Meetings | GTS Coalition

Oct. 30: Halloween Happy Hour

Join GTSC for a

Halloween Happy Hour

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

5:30 pm – 9:00 pm

IRIS Lounge, Tysons Corner

Please RSVP – Costumes preferred (those in costume will receive a raffle ticket for 2 grand prizes)!

BEST costume also wins a prize!!

>>Please RSVP

Proceeds to benefit the Border Patrol Foundation

www.BorderPatrolFoundation.org

About the Border Patrol Foundation

The Border Patrol Foundation provides resources to the families of the fallen and creates awareness of the escalating risk of those who keep America’s borders safe. These services create a financial bridge through the turbulent time following a family’s loss. The Foundation supports programs improving awareness of United States border security and recognizes community leaders supporting the families of the U.S. Border Patrol. The Foundation’s volunteers have served with the U.S. Border Patrol or are professionals, friends and family committed to the importance of securing America’s borders and dedicate their lives to the same.

Oct. 23: Cyber Security: Focus on Public Private Sector Collaboration

Join GTSC and the InfraGard National Capital Region Members Alliance for a cyber program focused on the threats to the public and private sector. gram. Since Executive Order 13636 and PPD-21 were issued in February 2013, there has been a renewed focus on the challenges of security the nation’s digital infrastructure. Most admit and understand that our cyber security relies on a strong and vital collaboration between industry and government — whether that be the industry protecting our critical infrastructure or industry that provides the underpinning of our economy. Legislators on Capitol Hill are trying to determine how to streamline authorities and responsibilities and law enforcement and other agencies in the Federal government are grappling with preventing and mitigating the impacts of this threat. This session will discuss DHS’ role in cyber security, how the private sector and Federal partners are communicating, what threats are at the forefront from cyber hackers, hostile nation states etc. and how we see future collaboration improving to fight these threats and protect our economy and infrastructure.

AGENDA AT A GLANCE

8:00 AM Registration & Breakfast

8:30 AM Conference Introduction

8:45 AM Keynote: The Challenges of Cyber Security

9:30 AM How do we share information more effectively?

10:30 AM What are the latest threats?

11:30 AM Lunch on your own in the National Geographic Society Cafeteria

12:30 PM Keynote: Cyber Security Priorities from the DHS Perspective

1:15 PM Where is the Government Targeting their Resources?

2:00 PM What the Private Sector Do?

2:45 PM Closing Remarks

Confirmed Speakers:

Keynote: Dr. Phyllis Schneck, Deputy Under Secretary for Cyber Security, NPPD, DHS

Dr. Phyllis Schneck, McAfee’s former CTO and vice president of the global public sector, has been named deputy under secretary of cyber security for the National Protection and Programs Directorate at DHS. Join us to hear her priorities for cyber at NPPD!

Denise Anderson, National Council of Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs); Vice President, Financial Services-ISAC

Noel Due, Supervisory Special Agent, FBI – HQ, Cyber Division, Operation Clean Slate

Brian Finch, Partner, Global Security, Dickstein Shapiro LLP

John Harmon, Partner, Tactical Network Solutions

John Lainhart, CGEIT, CISA, CISM, CRISC, CIPP/G, CIPP/US Partner, Cybersecurity & Privacy, US Public Sector, IBM Global Business Services

James Mulvenon, Vice President, Defense Group Inc., Center for Intelligence Research and Analysis

Vipul Sharma, Vice President & CTO, Civil Government & Healthcare IT solutions, L-3 STRATIS

Trent Teyema, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, FBI WFO, Criminal Division – Cyber Branch

Glenn Wood, Vice President, Technology, InfraGard Board & Co-Chair, Cyber SIG

About the InfraGard National Capital Region Members Alliance

The InfraGard National Capital Region Members Alliance (INCRMA) consists of a growing membership of professionals who are creating a more resilient critical infrastructure in the Washington, DC metro area. These include defense industrial base, information technology, water supply systems, electrical energy, emergency services, law enforcement, health systems, transportation, banking, and telecommunications. Our membership is voluntary yet exclusive and is comprised of individuals from both the public and private sector. The main goal of INCRMA is to promote ongoing communication, education, and community outreach between the public and private sectors and the FBI. In doing so, information is shared, relationships are strengthened, and vital assets are protected. To learn more, visit us at www.infragard.org.

