Kathy Albarado is an award-winning HR management consultant and national speaker with 20 years of experience practicing in both large firm environments and small to mid-sized organizations. She is the co-author of Guide to HR Administration published by Thompson Publishing Group. As president and founder of Helios HR, Kathy works closely with organizations to develop strategies and programs aimed at cultivating a dynamic and highly productive workforce.

Her expertise includes targeted recruiting initiatives, professional training and development programs, and high-impact employee communications. Ms. Albarado received the 2006 HR Leadership Award for Corporate Responsibility, was named as one of the 2007 “Women Who Mean Business” by the Washington Business Journal as a woman who has blazed a trail, is making an impact in the community and is leaving a mark on Washington business, and a Brava Award Winner in 2008 by SmartCEO magazine.

Ms. Albarado holds an M.A. in Human Resource Management and a B.S. in Psychology from George Mason University and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) from the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI).

Andy Alexander has over 37 years government related experience (25 years military service, nine years as a Federal Government/DoD contractor, and three years as PTAC Manager and Counselor) in training administration, human resource management, information management systems, logistics, organizational effectiveness, and procurement contract management with multiple government agencies.

Mr. Alexander serves as PTAC Program Manager and Counselor to the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC), University of Nebraska at Omaha. Responsible for the management of the Solicitation for Cooperative Agreement Application (SCAA) issued by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Fort Belvoir, VA for the state of Nebraska. He is also responsible for management and support of seven PTAC Counselors, one MBA Graduate Assistant, and seven staff support personnel with an annual budget of $1,050,000, facility space & leases, equipment, serving three Congressional districts, 30 sponsored outreach efforts, 10 non-sponsored outreach programs, 15 annual program goals, business counseling services, training of employees/clients, coordination with town, city, county, state and Federal government Procurement Agents/Contracting Officers, reporting program results documentation/records, program report submissions, and SCAA grant submission and updates. Mr. Alexander also assists over 860 clients statewide in registration in the federal government CCR, SBN, ORCA, review of solicitations, development of proposals (RFP/RFQ), and implementation of contract award projects. Currently 15 employees are supported by this SCAA. The PTAC team has assisted in the generation of client government contract awards of $151M during 2008, creating over 2,700 jobs throughout the state.

As President and CEO of C2 Portfolio Inc., Jackie Asencio is a well-known figure within the government contracting community. C2 Portfolio is a commercial and federal human capital management company, located near Washington DC. The seed money for starting her business came from a veteran, her late father, a retired Army Colonel. Over the past thirteen years, she has been a major influence in helping small government contractors grow and compete in the federal market place. Prior to founding C2 Portfolio, Ms. Asencio worked for federal contractors supporting the Department of Defense and numerous federal agencies. Her diverse human capital management experience spans 27 years. This, coupled with her natural entrepreneurial spirit, has led to C2 Portfolio achieving year on year growth, expanding its client base to all fifty States and eleven countries.

Ms. Asencio maintains a very hands-on role in her business. As a seasoned trainer and coach, she works closely with business owners ensuring their human capital management strategies are aligned to their business goals. She has extensive experience of full life cycle recruiting, talent management, succession planning, career development, reward and recognition strategies, performance management, regulatory compliance, compensation, benefits, risk management, and outplacement services.

Ms. Asencio has maintained her love for, and connection with, the military. Over 90% of her clients are federal contractors serving the Federal Government both CONUS and OCONUS.

Janna Babcock is the Procurement Contracting Officer for the Veterans Technology Services (VETS) Governmentwide Acquisition Contract (GWAC). The VETS GWAC is a small business set-aside contract for service-disabled veteran-owned (SDVO) small technology firms awarded by the General Services Administration, Small Business Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts Center in Kansas City, Missouri. VETS presents a way for federal agencies to achieve small business goals through purchase of Information Technology solutions from small businesses owned by services-disabled veterans. It is the result of Executive Order 13360 that is designed to strengthen federal contracting opportunities for SDVO firms.

Her professional background includes more than 19 years of experience in the contracting field associated with GSA consisting of Stock and Special Order Program Contracting, Federal Supply Schedule Contracting, Service Contracting, and Task Order Contracting. She is a member of the National Contract Management Association, holds an unlimited Contracting Officer’s Warrant, and FAC C Level III Certification. Her education background includes a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, Marketing and Spanish in 1988, and a Master of Business Administration degree in Marketing in 1989.

Sherry Baldwin was appointed Director, Office of Small Business Programs, Defense Intelligence Agency in March 2008. She is responsible for the overall management of the small business program which includes increasing procurement opportunities for small business, HUBZone, Women-owned small business, veteran-owned small business, small disadvantaged business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns and Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions Program.

Prior to this position, Ms. Baldwin held various acquisition positions with the Small Business Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Treasury and the Department of Defense. Ms. Baldwin earned an undergraduate degree in Business Management/Law and Public Policy from the University of Maryland and a MBA from Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri. Ms. Baldwin is DAWIA Level III certified in acquisitions and a member of the Defense Acquisition Corps.

As founder and president of The Barbour Group, Karen Barbour has led the company to achieve success in providing surety bonds for the construction industry in more than 30 states and four international countries. Ms. Barbour established The Barbour Group in 2002 as an independent insurance agency focusing on construction bonding and commercial insurance and continues to serve in those areas.

Ms. Barbour is well-known for her strategic outlook and in-depth experience in promoting legislation that improves the business climate for contractors and other small businesses. She is active in public policy, and in 2009 worked with U.S. Senator Benjamin Cardin to develop an amendment to The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to improve the Small Business Administration’s ability to provide contractor bond guarantees. In 2005, with the help of State Delegate Dan Morhaim, Ms. Barbour authored Maryland House Bill 169, which authorized Maryland’s procuring agencies to accept alternative bond products on State funded projects.

Ms. Barbour has received numerous awards and distinctions for her contributions to the success of the contracting industry. She was named 2008 Maryland Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration and is the first surety agent to receive that honor. In 2008, Inc. magazine named The Barbour Group, L.L.C. as one of the 5,000 fasted-growing private companies in the U.S.

Ms. Barbour completed an MBA from the University of Baltimore and was inducted into their honorary management fraternity, Sigma Iota Epsilon. She also holds a B.A. from Loyola College of Maryland.

William Basnett serves as Vice President of Direct Placement for Bradley-Morris, Inc. (BMI) and Vice President of Operations for wholly-owned subsidiary CivilianJobs.com.

Mr. Basnett began his recruiting career with BMI in 1991. He was BMI’s first candidate recruiter and regional operations manager. Instrumental in establishing and implementing BMI’s candidate recruiting and hiring conference best practices, he now brings this experience to BMI’s TargetHire® initiative. Mr. Basnett initially transitioned to BMI from the Keebler Company where he was a project engineer. He is a U.S. Army Veteran where he served as a Cavalry Officer with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. He saw deployments to Germany and participated in several rotations to the National Training Center. Most recently, Mr. Basnett recruited in Kuwait, supporting Operation Iraqic Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom through U.S. Government contracted recruiting initiatives.

Mr. Basnett graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace concentration.

