Chapter News

In February, the chapter hosted the Army Test & Evaluation Command (ATEC) for the first time in months. James Amato, executive technical director and deputy to the ATEC commander, presented ATEC's role in accelerating the Army's continuous transformation, beginning with an overview of this lesser known but highly important direct reporting unit.

Amato discussed ATEC's five lines of effort in its 2025-2026 campaign plan, including digital transformation, test and evaluation (T&E) capabilities and processes, and partnerships and engagements. He spent considerable time discussing ATEC's data mesh needs, which serve to support its campaign of learning and ongoing multidomain operations distributed live virtual constructive T&E.

The Small Business Spotlight Speaker for this event was Eleven Peppers Studios, a company with expertise in user experience, marketing, and branding for U.S. Department of Defense, federal and commercial clients. As a new feature, the chapter debuted its Community Support Table, which will feature local nonprofits and community organizations that align with the chapter's philanthropic mission. The inaugural Community Support Table was given to 91.1 WHFC, the student-run radio station at Harford Community College, which offers programming in STEM and veteran support.

The chapter's first luncheon of 2025 was held in January and featured an in-depth presentation from Nicholaus Saacks, deputy program executive officer (PEO), Program Executive Office-Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & Sensors (IEW&S). Saacks filled in for Brig. Gen. Ed Barker, USA, following a reschedule of the event to work around the National Day of Mourning for former President Jimmy Carter.

Presenting an all-new briefing and command video, Saacks delved into the PEO's focus areas of Army modernization, organizational agility and customer-driven partnerships. He highlighted the cross-cutting support that IEW&S provides to Transformation in Contact (TIC) and Tactical Exploitation National Capabilities-Army (TENCAP) initiatives, as well as alignment of the portfolio with Next-Generation Command & Control (C2) requirements. Saacks also touted the significant work that the PEO is doing to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) capabilities, providing soldiers and users rapid access to sensor data through Project Linchpin. He also provided insights on upcoming chances for industry to engage with the PEO.

Presenting to a sold-out crowd, the January Aberdeen luncheon also featured a Small Business Spotlight presentation by Global InfoTek Inc., a woman-owned small business specializing in enterprise application development, cloud engineering, cybersecurity solutions, data visualization, AI/ML and applied research and development.

In October, the chapter once again joined forces with the local Association of Old Crows (AOC) Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG)-Susquehanna Roost to offer a joint luncheon. Featuring a panel discussion by representatives of Project Manager Electronic Warfare & Cyber (PM EW&C), this event highlighted priorities related to the development and fielding of integrated capabilities for spectrum warfare.

The distinguished panelists included Noel H. Lynkew, product lead, Electronic Attack; Lt. Col. John P. Cross, USA, product manager, Terrestrial Spectrum Warfare; Lt. Col. Troy D. Merkel, USA, product manager, Electronic Warfare Integration; and Garry Moore, product lead, Strategic Spectrum Warfare. Each panelist provided an overview of their portfolio, including future priorities and upcoming opportunities for industry collaboration. This engagement with industry partners is critical to deliver Signals Intelligence and Electronic Warfare, Electronic Attack Protection Support, and Mobile and Adaptive Solutions for Joint All-Domain Operations. The event included an interactive Q&A session, led by moderator Fran Orzech, chief of the Tech Management Division at PM EW&C, and a Small Business Spotlight Presentation from DCI Solutions, a local small business with expertise in cybersecurity, artificial Intelligence, systems engineering, health care IT engineering, and program management.

The chapter would like to thank its panel of speakers for their insightful discussion and the staff at Water's Edge Events Center for hosting the event. The chapter would also like to thank its colleagues at AOC APG-Susquehanna for collaborating on another successful event, which drew in more than 100 attendees.

The chapter hosted a monthly luncheon in August, at Water's Edge Event Center in Belcamp, Maryland, featuring Ralph A. Troisio, deputy assistant director for Aviation and Electronic Warfare Systems under the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Developmental Command (DEVCOM) C5ISR Center Research and Technology Integration (RTI) Directorate. This public address marked Troisio's final engagement prior to his retirement from federal service after a storied career of more than 36 years.

Troisio's briefing covered the work that he supported under the Spectrum Dominance, Intelligence and Survivability portfolio, overseeing the Electronic Warfare and Survivability and Radar Division. His portfolio's mission is critical to the successful transition of RTI science and technology programs to the Army Aviation and Electronic Warfare communities. Following his presentation, Troisio took the opportunity to thank the community for its support during his career. Many of his friends and colleagues in the audience also shared congratulations, well wishes and stories from their time working together. Finally, Troisio showcased a challenge coin that was issued to him by AFCEA President and CEO Lt. Gen. Susan Lawrence, USA (Ret.), during her time in active duty.

