s degree in Engineering Technology from the University of Dayton and his M.B.A. from Wright State University.

Mr. Jimmy D. Smith assumed the responsibilities of the Director for Small Business Program in June of 2019. He serves as the chief advisor to the Secretary on all small business matters. Mr. Smith has been charged with overseeing small business acquisition policy; strengthening government and private sector partnerships; and fostering opportunities to leverage small businesses as strategic advantage for the benefit of our warfighters.

In March 2017, Mr. Smith served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Expeditionary Programs & L ogistics Management. He served as the principal advisor to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition on matters related to the Navy’s Expeditionary Force, delivering upon urgent warfighter needs, and overseeing acquisition logistics policy.

In 2013, Mr. Smith served as the Director for Integrated Nuclear Weapons Safety and Security within the U.S. Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs. In this capacity, he was charged with the safekeeping of nearly 70% of this Nation’s nuclear arsenal. He executed the Director of Strategic Systems Programs technical authority by providing nuclear safety and security policies and direction tomore than 4,500 government and industry personnel. He also oversaw the U.S. Navy’s nuclear weapon inspection and nuclear personnel readiness program. During his tenure, Mr. Smith delivered theU.S. Navy’s first and only underground nuclear weapon production and storage facility and awarded the first life cycle support contract for the nuclear weapon safety and security program.

Prior to the above mentioned assignment, starting in 2010, Mr. Smith served as the Director for the Above Water Sensors Directorate within the Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems. There he led efforts focused on planning, developing, acquiring, testing, and sustaining cost effective warfare systems for U.S. Navy surface ships and submarines. Those systems include: the AEGIS combat system; a full-spectrum of shipboard sensors including sonar, radar, and electronic warfare systems; missiles; guns; ammunition; and countermeasures. In addition, Mr. Smith served as the Chief Technology Officer and oversaw the transition of newnaval capabilities and technologies into more than 150 Programs of Record. In a collateral capacity, he served as the lead for the Naval Sea Systems Command’s Student Engagement and Outreach Program. Those efforts focused on promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) for grade school students and furthering academic pursuits of college students through scholarships and student employment opportunities.

Mr. Smith was selected for Senior Executive Service in March 2010, after 19 years of federal service.

Prior to his senior executive-level selection, Mr. Smith served as the Deputy Executive Director for Undersea Technology. He was responsible for transitioning numerous science and technology projects and initiatives from industry, academia, the Office of Naval Research, and the Defense Applied Research Projects Agency into submarine acquisition programs for current-day and future operational use. In a collateral capacity to this role, he served as both the Deputy Program Manager and Research & Development Manager for the COLUMBIA Class Ballistic Missile Submarine Program. There he developed the program’s initial research and development plan, long range budget, and the acquisition strategy.

In 2005, he served as the Director for Submarines and Strategic Systems Programs, in a dual capacity, on the Secretary of the Navy’s staff.

In years prior, Mr. Smith held several technical and managerial positions within the Naval Sea Systems Command and the Program Executive Office for Submarines with distinction. Most notably, while serving as the Construction Manager for the first seven submarines of the VIRGINIA Class, Mr. Smith led all submarine construction and acceptance testing efforts. Achievements included the satisfactory completion of the first submarine’s construction phase, four highly successful at-sea tests were conducted, and in October 2004 the first submarine of the class - USS VIRGINIA (SSN 774) - was delivered to the U.S. Navy under Mr. Smith’s leadership.

Mr. Smith received a bachelor’s of science degree in mechanical engineering, in 1990, from Tuskegee University. Graduate-level studies included Environmental Engineering, Marine Engineering, and Business Management. He also possesses four executive leadership certificates from the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations and two other business-related certificates from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill--Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Awards include: Two Navy Superior Civilian Service Awards, Three Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Awards, the 2016 Black Engineer of the Year Award -“Stars and Stripes Award Winner”,and the Blacks-In-Government Department of Defense Civilian Meritorious Service Award.