Oct. 10: Cyber Security Acquisition: What is the Government Buying?

Join the Government Technology & Services Coalition (GTSC) during October’s National Cyber Security Awareness Month for an in-depth look at the acquisition landscape for cyber security programs across DoD, DHS, DOS, and DOJ during its Capacity Building Session, Cyber Security Acquisition: What is the Government Buying? GTSC’s Strategic Partner Dickstein Shapiro LLP will track acquisition activity and provide some insights into how the Federal government is making cyber security investments. This is a “must attend” program if you are interested in understanding the Federal cybersecurity space.

Speakers:

Brian E. Finch

Partner

Dickstein Shapiro LLP

Brian Finch, a partner in Dickstein Shapiro’s Washington, DC office, is head of the firm’s Global Security Practice. Named by Washingtonian magazine in 2011 as one of the top 40 federal lobbyists under the age of 40, Mr. Finch is a recognized authority on global security matters who counsels clients on regulatory and government affairs issues involving the Department of Homeland Security, Congress, the Department of Defense, and other federal agencies. His focuses include liability mitigation, protection of critical infrastructure, state and local grant funds, WMD response preparations, chemical security, cyber security, and border and trade security.

Mr. Finch is a Senior Advisor to the Homeland Security and Defense Business Council and also is a member of the American Bar Association’s Homeland Security Executive Committee for the Administrative Law Section. Mr. Finch served as an inaugural Senior Fellow at George Washington University’s Homeland Security Policy Institute. He also was a member of the Heritage Foundation/Center for Strategic and International Studies Task Force for Examining the Roles, Missions, and Organization of the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Finch is a Professorial Lecturer in Law at The George Washington University Law School, where he co-teaches Homeland Security Law and Policy. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia.
Mr. Finch speaks and writes extensively on global security and terrorism matters, as well as other public affairs issues. He has testified on the implementation of the SAFETY Act twice before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security. He is regularly quoted in publications such as CQ Homeland Security and Washington Technology, and has been profiled by Government Security News Magazine, a leading homeland security journal. Examples of his articles include “Utilizing the SAFETY Act to Assist with CFATS Process,” which appeared in Business & Industry Connection in October 2009; “The SAFETY Act Affords Protections For Smart Grid Players,” which appeared in Renew Grid in October 2009; and “How Sports Owners Can Find Protection in SAFETY,” which appeared in the Sports Business Journal in November 2006. He also has appeared on television news programs such as MSNBC Live as a global security commentator.

Graham (Rusty) Mathews

Senior Legislative Advisor

Dickstein Shapiro LLP

Rusty Mathews, the senior legislative advisor in the Public Policy & Law Practice of Dickstein Shapiro, joined the firm in 1996. Mr. Mathews’ specialties encompass representation, on a variety of legislative and appropriations issues, of the environmental community, electric utilities, competitive power producers and marketers, healthcare providers, direct marketers, homeland security and related high-tech industries, insurance and reinsurance providers, and clients involved in sports, entertainment, and Internet gaming.
During the years 1995 through 1996, in the office of U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski, Mr. Mathews served as Chief Minority Clerk, Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies. He managed all aspects of Congress’s second largest discretionary appropriations bill ($90 billion). He was also responsible for budget development and policy management for 25 federal departments and agencies, including the Departments of HUD and VA, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation, NASA and Federal Emergency Management Agency, and 15 independent boards, commissions, and offices.
In 1989 through 1994, in the office of U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd, Mr. Mathews was the Assistant Majority Clerk, Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of Interior and Related Agencies. He managed all aspects of the Department of Interior appropriations bill relating to annual budget requests and policy development for the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Mines, Office of Surface Mining, Smithsonian Institution, and the fossil energy accounts for the Department of Energy. He also served as principal negotiator for the Midwestern and Eastern coal states during Congressional deliberations on the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.
Among Mr. Mathews’ career highlights are membership on the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, serving as Deputy Vice President for External Affairs with the U.S. Synthetic Fuels Corporation, and being Director of Senate Relations with the Department of Energy.