Jack Beecher is a lifelong resident of Virginia and currently resides in Chesapeake. After a tour of duty in Vietnam in 1968-1969, he landed a job with the Corps of Engineers Norfolk District in 1970 as a Surveying Aid. He has been with the Norfolk District ever since. In 1974 he joined the District’s Contracting Division as a General Clerk working in the District’s Plan Room. Since 1974 Jack has held virtually every position in the Contracting Division from Purchasing Agent to the Chief of the Division. He is currently the Chief of the Norfolk District’s Small Business Program Office and is a special assistant to the District Commander on all issues related to the District’s Small Business Program. Mr. Beecher has led Norfolk District in becoming one of the most successful District’s in the Corps in support of the Small Business Program. Over Fiscal Years 2004-2006, Norfolk District averaged awarding just over 51% of its total obligations to Small Businesses. In FY06 Mr. Beecher was awarded the Corp Commander’s Small Business Team of Excellence Award and was also presented Rolling Thunder’s - Veteran’s Champion Award - for his efforts in promoting Veteran and Service Disabled Veteran (SDV) Owned Small Businesses. In FY07 Mr. Beecher was again awarded The Corp Commander’s Small Business Team of Excellence Award as well as the DoD Golden Talon Award that recognized him as one of the Department of Army’s best in supporting the Veteran/SDV Program. In FY08 Mr. Beecher was named the SDV Program Coordinator by the Corps Commander. That Fiscal Year the Corps increased its SDV Dollars by 150% from $217M in FY07 to $543M in FY08. Norfolk District led the Corps in both SDV Dollars - $101M and Percentage – 13%.

Gloria Berthold Larkin is President of TargetGov, a national company providing government procurement, business development and marketing services. She is author of “The Veterans Business Guide: How to Build a Successful Government Contracting Business” and has created a series of Government Business Development Audio CDs and Toolkits (e-books) focusing on successful business development processes for federal contractors. She serves as the national Procurement Committee CoChair for Women Impacting Public Policy, a non-partisan organization representing over 500,000 members. She has received numerous accolades including: Women Impacting Public Policy National Member of the Year 2007, the Bravo Business Achievement Award 2007, one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women in 2007 and 2004, a Maryland’s Top 100 Minority Business Enterprises in 2008 and 2006 and was recognized by Maryland’s Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs as one of the top Women Entrepreneurs. She has spoken at international, national, regional and local conferences including the Middle East North Africa (MENA) Business Women’s Summit, the Annual OSDBU Procurement Conference and the Annual National Veteran’s Conference. Ms. Berthold Larkin has been interviewed for television and radio shows and as a podcasts guest for BusinessWeek.com. She has been quoted in Government Executive and Entrepreneur Start-ups magazines, TheStreet.com, and USA Today, The Examiner and Business Monthly. She is an expert author with articles regarding business development published in local, regional, national and international publications.

Prior to formation of TVI, Constance Blair, performed freelance management, marketing and design consulting and also served as liaison, at the Pentagon, between Army and Air Force staff and DOD employees with the members of diplomatic staffs. Also at the Pentagon, she supported the Army Mobilization and Readiness Division. Her extensive government background includes the wide range of logistics, transportation and inventory functions for the Air Force. Ms. Blair is a Vietnam era veteran. Under Ms. Blair’s leadership, TVI has earned a reputation for excellence and innovation and has received National recognition and has been featured in numerous publications. In 2004 TVI was selected by Inc. Magazine for it’s prestigious Inc. 500 Award as one of the top 500 fastest growing Small Businesses in the US; and in 2005 TVI was recognized by Diversity Business as one of the Top 500 Small Businesses in the US. In 2009, The Venture Companies launched TVI Supply, an E-commerce based Industrial, MRO, and Office Supply Distribution Company. With Ms. Blair’s guidance, within a short period of time, TVI Supply has become a Global provider to Government & Commercial companies. While always looking to the future, Ms. Blair has implemented (within all the Venture Companies) a focus on “green technology” and “environmental friendly products”. With the launch of ECO 20/20 and Greeencareersguide.com Ms. Blair is leading the industry with information on renewable, reusable and clean energy as well as providing the most comprehensive “green career” site available on the internet. Ms. Blair has served for 10 years on the Executive Board of the National Defense Industrial Association MCH and is a Past Chapter President and currently is Treasurer.

Michael Bowlds is a well recognized and highly regarded business development and marketing professional. Mr. Bowlds has over 15 years of business development and sales experience in marketing and selling services to the government, financial, corporate, and academic markets. Michael Bowlds is President of Mountaintop Marketing Group, LLC, a Washington DC, based firm that provides marketing, advertising and business development strategies as well as a direct Government sales force to support small and mid-sized businesses throughout the country. A strong advocate for Small Business Utilization, Mr. Bowlds currently serves as the Board Chairman of the National Capital Area Minority Business Opportunities Center which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Additionally, Mr. Bowlds sits on the Board of Directors for the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. Throughout the government sales arena, Michael Bowlds is often called upon to provide business development presentations, speeches, and training sessions. Mr. Bowlds and his firm Mountaintop Marketing Group also host the popular Peak Series Breakfasts – a focused government contracting forum dedicated to increasing opportunities for small business government contractors. Mountaintop Marketing Group has received strong recognition through both corporate and government awards and was most recently named one of three finalists as the State of Maryland “2008 Emerging Business of the Year.” Further, Mr. Bowlds was recently named “2009 Maryland Business Champion” by the Gazette of Business and Politics.

Ruth Brado began her career in contracting as a purchasing agent in a temporary position with the contracting office at Wurtsmith Air Force Base (AFB) in Michigan. Over one later Ms. Brado was selected for permanent position as a procurement technician. Her family relocated several years later to Rapid City, South Dakota and she again gravitated to a procurement position, this time with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). After finishing a few college business courses she qualified and was selected for a contract specialist position at Ellsworth Air Force Base, located near Rapid City. While there she received invaluable training and experience in services and construction contracting.

Ms. Brado was selected for a contract specialist position and a promotion with the USFS in Fort Collins, Colorado where she worked until March 2007. Then a contracting specialist position opened in the specialized contracting branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), a USDA agency; she has been working for APHIS since. While working for the USFS she was able to help with support of wildfires and had the opportunity to work in Jackson, Mississippi in support of the Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts for two weeks.

Ken Bricker has worked in the government-contracting and acquisitions arena since 1975. He has private sector experience as a Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of a government contractor, as well as government experience as a Senior Auditor and Audit Supervisor for the Defense Contract Audit Agency.

Mr. Bricker has served as a guest instructor at the Defense Contract Audit Institute and has been a contributing writer to the Defense Contract Audit Manual (DCAM). He is a lecturer on many conferences for the Government Contracting Institute and American Graduate University and is adjunct faculty for Old Dominion University and George Washington University through ESI International.

He has extensive knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and the Cost Accounting Standards (CAS). Mr. Bricker frequently assists clients with regulatory and compliance issues such as systems reviews (accounting, estimating, purchasing, billing), bids and proposals, rate structure development, forward pricing, wage determinations, claims (equitable adjustment, delay, termination), defective pricing, and incurred cost submissions as well as issues associated with Small Business Administration (SBA) small and disadvantaged business certifications. Mr. Bricker’s clientele are headquartered world-wide and range from multi billion dollar companies to start ups.

A career Naval Officer, Michael Brinck received his Navy wings in 1969. He reported to Helicopter Attack Light Squadron 3 in the Republic of Vietnam in support of Riverine operations in the Mekong Delta. Fleet assignments include carrier deployments to the Gulf of Tonkin and Mediterranean, flight instructor, 3 deployments in support of Operation Deep Freeze in Antarctica, the Naval War College, and assignments at the Pentagon, the Bureau of Naval Personnel, and the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. He retired in 1988 with the rank of Commander. His military decorations include 16 Air Medals, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, Vietnam Service and Campaign Medals, 2 Navy Commendation Medals, the Navy Achievement Medal, the Antarctic Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation, Presidential, Navy, and Meritorious Unit Commendations.

Following his Navy career, Mr. Brinck has worked eight years in the private sector as a project manager in support of Navy and Army UAV programs and three years as the AMVETS National Legislative Director. He first joined the House Committee on Veterans Affairs in 1995 as the Veterans Benefits Subcommittee Staff Director for the 104th and 105th Congresses. He returned to the Veterans Affairs Committee in 2005 as the Staff Director for the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.