This event also showcased The Cactus Group as the Small Business Spotlight Speaker, a local woman-owned small business with expertise in Cybersecurity, Risk Management Framework, information technology and operational technology, program support, project management and finance.

The chapter would like to thank Troisio for his years of service and for joining the group to present his farewell address. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors as he retires out of federal service!

The chapter held its annual AFCEA Aberdeen Golf Tournament in July at Ruggles Golf Course, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. With 20 sponsors and 100 golfers, the chapter's largest fundraiser for its Education Fund was a success once again. The chapter is proud to have raised $19,202 through this year's tournament, all of which will support its STEM Scholarships and Grants presented to students and educators in Harford and Cecil Counties.

The chapter would like to thank all golfers and sponsors for helping make the 2024 event a success. Special thanks to Independence (Title) Sponsor General Dynamics Mission Systems, to Mission BBQ for their generous donation of food for the catered lunch (offset by a sponsorship from OMNI Technologies) and to Wendorf Beward & Partners for donating a beautiful set of Odyssey by Callaway Putters for the chapter's new Closest to the Pin paid competition. For a full list of sponsors, please visit https://aberdeen.afceachapters.org/afcea-aberdeen-golf-tournament-2024.

Chapter President Lauren Beward also wishes to thank the staff at Ruggles for giving their time and energy to another fantastic event, as well as the volunteer planning committee who worked tirelessly to pull this together: Chapter Vice President of Events Lance Cassell; Emerging Leaders Advisor Aitzaz Nathaniel; Vice President of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Tia Crawford; Chapter Vice President of Women in AFCEA Outreach Brooke Eiser; Chapter Vice President of Sponsorship Tom Reed; and Sequoia interns Samantha Hotz and Shannon Myatt.

The chapter welcomed back its annual Scholarship Awards Dinner at the Water's Edge Events Center River Watch facility in June. Held for the first time since 2019 and generously sponsored by Data Systems Analysts Inc. (DSA), this event offered an opportunity to celebrate the recipients of the chapter's STEM Education scholarship and grants.

In 2024, the chapter donated $30,000 in scholarships to local high school and college students and welcomed several of its 2023 recipients to this year's event. Chapter Vice President of Education David Patrick, assisted by DSA Chief Operating Officer Kathleen Kirk, presented certificates of recognition to all recipients, including 2024 graduates from Havre de Grace High, Bel Air High and Aberdeen High; rising sophomores at the University of Delaware and the University of Maryland College Park; and returning 2023 awardees formerly of Aberdeen High, Fallston High, Notre Dame Preparatory High and Edgewood High.

The evening's program was flanked by a keynote address from Bharat Patel, product lead for Project Linchpin under Program Executive Office, Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & Sensors, and a closing address by former chapter scholarship recipient Matthew Patrick, computer scientist, Army Futures Command. Both speakers addressed topics of professional development, including the importance of taking risks in your career, pursuing higher education and certifications and finding a mentor. They also shared how they reached their own career goals.

The chapter wishes to thank event sponsor DSA, Water's Edge Events Center, Patel and Patrick for giving their time, resources, and energy to help the chapter recognize and celebrate its student awardees. Chapter President Lauren Beward would also like to thank the volunteer planning committee for this event, including Patrick, Vice President of Sponsorship Tom Reed, Emerging Leaders President Joe Robak, Treasurer Laura Thomas and photographer Francine Higbee. Finally, the chapter wants to congratulate all of its awardees for their outstanding academic achievements and wish them continued success as they take the next steps in their professional and academic careers.

The chapter welcomed Col. Shermoan Daiyaan, USA, the new program manager (PM) for Mission Command (MC) under Program Executive Office (PEO) Command, Control, Communications - Tactical (C3T) for its June luncheon. The PM MC develops, deploys and sustains integrated mission command and situational awareness capabilities for the Army and joint forces to enable movement and maneuver, command and control, fires, sustainment, protection, intelligence and engagement.