Oct. 16: Mentor Session with Harris IT Services

Join the Government Technology & Services Coalition for a Mentor Session with Mr. Keith Bryars, the Client Executive for National Security and Federal Law Enforcement at Harris Harris IT Services on Wednesday, October 16.

About Harris IT Services

A leading provider of end-to-end solutions in mission-critical IT transformation, managed solutions, and information assurance for defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil and commercial customers. With over 3,300 professionals worldwide, Harris IT Services offers demonstrated past performance, proven technical expertise and innovative solutions in supporting large-scale IT programs that encompass the full technology lifecycle.

About Keith Bryars, Client Executive

Keith Bryars is a client executive with Harris IT Services. Harris IT Services designs, deploys, and operates secure communications systems and information networks with optimal reliability and affordability for high-profile customers in government and commercial markets, delivering expertise in cloud services, cyber security/information assurance, enterprise managed services, mobility, and systems integration worldwide.

Mr. Bryars joined Harris Corporation in April 2012 following a 25-year career as a senior executive special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Throughout his FBI career, Mr. Bryars was involved in a number of significant highprofile investigations involving counterterrorism, cybersecurity, counterintelligence, public corruption, and violent crimes. He is considered a subject matter expert in Federal Law Enforcement and National Security matters.

At the FBI, Mr. Bryars led and managed field operations across the country and served in the FBI’s Kansas City, Miami, Nashville, Birmingham, and Washington field offices, and at FBI headquarters in Washington, DC. As an FBI senior executive, Mr. Bryars helped lead the FBI’s strategic transformation, post-9/11, to an intelligence-led, threat-driven organization.

He also served as a senior executive at the FBI’s Engineering Research Facility at the Operational Technology Division at Quantico, Virginia, where he oversaw all of the FBI’s technical programs supporting FBI field operations and intelligence collection, and directed a variety of technical capabilities and operational technology support to the FBI and other Federal Law Enforcement and National Security partners.

Before his FBI career, Mr. Bryars worked as a mechanical engineer in the nuclear power industry.

Mr. Bryars holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Auburn University.

Harris is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 125 countries. Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured communications® products, systems, and services.

About GTSC’s Mentor Companies

The Government Technology & Services Coalition’s (GTSC) Mentor companies understand how critical a robust, successful homeland and national security market is to our nation’s security. Together with our members, these firms are committed to bringing the innovation, ideas and agility of small business to the experience, infrastructure and resources of large companies. GTSC mentors join us to provide advice and counsel to small and mid-sized companies, find new and innovative teaming partners, address challenges in the prime/subcontractor relationship in a neutral environment and improve mentor/protégé communication and success. Both our large and small companies recognize that the best security for our citizens – both physically and economically — is derived from the ability of our markets to meet the challenges posed by terrorism, natural disasters, and criminal activity.

Key Cybersecurity Issues for Government Contractors

Dickstein Shapiro LLP and the Government Technology & Services Coalition (GTSC) held a webcast, “Key Cybersecurity Issues for Government Contractors.” This interactive program, of particular interest to government contractor compliance officers, CIOs, CISOs, General Counsel, and any other C-suite members, discussed how the federal government is planning on fundamentally altering its acquisition policies to make the cybersecurity of its contractors a top priority.

