NCMA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- President of Alliance Cyber
Alexander "Alec" Hall, the President of Alliance Cyber, is a leader of innovation and dedication in the cybersecurity realm. A native of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, Alec's journey in cybersecurity began with an illustrious 28-year career in the US Air Force, culminating in the highest enlisted rank of Chief Master Sergeant. His military tenure is marked by his defense of critical command, control, and intelligence networks, spanning small campuses to global operations.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of BAE Systems, Inc
Alice Eldridge is senior vice president, General Counsel and Secretary of BAE Systems, Inc., responsible for all legal matters associated with BAE Systems, Inc. and its businesses, which collectively employ more than 34,000 employees in the United States, United Kingdom, and Sweden, and generated sales of approximately $12.5 billion in 2021. She is also responsible for the organization's Contracts, Security, Ethics, Compliance and Export Control functions. Additionally, Eldridge is a member of the BAE Systems, Inc. Board of Directors and Vice Chair of the FNSS - Savunma Sistemleri A.Ş. Joint Venture Board of Directors.
With more than 30 years of legal experience, Eldridge was appointed to this position after serving as vice president and Chief Counsel for the BAE Systems, Inc. Platforms & Services sector, comprised of the Combat Vehicles, Weapons Systems, Ship Repair, Protection Systems, Ordnance Systems, and Hägglunds business units.
Prior to joining BAE Systems in 2012, Eldridge held a number of leadership positions in the legal function for Lockheed Martin Corporation. During her tenure, she also served as vice president of Ethics and Business Conduct.
Eldridge earned her bachelor's degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of Vermont at Burlington, and she holds a Juris Doctor degree with honors from the George Washington University, National Law Center in Washington, D.C.
Job Titles:
- Principal of the Law Offices of William Weisberg PLLC
Bill Weisberg is the principal of the Law Offices of William Weisberg PLLC. He founded Law Offices of William Weisberg PLLC in 2013 after practicing government contract law in large law firms for over 25 years, the last 10 of which he chaired the Government Contract practice groups of two international law firms. He represents prime and subcontractors and grantees in all phases of government contracts and related areas, including protest and claims litigation, counseling, compliance, and the transactional and intellectual property aspects of government procurement.
Job Titles:
- Manager of Procurement System
Bryan Felber is the Manager of Procurement System Integrity at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. Bryan is chiefly responsible for maintaining a Government approved purchasing system. He has been a member of NCMA for ten years, is a Certified Professional and Federal Contracts Manager (CPCM and CFCM) and has contributed articles to Contract Management Magazine, one of which was referenced in the CPCM Study Guide.
Bryan has been in the Aeropsace & Defense industry for 37 years with companies such as Boeing, General Dynamics, Rohr Industries, and Cubic. About 27 years of his tenure at these companies has been in contracts, subcontracts, and purchasing-related fields, including contract and subcontract management, material proposal estimating, and cost analysis. He has also worked in production operations, cost management, and finance.
Bryan earned an MBA from San Diego State University (SDSU), a Certificate in Contracts Management from SDSU, and a certificate in Cost Analysis from USD.
Job Titles:
- Counsel in Crowell & Moring LLP 's Government
Charles Baek is a counsel in Crowell & Moring LLP's Government Contracts Group. Charles represents government contractors in both litigation and counseling matters. His practice focuses on contract claims/disputes under the Contract Disputes Act (CDA), litigation before the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA) with particular focus on cost and pricing-related disputes, litigation before the Court of Federal Claims with particular focus on Tucker Act claims based on money-mandating statutes, prime-sub disputes, federal regulatory and ethics compliance and due diligence, bid protests before the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and False Claims Act (FCA) investigations. His practice also includes state contracting due diligence and litigation before the Court of Federal Claims.