Daiyaan addressed the audience to discuss PM MC's Move to Modularity and collaboration with Science & Technology divisions on next-generation command and control capabilities. This includes a focus on aerial tier integrated tactical network experimentation. Daiyaan highlighted several upcoming requests for information and industry engagements planned to connect with the defense industrial base, including PEO C3T's upcoming technical exchange meeting in December 2024. The chapter's June event was held at Water's Edge Events Center in Belcamp, Maryland. The chapter would like to thank Water's Edge for hosting the function and Col. Daiyaan and the PM MC team for attending and addressing the audience.

In May, the chapter teamed up with the local Industrial Representatives Association (IRA) to host a joint luncheon event at Water's Edge Events Center in Belcamp, Maryland. This event came on the heels of another joint event in April, in which the IRA invited the chapter to collaborate on its luncheon, featuring the director of Project Linchpin, Bharat Patel. At the May luncheon, the chapter took the lead with the IRA as co-host to feature the executive director of Army Contracting Command-Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG), Danielle Moyer.

Now, with more than one year of tenure in this position, Moyer is working to shake up the usual perceptions of Army contracting and implement new methods to streamline and speed the process to award. Her presentation addressed how she is making changes to flatten the ACC-APG organization, remove red tape and layers of bureaucracy and empower her leaders to delegate responsibility in the hopes of streamlining the contracting process. She is also creating a culture shift in the organization to remove obstacles, involve industry in a transparent communication process, analyze and assume more risk and develop critical thinkers, as opposed to templatizing the contracting process. Her end goal is to make the best business decisions for the Army and award contracts faster, and we are seeing the results of these changes in recent market research initiatives for upcoming Army IDIQs that will focus on the rapid delivery of capabilities in emerging technology.

Moyer's presentation was rounded out with a Small Business Spotlight Speaker presentation by The Brite Group, an 8(a), HubZone, Small Disadvantaged Business that specializes in data management and data analytics. The chapter is thrilled to bring back its Small Business Spotlight Speaker series to highlight local small businesses in the community and provide them with a forum to share their knowledge and capabilities.

The first monthly luncheon of 2024 brought big things from the chapter, which hosted an engaging panel discussion with leaders from the Program Executive Office (PEO), Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors (IEW&S). Held in January at Water's Edge Events Center in Belcamp, Maryland, the event was co-hosted with the local Association of Old Crows (AOC), Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG)-Susquehanna Chapter.

Panelists included the moderator, Brig. Gen. Ed Barker, PEO for IEW&S; Mark Saxon, acting deputy project manager (PM) for Electronic Warfare and Cyber; Robert Zoppa, PM for Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO); and Stu Labovitz, chief engineer for PM Cyber & Space (C&S).

Addressing a sold-out room, the panel delivered an analysis of the new IEW&S portfolio, which included the stand-up of PM C&S in Summer 2023 and a major Army reorganization that realigned PM DCO under IEW&S from PEO Enterprise Information Systems in October 2023. Each panelist presented an overview of their respective area, including strategic focus, coordination with adjacent stakeholders, major project efforts and upcoming contracting opportunities. The discussion concluded with an open Q&A session with attendees.

The chapter would like to thank all those involved with coordinating this outstanding event to kick off the new year, including the staff at Water's Edge, the Executive Committee of AOC APG, and the administrative personnel at PEO IEW&S. The chapter would also like to thank its panel of senior leaders for dedicating their time to share insights and strategic changes within their organization with the APG community. In lieu of speaker gifts, the chapter makes a significant contribution on behalf of its speakers to the Fisher House Foundation, an organization that constructs comfort homes for military and veteran families to stay free of charge while their loved one seeks treatment at a military or Veterans Administration medical center.

The first monthly luncheon of 2024 brought big things as the chapter hosted an engaging panel discussion with leaders from the Program Executive Office (PEO), Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors (IEW&S). Held in January at Water's Edge Events Center in Belcamp, Maryland, the event was co-hosted with the local Association of Old Crows, Aberdeen Proving Ground-Susquehanna Chapter.

Panelists included moderator Brig. Gen. Ed Barker, USA, PEO for IEW&S; Mark Saxon, acting deputy project manager (PM) for Electronic Warfare and Cyber (EW&C); Robert Zoppa, PM for Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO); and Stu Labovitz, chief engineer for PM Cyber & Space.

Addressing a sold-out room, the panel delivered an analysis of the new IEW&S portfolio, which included the stand-up of PM C&S in Summer 2023 and a major Army reorganization that realigned PM DCO under IEW&S from PEO Enterprise Information Systems in October 2023. Each panelist presented an overview of their respective area, including strategic focus, coordination with adjacent stakeholders, major project efforts and upcoming contracting opportunities. The discussion concluded with an open Q&A session with attendees.