Jeanette L. Brown serves as the Director for the Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As Director, Ms. Brown is responsible for ensuring that small, disadvantaged, and women-owned firms are provided an equitable opportunity to receive a “fair share” of sub-agreements and contracts. OSBP develops policies and procedures to aid minority and small women-owned entities doing business with EPA. Additionally, OSBP is responsible for internal training programs to enhance the capabilities of socioeconomic firms in becoming more competitive and viable in the EPA procurement arena.

Prior to her current position, Ms. Brown served as the Deputy Director of OSBP and the Deputy Director of EPA’s Office of Acquisition Management. Prior to her tenure at EPA, Ms. Brown served as the Director of the Office of Procurement and Grants Management and the Director of the Division of Program Development for the Minority Small Business Capital Ownership Development Program (more formally know as the 8(a) Program) at the Small Business Administration.

Ms. Brown has more than 30 years of service in the Federal Government including contracting experience in various federal agencies.

Tom Brown joined the General Service Administration in August 2003. Currently he is responsible for customer service and marketing to accounts within the Heartland Region, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri Mr. Brown is a service disabled veteran.

Prior to joining the GSA, he served as a company officer with Iconixx Systems Engineering. Mr. Brown served as Manager, Hardware Development & Vendor Alliance, Sprint Technology Services. He was selected a part of a six person core team to form Sprint’s Advanced Technology Development directorate. The Advanced Technology Development team was responsible for all technical aspects of Sprint Integrated On Demand (ION) development effort. In this capacity, he was responsible for the management of strategic alliances for the Chief Technology Officer of Sprint. He is co-author on two patents for converged network design. He is a 2005 GSA “Above and Beyond Award” winner for his work with veterans.

Mr. Brown had a distinguished military career and during his last five years with the U.S. Army was responsible for Research & Development procurement for advanced laser engagement systems and computer simulation systems for the US Army. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Comptroller School, U.S. Army Command & General Staff College, U.S. Army Contracting Officer Representative Course and several other service schools. Mr. Brown has an Associate in Insurance Services as well as being a Certified Insurance Counselor. Mr. Brown has B.A. in Biology from Washington & Jefferson College and M.S. in Business Management from Troy State University.

John Buckley is a United States Air Force Academy graduate who flew fighters and taught political science at the Academy after receiving his master’s degree in management from Webster University. He left active duty after ten years and worked his way through Harvard Law School with concentrations in corporate litigation and international law. After graduation, he practiced law for a large law firm in Michigan. He left that firm at the end of the Gulf War to set up his own business and practice independently in Saudi Arabia from 1991-95, representing U.S. medical and technology companies, as well as Arab clients in the region.

Mr. Buckley frequently uses his extensive legal and business background and training to offer specialized Exit Planning services to business owners. John works with business owners to create successful Exit Plans whether they choose to transfer their companies to family members, co-owners, key employees or sell to outside third parties.

Mr. Buckley is an active Rotarian and has been on the Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs and the Champions Foundation for local scholar athletes. He served on the Board of Directors of the National Lawyer’s Association for 10 years, and is a member of the Christian Legal Society and the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce. He is a founding member of WealthCounsel LLC, comprised of many of the top estate and business planning attorneys in America.

Mr. Buckley is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserves.

Born at Ft. Benning, Georgia, the son of a former member of the “Triple Nickle,” Gordon Burke grew up and finished high school in nearby Columbus, Georgia. After finishing college, he entered the Army in 1972 as a Second Lieutenant. Over 26 years, he served in Special Forces, Infantry, Airborne, and Air Assault units as a troop leader and Commander at the A-Team, Platoon, Company, and Battalion level. His service includes 14 years overseas and numerous staff assignments to include the Department of the Army Staff as Chief of Legislative Liaison for the Army Budget. He has been a Special Assistant to two Army Chiefs of Staff and retired from the Army in 1998 at the rank of Colonel. After retirement, Mr. Burke served as a professional staff member of the Governmental Affairs Committee in the United States Senate. He was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in the Mine Safety and Health Administration as the Director of Administration and Management and now serves as the Director of Operations, Grants, and Transition Programs in the Veterans Employment and Training Service of the U.S. Department of Labor. Among his other duties, Mr. Burke oversees grants to states that employ over 2000 specialists that provide employment assistance to veterans and over 100 grants to entities that provide employment assistance to homeless veterans. Mr. Burke was the lead for ensuring that the Department of Labor met its goals under Executive Order 13360 in 2008.

As the Assistant to the Director for Subcontracting and Mentor Protégé Programs in the U.S. Army, Office of Small Business Programs for the Office of the Secretary of the Army, Peggy Butler is responsible for increasing industries awareness of the Army’s small business subcontracting and Mentor Protégé program initiatives. She influences new policy updates to existing Subcontracting and Mentor Protégé acquisition regulations and solicits innovative Mentor Protégé technology transfer agreements from industry to support the real time needs of the war fighter. She actively participates on the Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS) working group panel and manages the Summary Subcontract Report validation process. In addition, she manages twenty-six (26) active Mentor Protégé contracts, ensures the participation of small businesses in new Department of Defense acquisitions valued over $250 million and validates the soundness of subcontracting targets. Ms. Butler also participates on Army Strategic Sourcing panel reviews. Prior to accepting her current position, Ms. Butler was a senior Procurement Analyst at Headquarters, U.S. Army Contracting Agency (ACA) and Contracting Officer at the Information Technology E-Commerce and Commercial Contracting Center. Ms. Butler is an acquisition professional with over 30 years of experience in contracting. Ms. Butler is Level III certified in acquisitions and is a member of the Army Acquisition Corps. She has received numerous civilian awards for exceptional performance through out her acquisition career.

Frank Campanaro is CEO of Trillacorpe Construction, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) offering full service General Construction, Construction Management, A & E, and Green/Sustainability services for Military and Government bases/installations. Trillacorpe Construction was formed by seasoned construction professionals who are also Veterans with a passion to create opportunity for other Veterans and Veteran owned businesses alike. Trillacorpe Construction is under contract for tens of millions and has hired several Vets and SDV/VOB subcontractors. Mr. Campanaro was recently named the Small Business Administration’s 2009 Veteran Business Champion of the Year for the State of Michigan and the Midwest Region.

Mr. Campanaro founded Trillacorpe Construction after 20 years experience as a successful real estate developer and contractor, specializing in site selection and acquisition as well as the development and construction of residential, commercial, retail, industrial and office properties. Mr. Campanaro is a recognized leader in promoting employment assistance, job-training and technical skills programs for U.S. Veterans, having served as an Airborne Ranger and receiving distinguished awards for valor including a Presidential Unit Citation. Mr. Campanaro was nominated to the Executive Committee of VET-Force, a task force composed of over 200 organizations representing thousands of Veterans throughout the United States. VET-Force has made it their mission to monitor the implementation of the programs, agencies, and organizations referenced under the Veterans Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Act of 1999; to present a strong unified Veterans’ voice for virtually all of the major Veterans Groups as well as entrepreneurs.

John Carpanter has over 28 years of experience serving the financial needs of government contractors and other commercial entities. As a Principal with Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, L.L.P. Government Contractor Services Group, Mr. Carpenter provides customized business advisory services to help the Firm’s government contractor clients optimize cash flow and achieve revenue and profitability goals. Based in CB&H’s Virginia Beach practice, Mr. Carpenter provides financial advisory and business consulting services tailored to meet the needs of clients at all stages of business development – from helping start-up ventures successfully position themselves to obtain private equity financing, to assisting established companies throughout the merger and acquisition process. Prior to joining CB&H, Mr. Carpenter served for 10 years as a director with Wachovia Capital Finance. At Wachovia, Mr. Carpenter launched the bank’s Government Contract Finance Group to serve the lending needs of businesses that perform technical or manufacturing services for the federal government. He also previously served in the commercial and middle market lending divisions at Signet Bank for 14 years, managing the portfolios of government contractors.

