For close to two decades, Navstar has delivered creative technology solutions and services to our growing list of federal government clients. We take pride in our expertise and relationships in the intelligence community, delivering data analytics solutions, enterprise infrastructure, cyber security, and custom learning solutions as a prime and subcontractor company that exceeds all measures of success.
As we move forward with our propriety solutions, we are leading the technology community. It both begins and finishes with people. First is our clients with specific needs and challenges that change daily with cyber threats and infinite amounts of data without direction. Next, is our Navstar team, technology professionals, data scientists, and creative thinkers who care about national security, the nation’s reputation as a global technology leader, and working to make a difference.
The closer you are to the mission requirements, the closer you are to the solution.
In 1999, Joanna Alexis was working on the front lines of the Y2K deadline frenzy. Global governments and private entities alike were racing against a potential threat – the clock. At midnight on January 1, 2000, would untold legacy systems cease to work? It was an exciting time to be in the computer industry. Joanna successfully guided a team where she was working through its Y2K fire drill. She emerged with an idea of how companies could and should respond to future technology threats. Her vision was for a company that provided expert support and creative thinkers who would use technology to support business growth. That vision became Navstar.
In the company’s early years, Joanna proved that her business offerings were valued and the company grew. Navstar, like all industries in the nation was hit by the recession. “I watched other technology companies reach for any contract they could during the recession to keep their employees on the payroll and stay afloat. I had a similar mentality. It was like running backwards on a treadmill. My vision was to help companies respond to threats using technology as a tool. The reality was that technology itself was becoming a threat.”
Navstar’s strengths were in staying a step ahead of technology changes, recruiting talent with vision and passion, and applying its skills on behalf of its clients. “I wanted Navstar to have a purpose and a focus. I took a chance and entered the government contracting industry.”
By building strategic alliance with technology, commercial partners, and large government contractors, Alexis made a successful market pivot into the intelligence community (IC). In 2014, Navstar graduated from a trusted sub-prime technology partner into a prime contractor winning awards at the Department of Treasury and the CIA.
Today, Navstar is a leading supporter of technology solutions, providing cyber security, big data analytics, data mining, systems engineering, learning, and management solutions. Navstar works with its partners to service the specific needs of their clients and also works directly with federal agencies under the GSA IT 70 Schedule.
Navstar has grown from Joanna’s original vision to a company with a hundred employees. Under her leadership, the company has developed an agile data analytics solution that is being called a game changer. The company has been positioned for growth with a reorganization from one to four business units.
Her executive staff and board of advisors share her vision and have the industry background and insight to see Navstar to its next goal to continue its development of a 100M qualified pipeline, and to build and support a professional staff capable of bidding on more than 25 proposals a year in the core markets of the Intelligence Community, Financial Crimes and Law Enforcement.
Beth Schiebler joined Navstar as a member of its executive team in 2010 in the role of Vice President of Corporate Accounts. Since then she has been promoted to Vice President Federal Partner Solutions, with overall responsibility for teaming strategy, execution upon award, and successful delivery for all of Navstar’s subcontract business with our teaming partners such as Booz Allen, Leidos, CSRA, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Praxis, General Dynamics, and many other large government contractors.
With more than 20-years of IT consulting services experience, Beth is continuously improving delivery and quality of life for Navstar customers and employees via a tireless effort and focus on quality and performance.
Beth’s experience includes working in both the public and private sectors in the areas of operations management, business development, service delivery, product development, and recruiting. She has played an integral role building experienced staffing delivery teams, developing repeatable solutions and launching software products.
Prior to joining Navstar, Beth owned and operated an IT consulting company focused on data warehousing and business intelligence.
Ernest Vogel joined the Navstar team in 2013 and was promoted to Director of Technology Services in 2017. Ernest manages and leads the day-to-day operations and personnel working on Navstar’s prime contract across the company’s four major business areas.
Prior to working with Navstar, Ernest was an information systems security engineer at General Dynamics, a network engineer at both Northrup Grumman and Netco Government Services.
Ernest is a former Naval Officer with deep technical skills in computer networking and operations. He served as an Intelligent Specialist and worked for the Fleet Combat Training Center Dam Neck.
Ernest has a Master’s degree in management from Strayer University and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Networking from Strayer University.
Jakob joined Navstar in 2018 and will be leading Navstar’s culture, training, and team-building efforts. With over 20 years of experience in business management, both in operations and in human resources, Jakob is effective at identifying and solving organizational opportunities. His balance of operational and HR management experience leads him to a focused, strategic approach of HR as it relates to building lasting cultures, strength in branding, and organizational efficiency.
Jakob’s experience covers all facets of HR in the for-profit sector from recruitment, onboarding, corrective actions, compliance, and employee relations.
Jakob is a dynamic trainer who has successfully authored and delivered E-learning systems, multi-day training workshops, classroom trainings and large forum speaking engagements. His personal core values include “being responsible to leave the world a better place.”
Navstar’s distinguished executive advisory board members are industry-leading thought leaders who have institutional and technical knowledge about all areas of the federal government, current government operational challenges, and future needs. Each member shares a vision for Navstar’s future as a leading technology solutions provider in the government space.
Together, with Navstar founder, Joanna Alexis, they operate as business and technology solutions think tank.
“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” John F. Kennedy
Leo Fox 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.
Mr. Fox 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 Harden 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. He 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. Mr. Harden 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.
Mr. Harden 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 D. Hyde 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.
Mr. Hyde 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 Isham 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 Merritt 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 Mr. Merritt for demonstrating the essential attributes of the directorate: deep technical expertise, disciplined program management, and responsiveness to mission. Prior to joining the Intelligence Community, Mr. Merritt 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. His last position at the Labs was Program Manager for
Mr. Merritt 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 Wilhelm 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.
Mr. Wilhelm 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 Geller 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, Ms. Geller 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. Ms. Geller 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. Ms. Geller 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, Ms. Geller 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. Ms. Geller 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 Hughes 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. Mr. Hughes is also a Principal Consultant with Altus Associates and with Cortland Advisors, which specialize in merger and acquisition services. In addition, Mr. Hughes 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. Mr. Hughes was also Senior Vice President and CFO of BTG, Inc. and helped propel the Company in five years from a $50M to a $600M public company. Preceding BTG, Mr. Hughes was the Senior Vice President and Corporate Treasurer of ManTech International Corporation and grew the company from $4M to $200M in revenues. Overall, Mr. Hughes 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. Mr. Hughes received a B.S. in Economics and Business with a minor in Political Science from Frostburg State University, and he has performed graduate coursework in contract formation, contract law, government procurement, mergers and acquisitions, finance and financial management. He has also served on numerous corporate, trade association and non-profit boards.