Job Titles:
- Founder of Veteran 's Last
Colonel Claude Schmid, Founder of Veteran's Last Patrol, retired from the Army in 2013 after 31 years of military service in combat units around the world. During his two tours of duty in Iraq, he commanded a combined US-Iraqi Infrastructure Security Force which secured, defended, and assisted in the rebuilding of Iraq's Northern Energy Infrastructure. He returned to Iraq as Commandant of the new Iraqi Military School System. Before retiring, Claude served as the Chief of the Army's Wounded Warrior Flight Program, which welcomed thousands of wounded warriors back from Iraq and Afghanistan for medical treatment. Serving in this capacity-witnessing their hardship and pain, and hearing their stories-reaffirmed for him the unbreakable strength of America's Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, and Airmen.
A first-generation American, Claude was born in New Jersey to Swiss parents. He is an avid student of history, politics, and good books. He holds degrees in economics and government, a Master's Degree in Business Administration, and a Master's in Strategic Studies from the Army War College. He is a member of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the International Churchill Society, and serves on the New Jersey Board of Directors of Operation Homefront. Colonel Schmid is the author of the action war novel, Princes of War: A Novel of America in Iraq.
Job Titles:
- President
- Attorney / President, NCMA Space Coast Chapter
Job Titles:
- Toys for Tots Coordinator
Ms. Farias has been a Toys for Tots coordinator for the past five (5) years. The areas she manages for donations include Scottsmoor to Rockledge, Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach and Merritt Island.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- President
- Founder and CEO of the Society of Emotional Intelligence ( SoEI ) International
Dr. Hank" is founder and CEO of the Society of Emotional Intelligence (SoEI) International, LLC - an organization created to bring emotional intelligence into practice in all walks of life including schools, families, organizations, and communities.
He also maintains a private practice as an Emotional Health Wellbeing Specialist and Emotional Intelligence Coach. His focus: Anger, Anxiety, Impulse Control, Self-Esteem and Stress tolerance. The focus of these non-medical services is aimed at maintaining
Job Titles:
- NASA NAIL Program Lead, Senior Procurement Analyst, CPCM, CFCM
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, Suspension, Debarment, and Corporate Responsibility
Job Titles:
- Holland & Knight, Partner
Job Titles:
- Director of Finance
- Independent Team Beachbody Coach
Felicite Hawkins is passionate about Wellness and Health and is currently a Coach helping others to realize their health and fitness goals.
Felicite has served as Director of Finance with extensive experience in financial management, accounting operations and contract management. Proven capabilities of developing and implementing metrics related to financial strategies, business planning, budgeting, forecasting, DCAA Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) compliant pricing, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, contract administration and strategic planning. She has also served in roles as Project Director/Controller, including 13 years as Chief Financial Officer at the Native American Industrial Distributors, Inc.
Job Titles:
- Director of Procurement at NASA 's John F. Kennedy Space Center
Gerald Norris is the director of Procurement at NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He is responsible for leading and managing the overall operation of Kennedy procurement activities, including planning and implementing acquisition strategies, issuing solicitations, conducting negotiations, processing awards, and administering contracts for Kennedy programs and projects, as well as enterprise-wide institutional portfolio contracting activity totaling over $40B.
Experience
He previously served as procurement officer and senior procurement official for Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, where he was responsible for providing a $4.7B acquisition management program for NASA.
Norris joined the NASA team in 2006 with the Stennis Office of Procurement, where he served in various progressive leadership capacities, including contracting officer in the Center Management Support Division, Program Management division chief, and deputy procurement officer.
Norris began his government career in the United States Air Force, where he served his country for over 21 years.
Education
He holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Park University in Parkville, Missouri.
Job Titles:
- COO
- COO, CIO, CMMC RP, Strong Connexions
Jared Hoskins is a highly accomplished, and results-oriented Executive with proven experience leading full life cycle of product and program portfolio delivery. He's worked across a broad spectrum of industries and implemented the development of organizations cyber forces, strengthened their cyber defense, resilience, and deterrence posture.