Other achievements include: Department of Defense David Packard Acquisition Excellence Award and thirty-two other awards and recognitions for outstanding performance and leadership over his esteem career.

Along with being a member of the Department of Defense Acquisition Professional Community, Mr. Smith possesses three Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act Level III certifications. Those certifications are held in the areas of Program Management, Test & Evaluation, and System Planning, Research Development & Engineering.

Wes Spurlock is the Senior Advisor to the Director for the newly established Office of Strategic Capital at the Department of Defense. In this role, he is responsible for identifying innovative financing approaches to help attract and scale private capital towards the development of technologies critical to the United States and its allies. Additionally, he is responsible for interagency, congressional, and private sector engagement.

Prior to this Wes was the Chief Risk Officer at AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force. In that role he was responsible for all Due Diligence and Know Your Client (KYC) processes across the more than 1,800 companies in AFWERX’s $1 billion-dollar investment portfolio.

Was also served as a White House Fellow assigned to the International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and then the Domestic Policy Council (DPC). At DFC, he was responsible for interagency coordination of the Defense Production Act (DPA) COVID-19 response and served as the Managing Director for DFC’s European investment portfolio. In his role at DPC Wes was a Senior Advisor to the Domestic Policy Advisor and was responsible for rapidly addressing care for unaccompanied children at the southwest border and the unaccompanied children exfiltrated from Afghanistan.

From 2015-2017 he served as the Military Aide to the President of the United States. In that capacity he was was responsible for the Presidential Emergency Satchel (“nuclear football”) & personally assisting POTUS in implementing command and control of the United States’ nuclear arsenal. Additionally, in that role, he served as the White House Military Office Operations Officer, and was responsible for overseeing all operational matters affecting Presidential support for 2,300 military personnel around the world.

He has commanded at the Squadron level where he was responsible for standing up the first operational KC-46 unit for the Air Force and leading the operational test and evaluation process for the Air Force’s newest aircraft. His military staff assignments include serving as the Executive Officer to the Commander of the Air Force Operations Group and the Chief Budget Analyst for Undergraduate Flying Training at the Pentagon.

Wes is a native of California and was commissioned in Air Force upon graduation from the United States Air Force Academy in 2004. He is a command pilot with more than 3,100 flight hours in the T-6, T-1A, KC-10, KC-135 & KC-46, including over 600 combat hours.

EDUCATION
2004 Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, United States Air Force Academy

2011 Master of Business Administration, Mississippi State University

2018 Master of Public Administration, Harvard Kennedy School, MA

Ms. MiChele Stevenson is the Senior Program Manager for the Mentor Protégé Program (MPP), Office of Small Business Programs, in the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). In this role she is responsible for oversight of DTRA’s MPP, which assists eligible Small Businesses in developing their qualifications and ability to compete for prime contract and subcontract awards by partnering with large businesses. The MPP provides incentives to Federal contractors who provide developmental assistance under individual, project-based agreements to help meet the DTRA and DoD mission.

Prior to her current position, Ms. Stevenson completed an extended detail in 2023 as the Special Assistant working on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility topics for the Honorable Deborah Rosenblum, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs (NCB). Before temporarily leaving DTRA for her NCB detail, she was the Chair of the Women’s Employee Resource Group and a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Council. Previously, she was the Senior PM and Supervisory Resource Manager for the Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction Division within DTRA’s Research and Development Directorate on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. In that role she managed cost, schedule and performance for the division’s major contracts, oversaw day-to-day operations, strategic management, budgetary requirements, business planning, execution, and communications, managing a budget of over $30 million, and was also the on-site Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity representative.

Ms. Stevenson earned a Bachelor of Science in Management from the University of West Florida in Pensacola, and a Master of Science in Public Administration with an emphasis on Government Contracts from the University of West Florida. She held the following acquisition certifications: Level III in Contracting and Level III in Program Management; holds Advanced Tier Certification in Program Manager; She is credentialed as a Small Business Professional from DAU and is a member of the Acquisition Corp.

