News | GTS Coalition

GTSC Adds Leaders from Congress & in Ethics to Strategic Advisors

Washington, D.C., April 30 — The Government Technology & Services Coalition (GTSC), the premier organization for small and mid-sized companies in homeland and national security today announced that Tamla Tymus, former Subcommittee Director/General Counsel for the House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency under Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), and Amy Hutchens, former Special Assistant United States Attorney, Air Force Judge Advocate and CEO of CLEAResources, LLC have joined the Board of Advisors.

“We are excited to continue our tradition of excellence for our members by adding two very critical Advisors to our Board. Tamla has had a tremendous career with the Democratic leadership of homeland security in Congress, and Amy is at the forefront of ethics and compliance for federal government contractors. Their insights and engagement with us is an extremely added value for our members,” said Kristina Tanasichuk, Founder & CEO of GTSC.

“Small business has always been critical to the homeland security mission – former Chairman Thompson was very committed to assuring that innovative new ideas had a chance to germinate and grow,” said Tymus at the release. “I am drawn to the Coalition for that reason – a fair and equitable playing field for innovators and entrepreneurs interested in serving the homeland and national security mission.”

“Ethics in contracting has emerged as one of the most serious and critical topics to every government contractor. With False Claims Act suits and whistleblower protections, every company must take the requirements of the FAR and embed them in their culture. I am excited to work with GTSC members to achieve the highest ethical standards in the business,” said Amy Hutchens.

GTSC has added ethics certification to its Capacity Building programming to assure that small and mid-size companies have an easy way to assure their employees are trained and familiar with the ethics requirements of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). The first certification session, led by Hutchens, will take place May 6.

Members of the Board of Advisors provide input to GTSC’s programming, identify areas of collaboration, and increase the awareness and understanding of the Federal homeland and national security mission. GTSC works on behalf of its members with the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security, Defense, State, Justice and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Since its inception, GTSC has worked with these agencies to achieve mission in an increasingly challenging budget environment, advocate for the value of small businesses, increase understanding of mid-tier companies, improve market research and increase collaboration between the public and private sector.

A full list of GTSC’s Board of Strategic Advisors can be found here.

###
The Government Technology & Services Coalition (GTSC) is a nonprofit, non-partisan 501(c)(6) association of companies that create,develop and implement solutions for the federal homeland and national security sector. Our vision is to provide an ethical, effective platform for information exchange between the public and private sector on homeland and national security ideas, technologies and innovations. Our mission is to provide exceptional advocacy, capacity building, partnership opportunities and marketing in the Federal security space for small and mid-sized companies and to support and assist our government partners achieve their critical missions with the highest integrity; best and most innovative technologies; and results-based, quality products and services to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to and recover from any terrorist attack or natural disaster. For more information on these mentors and the Government Technology & Services Coalition, please visit www.GTSCoalition.com.

GTSC CBP Budget Outlook

Join us for GTSC’s annual look at the CBP budget, programs and priorities for 2015. Starting with an overview of the CBP budget and Congressional policy process, the afternoon includes in-depth panels on CBP’s IT outlook and mission areas. For more information please see the agenda and program below: (Please note, GTSC is going green! GTSC will not be PRINTING programs for our events, however, you may print or access them online.)

AGENDA: CBP AGENDA FINAL Apr 29

PROGRAM: CBP Outlook Program 2015

Every Single Government Contractor Joins GTSC During March Membership Madness

GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY & SERVICES COALITION OVERWHELMED AS EVERY SINGLE GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR JOINS DURING MARCH MEMBERSHIP MADNESS

Press Release GTSC April Fools

Washington, D.C., April 1 –The Government Technology & Services Coalition (GTSC), the premier organization for small and mid-sized companies in homeland and national security, announced today that every government contractor in the federal market joined during the organization’s March Membership Madness promotion. “Between the competition to win the iPad mini and the desire for the added benefits, we’ve simply been overwhelmed by this promotion!!” said Kristina Tanasichuk, Founder & CEO of the Coalition.