Mr. Carpenter received his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Loyola College and his Bachelor of Arts from Hampden-Sydney College. He also attended the Advanced Commercial Lending School at the Colgate-Darden School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia, and has served as an instructor for the American Institute of Banking (AIB). Mr. Carpenter is a member of the Contract Services Association (CSA) and the Tidewater Association of Service Contractors (TASC), and a former member of the AIB.

As the president and founder of Occam Solutions, Daniel Chun has a strong foundation of expertise in the consulting and information technology industries. Prior to starting Occam Solutions Mr. Chun served in various management and sales roles at both start-ups and Fortune 500 companies. His experience includes working in both the public and private sectors. He has a background in both services and product based companies such as AMS and Siebel Systems and has a proven track record of delivering results and driving revenue. Prior to his business career Mr. Chun was an infantry officer in the United States Army, honorably serving his country for over five years. Mr. Chun also serves on the Board of Directors of Bridgepointe Capital, a private equity fund dedicated to bridging investment opportunities between the US and Asia. He also serves on the Board of Advisors for the Korean American Relations Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a voice for second generation Korean-Americans. Having a firm belief in civic duty he is also currently the Chairman of the Board for the Korean-American Republican Party of Virginia. And in addition to his professional positions Mr. Chun is also active in the community serving as a board member of Brainfood, a non-profit organization that uses food as a tool to build life skills with youth in a fun and creative setting.

Mr. Chun received his Bachelor’s of Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point and his Master’s in Business Administration from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Walter Cotton III is currently a Managing Partner with MR~IT, a contributing columnist with the Vetrepreneur (NaVOBA’s Business Journal Magazine) and a sought after Small Business Joint Venturing Subject Matter Expert by Agencies, Trade Associations, Major Prime Contractors & Veteran Business Owners.

Sam Davidson is a Director in CB&H’s Government Contractor Services Group with over 45 years of experience in government contracting and accounting for government contracts. Based in the Firm’s Northern Virginia/Greater Washington office, Mr. Davidson specializes in assisting clients with the development and implementation of compliant indirect cost allocation plans; the preparation, submission and negotiation of requests for equitable adjustment and termination settlement proposals; the interpretation of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) and OMB Circular requirements; the performance of business process analysis/improvement reviews; and internal controls.

Mr. Davidson began his government contracting career with a major aerospace and defense contractor, where he served in a variety of operational and financial positions over a 25-year period. Mr. Davidson rose to become the director of operational analysis for his sector, where he was responsible for ensuring compliance with government procurement regulations and overall integrity of financial information for 17 profit centers totaling over $2 billion in annual revenues.

Mr. Davidson received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Bowling Green State University. He is a member and frequent speaker for the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) and the National Contract Management Association (NCMA). He is also an associate member of the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (VSCPA).

Recognized for his thought leadership in the industry and his service to the government contracting sector, Mr. Davidson has chaired conferences on pricing and cost estimating, and has made presentations to the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA) and Greater Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants (GWSCPA).

Since 1999, Ted Daywalt has been the president of VetJobs, the leading military related job board on the Internet, sponsored by the VFW and recognized as the top military job board by WEDDLE’s, Workforce Management, AIRS and Reader’s Digest.

Following seven years of active duty naval service, he entered private industry in 1980 and held executive positions in the steel, electric utility, chemical, biomedical waste, and was president of a national recruiting firm.

Mr. Daywalt retired from the Naval Reserve Intelligence Program as a Captain with a total of 27 years of service. While on active duty he qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer (Fleet) and was deployed to South America, North Atlantic, Russia and the Mediterranean. He was stationed in London, England, at the Fleet Ocean Surveillance Intelligence Center.

Mr. Daywalt is published and is an in demand lecturer on international relations, management, recruiting, human resources, eCommerce and the Internet for various business organizations, government agencies and universities. He has been elected to several boards of directors, was appointed to the Small Business Council of the United States Chamber of Commerce, regularly testifies for and works with members of the United States Congress on military, veteran and employment issues. Mr. Daywalt is known nationwide as a strong veteran advocate.

Mr. Daywalt earned a B.S. from Florida State University (1971), an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (1977) and an MBA from the Goizueta Business School, Emory University (1980).

Rodney DeaVault is the Small Business Specialist for the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization (DITCO). Mr. DeaVault has performed in this position since July 1996 and is responsible for reviewing acquisitions to insure maximum opportunity for participation by small, small disadvantaged, women-owned, Service Disabled Veteran-owned, and HUBZone concerns and to make recommendations for set-asides and 8(a) awards. In addition, this role includes providing small businesses in all socio-economic group’s information regarding assistance available from Federal Agencies, as well as providing advice and counseling on acquisition matters. Mr. DeaVault is a Level III Certified Contracting Professional in the Defense Acquisition Corps, with many years experience as a Procuring Contracting officer, Administrative contracting officer, and Chief Negotiator.

Glenn A. Delgado is the Assistant Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Office of Small Business Programs. As the Assistant Administrator, Mr. Delgado provides executive leadership and policy direction for developing and implementing policies and initiatives throughout NASA, to ensure that all categories of small businesses are afforded opportunities to compete for agency contracts. Prior to his appointment to NASA, Mr. Delgado served as the Acting Director of the Department of the Navy’s Office of Small Business Programs. He was the Department of Navy’s Mentor-Protégé Program Manager for the six years he was assigned to the Navy’s Small Business Program Office. Mr. Delgado served as the Director of Small Business for the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), where he worked on several major weapon system programs and served as the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) for the A-6, EA-6B, and F/A-18 C/D aircrafts. He has over 25 years of acquisition experience. Mr. Delgado received his MBA from Marymount University and graduated from NAVAIR’s Senior Executive Management Development Program. He is Level III certified in the Acquisition Professional field of Contracting and is a member of the Acquisition Professional Community.

Mr. Delgado was awarded two Department of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service medals, for his innovative approaches in the acquisition process while serving as a PCO for the EA-6B aircraft and for his performance as the Director of Small Business at NAVAIR. In September 2006 Mr. Delgado was awarded the Superior Civilian Service medal for his exceptional service to the Navy Small Business Programs Office.

Dennis DeMolet, a leading expert on Small Business and Veterans’ Business affairs, and an active proponent for disabled veteran, small business, and non-profit organizations during 35 years of dedicated service to the business and veteran community. A decorated United States Marine Corps Vietnam service connected disabled veteran, Mr. DeMolet is CEO of DeMolet Consulting who was selected as Chairman of the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) Advisory Committee for Veterans Business Affairs (Former). He is a member of the International Board of Directors of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA). Mr. DeMolet’s other accomplishments include serving as the first Disabled Veterans Outreach Representative Chairman for Ohio in the late 1970’s, leading the Veterans Readjustments Act for Preble County, Ohio in the 1980’s, being appointed to the Ohio Board of Trustees for Ohio’s Veterans Homes by the Governor of Ohio, and serving as the National Chairman of the Advisory Committee for Veterans Business Affairs for the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) in Washington D.C. Mr. DeMolet’s honors include selection as the United States National Veterans Small Business Advocate of the Year for 2003 by the SBA being honored by Federal Computer Week as one of the leading IT Professionals in their Federal 100 awards for 2001. He was awarded the Medal of Merit for 2006 by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, (AFCEA), as well as the National Individual Championship Veteran award for 2005 by the Veterans Administration Center for Veterans Enterprise.

After losing a leg in Vietnam combat, Ronald Drach left the U.S. Army in 1967 with a Purple Heart and some broken dreams. But the medically retired sergeant soon found a new purpose for his life as he began working to help his fellow disabled veterans.

Following two-and-a-half years with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), he joined the professional staff of the Disabled American Veterans in 1970. Mr. Drach rapidly became the organization’s National Employment Director in 1975. He was the first Vietnam Veteran to be appointed a director among the DAV’s ranks.