Additional career assignments and positions include various acquisition positions with Naval Strategic System Programs, Washington, D.C.; Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Washington, D.C.; and Navy Public Works Center, San Diego, California, where she was an Equal Opportunity Specialist, Contracting Officer, Management Analyst, Procurement Specialist, and Contract Specialist.

Ms. Stevenson earned a Bachelor of Science in Management from the University of West Florida in Pensacola, and a Master of Science in Public Administration with an emphasis on Government Contracts from the University of West Florida. She is a graduate of several competitive leadership programs, including the DoD’s Women’s Executive Leadership Program; the DoD’s Executive Development Leadership Program; and the Defense Contract Audit Agency’s prestigious "Director’s Development Program in Leadership.” She provides various outreach and community services through her church, Gregg Chapel AME Church, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, where she holds lifetime membership.

Ms. Stevenson’s awards include the Director’s Award for Diversity and an inaugural Diversity and Inclusion award from DTRA; a Joint Meritorious Unit Award; and numerous performance and special act awards and other leadership and community service awards. She holds the following certifications: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace – University of South Florida Muma College of Business; Diversity and Inclusion Certificate – Cornell University; and several certifications in Diversity and Equal Opportunity from the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute. Ms.
Stevenson also held the following acquisition certifications: Level III in Contracting and Level III in Program Management; Advanced Tier Certification in Program Manager issued from the Defense Acquisition University; Government Contracts from the University of West Florida; and Contract Management from San Diego State University. She is credentialed as a Small Business Professional from DAU and is a member of the Acquisition Corp.

Kareem A. Sykes currently serves as Program Manager for Project Spectrum, a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) recognized cybersecurity awareness initiative that offer resources, training and tools toward increasing cybersecurity awareness and hygiene for small businesses in particular. Mr. Sykes provides strategic leadership for a dynamic team of cybersecurity and outreach professionals whose collective aim centers around providing the educational resources and tools small businesses and institutions need to develop, implement, and maintain cybersecurity compliance. He oversees and directs the daily execution of multiple projects within the large-scale program and assures that the initiative adheres to government regulatory guidance. Mr. Sykes also manages contractual requirements to assure that Project Spectrum meets the cost, schedule, and performance goals required by the DoD Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP).

Prior to joining Project Spectrum, Mr. Sykes served as a dynamic and ITIL v4-certified Program Manager. He amassed more than 15

years of organizational thought leadership experience and leveraged proven Program and Project Management principles, rooted in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) methodology. Mr. Sykes is particularly adept at implementing enhanced business processes that result in an economy of scale. He is a proven rapport and relationship cultivator who focuses on the three Cs: Customer Service, Collaboration, and Communication. Mr. Sykes has a hallmark for motivating, mentoring, and coaching

high-performance teams that deliver scalable results that drive productivity.

Mr. Sykes has a strong track record of successful matrix management of large teams (100+ FTEs), primes, subcontractors, and third-party vendors. He has managed various personnel levels, including Project Managers, Business Process Engineers, IAT II & III Cyber Systems Analysts, Network Engineers, Dev Ops, Application Support Specialists, Help Desk Technicians (Tier 1-3), Information Assurance Managers, Quality Managers, Sr. Business Analysts, Project Administrators, and Training Analysts, and Supervisors.

Mr. Sykes obtained his Bachelors degree from the University of Baltimore, having studied Jurisprudence-Pre law and holds a A.A. degree in Interdisciplinary Studies as well.

