EKUBER - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Managing Partner
• Co - Founder and Managing Partner at EKuber Ventures Inc

Ajay is the co-founder and Managing Partner at eKuber Ventures Inc., a Systems Integration and Management Consulting business based in Northern Virginia. Under Ajay's leadership eKuber won the 2014 Computerworld Laureate award, was one of the ACT-IAC Innovations finalists and earned CMMI level 3 and ISO 9001 certifications. Previously, Ajay was with Lockheed Martin Corporation where as part of Corporate Strategy and Business Development, he led the New Business Initiatives, New Venture Development, and M&A in Defense, Renewable Energy, Nano Technology Applications and Information Technology Sectors. He also worked as a program manager for Large Systems Integration, Supply Chain, BPR and Lean Six Sigma Programs. Prior to Lockheed, Ajay was a Director with a Boston based investment bank for their mergers & acquisitions and private equity practice in Information Technology. Ajay spent most of his previous years with the big-5 consulting firms, with PricewaterhouseCoopers providing Management and Information Technology consulting services to fortune 500 companies and with KPMG Consulting, where he was a Director for the East Coast Enterprise Consulting Practice. Ajay has over 23 years of experience in Large Program Management and Value Based Strategic/IT services -specifically related to the areas of Strategic Planning, Operational Strategy, Enterprise Transformation, IT Strategy and Implementation, Performance Improvement, Lean Six-Sigma, Supply Chain Management (SCOR), Human Resources Management and Financial & Cost Management. He worked on large programs in Oracle, SAP, ERP, Business Intelligence, SOA, Enterprise Architecture etc. Named to the Lockheed's High Potential list, Ajay completed the Lockheed sponsored Harvard University executive programs including High Potential Leadership Program (HPLP). Ajay has a Masters in Business Administration with concentration in strategy & finance and a Masters in Information Systems from the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park. He has been elected to Phi Kappa Phi, American Financial Association and Beta Gamma Sigma honor societies. Ajay also holds a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) certification. Ajay is a Black Belt in Lean-Six Sigma and received Lockheed's highest award "NOVA" for building a framework to evaluate new business ventures focused on white space/adjacent markets. He also received Lockheed Award for corporate M&A project "CHESSBOARD". He was appointed to the Focused Logistics Executive Steering Committee. Ajay enjoys playing Tennis and Soccer. He is a native of Lucknow in India, and lives in Herndon, VA with his wife Anita and two daughters.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Advisory Board
• Chief Executive Officer of Catalyst ADV

Deborah Diaz is Chief Executive Officer of Catalyst ADV, a Principle Consultant with Deep Water Point and a member of 3 prominent industry Board of Directors. Previously, she was the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Deputy Chief Information Officer (DCIO) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Diaz was the senior level technology and innovation advisor providing visionary leadership to transform management of information technology capabilities and shared services to support and enable NASA's mission. She was responsible for revitalizing the planning, development and operations of the IT infrastructure program created to consolidate the $4.3 billion of Agency's IT and big data services. She led the development and implementation of NASA's technology infusion pilots and provided expert guidance on new technology investments, applications, and innovative solutions such as micro services, API development, and data/visual analytics. As an experienced technology executive, Diaz is recognized as a top agent of change who has provided innovative, business solutions and developed strong partnerships between industry and government. Her strong collaborative leadership in NASA's Open Government Initiative Plan, garnered a number 1 "Best in Government" vote for NASA for the last three years. She created high profile open venues such as International Space Apps Challenge, Women in Data, and Worldwide Coding Bootcamps. She instituted NASA's Data Science Program, authored the first comprehensive data management strategy for NASA and used agile development and new data micro services to streamline the EVA spacesuit program, "Doc in a Box" Program, and built a strong innovative technology community across NASA. Prior to NASA, as the Chief Information Officer for Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate, she developed and implemented $1 billion of high-profile, ground-breaking scientific programs and IT infrastructure. As she served to provide new and effective ways to fight the war on terrorism, she also served as the senior advisor on IT interoperability, biometrics, geospatial, and wireless technologies. As U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's DCIO, she helped transform USPTO electronic commerce and managed complex IT initiatives to modernize business process and data exchange systems. During Diaz's tenure as Deputy Associate Administrator of Citizen Services at GSA, she created the government's first electronic government-wide citizen portal and shepherded many public-private partnerships from concept to delivery. She has provided executive leadership to the President's Management Council and was the pioneer creating many of the first e-Government initiatives such as USA.gov (FirstGov) and USA Services. Diaz also helped blaze a trail to sub-Saharan Africa and Asia where she used her background in international business to help forge private-sector development, as an international consultant & with the Dept. of State and USAID. Diaz has received numerous prestigious awards including being a three-time recipient of FCW's "Fed 100" award, three time FedScoop "Top 50 Women in IT" and FedScoop's first Digital Innovator Award. Diaz has also been recognized for outstanding leadership achievements with GCN's "eGov Pioneer," Harvard Univ.'s Gracie Award, the March of Dimes' "Heroines in Technology" and the Washington Business Journal's "Women Who Mean Business" award.