The discussion included:
– Proposed Federal Acquisitions Regulation (FAR) changes relating to President Obama’s Cybersecurity Executive Order;
– Planned changes to procurement requirements based on independent agency actions;
– Congressionally mandated cybersecurity requirements; and
Ways contractors can prepare for these changes

Speakers included:

Brian Finch, Partner, Global Security, Dickstein Shapiro LLP

Justin Chiarodo, Partner, Government Contracts, Dickstein Shapiro LLP

Emile Monette, Senior Action Officer for Cyber Security Policy, Government Services Administration

Kristina Tanasichuk, CEO, Government Technology & Services Coalition

View the slides here or watch the webinar by clicking the link below.

Sept. 26: National Preparedness Month: Focus on FEMA & HHS

Join the Government Technology & Services Coalition (GTSC) and the InfraGard National Capital Region Members Alliance for National Preparedness Month: Focus on FEMA & HHS on Thursday, September 26. Register for this program here.

Agenda At A Glance

8:00 AM: Registration & Breakfast

8:30 AM: Conference Introduction

8:40 AM: Keynote: HHS Preparedness & Response Priorities

9:15 AM: FEMA’s Policy & Program Priorities

10:00 AM: GTSC Designation of Leadership Excellence & American Red Cross Ready Rating program

11:00 AM: Building Resilient Communities through Public Private Partnerships

12:00 PM: Luncheon Keynote

1:30 PM: Getting It Done: Prevention & Preparedness for All Hazards

Speakers:

Sara Bryant

Program Development Section Chief, Preparedness Grants Division, FEMA

Sara Bryant is Section Chief in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Grant Programs Directorate (FEMA GPD). In her current capacity, she is responsible for the development and interagency coordination of FEMA’s non-disaster preparedness grant portfolio,providing advice and guidance to senior FEMA management on pertinent homeland security programs and priorities, the effectiveness of those programs as implemented in the field, recommends needed changes and improvements, and provides input on complex issues impacting Department of Homeland Security grant programs. Since her time with GPD, Sara has also coordinated preparedness planning efforts with state and local homeland security officials throughout the country, and provided expert guidance on the Department’s homeland security and emergency preparedness programs. She has previously served as the GPD’s Preparedness Officer for states to include California, Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, New Mexico, and Michigan. Sara works in Washington, DC and has been with FEMA GPD since 2006.

Brian Kamoie

Assistant Administrator, Grant Programs, FEMA

Brian Kamoie was appointed by President Obama as Assistant Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Grant Programs in April 2013. In that capacity he oversees over $17 billion in grant programs to build, sustain, and improve our national capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Kamoie served as Senior Director for Preparedness Policy on the White House National Security Staff (NSS) from 2009 to 2013. In that role he led a team of professionals in the development of national policy related to all-hazards preparedness, individual and community resilience, public health and medical preparedness, domestic critical infrastructure protection and resilience, national security/emergency preparedness communications, and preparedness grants.

David Kaufman

Associate Administrator for Policy, Program Analysis, and International Affairs, FEMA

David J. Kaufman is FEMA’s Associate Administrator for Policy, Program Analysis, and International Affairs. Appointed in September 2009, he is responsible for providing leadership, analysis, coordination, and decision-making support to the FEMA Administrator on a wide range of Agency policies, strategy, plans, programs, and key initiatives. Mr. Kaufman has extensive experience with homeland security and emergency management issues. He has been a member of the faculty at the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security, where he has taught in the Center’s graduate and executive level education programs; was the Safety and Security Director for CNA, a non-profit think-tank; and has previously served in several senior positions in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and in FEMA.

Dr. Lisa Kaplowitz

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, HHS

Lisa Kaplowitz, MD, MSHA is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a position she has held since March, 2010. In this position, she is responsible for directing and coordinating policy and strategic planning for all components of the Office of the ASPR. Prior to joining the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Kaplowitz was Director of the Health Department for the City of Alexandria in Northern Virginia from July, 2008 until February, 2010. As Health Director in Alexandria, she was responsible for all public health activities and was also very involved in emergency preparedness in the National Capital Region, serving as Chair of the Health and Medical Regional Planning Working Group of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG).