Since leaving the DAV, Mr. Drach has been employed by the Labor Department’s Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS). He is currently the Director of Government and Legislative Affairs. Ron served on any number of commissions established by the VA, Labor Department, congressional committees, and others involved in enhancing the lives of disabled veterans and other people with disabilities. He has also served on the governing boards of the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans, and others. High-profile volunteer activity has included service as a Team Leader for the U.S. Paralympics Sitting Volleyball Team that competed in the International Paralympics Competition in 2000 in Sydney, Australia.

Dr. Mark Drapeau is a biological scientist, government consultant, and writer. He currently holds the position of Associate Research Fellow at the Center for Technology and National Security Policy at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. He is also a contributing columnist for Federal Computer Week. While studying ecology, evolution, and animal behavior, Dr. Drapeau earned a B.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Rochester and the University of California - Irvine, respectively. He then conducted postdoctoral neuroscience and genomics research at New York University, and was a member of the International Honeybee Genome Sequencing Consortium. After that, Dr. Drapeau became a research fellow in life sciences at a think tank based inside the Department of Defense, where his projects have involved eclectic work on infectious disease, biotechnology, and biological metaphors and their applications to national security. One of Dr. Drapeau’s recent projects called Social Software & Security has resulted in numerous publications, interviews, and invitations for lectures and panel discussions. In a related initiative, he recently co-founded Government 2.0 Club, an international umbrella for organizing events at the intersection of social technologies and the government. Dr. Drapeau has been the recipient of numerous national awards and honors, including a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (2004) and an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellowship in National Defense and Global Security (2006).

Captain William G. Earnest was born May, 1939 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He joined the Navy in July, 1956, and served 40 years in uniform. He achieved 18 ranks in both enlisted and officer ranks, with service aboard 10 different classes of ships, amassing 24 years of sea duty and over fifty years of total service to his country. He served two tours in Vietnam - as a Patrol Boat Commander from 1965 – 1967, and in 1968, as advisor to the first Patrol Boat Squadron to train the Vietnamese in patrol boat operations. His units were awarded three Meritorious Unit Commendations, Navy Unit Commendation, two Secretary of Defense Maintenance awards, the Navy’s Safety award and the Armed Forces top Maintenance award the Phoenix Award. Personal awards include 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 Ribbon and numerous other personal and foreign awards. He was while conducting combat patrols against North Vietnam insurgencies in 1969. After retirement, he served as a technical director for the Navy in the Southeast Region, Mayport, Florida, earning two of our nation’s highest civilian awards. Captain Earnest is married to the former Judi Brady of Northport, Alabama. Currently, Captain Earnest serves as a Director for Q.E.D. Systems, Inc., where he continues to enjoy working with our War Fighters in support of the United States Navy.

William D. Elmore is responsible for the formulation, execution, and promotion of policies and programs of the Administration that provide assistance to small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans, by service-disabled veterans and for Self Employed members of the Reserves and National Guard. Mr. Elmore serves as liaison between the SBA and the veterans’ community and represents the Administrator on the Board of Directors of the National Veterans Business Development Corporation, on the Presidents National Hire Veterans Committee and on other Committees and organizations. Prior to being hired as the Associate Administrator, Mr. Elmore owned a small business, specializing in military record’s access, & veterans’ program development. From 1974 through 1995, Mr. Elmore was also the principal in the creation and operation of the One Stop Veterans Service Center in St. Louis, Missouri, providing entrepreneurial training, job placement, housing, and other services to thousands of veterans and their families. Mr. Elmore also served as a member of the SBA National Advisory Board to the Small Business Development Center program and as a member of the SBA’s Veteran Affairs Task Force for Entrepreneurship. He has received many awards for his volunteer work, is a member of Joseph Frank American Legion Post 777 in St. Louis, Missouri, the Disabled American Veterans, Vietnam Veterans of America, and the St. Louis Area Veterans Consortium, Inc. He is a Vietnam Era veteran, who served in the United States Air Force.

James W. Emery, Jr. has led JMWA’s finance and accounting activities through several key milestones associated with a rapidly growing company. Mr. Emery lead the effort to build the infrastructure to support all elements of federal government contracting included: transitioning to a new accounting system; streamlining the billing process; obtaining annual DCAA provisional rates; and overseeing the development of the process for submitting the required annual incurred cost report to the Federal government. Mr. Emery is also responsible for overseeing the corporation’s proposal costing. His efforts have helped the company win contacts with capacity totaling more than a billion dollars. His work to improve the company does not stop with financials. Mr. Emery directed the development of the IT infrastructure from stand alone office networks to enterprise wide network connecting three major offices and multiple project sites. Mr. Emery worked as a project manager/engineer for several organizations before joining JMWA, overseeing a variety of engineering projects to include: developing the entire master design schedule, certification schedule, manufacturing schedule, and capital requirements for the development of a fixed wing aircraft with two manufacturing sites, one in the United States and the other in Eastern Europe. Prior to the corporate world, Mr. Emery served in the United States Navy on the P-3 Orion Aircraft and as an Aeronautical Engineering Duty Officer. His top assignments included the deployments all over the world; Tomahawk Cruise Missile program where he participated in 17 test launches; and the Joint Electronic Warfare Center researching and developing special mission items for the armed services.

Rick Fink has worked with entrepreneurs and emerging companies, as both an advisor and investor, for over 28 years. Rick is a co-founder of Miramar Venture Partners, a traditional venture fund focused on early and growth stage investing. His responsibilities at Miramar include fundraising; deal-sourcing, investment evaluation and decision, deal negotiation and structuring; and portfolio company management, including serving on Boards of Directors. Prior to Miramar, Mr. Fink was a partner with the national law firm of Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison where he spent 20 years working with and advising start-up companies on a wide range of operating, strategic, financing and legal matters, as well as serving as a member of the firm’s senior management. Mr. Fink received his undergraduate degree from Indiana University and his J.D. from Northwestern University.

Mr. Fink is currently in the process of organizing and raising The Veterans Fund, a start-up and growth capital fund which will make private investments in, and otherwise support, military veteran entrepreneurs, existing veteran and service- disabled businesses, and businesses which offer products and services that support those who have served or are serving in the military.

Mr. Foreman is the Navy Director for the Office of Small Business Programs. Prior to his appointment to the U.S. Navy Mr. Foreman had extensive experience in the Office of the Secretary of Defense Office of Small Business Programs. Mr. Foreman is a recipient of the “2004 Patriot Administrator Award” by the Association of Service Disabled Veterans on April 7, 2005 in a Capital Hill ceremony. He is a graduate of the Brookings Institution’s “LEGIS FELLOW PROGRAM” program, the Federal Executive Institute’s “Leadership for a Democratic Society Program” and the prestigious “Senior Officials National Security (SONS)” program from Harvard University. He was selected by Senator Christopher Bond, Chairman, Senate Committee on Small Business to be the Committee’s Senior Procurement Advisor. He worked closely with Chairman Bond to develop small business procurement policy issues. Mr. Foreman served as a senior price analyst in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He also served on the Defense Acquisition Regulation Contract Cost Principles Committee.

Mr. Foreman holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Masters in Business Administration degree from the University of Dayton and a Masters of Accounting degree from American University in Washington, D.C. He also successfully completed the “Contemporary Executive Development” program, George Washington University. Mr. Foreman was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1970. After completion of his active duty military obligation he began his civil service career as a financial analyst in the Defense Contract Administration activity in Dayton, Ohio.

Gerardo (Jerry) Franco is currently serving as program manager, supervisor and business advocate in DOT/OSDBU, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) with primary responsibility for implementing small business contracting and procurement assistance programs.