While the exact number is yet unknown, over 20,000 memberships have already been processed. “I’ve been invoicing 24/7 and our accounting system has crashed three times,” said Jon Ostrowski, CFO of the Coalition, “even at this rate it will take weeks to invoice all of our new members.” The organization, started only 4 years ago, has now grown to the largest non-profit group of companies in the world. At the end of the invoicing process, the federal government may finally know how many contracting companies actually work for them.

Members trying to read GTSC’s member newsletter, that welcomes and introduces new members to the group, had to scroll for three-an-a-half-hours to get to the “G” companies. “I was just trying to see how many of my referrals took up the offer,” said Randy Lange, Chief Growth Officer at Eagle Ray, Inc. “I mean, I really wanted that iPad mini!”

“We were thinking of using the new Apple Watch for next year’s promotion,” said Anne Crossman, Chair of GTSC’s Membership committee, “we’re not going to do that.” GTSC’s graphic designer – the creative force behind the organization’s member profiles – could not be reached for comment on his yacht in the Caribbean. The Washington Convention Center has already agreed to host the groups monthly meetings and over 890 banks have already contacted the Coalition to offer accounts and new services.

“We are thrilled by the support we’ve received from the government contracting community,” said Tanasichuk, “we couldn’t do it without you!”

4/28: CEO to CEO Roundtable with Eagle Ray’s Babs Doherty

GTSC is extremely pleased to announce this special CEO to CEO Roundtable with our honored guest Babs Doherty, CEO of Eagle Ray, Inc. Named one of the top 3 fastest growing companies in DC by the Washington Business Journal,and incredibly active leader at the Government Technology & Services Coalition, join us for an intimate conversation about success, growth, and serving the mission of our Federal clients. CEOs Only.

Learn more about Babs Doherty here.

Join us

Babs Doherty CEO Eagle Ray, Inc.

4/16: GTSC on Capitol Hill

MEMBERS ONLY EVENT
GTSC invites members to join us for our Annual GTSC Capitol Hill Day where we will visit with Members of Congress (MOC) and staff on key Congressional Committee’s and States/Congressional districts where individual GTSC members have a footprint. The purpose of this day is to (1) familiarize you with the inner workings of Congress and how it might impact your bottom line; 2) familiarize Congress with your work in their State/Congressional districts; and (3) familiarize Congress with issues that are important to the GTSC and its members.

While we spend a significant amount of time learning about the Executive branch –specifically DHS and other federal security agencies who have a need for our member’s services– we have only scratched the surface on our work with the Legislative branch. All too often, those doing business with federal agencies forget the impact Congress can have on agency operations and programs. While we are all painfully familiar with the impact of the government shutdown, beyond government shutdowns, we tend to forget that Congress has a say in every federal program, project and activity –particularly when it comes to funding. Simply stated: without Congress, agencies would have neither the authority nor the funding to enter in to contracts with you!

We hope you can join us for a day of educating MOCs and staff about your business, the importance of small and medium businesses in the homeland security space, and the GTSC.

We ask that you sign up ASAP. REGISTER. With the assistance of Cornerstone Government Affairs (www.cgagroup.com), we will schedule meetings, prepare meeting materials, attend the meetings with you, and give you a quick tutorial on “how to get the most from your Capitol Hill meeting”.

Tentative Agenda:

8:00-9:00 a.m: Convene at Cornerstone Government Affairs (coffee and bagels provided):

20 minute tutorial on “how to get the most from your Capitol Hill meeting”
Review meeting materials
Receive your meeting schedule
Meet your Cornerstone Government Affairs professional who will escort you around the Hill for the day.

9:30-5:00: Meetings with MOCs/Staff begin. Each meeting can be expected to last between 15-30 minutes and will take place on both the House and Senate sides of the Capitol in multiple office buildings. Be prepared to walk and talk…though not necessarily at the same time.

Join us to fulfill the mission of having a voice for our members in homeland and national security!