Jeff Clayton has been with Baker Tilly since 2005. He has over 20 years of industry and consulting experience in government contracting and commercial environments, providing a broad range of pricing, government contract compliance, and dispute/litigation related services to government contractors and their legal counsel. He frequently works with clients to support their federal market goals, to include the preparation of GSA/VA FSS proposals, option extensions, and other agency procurements, in addition to providing guidance and assistance with a wide variety of compliance-related issues. He assists his clients with the development of compliance programs, OIG audit package preparation and support, contract claims, contractor self-disclosures under the mandatory disclosure program, and provides support on DOJ investigations that may stem from qui tam suits brought under the False Claims Act.
As Founder and CEO of Axim Fringe Solutions Group. Jim's own journey from the U.S. Marine Corps to where he is today is closely related to that of his firm. Following an Honorable Discharge for Medical Reasons from the U.S. Marine Corps, Jim began a career in the health insurance business working for United Healthcare (UHC), where he re-established UHC's small business platform in the state of Maryland.
Since 2004, Jim built on that experience by working with a small private benefits brokerage and financial planning firm, where he spent six successful years. This was a formative experience that reinforced for Jim the value of solid business practices and relationships. This experience and commitment to returning true value to the client allowed Jim the chance to start and build Axim Global Strategies Group, LLC (Axim GSG). Utilizing proper risk analysis and customized strategies by clients, Axim GSG has consistently well outperformed the market year over year.
In 2011, Jim created Axim Fringe Solutions Group, LLC to partner with government contractors as an SDVOSB (Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business) providing consulting, benefits administration, and DOL / ACA compliance services for wage determination contracts (Service Contract Act and Davis-Bacon Act). Jim is still the CEO of Axim Fringe Solutions Group, LLC (Axim FSG) - the nation's first and only health and welfare administration and compliance firm that is a government contractor. As CEO, Jim oversees all aspects of the business and assists clients and teams build the best solutions for benefits and administration of Health and Welfare while understanding the impact of the various requirements and nuances therein.
Job Titles:
- Director, Government Contract Consulting / RSM US LLP / McLean, Virginia
Job Titles:
- Director, Government Contract Consulting / RSM US LLP / McLean, Virginia
Mark Hijar - Chief Legal Officer
Job Titles:
- Corporate Counsel
- Founder of ProcureLinx
Mark is former corporate counsel and current Founder of ProcureLinx LLC and the Federal Supply Chain Management Organization (FSCMO).
As corporate counsel for a publicly traded government contractor, Mark negotiated more than 8,000 agreements and contracts; developed all corporate OCI Mitigation Plans and supported the Business Development function on behalf of the Legal Department; oversaw purchasing system administration including both day to day compliance and acting as POC during CPSRs; acted as primary POC for all export issues; and oversaw management of corporate intellectual property for all affiliates and divisions.
As the founder of ProcureLinx, Mark has acted as the subject matter expert (SME) on more than 100 successful CPSRs and actively supports government contractors who are looking for efficient and cost-effective approaches to federal supply chain management. ProcureLinx maintains a growing library of online training sessions and provides two software products for federal supply chain management: Pro (CPSR-Compliant Internal Review Application); and ProFile (CPSR-Compliant Subcontract Management System with an exclusive Regulatory Rule Logic functionality).
Mark's specialties also include corporate policy and process streamlining, small business utilization, property system management, estimating system preparations, and issues specifically related to manufacturing in both the commercial and government marketplaces.
In addition to consulting and training on federal supply chain management issues for contractors large and small, Mark has acted as an expert witness regarding the intersection of federal regulatory requirements and performance during Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and has directly lobbied HASC and SASC to provide expedited avenues for small and other nontraditional businesses to gain purchasing system approval to qualify for award of large Indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity prime contracts.
Job Titles:
- VP / GM Defense, Belcan Government Solutions
Job Titles:
- Counsel and Contracts Manager at NORC at the University
Michael Levy is Counsel and Contracts Manager at NORC at the University of Chicago-an objective, nonprofit, research institution that delivers reliable data and analysis to help governmental, international, and commercial clients guide critical programmatic, business, and policy decisions.
Mike has broad expertise with cybersecurity issues in government contracting and has advised both industry and U.S. government agencies on cybersecurity regulations. Before joining NORC, he was a Manager in the Contracts organization at Northrop Grumman Corporation and a practicing attorney for state and local governments.