Mr. Franco has been with the DOT’s OSDBU in various capacities since 1992. He has served as Senior Advisor to the Director, Associate Director and Chief, Procurement Assistance Division. He has extensive knowledge of small and disadvantaged business utilization, business development and community outreach programs. He is the recipient of several Secretarial awards and commendations for work performed in his area of expertise as well as on strategic planning, management excellence and programmatic effectiveness. He has published a number of authoritative documents on federal procurement programs including a subcontracting review guide and a number of federal register notices.

Before joining DOT, Mr. Franco served as senior procurement analyst and acting Competition Advocate at the Department of Agriculture’s OSDBU which he joined in 1982. He started his federal career with the General Services Administration’s Federal Supply Service, Office of Policy, in 1981. Prior to joining the government, he served in various operational and managerial positions in small to medium size business enterprise in the construction industry. He studied business administration at the University of Maryland and holds a drafting certificate in Engineering Technology Sciences from the Washington Drafting School. Mr. Franco is originally from Cuba, is fully bi-lingual and has resided in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area since 1969.

Robert Gahagan is a Counselor for the Virginia Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP) at the George Mason University School of Public Policy, Mason Enterprise Center, in Fairfax, Virginia. He has over 35 years of experience in government and commercial strategy and business development, bid and proposal management, and communication skills coaching for both large and small organizations. He applies these qualifications to assist the 700+ PTAP client businesses he has counseled to provide strategies to increase revenue success in government contracts. He has also conducted PTAP seminars for more than 800 adult students on how to respond to government requests for proposal (RFPs). Mr. Gahagan has been an invited presenter on government contracting at national conferences in the U.S. and Seoul, Korea. Mr. Gahagan is founder, president and CEO of CCSI-Corporate Consulting Services, Inc., in Oakton, Virginia, that provides strategies and consulting for securing government contracts. Prior to CCSI, he spent 25 years in government contracting and commercial divisions at IBM. In addition to proposal management, his experience included project & program management, subcontract program management, new product development, enterprise-wide systems integration, customer order fulfillment, and spare parts logistics systems.

A native New Mexican, John M. Garcia was appointed by Governor Bill Richardson in January of 2003 as the first Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Veterans Service. In 1985 he was hired as the Director of the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce. Secretary Garcia was appointed by Governor Bruce King as Deputy Chief of Staff in 1991 and later in his administration as the Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Economic Development. In 1995 he established and became President of Garcia & Associates, a consulting firm specializing in business Development, Marketing, Public Relations and Lobbying. Mr. Garcia is an Army Veteran and served in the Central Highlands South Vietnam with the 4th Infantry Division from 1969 to 1970, and was honorably discharged in 1971. He is a founding member of the Vietnam Veterans of New Mexico and the New Mexico Vietnam Veterans of America, serving as a Commissioner for the New Mexico Veterans Service Commission for twelve years. He also served as the National Deputy Director of the Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program and was involved with the dedication of the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. Secretary Garcia is a member of the national SBA Veteran Business Advisory Board and has received the New Mexico Veteran Small Business Advocate of the Year Award by the New Mexico SBA. He is also a recipient of the Veterans Association National Secretary’s Leadership Award and the National Association of the State Directors Iron Mike Award.

James Ghiloni is the Deputy Office Director for Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) Programs. The Center for GWAC Programs resides within the Office of GWAC and IT Schedule Programs portfolio in the Office of Integrated Technology Solutions (ITS) within the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS). The Center assures that necessary and proper GWACs are developed, maintained, and overseen in order to successfully meet the mission needs of GSA’s federal customers. Mr. Ghiloni also acts as the Alliant Program Manager, responsible for overseeing the procurement of the Alliant and Alliant-Small Business GWACs.

Previously, Mr. Ghiloni worked with the FEDSIM organization, as a Senior Project Manager and later as the Group Manager for Navy and Marine Corps Programs. Mr. Ghiloni also served as the Transitional Manager for the SmartBUY program when it was transferred from the Office of Government-Wide Policy to the Federal Technology Service (FTS). Mr. Ghiloni has extensive experience managing GWAC task orders and acquisitions. Mr. Ghiloni is a Certified Project Management Professional. Prior to entering government service, Mr. Ghiloni worked as a senior network engineer in the private sector. He has a Bachelor’s Degree from Wesleyan University and a Master’s Degree from Indiana University.

Andrew Glover is an established expert in software development processes, techniques, and tools. He has spent his career working with companies large and small in various vertical markets such as Healthcare, Financial Services, Telecommunications, and ISVs; what’s more, he is the founder of multiple open source projects including easyb, which won a Jolt award in 2009. He is the co-author of Addison-Wesley’s 2008 Jolt Award winner “Continuous Integration: Improving Software Quality and Reducing Risk”, Wiley’s “Java Testing Patterns”, and Manning’s “Groovy in Action”, as well as a frequent author for multiple online publications including IBM’s DeveloperWorks, InfoQ, and O’Reilly’s ONJava, Dev2Dev, and ONLamp portals.

Mr. Glover is also a frequent speaker at worldwide conferences on topics ranging from continuous integration, behavior driven development, software assurance, and agile engineering practices.

Michael (Scott) Golden has dedicated his life to ensuring that our Service Disabled Veterans and our none disabled Veterans, who are the only organization that is made up of every race and gender, receive the best in life, both in their personal life and in business. Mr. Golden is the CEO/President of Veterans Construction Inc. Mr. Golden deals with Congress and takes a bipartisan approach towards veteran’s advocacy.

On one of the issues that Mr. Golden deals with is “Double and Triple Counting” Mr. Golden stated, on the April 2007, in the Veterans Business Journal, “There has been much accomplished in this last year for VOBs and SDVOBs, yet there is so much more to do. Although I see improvement in the numbers, we know this is due to the ability of agencies to double and triple count their diverse business categories of firms with multiple designations. Although legal, to do so to veterans is appalling….”

Author of The Ultimate Small Business Marketing Toolkit (McGraw-Hill), and President of Marketing Edge Consulting Group, Beth Goldstein has empowered hundreds of entrepreneurs and companies to create successful marketing and sales programs. Consultant, nationally recognized speaker, and educator, Ms. Goldstein focuses on answering the questions that keep business owners up at night: What can I do to maximize revenue-generating opportunities? Why do some prospects buy from me and others from my competitors? How can I increase customer loyalty?

In addition to consulting, Ms. Goldstein is the Lead Instructor for the SBA Emerging 200 (e200), 15-state, program designed to help inner-city entrepreneurs strengthen and grow their existing businesses. She has been instrumental in developing the nine-month curriculum and currently teaches the business accelerator program in Massachusetts.

Ms. Goldstein is the Senior Associate for Distance Learning for the Institute for Technology Entrepreneurship & Commercialization at Boston University (BU) and runs the university’s Annual $50K Business Plan Competition. She teaches Entrepreneurial Sales and Marketing at the BU School of Management and is the Faculty Director for the BU Online Certificate in Entrepreneurship (recognized by Fortune Small Business Magazine as one of the top e-learning entrepreneurship programs in the U.S.).

Ms. Goldstein has over 20 years of direct industry experience and holds an MBA from Boston University and a degree in Economics and Sociology from Brandeis University. Passionate about small business challenges, she writes a free, monthly newsletter: Small Business Survival Tips.

Augustine Grace is a Senior Business Development Officer at the Export Import Bank in Washington D.C. Mr. Grace has held a number of positions at the Export Import Bank in Washington D.C. He was formerly a Marketing Officer providing guidance to exporters, buyers and bankers on all Ex-Im Bank programs. For a period of one year he worked as a Loan Officer in the U.S. Division recommending Working Capital Guarantees for approval.