Darryl Thomas is the Program Manager of the Illinois APEX Accelerator, formerly known as the Illinois Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). Since 2016 he has been responsible for administering the State of Illinois’ cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense (DoD). He oversees the program and fiscal operations of the 9 local Illinois APEX offices throughout the state. The Illinois APEX Accelerator is the portal for small businesses looking to enter the world of government contracting. These centers provide the education and training to ensure that all businesses become capable of participating in federal, state, and local government contracts. The Illinois APEX Accelerator also assist businesses in obtaining various socio-economic certifications including but not limited to small disadvantage owned, women owned, veteran owned, HUBZone and SBA 8A. Mr. Thomas also is the Immediate-Past President of the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (“APTAC”), which represents a network of 96 APEX Accelerator programs with over 300 offices.

Ms. Thompson currently serves as the Division Chief and Chief of the Contracting Office (COCO) for Division A at the Army Contracting Command – Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG). Division A provides contracting support to the DoD Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) APEX Accelerators and Mentor Protégé Programs, as well as to the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center, and the Communications & Electronics Command (CECOM) National Security Engineering Center, Federally Funded Research and Development Center with MITRE Corporation.

Prior to serving as COCO, Ms. Thompson served as the Branch Chief and Lead Contracting Officer supporting the Responsive Strategic Sourcing for Services (RS3) program and contract vehicle for ACC-APG. RS3 provides customized best value contracting solutions to a diverse group of organizations across the DoD and federal government that require support services in the areas of Engineering; Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E); Logistics; Acquisition and Strategic Planning; and Education and Training across the spectrum of C5ISR mission requirements.

Ms. Thompson holds a Master of Science in Business Management specializing in Acquisition and Supply Chain Management from the University of Maryland University College, and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Political Science from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.

Ms. Mercedes Thurston assumed her position as the Department of Navy (DON) Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) Mentor Protégé Program Manager in April 2020. In Ms. Thurston’s role, she administers and manages all active and non-active Mentor Protégé Agreements (MPAs). In addition, she educates the acquisition workforce about the Mentor Protégé Program, reviews budget request and provides advice and guidance to the major buying commands concerning potential and new MPAs. Prior to supporting DON OSBP, Ms. Thurston served as a Contracting Officer with an unlimited warrant at Naval Sea System Command (NAVSEA). Since beginning her acquisition career, Ms. Thurston’s has gained experiences dealing with varies acquisitions to include major weapons systems, ship building, research and development and professional and engineering support services. Ms. Thurston earned a B.S. in Business Administration from North Carolina A&T State University and earned a Master of Business Administration from Trinity Washington University

Throughout an extensive career in the manufacturing, retail corporate management, consumer products sectors, Mike has worked for or with companies ranging from very small to fortune 100 enterprises. He has led or been part of the leadership team in both private and public sector entities. As President/CEO led a struggling manufacturing company into profitable acquisition through strategic planning, increased sales, and operational efficiency. Mike has consulted for many companies in the areas of managerial efficiency, operational optimization, technical system integrations, merchandise management, brand management and supply chain enhancements. Mike went to school at California State University – Hayward – School of Business and Economics: Majors: Marketing and Public Relations, Minor: Speech Communication. As OMEP’s Vice President of Client Engagement Mike draws on his years of experience to bring Oregon manufacturers growth and increased profitability.

Dr. Matt Willis leads the Army’s portfolio of private sector engagements through prize competitions and the Army Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, comprising over $275M in annual research and development investments. Previously, Dr. Willis has served as the Army Director for Laboratory Management; Chief for Acquisition at the Joint Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Program Analysis and Integration Office; and the Deputy Director for Special Projects in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research, providing alignment for DoD’s S&T investments amongst the Services. Dr. Willis started his Army career as a Research Chemical Engineer at the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center. Dr. Willis received a BS in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University, an MS and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and is the author of numerous manuscripts, technical reports, and patents. He has received several awards including the Achievement Medal for Civilian Service in 2014 and 2015. 

Mr. Wright has held various positions of increasing responsibility throughout his 12 years in federal government. Mr. Wright started his career within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Industrial Base Policy (OSD IBP) in 2015. During his tenure, he has assumed various roles including Business Intelligence Analyst, Deputy Director of Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), Deputy Director of Foreign Investment Review Non-Notified. He now assumes the role of Associate Director, for the Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP).