The chapter would like to thank all those involved with coordinating this outstanding event to kick off the new year, including the staff at Water's Edge, the Executive Committee of the Association of Old Crows, Aberdeen Proving Ground, and the administrative personnel at PEO IEW&S. The chapter would also like to thank the panel of senior leaders for dedicating their time to share insights and strategic changes within their organization with the Aberdeen Proving Ground community. In lieu of speaker gifts, the chapter makes a significant contribution on behalf of guest speakers to the Fisher House Foundation, an organization that constructs comfort homes for military and veteran families to stay free of charge while their loved one seeks treatment at a military or Veterans Administration medical center

In September, the chapter's Emerging Leaders convened at Bacco in Abingdon, Maryland, for a noteworthy session with Bharat Patel, product lead for "Project Linchpin" under Program Executive Office Intelligence Electronic Warfare and Sensors. A Rutgers University graduate in computer science, Patel's early career saw a significant pivot post-9/11 when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. While his tenure as a crypto tech was instructive, he recognized that naval life wasn't his long-term path.

Transitioning first to The MITRE Corporation and later to the U.S. government, Patel was deeply involved in pivotal projects, such as Project Maven and Signals Intelligence Modernization. During his discourse, he also highlighted collaborations with industry peers, including several retired Department of Defense and Army senior leaders.

At the forefront of innovation, Patel's current endeavor is the Army's initiative to provide a sustainable artificial intelligence operations pipeline. This project not only aims to integrate AI at scale securely but also focuses on continuous integration of machine learning capabilities into Army programs, ensuring that the U.S. Army remains at the cutting edge of technology.

Currently at the helm of "Project Linchpin," Patel's work aims to seamlessly integrate AI and machine learning into the U.S. Army's operational framework. The gathering offered attendees a unique chance to glean insights from Patel's professional journey, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and vision in leadership roles. As the defense and technology sectors continue to evolve, Patel's experiences serve as a valuable compass for emerging leaders in the industry.

The chapter would like to thank the Emerging Leader Vice President Aitzaz Nathaniel for coordinating and hosting the event. Additionally, the chapter would like to thank OMNI Technologies, Tenax Technologies and Emerald Technical for sponsoring the event.

At the February luncheon, the chapter hosted a special panel featuring the women leaders of the U.S. Army's Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center. Moderated by Kim Ploskonka, principal deputy director of the center's Engineering & Systems Integration (ESI) Directorate, this panel featured discussions from four of the center's key female leaders: Beth Ferry, assistant director of C5I engineering; Jami Davis, deputy assistant director for ground combat sensor systems at the Research & Technology Integration (RTI) Directorate; Marnie Bailey, division chief of the Power Division at RTI; and Denett Rose, division chief of program integration & engineering at the Prototype Integration Facility.

This guided discussion focused on the unique perspectives and challenges women face in the STEM and defense contracting arenas. Each panelist shared their thoughts on what it means to be a woman in a leadership position for the U.S. Army, as well as words of encouragement for other women and young professionals looking to advance in the field. This program offered a segue for the chapter to move into AFCEA International's focus on inclusion, diversity, equity and access (IDEA) programming and initiatives.

The chapter would like to thank the panelists for sharing their perspectives with members and for being incredible examples of women in leadership positions. The chapter looks forward to offering more IDEA programming for membership in the future.

In February, the chapter's Emerging Leaders debuted a new series dubbed "Leadership and Cocktails." The highly anticipated first event took place in February at Bacco Italian + Wine Bar in Abingdon, Maryland, and was sponsored by OMNI Technologies.

An informal presentation on leadership and an open Q&A took place with Giorgio Bertoli, assistant director for Spectrum Dominance and Intelligence Portfolio within the Army's Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center. With 28 years of federal service and 6.5 years as a combat engineer in the U.S. Army, Bertoli brought a unique and thoughtful perspective to leadership.

The Emerging Leaders are excited to present this new series. In many ways, leadership is similar to mixing a cocktail. You have a core shelf of ingredients to rely on, but you must also mix in your own new and unique flavors in the right quantity and at the right times to create a style that is uniquely yours. And, of course, it's always important to know whether to stir or shake things up. This series, planned every quarter, is sure to quench your thirst for knowledge.