CBP Social Media Survey: Input Please

GTSC is working with U.S. Customs And Border Protection to help inform on how the agency can communicate with industry through social media. Whether you use social media or not, your input to this short survey would help tremendously. Please take the survey here.

MARCH MEMBERSHIP MADNESS!!

Dear GTSC Members and Friends,

It’s that exciting time of year when I hammer your inboxes during our Annual Membership Drive! Excited?!

Well, it could all end – with your help.

As most of you know, GTSC was founded four years ago by small businesses that were concerned about their voice in homeland and national security. They felt that the organizations, opportunities, and engagements in the Federal market did not represent their needs or pain points.

Together with our initial and subsequent members, we have built – brick by brick – an authentic, devoted, mission-focused organization that represents the journey of a successful small business: initial launch, expansion and growth, success to join the mid-tier league of “other than small” and finally, graduation to a mentor-size company.

In addition to the trusted environment we’ve created around our commitment to your business success, we have also developed projects and opportunities to forward significantly the Federal homeland and national security mission. Personnel security clearance, data breaches, cyber security, information sharing, de-briefs, market research and the RFI process – all of these project areas reflect our member’s unique position as both a partner, and a part of the supply chain of our security.

Thank you to all of our fabulous members who have made this journey possible. We hope you will take this opportunity to refer new members and help us grow to meet the increased demands of our success. We will make it worth their while.

You can refer new potential members to me, or to Anne Crossman, President of Vertical Jobs, who has graciously offered to Chair our membership efforts. And, if you’re the stellar member who refers companies who join in March — you may win an iPad Mini!!

Thank you again for your support and I look forward to a slew of new members during March Membership Madness!!

Yours,

Kristina

3/26 Elizabeth Zimmerman, Associate Administrator, FEMA

Join GTSC for an Insight session with Elizabeth Zimmerman, Associate Administrator, Office of Response & Recovery (ORR) at FEMA.

March 26, 2015
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Location TBA
Register

Associate Administrator Zimmerman is responsible for directing FEMA’s response, recovery and logistics programs and operations. ORR’s mission is to ensure the efficient and effective delivery of disaster response and recovery assistance to individuals and communities impacted by major disasters or emergencies. Ms. Zimmerman also fulfills the role of “Director of Disaster Operations” and has ultimate responsibility for coordinating and synchronizing all Headquarters operational response and related activities during major disasters or emergency activations.

Ms. Zimmerman was appointed and began her FEMA service in June 2009. During her tenure with FEMA, she championed the development, collaboration and publication of the National Disaster Recovery Framework, the Recovery Support Functions, and the Federal Disaster Recovery Coordination. She coordinated the implementation of the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act (SRIA), one of the most significant changes to FEMA’s statutory authorities in the Agency’s history. In particular, she managed the implementation of direct tribal declarations, authorized under SRIA, and worked to increase the understanding of the challenges facing Indian Country throughout ORR programs.

Day-to-day, Ms. Zimmerman provides strategic program direction for ORR components to successfully accomplish the Agency’s mission in accordance with the Administrator’s goals and priorities.

Ms. Zimmerman brings a wealth of state-level emergency management experience to her position at FEMA. Prior to her appointment, she served as the Assistant Director of Recovery for the State of Arizona. Ms. Zimmerman began her passion for emergency management with Utah’s Emergency Management.

GTSC Featured in MorganFranklin Voices of Value Campaign

GTSC is proud to be featured as a “Voice of Value” in a new campaign by GTSC member MorganFranklin to highlight the meaning of “Value.” The campaign hosts its own website with luminaries in the sports and professional world reimagining “value” in terms of what it means to people. From the campaign:

“To dig into the heart and soul of value, we’re getting personal. We are asking people to answer a number of unexpected and unlikely questions to get them thinking differently about value. What does value smell like? Fresh cut flowers? Salt water and suntan lotion? We haven’t asked that one yet … but we will.” To learn more about this exciting campaign, and to see what color is value to GTSC, click here.