Darryl Madden

Director, READY Campaign, FEMA

Mr. Madden is the Director of the READY Campaign for FEMA and has done an outstanding job promoting preparedness for all communities. He graduated from the University of Baltimore. He will discuss how important planning is for contractors working with the Federal government. Follow him on Twitter! @ReadyDirect

Linda Mathes

CEO, American Red Cross in the National Capital Region

Linda Mathes, selected as a 2008 Washingtonian of the Year, is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Red Cross in the National Capital Region which includes the District of Columbia; counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Montgomery, Prince George’s and Prince William; and cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park. Linda was recently invited to the White House to help recognize Red Cross Champions of Change.

Jason McNamara

Vice President, Obsidian Analysis LLC Former Chief of Staff, Administrator Craig Fugate, FEMA

As Vice President, Jason McNamara is a member of Obsidian’s executive management team, directing the disaster recovery program area as well as services for state and local clients. Mr. McNamara is a national leader in homeland security and emergency management, having been Chief of Staff for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the past four years. In that role, Mr. McNamara worked with leadership at FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security, and the White House to transform FEMA into a highly effective response and recovery agency. As FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate’s Chief of Staff, Mr. McNamara oversaw the cutting of red-tape, the staffing of FEMA with outstanding managers who are widely recognized as the most experienced and talented in the agency’s history, as well as the reinvigoration of the nation’s response and recovery strategies for disasters. Mr. McNamara also helped change FEMA’s orientation towards an emphasis on survivor outcomes and incorporation of the Whole Community in delivering solutions. In addition, he played a key role in legislative accomplishments such as the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act, legislation providing tribal governments the ability to directly request disaster assistance from the President, and the five-year reauthorization of the national flood insurance program.

Joseph Trindal

President, Direct Action Resilience & President, InfraGard National Capital Region Members Alliance

Mr. Joseph Trindal is President at Direct Action Resilience LLC (DAR) with offices in Virginia. DAR and its training division, Direct Action Resilience Institute (DARI) is a recognized leader in emergency preparedness, response and resilience for both public and private sectors. Mr. Trindal also serves as President of the InfraGard National Capital Region Members Alliance, an FBI led public/private sector information sharing consortium of over 10,000 members. He also serves on the Homeland Security Intelligence Council. A member of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), Mr. Trindal serves on the Federal Facilities Emergency Managers Committee. He is also a long standing member of the National Tactical Officer’s Association (NTOA), International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors (IALEFI), and the International Association of the Chiefs of Police (IACP) among other organizations. Mr. Trindal continues public service as a special Deputy Sheriff for Culpeper County, Virginia.

Dr. Michael Walter

Detection Branch Chief & Program Manager BioWatch, Office of Health Affairs, DHS

As program manager for the BioWatch system, Dr. Michael Walter supports the Department’s efforts to protect the nation from, and prepare federal, state and local governments to respond to biological attacks. Working with lab, field, public health, law enforcement, and emergency management personnel, Dr. Walter assists federal, state, and local governments from across the country in developing and testing response measures to biological attacks, tailored to specific local mission needs. Initiated in the wake of the anthrax attacks 10 years ago, BioWatch is a federally-managed, locally-operated nationwide biosurveillance system designed to detect the release of aerosolized pathogens. BioWatch supports special events including the Super Bowl, presidential inaugurations and national party conventions.

Thank you to the Co-Chairs of GTSC’s National Preparedness Month!

Lilly Harris

CEO

Man-Machine Systems Assessment

Marty Rathmann

Director of Client Relations

GAP Solutions, Inc.

Thank you to our National Preparedness Month Sponsor!

If you are interested in sponsoring this program, please contact us!