Effective March 2022, Mr. Wright's role as the Associate Director of Performance Management includes collaborating with the Small Business Administration to meet and exceed small business goaling and monitor, analyze, report, and communicate the small business goals across the Department. Mr. Wright will focus on collaborating with the inter-agencies and DoD small business offices to share best practices with the purpose of exceeding the federal government's small business goals. He also serves as the Program Manager for the Indian Incentive Program, which is designed to encourage the use of Native American Organizations and Native Hawaiian Small Business Concerns by providing incentives to prime and sub-tier contractors who subcontract with such eligible firms.

In his role as Deputy Director of M&A, he served as the principle adviser to Senior DoD leadership including the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition on anti-competitive impacts resulting from proposed merger, acquisition, joint venture, strategic alliance, or investments involving defense companies. He led a team in conducting fact based assessments and business intelligence that informed the Department’s position and served as the liaison between the Department of Defense and the antitrust agencies on all M&A matters.

Mr. Wright also led Foreign Investment Review's Non-Notifed team, which focuses on identifying, assessing, and referring proposed and consummated foreign acquisitions of, or investments in, U.S. businesses that do not voluntarily notify the Committed of Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) authorities.

Mr. Wright has more than 20 years of corporate finance, investment management, and financial analysis experience within private industry and government organizations. Mr. Wright started his career working as an investment banker on Wall Street focusing on M&A within the consumer retail industry. Mr. Wright also served in a variety of capacities at Northrop Grumman and for Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) as a business intelligence analyst.

Mr. Wright is an alumnus of Hampton University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance. He also holds an Executive MBA from the University of Maryland, Smith School of Business where he graduated top of his class.

Arlene Wube is Cofounder of Arlo Solutions (Arlo) and serves as the company’s President and Chief Operations Officer. Arlo is a minority/veteran/8a owned and operated small business headquartered in Washington, DC.

Arlo offers intelligence, cybersecurity, and a full range of cutting-edge program management and strategic communication solutions to the United States government. As President and COO, Arlene has helped evolve Arlo to compete in the federal market and strategically analyzes, develops, and implements company functions such as day-to-day operations, IT & security, contract compliance, and numerous financial and human resources activities.

Arlene graduated from Howard University with a degree in Computer Information Systems. During her time at Howard, she became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. After she graduated, Arlene held positions as a Financial/Business Analyst and Data Administrator at several Fortune 500 companies, including Allstate Insurance Company in Northbrook, IL and Northrop Grumman Information Technology in Alexandria, VA.

Arlene has more than 10 years of experience running a small business and exhibits a strong understanding of marketing, operational needs, and information systems. Arlene applies her extensive experience in marketing and information technology to her role at Arlo with a goal of becoming the government's go-to company for cybersecurity and program support solutions.

Arlene is also co-owner of Barcöde, a modern American restaurant, bar, and lounge located in the heart of Washington, DC. Prior to acquiring Barcöde in 2019, she previously operated Suite 202 Events & Marketing, a DC-based event marketing firm.

Even though meeting the demands of an ever-changing and evolving industry such as tech is primary to Arlo, Arlene also demonstrates a keen passion for community involvement and values the importance of giving back. Beyond her repeated and successful entrepreneurial endeavors in business, Arlene partners with UrbanPromise, a Camden, NJ nonprofit organization with a deliberate focus on building pipelines for youth academic achievement, life management, spiritual growth, and Christian leadership skills. She is Co-Chair of the organization’s Rooted to Grow Campaign, which has currently raised $4M to help support the next 30+ years of UrbanPromise’s mission and ministry. Born and raised in Camden herself, Arlene is an alumni of the UrbanPromise program, working as a mentor to young children in her earlier years, and later bringing it full circle through the Ambassadors of Hope Scholarship Fund, which she founded in September 2010. The Ambassadors of Hope awards a wide variety of scholarships from the cost to cover textbooks to $12,000 for a tuition shortfall.