Prior to joining Ex-Im Bank Mr. Grace was employed as an international banker with a large private sector commercial bank. His successful international banking career took him from an Edge Act Bank in New York where he became a Vice President, Section Head, in the Mexico Division at the bank’s headquarters in Caracas, Venezuela. After serving for three years in various lending positions in Venezuela, he went to the Latin American Division in Miami, Florida. In Miami he worked as a Credit Administrator for several Central American and Caribbean countries, while overseeing the Bank’s correspondent bank lines in Latin America. In 1988 he left Miami and moved to Washington, D.C. where he joined the Export Import Bank of the U.S.

Mr. Grace received his B.S. degree in Mathematics from Central Connecticut State University in 1966. After a three year tour of duty in the Army, he joined the field of international banking in New York. He was awarded his MBA from Fordham University in 1981. He also obtained a graduate degree from Stonier Graduate School of Banking (Rutgers University) in June 1981.

Mark Gross is the founder and CEO of Oak Grove Technologies. A former U.S. Army enlisted soldier and graduate of Catholic University in Washington, D.C., Mr. Gross continued his public service under the Department of Justice Honors Program in 1991 with the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division. Assigned to the Communications and Finance Sections Bank Merger Unit, Mr. Gross assumed sole responsibility of a six member team within six months. During this time, Mr. Gross improved relations with other regulatory agencies to facilitate the sharing of vital information collected by different governmental agencies. For this, Mr. Gross was presented the Assistant AG (Ann Bingaman) Award in 1993, 1994 and the AG (Janet Reno) Award in 1995. During his Department of Justice career, he was assigned many high profile Government investigations to include Microsoft, AT&T, and NASDAQ. Upon leaving public service, Mr. Gross held numerous Business Development positions with Fortune 500 Companies, achieving Presidents club status five consecutive years. Mr. Gross was legal editor of the first publication - Veterans Benefits Manual - An Advocates Guide To Veterans Benefits and is active within the NDIA and AFCEA. He is also a Founding Member of the American Legion, National Economic Committees Small Business Task Force. In March of 2006, Mr. Gross was selected to serve on the SBA’s Veterans Advisory Committee, a committee that advises both the White House and the Congress on Veterans Business and issues. In 2008, Mr. Gross was recognized as the Southeast Region and North Carolina Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year by the U.S Small Business Administration.

David Grove is currently a Program Manager in the NASA Office of Small Business Programs. Mr. Grove is responsible for small business programs at the various NASA science centers. In addition, Mr. Grove is responsible for the NASA Mentor Protégé program and is the agency’s Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Program Manager. Previously Mr. Grove worked for Department of the Navy as Special Assistant to the Commander of Military Sealift Command. Mr. Grove has also served as Director of New Business Development and the Associate Director of Small Business at the Military Sealift Command. In 2003, Mr. Grove was selected as the Department of Defense Small Business Specialist of the Year. Mr. Grove began his career as a Marine Transportation Specialist in the Liner Division of Military Sealift Command. During that time, he awarded the first long term transportation contract under the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, moving heavy equipment to the former Soviet Union. He also served as a procurement analyst implementing the DOD’s Standard Procurement System and other e-business initiatives. He has served as a base contracting officer for the Naval Station Great Lakes and as a Procurement Staff Officer for the Defense Logistics Agency.

Mr. Grove graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He received a Master of Science in Procurement Management from the Naval Postgraduate School and a Master of Science in National Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Mr. Grove has been awarded the Department of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service medal and is a Certified Professional Contracts Manager and Fellow in the National Contract Management Association.

As NaVOBA president and Vetrepreneur publisher, Chris Hale is uniquely qualified to market veteran-owned businesses to corporate America. As general manager of G.I. Jobs over the past five years, Mr. Hale engineered the massive growth and influence of veteran hiring programs within corporate America. He has transformed corporate perspective on hiring veterans from one of entitlement to one of strategic advantage. The G.I. Jobs Most Military Friendly Employer list he created in 2003 flourishes today as the industry benchmark for veteran hiring practices. Fortune 1000 firms vehemently compete to earn their way on to this list and consult G.I. Jobs to help them shape veteran hiring programs. This process has enabled a similar, sustainable transformation of corporate perspective on veteran-owned businesses as suppliers. NaVOBA’s approach to creating opportunities for veteran-owned businesses centers on making a strong business case to corporate America, a different approach from what has been done by others in this community. Mr. Hale holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University. He has authored numerous articles and is a respected speaker and thought leader on matters related to military transition, entrepreneurship and the veterans’ small business movement. He has taught entrepreneurship classes to veterans through Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh. Mr. Hale served eight honorable years in the U.S. Navy and previously worked for corporate America in finance and sales.

Dawn Halfaker founded Halfaker and Associates in January 2006 in response to the radically changing business environment brought on by the growing need for dynamic consultants with specialized experience to provide national security services to the Federal Government. Ms. Halfaker gained extensive management experience as a Military Police Officer in the U.S. Army, where she was deployed with the 3rd Infantry Division as a platoon leader and deputy provost marshal in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She was subsequently wounded during a combat patrol near Baghdad in 2004, earning a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

Ms. Halfaker served as a military liaison to the House Armed Services Committee where she advised the committee Chair on key Department of Defense legislation and issues. She also worked with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), specializing in technical consulting for the Defense Sciences Office. Her mission included initiating research to provide advanced capabilities to the military and Warfighter.

Ms. Halfaker remains very active with veteran’s affairs and is a member of many of the veteran service organizations and advisory committees. Specifically, Ms. Halfaker serves as the Vice President of the Wounded Warrior Project Board of Directors where she focuses on raising awareness and enlisting the public's aid for the needs of severely injured service men and women. Additionally, Ms. Halfaker was appointed by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to serve on the Committee for OIF/OEF soldiers and families, which focuses on improving VA policies and care for veterans who were severely injured in combat as well as their caregivers. More recently, Ms. Halfaker was appointed by the Secretary of Labor to serve on the Advisory Committee for Veterans Employer Training and Employer Outreach.

Ms. Halfaker holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and is pursuing a Master of Arts in Security Studies from Georgetown University.

Michael Hardy is a 15-year veteran of the technology industry, serving primarily in sales, marketing and operations management roles. Mr. Hardy joined Penobscot Bay Media (PenBay) in May of 2000 when the company was less than a year old and has been an instrumental in the company’s development from a bootstrap start-up with a small office in Coastal Maine and mostly local clientele, to a world-leader in geospatial technology for facilities with offices in Maine, NYC, Northern Virginia and London, UK. During his time with the company, Mr. Hardy was responsible for many firsts, including the company’s first federal services prime contracts in 2004, award of two GSA services schedules in 2005 and the establishment of a software resale operation in 2006.

Mr. Hardy was also the capture manager for PenBay’s successful effort to win the VETS GWAC and has run the business development and marking of the contract post award, resulting in millions of dollars of revenue to the company and its partners. Mr. Hardy is a strong advocate for cooperation in SDVOSB teaming and has welcomed numerous firms onto the PenBay team to utilize the VETS GWAC.

Penobscot Bay Media is a woman-owned, service-disabled, Veteran-owned small business specializing in geographic information systems, software application development and geospatial technology for LEED certification and facilities management.

On December 8, 2008, BG (Ret.) Edward M. Harrington was inducted into the Senior Executive Service as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Procurement) (DASA(P)). The DASA(P) develops, disseminates, and ensures the execution of Federal, Defense, and Army policies and procedures for acquisition, procurement, and related business practices and business systems solutions for installation procurement and contingency contracting supporting the procurement of supplies, commodities, services, construction and reconstruction, and humanitarian assistance worldwide. As the Functional Career Representative for Contracting, the DASA(P) oversees the recruitment, training, certification, and professional development of the contracting workforce. As designated by the Deputy Secretary of Defense and delegated to the Secretary of the Army, and further delegated by the ASA(ALT), the DASA(P) provides the administrative and contracting support to the Chief of Mission, Project and Contracting Office and the Multi-National Forces through the Joint Contracting Command Iraq/Afghanistan in order to support humanitarian relief, reconstruction, and security of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr. Harrington is a former senior U.S. Army officer with more than 28 years experience in weapons and information systems life cycle acquisition, contracting/contract management, and military logistics operations. He has extensive leadership and management experience in U.S. Army and Joint operations in the U.S., Europe, the Balkans, Pacific Rim, Southeast Asia (Viet Nam) and the Middle East conducting supply, maintenance, distribution, operational and battlefield contracting, and systems sustainment and readiness missions for deployed forces. He has served in command and staff positions from the platoon/company/battalion and group level to senior positions as Chief of Staff and Executive Officer to the Army’s Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA, AL+T), then as an Army Program Executive Officer (PEO), finishing his active service as the Director, Defense Contract Management Agency and DoD’s PEO for the Standard Procurement System.