About InfraGard

Sept. 30: Insight Session with Deputy Administrator Richard Serino, FEMA

The Government Technology & Services Coalition (GTSC) invites you to attend an Insight Session with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Deputy Administrator Richard Serino on Monday, September 30 and recognize National Preparedness Month

About Richard Serino

Deputy Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency

Richard Serino was appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate as the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Deputy Administrator in October 2009. In this role, he works directly with Administrator Craig Fugate to promote the “whole community” approach to emergency management, which seeks to build, sustain, and improve the Department’s capacity to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. Since joining FEMA, Mr. Serino has traveled all over the country to communities affected by disasters to hear directly from survivors, and build relationships with whole community partners. During his tenure, he has seen flooding throughout the Midwest, fires in Colorado and Texas, tornadoes that devastated Joplin, Missouri, tsunami destruction in the American Samoa, and the Hurricane stricken areas in the south and along the east coast. Additionally, he spends time traveling to each of FEMA’s ten regional offices.

Mr. Serino strives to improve FEMA programs and emergency management by hearing directly from disaster survivors, communities, and FEMA employees. These improvements are focused on emphasizing financial accountability, improving the use of analytics to drive decisions, advancing the workforce, and fostering a culture of innovation. Under Mr. Serino’s leadership, FEMA has championed initiatives such as FEMA Corps, FEMA Stat, the FEMA Think Tank, a detailed budgetary process, and a Disaster Workforce Transformation.

Mr. Serino brings 35 years of state and local emergency management and emergency medical services experience to his position at FEMA. Prior to his appointment as Deputy Administrator, he served as Chief of Boston EMS and Assistant Director of the Boston Public Health Commission. In that role, he bolstered the city’s response plans for major emergencies, including chemical, biological, and radiological attacks. He also led citywide planning for H1N1 influenza. Mr. Serino has served as an Incident Commander for over 35 mass casualty incidents and for all of Boston’s major planned events, including the Boston Marathon, Boston’s Fourth of July celebration, First Night, and the 2004 Democratic National Convention, a National Special Security Event.

Since 1998, Serino has been a National Faculty member for the Domestic Preparedness Program. He was an original contributing member for the Defense Department’s Domestic Preparedness Training Program and Metropolitan Medical Response System. Serino has been involved, since its inception, with the Lessons Learned Information Sharing www.llis.gov network for emergency responders. As a consultant to the Pentagon and the Defense Department, Serino served on the 9/11 after-action team to assess medical consequence management policies and procedures. Serino attended Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government Senior Executives in State and Local Government program in 2000, completed the Kennedy School’s National Preparedness Leadership Initiative in 2005, and graduated from the Executive Leadership Program, Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Postgraduate School.

Sept. 24: Emerging Small Business Group Meeting

Member companies of the Government Technology & Services Coalition under $2.5 million in revenue are invited to join Elaine Kapetanakis, CEO of Kapstone Technologies, Inc., for a meeting to discuss the challenges and opportunities of starting and operating a small business and how to best leverage the vast resources available within the Coalition. This session will serve as the first meeting for the newly formed Emerging Small Business Group (ESB).

The Emerging Small Business Group’s Mission

The Emerging Small Business Group (ESB) was formed to provide dedicated programming and resources for Emerging Small Businesses (businesses with revenue <$2.5M). The group focuses on engaging emerging small business owners, understanding the numerous challenges of starting/growing a small business in the Federal space and marshaling GTSC’s vast resources of peers, owners, mentors, subject matter experts and online virtual tools to provide our members the knowledge and techniques needed to meet the challenges of growing a business.

ESB Chair: Elaine Kapetanakis, CEO, Kapstone Technologies, Inc.

Kapstone Technologies, Inc. is a Woman-Owned Small Business based in Reston, Virginia offering Information Technology Services to the Federal, state, and local governments.