Giving back to the community has been a driving force behind the vision for Arlo, including being an example to all women and proving there is no limit to their success with hard work and perseverance.

Mr. Wyatt was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Emerging Capability & Prototyping in the office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering. Mr. Wyatt informed acquisition policy and advances leading edge technologies through the development of advanced technology concepts, and developmental and operational prototypes. Working closely with interagency partners, academia, and industry and governmental labs, he identified, developed and demonstrated multi-domain technologies and concepts that addressed high-priority DOD, Multi-Service and Combatant Command needs.

Prior to assuming his current position, Mr. Wyatt served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Rapid Fielding and was responsible for developing and fielding operational prototypes to satisfy urgent warfighting needs. Previously, Mr. Wyatt served as a Defense team Principal, Science and Technology and Unmanned Systems Subject Matter Expert for Booz Allen Hamilton, where he was responsible for providing assistance to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Tactical Technology and Strategic Technology Offices, and the Air Force Research Laboratory's Air Vehicles, Sensors, Propulsion, and Material and Manufacturing Directorates. He supported the development and demonstration of innovative concepts for advanced platforms, weapons, space systems, maritime operations, information assurance, and strategic and tactical networks for the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps.

Before joining Booz Allen Hamilton, Mr. Wyatt served in the United States Air Force for more than 26 years, achieving the rank of Colonel, and he was Air Force Acquisition Professional Development Level III Program Manager. As the DARPA Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) Program Manager, Mr. Wyatt managed the development/demonstration of the revolutionary UCAV program, integrating robust communications and adaptive control technology with the next-generation stealth platform.

Mr. Wyatt's Air Force assignments included serving as Aeronautical Systems Center's (ASC) Director of Plans and Programs, responsible for strategic and developmental planning, and F-16 Chief of Product Development, responsible for integration of Night Vision capability to enable 24-hour F-16 operations during the Kosovo conflict. He also served as Chief of F-16 International Programs, responsible for air vehicle capability enhancement deliveries to Greece, Portugal, Singapore and Korea.

As the Joint Strike Fighter's (JSF) Manufacturing and Producibility IPT lead, Mr. Wyatt managed the manufacturing and environmental segments for the JSF concept demonstration phase. He also served as the B-2 Chief of Integration and Deputy for Production; Air Force Systems Command, Systems Officer for the F-15, Tactical Electronic Warfare System; Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation deputy for radar warning systems software evaluation; and Wing Weather Officer for the First Tactical Fighter Wing.

Mr. Wyatt is a native of Brooklyn, New York, and holds B.S. degrees in Physics from Syracuse University and Electrical Engineering from the Air Force's Institute of Technology. He has M.S. degrees in Systems Analysis from the University of West Florida, and in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University, Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

Don Zavesky is an accomplished procurement professional with extensive experience in government contracting. Currently, he serves as the Program Manager of the Florida APEX Accelerator, formerly known as the Florida Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). In this capacity, he works closely with a team of procurement specialists throughout Florida who provide confidential one-on-one consulting services to Florida businesses, at no cost, to help them navigate the government procurement process.

Don works closely with the Florida SBDC Network and nine regional centers to support Florida businesses and the procurement community. In addition to consulting services, Florida Procurement Specialists help businesses find information related to government contracts, including federal acquisition systems, military specifications and standards, commercial and data item descriptions, and agency procurement histories and forecasts. They also provide informative workshops and training opportunities to help businesses navigate the government procurement process and understand the necessary steps to win government contracts.

Don's career has focused on the government contracting market sector, with direct support of Federal, Department of Defense, state, and municipal contracts. As a member of the APEX Accelerator team, Don takes pride in his role in enhancing the capabilities of American businesses and supporting the missions of U.S. Government agencies.