Key Advisors

Leo F.

Leo has over three decades of intelligence, technology, and business experience. He began his intelligence career as a technical security officer at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) where he held various positions in technology and management.

In 2003, he co-founded Tenacity Solutions Inc., and served as president and chief executive officer until 2014. He has held leadership roles at Creative Technologies Inc., and was a co-founder and director of network engineering and communications at Technology Exchange. He was also a senior principal business developer at Computer Science Corporation (now DXC.Technologies) where he was a link to the Intelligence Community’s needs and the company’s technical solutions.

Leo is a recognized visionary leader and entrepreneur with strong Intelligence Community and technology experience in enterprise information assurance across many technology segments. He is currently the interim executive director for the Helping Children Worldwide board of directors.

He has a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science from the Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, and is a graduate of the OPM-39 program at Harvard Business School.

Michael H.

Michael has over 42-years of progressive business management and leadership experience, with 25 years at the CEO and president level.

He built and ran Fiserv Federal Systems, a 1,000 employee, $60 million division of a Fortune 500 company. Michael was also the founder and CEO of Century Technology Services and Cytivity Corporation. Additionally, he has held key positions with Citicorp Information Resources, BancTec, and Sterling Software. Michael has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, TV news programs including CNN’s Money Line, and is frequently interviewed on news radio programs. He has testified before Congress, advised senators and representatives on emerging technology issues, and has consulted globally with business and government leaders.

Michael is a graduate of Virginia Tech, holds a Master’s degree in management from Central Michigan University and has attended the Executive Management Program at George Washington University.

Reginald H.

Reginald is the former Deputy Under-Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security (DUSDI), U.S. Department of Defense, the civilian equivalent of a three-star general.

He oversaw the intelligence elements of the Uniformed Military Services, the Company Support Agencies, including the National Security Agency (NSA), the National Geospatial Agency (NGA), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and the Combatant Commands Intelligence Directorates. Over his 30-year career, he has served as a senior executive in DoD, the IC, and the CIA.

Reginald has experience in policy, strategy, management, operations and technology. He is the executive director of the University of Alabama Cyber Initiative.

He has a Bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Alabama, a Master’s degree in public policy from the Woodrow Wilson school of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, and a JD from the University of Alabama School of Law. He has studied European Union Law at the Universite Libre de Brussel in Belgium and Public International Law at The Hague Academy of International Law at the International Court of Justine in the Netherlands.

Joanne I.

Joanne is the chair and CEO of Strategic Connections and Solutions. As a now retired career Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer, she has held many high-ranking intelligence positions including a five-year tenure as the Deputy Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA).

Additionally, she served as Deputy Director for Science and Technology, overseeing the agency’s technical programs. She has also held the position of Director of Congressional Affairs for the Director of the CIA, Deputy Director of the Resource Management Office of the Community Management Staff, and the Director of the Program Analysis.

After leaving the CIA, she was a senior vice president of L-1 Identity Solutions helping to develop and run the company’s federal market strategy. She also served as COO of High Performance Technologies, Inc. (HPTi). Previously, she was vice president and deputy general manager of network systems at BAE systems.

She is a member of the Director of National Intelligence Advisory Board, the Board of Trustees of Analytic Services, the Board of Directors of the Hertz Foundation and the CIA Officers Memorial Foundation. She has a degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Philip M.

Philip retired after a 30-year career in the Directorate of Science and Technology (DS&T) in the Intelligence Community.

His record of accomplishment as a senior program manager includes the fields of space, airborne and ground-based intelligence collection and processing. He has deep experience in signals intelligence, imagery intelligence, space communications systems, and systems engineering across the full life cycle of program management with an emphasis on acquisition, systems engineering and resource management. In 2015, the DS&T recognized Philip for demonstrating the essential attributes of the directorate: deep technical expertise, disciplined program management, and responsiveness to mission. Prior to joining the Intelligence Community, Philip spent nine years at the Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California. He was responsible for developing real-time process control software to control Electron Beam Lithography systems used to fabricate advanced integrated circuits.

Philip has a Bachelor’s. degree in computer science from California Polytechnic State University, San Louis Obispo, California and a Master’s degree in systems engineering from George Washington University, Washington, DC.

Richard W.

Richard recently retired as an executive vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton where he led the firm’s business with the U.S. Intelligence Community.

Prior to joining Booz Allen, he spent almost three decades in government as a military intelligence officer and civilian appointee, including executive director for Intelligence Community Affairs during the Clinton Administration and served on Vice President Al Gore’s national security staff, where he was responsible for intelligence, counterterrorism, and a range of global national security issues.

As a U.S. Navy officer, he co-directed the Joint Intelligence Center for Iraq during Operation Desert Storm and was the first director of information warfare at the National Security Agency. He had numerous overseas command and shipboard assignments while in the Navy. He has testified before Congress, was a member of two Defense Science Boards, and is a member of the Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age, and is a member of the Advisory Board for the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Richard has a Bachelor’s degree in Russian studies from Syracuse University and performed graduate work at Georgetown University. He is a distinguished graduate of the Naval War College and graduated with distinction from the Defense Language Institute’s advanced Russian language course.

Nicole G.

Nicole is a Senior Director with Springer Lawson & Associates (SLA) providing strategic consultancy services in business operations, growth, turnaround and succession planning for middle market government contractor CEOs and management teams.

Prior to SLA, Nicole was the founder and CEO of Government Contract Solutions (GCS), a government contracting professional services firm for the intelligence and civilian federal markets. GCS managed highly visible and mission critical IT programs around the globe for federal agencies. GCS excelled in identifying cost savings for its customers in large scale programs and federal budgets. Nicole led the Company since its inception in 1996 to a successful exit in late 2014. She provided strategic oversight and corporate guidance for the executive staff in the operations of the business. GCS employed more than 400+ highly skilled professionals and was an award winning leader in management consulting services. Nicole was a 2014 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist. GCS was included 5 years running on the “Inc. 5000” list. Prior to founding GCS, she was a manager with Booz, Allen & Hamilton and began her management consulting career at Planning Research Corporation, where, she led numerous process improvement initiatives that delivered significant cost savings to both firms’ portfolios of government customers. Nicole is an appointed member of the George Mason University (GMU) Foundation Board of Trustees, Chair of the Trustee Nominating and Governance Committee and an Executive Committee Member. Nicole holds a B.S. degree in Economics from George Mason University.

Jack H.

Jack is the Principal of Phoenix Financial & Advisory Services, LLC, a company that provides management consulting services to small and emerging companies in the Government and Commercial industries.

Jack is also a Principal Consultant with Altus Associates and with Cortland Advisors, which specialize in merger and acquisition services. In addition, Jack has functioned as a venture capitalist and an angel investor. Prior to his current roles, he served as Executive Vice President and CFO of Alion Science and Technology Corporation and helped found the company, and grew the company from $200M to $750M in five years. Serving as the Senior Vice President and CFO of BTG, Inc. he helped propel the Company in five years from a $50M to a $600M public company. Preceding BTG, he was the Senior Vice President and Corporate Treasurer of ManTech International Corporation and grew the company from $4M to $200M in revenues. Overall, Jack has been involved in 45 M&A transactions and nearly twice as many financing transactions, including 4 public offerings and virtually every form of debt financing. Having received a B.S. in Economics and Business with a minor in Political Science from Frostburg State University, he has performed graduate coursework in contract formation, contract law, government procurement, mergers and acquisitions, finance and financial management. Jack has also served on numerous corporate, trade association and non-profit boards.