Sept. 24: Mapping the International Sales Landscape in the Defense & Homeland Security Markets

In 2012, U.S. foreign military sales topped $65 billion. This panel will introduce small and mid-sized companies to some of the possibilities and pitfalls that accompany expanding into the international market. The speakers will discuss the types of opportunities available and how to access them, the differences between foreign military sales (FMS) and direct commercial sales (DCS) and how to leverage the U.S. government and foreign embassies in the D.C. area. This will be the first in a series of events designed to get GTSC members and other small and mid-sized companies thinking about the possibility of diversifying their revenues through international work.

Speakers:

Evan Croen

Director, Government Sales Research

Bloomberg Government

Evan Croen is the Director of Government Sales Research at Bloomberg Government. Evan worked at Boston Consulting Group, focusing on the energy, chemical and health-care industries, and at Duke Energy, where he researched strategies to reduce carbon emissions from Chinese energy production. He earned an MBA and master’s degree in environmental policy from the University of Michigan along with an undergraduate degree from Princeton.

General Mark T. Kimmitt (ret.)

Principal, MTK Defense Consulting

Former Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs

Former D/Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East Affairs

Brigadier General, US Army (ret)

The Honorable Mark T. Kimmitt advises firms on security and defense matters in the Middle East. He is also an on-air commentator for the al Jazeera English network, and a contributor to Oxford Analytica.

Until December, 2011, Kimmitt served as Executive Vice President of Advanced Technology Systems Company, a defense advisory firm with an overseas focus, principally in the Middle East

While in government service as a Presidential appointee, Kimmitt served as Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs in the U.S. State Department. In that capacity, he was responsible for worldwide State Department political-military issues, with particular emphasis on security assistance and defense trade, as well as serving as the principal liaison between the Departments of State and Defense.

From 2006 to 2008, Kimmitt served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East Policy. In this position, he was responsible for defense policy development, planning, and guidance to include operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and represented DOD in the 2008 Status of Forces negotiations with Iraq as well as leading DOD efforts to enhance security in the Middle East through the Gulf Security Dialogue.

Kimmitt served for over 30 years as an officer in the United States Army in a wide variety of command, operational, and policy positions with experience abroad in Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Korea, Germany, and Belgium.

Kimmitt is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and earned a Masters Degree (with Distinction) from the Harvard Business School. He is a life member of the Council of Foreign Relations.

Ambassador Marisa R. Lino (ret.)

Corporate Director, Homeland/Civil/Regulatory/International

Government Relations, Northrop Grumman Corporation

Marisa Lino joined Northrop Grumman Corporation as Corporate Director in Government Relations in January, 2009. From 2007 to 2008, she served at the Department of Homeland Security as Assistant Secretary for International Affairs as a career appointee. Prior to joining DHS, she directed the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Bologna Center in Italy from 2003-2006.

During nearly 30 years of distinguished service in the U.S. Foreign Service, Ms. Lino held overseas positions in Albania, Italy, Pakistan, Syria, Iraq and Peru. In her last position at the U.S. State Department from 2000 to 2003, she served as Senior Negotiator for Base Access and Burdensharing in the Bureau of Political Military Affairs. In this role, she led various negotiations with foreign governments on the legal and financial arrangements and coverage for military and civilian Defense Department personnel deployed abroad.

From 1996 to 1999 she served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Albania. She was Refugee Coordinator in Pakistan overseeing the Afghan refugee program from 1988 to 1990, during the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, a particularly active period. Ms. Lino acted as Deputy Chief of Mission in Syria for almost a year of her tour as Economic and Commercial Counselor at Embassy Damascus (1986-88). She served in Iraq from 1979-81, as Economic and Commercial Officer, the second year of which coincided with the start of the Iraq-Iran War.