Job Titles:

• President

He was the Acting Administrator of GSA, appointed by President George W. Bush, and the first GSA Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner. Mr. Williams was also the first Director of DHS's US-VISIT Program, the program, initiated by Secretary Ridge, that was successfully implemented at DHS to track the entry of foreign visitors with biometrics after 9/11. Earlier, Mr. Williams headed up IRS' Procurement organization and was asked by Commissioner Charles Rossotti to lead Program Management for IRS's then-troubled Modernization Program.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Advisory Board

Mr. Williams serves as a SAGE and the Co-Chair of the Chief Acquisition Officer's Council at the Partnership for Public Service. Mr. Williams has over 36 plus years of successful public and private sector experience, over 18 at the federal senior executive level, leading major program and acquisition organizations. Mr. Williams' other leadership roles include ACT-IAC Industry Chair; TechAmerica DHS Committee Chair; Strategic Advisory to the Government Services and Technology Coalition; and serves on the VA's Acquisition Academy Advisory Board. He is also a Mentor under two Mentoring Programs. He has received numerous awards, including: two Presidential Rank Awards; four FED100 Awards; Civilian Government Executive of the Year by Government Computer News; Service to America Finalist; Founder's Award, National Business Travel Association; Professional Services Council's Marc S. Ross Award; Admiral in the Texas Navy; Public Sector Partner of the Year, the Greater Washington Contractor Awards; Government Technology and Services Coalition's 2014 Market Maven of the Year Award; and 2010 American Council for Technology John J. Franke Award. Mr. Williams has an MBA from The George Washington University and a B.S. in Business from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Advisory Board
• Chief Information Officer ( CIO ) at the U.S. Department of Commerce

Steven I. Cooper was appointed Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the U.S. Department of Commerce by Secretary Penny Pritzker on June 16, 2014. As CIO, Cooper serves as the principal adviser to Commerce's 12 agencies' CIOs and the Deputy Secretary. He also leads development and implementation of the Department's enterprise-wide information technology (IT) strategy and operations, oversees the building and operation of a robust enterprise IT security risk program, and serves as an adviser on mission and business IT systems and services. Prior to joining Commerce, Cooper served as the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Acting Assistant Administrator for Information Services and CIO. Previously, Cooper was the Deputy CIO, as well as IT Director and CIO of the FAA's Air Traffic Organization, where he oversaw a team of 400 professionals working to ensure the operational excellence of mission support and business systems and the underlying technology infrastructure. In February 2003, Cooper was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as the first CIO of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) where, among other accomplishments, he developed the Department's first IT Strategic Plan. Prior to joining DHS, Cooper was appointed Special Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and served as Senior Director for Information Integration in the White House Office of Homeland Security. In this role, he launched the development of the National Enterprise Architecture for Homeland Security to address information integration within the federal government and the sharing of information with state, local, and relevant private-sector entities. Cooper also has more than 20 years of private sector experience, including working as Senior Vice President and CIO of the American Red Cross, where, most notably, he helped start the first-ever National Call Center to provide emergency financial assistance during Hurricane Katrina. Cooper was also a founding partner of Strativest, a firm focused on identifying emerging technologies applicable to homeland security, emergency response and preparedness, served as President of Fortified Holdings, and worked as CIO for Corporate Staffs at Corning, Inc. Previously, he also served in senior management roles with Eli Lilly Inc., Computer Sciences Corporation, MAXIMA, Inc., and CACI, Inc. In 2007, Cooper was named one of the Top 100 CIO's in America by CIO Insight. He was also named Government Civilian Executive of the Year by Government Computer News in 2003; a Titan of Technology by the Northern Virginia Technology Council; was a recipient of the Fed 100 Award recognizing the 100 Most Influential People in Federal Government Technology; and was named by the Washington Post as one of the Five to Watch while serving in the White House. Cooper has served as a board member and officer of several nonprofits and humanitarian organizations working to more effectively help people and emergency responders prepare for and respond to natural disasters. Cooper received a BA from Ohio Wesleyan University, and was honorably discharged as a Naval Air Reserve petty officer following service during the Vietnam War.