Job Titles:
- Chief Learning Officer With SMEs
Job Titles:
- Counsel in the Government Contracts Group in Crowell & Moring
Michelle D. Coleman is a counsel in the Government Contracts Group in Crowell & Moring's Washington, D.C. office. Michelle advises clients from diverse industries in connection with contract disputes and other government contract matters, including Contract Disputes Act (CDA) claims and requests for equitable adjustments, fiscal law questions, prime-sub disputes, and bid protests.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Procurement at Kennedy Space Center
- Associate Director, Procurement, NASA Kennedy Space Center
Ms. Brooke Robison became the Associate Director of Procurement at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in September 2023. She has over twenty years of government acquisition and program management experience. As the Associate Director of Procurement, she is responsible for planning, coordinating, and supervising the organization, administration, and management of contracts for multiple product lines with an enterprise-wide contracting portfolio totaling over $40B.
Experience
Ms. Robison started her federal service at the Pentagon supporting the Defense Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) initiative for the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and Environment. In 2004 she began working for the Navy Engineering Logistics Office (NELO) as a contract specialist and contracting officer. There she managed and administered various types of large-scale government contracts in excess of $250 million supporting major ACAT I Naval weapon system programs. She then took a position with Naval Facilities, Atlantic (NAVFAC) contracting for construction and environmental services. Ms. Robison was a Contracting Officer with the NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center, Norfolk. In 2012 she was assigned to the office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Acquisition and Procurement (DASN AP) as an Acquisition Specialist. During her tour, she assisted the Services Acquisition organization better manage and oversee the DoN's services spend of $31.2 billion. Following her time at NAVSUP, she worked as the Deputy Director of Contracting for the Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC). She was the Deputy Director of Contracting for the Navy SEALS during the Osama bin Laden raid. In 2014, she transferred to the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California as a Contracting Officer. Following that, Ms. Robison became the Director of Contracts for the
Department of Veterans Affairs within the Network Contract Office 21. She also has private sector experience as a consultant for CGI-AMS.
Education
Ms. Robison received her Bachelor of Administration degree with a Marketing concentration from James Madison University in 2003. In 2010, she received an Executive Master of Business (EMBA) from San Diego State University. Ms. Robison also graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School in June 2020 with a Master of Science (MS) in Program Management.
Job Titles:
- Partner in Crowell & Moring LLP 's Government
Olivia L. Lynch is a partner in Crowell & Moring LLP's Government Contracts Group. She advises government contractors on navigating the procurement process as well as compliance and ethics. She advises on all manner of small business government contracting issues, including certification as to small business size and status, participation in Small Business Administration programs such as the mentor-protégé program and the 8(a) Business Development program, and compliance with requirements such as the limitation on subcontracting and small business subcontracting plan requirement. Olivia counsels large and small contractors on small business issues in the context of procurements, deals, investigations, and False Claims Act litigation. She has an active bid protest docket and has been involved in agency-level protests, bid protests before the Government Accountability Office and the Court of Federal Claims, and size protests and appeals before the SBA and its Office of Hearings and Appeals. In addition, this past year, Olivia has advised clients on the Paycheck Protection Program.
Sara Brown started her contracting career as an Air Force civilian in 2005 and has had the pleasure of supporting both Industry and Government during her 16 years in the contract management profession. She joined Airbus OneWeb Satellites in 2021 as their Head of Government Contracts in 2021.
Sara earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Oklahoma State University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma. She has taught introductory Marketing courses for Oklahoma State University (Go Pokes!) and is president elect for Oklahoma State's Spears School of Business Alumni Board of Directors.
Sara is a graduate of the National Contract Management Association (NCMA) Contract Management Leadership Development Program and has served the NCMA community in varying leadership capacities since 2008 including NCMA's National Board of Directors. She is a NCMA Certified Federal Contract Manager and is a NCMA Fellow. She has received several awards for professional achievement, including the Secretary of the Air Force Professionalism in Contracting Award, Oklahoma State University Spears School of Business Outstanding Young Alumni, and Denver's Top 40 under 40.