He was the Army’s PEO at the Tank, Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) for its tactical and commercial wheeled vehicle fleet (250,000+ vehicles), artillery, mortars, small arms and ammunition, automated fire control systems, mines/countermines and demolitions, construction, watercraft, and petroleum and water logistics systems. He approved $8Billion/year in systems procurements for 200+ systems including strategic sourcing for system life-cycle sustainment. He began his systems acquisition management duties in the Abrams Tank Program as the assistant Program Manager for M1A1 tank armor systems. He then was selected to be the PM for the Standard Army Maintenance System and followed that as Program Manager for the Unit Level Logistics Systems. He managed the engineering, development, integration, testing, field extension and product support and enhancement for over 11,000 field logistics automation users deployed to Army bases worldwide.

As the Director of the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), Mr. Harrington led and directed 12,000+ managers and specialists overseeing 19,000 prime contractors and over 300,000 contracts valued at $950 billion, including 40,000+ second, third and fourth tier suppliers in the domestic and overseas supply chain. His responsibilities included Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) contracts for spares and supplies for all military systems supported by DLA’s three major supply centers. Directly reporting to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (USD, AT+L), he managed 1 million+ transactions yearly (valued at $95 billion) to deliver the full range of military aircraft, missile and radar systems, ground combat and wheeled vehicles, ship systems and submarine parts, artillery, small arms, ammunition components, clothing, food, heavy construction systems, and spares and assemblies to U.S and allied forces and depots. He oversaw the management of all contracts for the overhaul, modification, repair and maintenance of Air Force, Navy, Marine and Army fixed and rotary wing aircraft totaling over 1,200 annually with more than 25,000 hours of flight operations at 25 plants. He provided subject matter experts to supervise supplier and production quality assurance, cost/pricing, earned value, contract negotiations, property and plant/equipment management and transportation interfaces with commercial and military distribution agencies and commands from the factory to the user, including supply and overhaul depots. He oversaw the assessment of the US domestic and off-shore industrial base, including production/technology capability analyses, single points of failure, investment strategies, and critical infrastructure requirements planning and policy development. He was responsible for 24/7 operations in 78 field offices in the U.S. and overseas including Iraq and Afghanistan prior to and during the wartime actions in those theaters. He participated as a member of the DoD Lean Aerospace Executive Council, advising on supplier base and production readiness. He served in an additional capacity as DoD’s Program Executive Officer (PEO) for the Department’s first ever standard, automated procurement system, fielded to all military services and defense agencies, linking suppliers with a user base of 43,000 worldwide.

After retiring from the Army, Mr. Harrington consulted with large, mid-tier, and small business clients, specializing in federal acquisition and contracting, supply chain and performance based logistics, quality management and technology development.

Mr. Harrington earned a B.S. in Management from Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, and an M.S. in Contracting and Acquisition from the Florida Institute of Technology. He is a graduate of the Army’s Senior Service College Fellowship Program at the University of Texas, Austin. He is a member of the Advocacy Committee of the National Contract Management Association.

Fernando Hernandez serves as Supplier Diversity Director for Microsoft Corporation. Prior to joining Microsoft, Mr. Hernandez served as Senior Vice President of Multicultural and Diversity Strategy for Washington Mutual Bank.

As Executive Director of Supplier Diversity with AT&T, provided strategic direction to AT&T’s Supplier Management & Business Unit clients in development and implementation of policies, strategies, and programs related to the MWSDVBE (Minority, Women, Service Disabled Veterans, and Business Enterprise) Business Development Program. He has served on various boards, including National Minority Supplier Diversity Council, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, Business Consortium Fund, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Procurement Council, United States Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce, Billion Dollar Round Table, Telecommunications Industry Group, and New Jersey Board of Public Utilities/Supplier Diversity Development Council.

Mr. Hernandez created Multicultural Marketing programs for both AT&T’s Business and Consumer Markets Divisions, launching AT&T’s first Hispanic, African American, and Asian business marketing programs. He led AT&T’s National Multicultural Marketing and Marketing Communications Directorates, and managed four national advertising agencies with programs in seven languages. He also served as Chairman of the National Hispanic Scholarship Fund New York City and President of AT&T’s HISPA Association New York Chapter, and directed AT&T’s International Alliance Channel programs responsible for business development in Canada, Mexico, and Latin America.

Mr. Hernandez holds a degree in Accounting from Saint Peter’s College and a Masters in Information Systems from Stevens Institute of Technology. He studied at the Wharton School of Business and has been recognized by the American Marketing Association for sponsoring multicultural marketing conferences at the United Nations. He was honored in 2006 as one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in America by Hispanic Magazine.

Donald Horn is Director of Sustainability for GSA’s Public Buildings Service in the Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings. He ensures that sustainable design principles are included in agency guidance for new construction, repair and alteration, facility management, and leasing. He provides expert advice to GSA’s National Office business lines and assists 11 regional offices in training and project implementation related to high-performance green buildings. He has worked nationally and internationally to influence green building guidance and policies. Don is a member of the ASHRAE Standard Project Committee 189.1 developing the Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings. He is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Government Committee (USGBC), the Interagency Sustainability Working Group and the Whole Building Design Guide Sustainable Committee and served on the Board of Directors of the USGBC.

Julia Hubbel is a professional speaker, seminar leader and prize-winning journalist who specializes in creating lasting, collaborative relationships. Her innovative work in networking is the basis for her forthcoming book, The Hub Factor.

She has spent nearly three decades in senior corporate and consulting positions in the areas of training and organizational development Her clients include ExxonMobil, Dell Computer, Hewlett Packard, Delphi, Lockheed Martin, MassMutual, Cisco Systems, Toyota, MassMutual, Chevron and Sodexo.

Her story is featured in the best selling book, Networking Magic, by Guerilla Marketing authors Rick Frishman and Jill Lublin. She is a certified Supplier Diversity Professional through the Alliance of Supplier Diversity Professionals.

Ms. Hubbel is a fully disabled, decorated Vietnam Era veteran. She is the president of The Hubbel Group, Inc., a consulting and training firm based in Colorado.

Jason Hull is one of the principals of OpenSource Connections, a service disabled veteran owned software development and technology consultancy. A graduate of the United States Military Academy with a MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business, Mr. Hull draws upon his extensive military and business experience to solve problems. As a tank platoon leader and a tank company executive officer during his two tours of duty in Bosnia, Mr. Hull served in multiple leadership positions in the Army. After graduate school, Mr. Hull served as a director of analysis for Capital One, managing call center forecasting, technology, and agent performance. In 2005, he and two partners co-founded OpenSource Connections to move technology-based ideas from concept to market leveraging Agile Development methodologies and software development best practices. Their clients include the Army, Navy, Department of State, Department of Labor, and the University of Virginia. Among the awards his company has received are a Webby and the Leadership Award from the Charlottesville Business Innovation Council. Mr. Hull’s focus at OpenSource Connections is on systemic process improvement and on leveraging social media for improving market awareness and stakeholder communications. He has spoken at several workshops and conferences on how to best leverage social media and Web 2.0 tools.