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Ms. Lino has an M.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University where she was the first woman granted a Scottish Rite Fellowship from the State of Oregon. She has a B.A. in political science from Portland State University. She later attended the University of Zagreb (then Yugoslavia), for a year of graduate studies in political science. On a State Department-sponsored mid-career program, she completed a Certificate in Advanced Engineering Studies in systems analysis at M.I.T. She also was awarded an honorary doctorate of international affairs by John Cabot University in 1999. Ms. Lino earned a Presidential Meritorious Service Award, four Superior Honor Awards and one Meritorious Honor Award during her Foreign Service career. In 2003, she was selected for the Secretary’s Distinguished Service Award by Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Vangala S. Ram

Office Director

Bureau of Political-Military Affairs/Office of Region Security and Arms Transfers

U.S. Department of State

Mr. Ram was born in New York City. He is a first-generation American of Indian heritage. Mr. Ram was raised in the Middle East, where he attended elementary and high school in Beirut, Lebanon. After graduating from college, Mr. Ram served as a Military Intelligence (MI) officer in the U.S. Army on active-duty for over ten years in a variety of assignments that included a tour as a paratrooper in the Fourth Psychological Operations Group (PSYOPS) in the 1st Special Operations Command (Airborne), before joining the U.S. Foreign Service in 1992.
Mr. Ram has served in the NEA, AF, EAP, EUR and SCA bureaus with previous postings in Amman, Seoul, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Cologne, Banjul, Herat, Tunis and Riyadh in addition to Washington DC. During his nine consecutive overseas tours Mr. Ram served as Vice-Consul, First Secretary in the Management and Public Diplomacy cones, besides his assignment as Senior Civilian Representative to Regional Command (RC) West in Afghanistan and Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) in The Gambia.
Mr. Ram’s foreign languages include: German, French, Russian, Arabic and Persian-Farsi. He has earned awards during all his assignments and earned his MA in International Relations with Distinction from Boston University. Mr. Ram is a 2011 Distinguished Graduate (DG) of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF) He is married to Marion H. Ram, also a Foreign Service Officer (FSO), now assigned as the Country Affairs Officer in the WHA/CCA bureau in Washington DC.

Thank you to Mr. Brandon Torres Declet, GTSC Strategic Advisor, and RADM Donald P. Loren (ret.), both of GTSC’s International Outreach workgroup, for putting this program together.

GTSC’s International Outreach Workgroup

Mr. Brandon Torres Declet, CEO, SouthernCrux International, LLC & GTSC Strategic Advisor

Brandon Torres Declet serves as Chief Executive Officer at Southern Crux International (www.socrux.com). Brandon brings more than a decade of experience working among senior government officials internationally and at the federal, state and local level. He previously served as Counsel to Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) on the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and as Counsel to Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS) on the House Committee on Homeland Security. He was previously a Senior Fellow at the Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) at George Washington University, an advisor to the New York City Police Department (NYPD) Counter Terrorism Bureau and an adjunct professor at the Whitehead School of Diplomacy & International Relations at Seton Hall University. He also served as a senior analyst with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). Brandon earned a B.A. from Union College, a J.D. from the Fordham University School of Law and an L.L.M. from the Georgetown University Law Center.

RADM Donald P. Loren (ret.), U.S. Navy, President & CEO, Old Dominion Strategies

Don Loren is an independent international, national and homeland security professional, and a leading edge provider of Advisory and Assistance Services to government and commercial business. He formerly served as Special Assistant for National Security with The Tauri Group, a well respected innovator in systems-level strategic planning, technology assessment, and integration for the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and the commercial sector for mission critical projects for homeland defense, homeland security, countering weapons of mass destruction, and critical infrastructure protection. Prior to joining the private sector, Don was appointed as Bush administration Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Security Integration, where he was responsible for strategic planning and policy development, capability and resource assessment, domestic and NATO/international partnership Defense Support of Civil Authority integration and capacity building, congressional activities, strategic communications, and education issues related to homeland defense and homeland security. Additionally, in this capacity he represented the Department of Defense on the Homeland Security Council Domestic Readiness Group.