Job Titles:
- President / CEO Soraya Correa & Associates, LLC
MG Ted Harrison, US Army (ret) is currently the Vice President and General Manager for Defense at Belcan Government Solutions. In this role he is responsible for Belcan's Defense Business including program performance, business strategy, and organic growth. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Contract Management Association.
General Harrison's last military assignment was as the Director of Operations for the Deputy Chief of Staff, G9, Installation Management. As the Director of Operations, General Harrison was responsible for overseeing the development and coordination of program requirements, strategy, and policies pertaining to facilities, military construction, energy, real property asset management and BRAC properties that support Army objectives and improve the quality of life for Soldiers, Civilians, and Families.
General Harrison was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Defense Artillery after graduating as a Distinguished Military Graduate from Virginia Tech in 1980. He has served in numerous command and staff positions throughout his career. Most recently, he served as the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Contracting Command.
He is a graduate of the US Army War College Fellowship Program at the University of Texas, Austin. He holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Frostburg State University, MD., and a Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management from Virginia Tech. He is a graduate of the Air Defense Artillery Basic Course, Aviation Officer Advanced Course (with honors), Defense Program Managers Course, and Command and General Staff College. General Harrison is Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act Level III certified in both contracting and program management.
Early in his career General Harrison served as a Hawk Platoon Leader in the Republic of Korea and as a Vulcan and Stinger Platoon Leader in the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC. After completing Rotary Wing Flight Training he served as an Aero Scout Platoon Leader, Flight Operations Officer, and Air Cavalry Troop Commander in 4th Squadron, 12th U.S. Cavalry, Fort Polk, Louisiana.
General Harrison's acquisition career began at Letterkenny Army Depot, PA, where he served as a Contracting Officer and Executive Officer to the Depot Commander. He also served as Director of Contracting, Osan Air Base, Korea; Weapons System Manager for Aviation Ground Support Equipment, U.S. Army Aviation and Troop Command; and as Army Section Chief, Office of Defense Cooperation, U.S. Embassy, Rome, Italy. His acquisition command assignments include Commander of Lima Army Tank Plant, Lima, Ohio; Commander, 410th Contracting Support Brigade, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Commanding General, Expeditionary Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal; Commanding General, U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal. Other key assignments include Chief of Staff, Joint Contracting Command (Iraq/Afghanistan); Director, Procurement Operations for Iraq and Afghanistan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Procurement); and Director of Contracting, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
General Harrison and his wife Wendy have four children and four grandchildren.
Job Titles:
- VP, Programs and Education
Job Titles:
- Founder / CEO THINK Acquisition
William joined Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) in 1995 as a Navy Contracting Intern under the Outstanding Scholar Program after graduating from Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, WV.
In 2004, William was selected to be the Assistant Commander for Contracts/Head of Contracting Activity (HCA) at Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC), Quantico, VA. In 2009, at age 39, William was selected into the Senior Executive Service (SES) as the Director of the Procurement Oversight and Support within the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer, Department of Homeland Security, Headquarters.
In July 2010, William was selected to be the Director, Office of Acquisition Management/Head of Contracting Activity (HCA) for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In 2013, William accepted an assignment in Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO), the largest ICE operational program, as the Assistant Director for Operations Support supporting more than 7,900 law enforcement officers in the areas of Human Resources, Budget, IT & Mobile infrastructure, Facilities and Fleet Management totaling in excess of $3.1 billion annually.
In August 2016, William retired from the federal government with over 26 years of public service. After retirement, he joined the acquisition consulting firm ASI Government as an Acquisition Fellow, Senior Consultant, and Facilitator/Instructor.
In 2019, William founded THINK Acquisition to focus on increasing the individual and team effectiveness of all participants (public and private) in government contracting in the areas of acquisition, contracting, program management, and leadership. William is a decorated United States Navy veteran (1988-1993), a David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award winner (2008), and the recipient of the Navy/Marine Corps Meritorious Civil Service medal (2009).