The chapter kicked off the new year with the Association of Old Crows (AOC) Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) Chapter at a jointly sponsored luncheon at Water's Edge Event Center in January. The topic was 'Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Modernization,' and Dennis Teefy, project director, Sensors-Aerial Intelligence (SAI), and Lt. Col. Andrew Evans from the Army G2 ISR Task Force were the presenters.

Teefy and Col. Evans discussed how the future of the nation's ISR solutions would pivot from platform-centric to sensor-focused. The government is currently seeking next-generation solutions to stay strategically at the forefront of the industry. Contractors that can demonstrate their ability to integrate sensor technology in support of both current and future operations will have opportunities to ensure that the United States has near-peer capabilities and continues to set the global standard of ISR.

In addition to the speakers, the January luncheon included a Small Business presentation from Arcfield. AFCEA Aberdeen and AOC APG are grateful for Teefy and Col. Evans taking the time to share their extensive knowledge with members during the first event of 2023!

The chapter's Emerging Leaders banded together with the Aberdeen AUSA Young Professionals to present a co-hosted virtual webinar series for Aberdeen Proving Ground-area young professionals. Focused on the "Effective Use of LinkedIn" as a networking and development tool, the two webinars in November were led by Annie Brock, president and CEO of the Leader Transition Institute (LTI).

The first of the two webinars focused on advanced networking techniques for LinkedIn. Brock provided attendees useful insights on how to best locate and attract new connections. She walked through a series of interactive exercises to demonstrate helpful hints and methods to reach out and grow connection networks.

One week later, the second webinar focused on how to build a better profile. By request, Brock analyzed profiles of attendees to offer her opinions on what was done well and what could be improved. Each attendee walked away with ideas on how to strengthen their profile, whether through a new picture, updates to content or other means to catch the eye of recruiters and connections.

As the president of LTI, Brock is focused on helping service members and families transitioning from active duty to the civilian sector and veterans who want to reset their transition. Educating people about LinkedIn as an effective personal marketing tool is one of many ways that she advances this mission.

The chapter would like to thank Annie Brock for spending the time to educate young professionals. The chapter's Emerging Leaders focused on expanding collaborative events with other AFCEA chapters and local young professional organizations. This was a great program to add to the repertoire.

At the November 2022 Luncheon, the chapter hosted a panel discussion from the Program Executive Office (PEO) Command Control Communications-Tactical (C3T) and the Network Cross-Functional Team (CFT) under Army Futures Command. Held ahead of the December Technical Exchange Meeting (TEM) in Nashville, Tennessee, this panel provided members with excellent insight into the ongoing modernization activities within the U.S. Army.

Panelists included Nicholaus Saacks, deputy PEO at C3T; Tim Selph, deputy director for Network CFT; Lisa Bell, deputy program manager for Interoperability, Integration, and Services (I2S); and John Anglin, chief engineer for Project Manager Tactical Networks. In addition to a preview of TEM 9, the panel provided the audience an update on Capability Set (CS) 25, including the road to preliminary design review; an update on CS 27 design goals; and an update on network transport design supporting CS 25 and beyond. They emphasized a culture of continuous, rigorous development on the road to network modernization for the Army of 2030. The chapter would like to thank its panelists for taking the time to deliver such insightful updates to the audience.

In January, the chapter's Executive Council shared a chapter orientation update with Maj. Gen. Robert L. Edmonson II, USA, senior commander of Aberdeen Proving Ground and commanding general U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command.

The chapter overview included: membership, corporate sponsorship, educational support to STEM, awards and programs to better acquaint Gen. Edmonson on the chapter's mission in the community. The commander expressed interest in how the chapter can contribute to continuous learning points for Department of the Army civilians, professional development opportunities on the installation and support to Aberdeen Proving Ground activities.

In late October during a chapter luncheon, Joseph Welch, director of the Army's Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C5ISR), detailed how a recent reorganization is enabling the organization to meet the Army's modernization needs and how industry partners can provide support.

"I believe in accountability, so if we are given a mission to do something from a [science and technology] perspective it's not just a best-effort thing. We have objectives and we stick to them. I want to be very clear and upfront about where we see opportunity. I think that's only fair to us and to [industry]," said Welch.

In October, the day before the AFCEA TechNet Cyber conference start in Baltimore, Maryland, the chapter marked a milestone with its 10th Model Chapter Award in a row. Col. Bill Montgomery, USA (Ret.), chapter president, accepted the award for the chapter during the Awards Dinner event. The chapter continued to organize virtual professional events throughout the pandemic, connecting government, industry and academia to the Aberdeen Proving Ground installation.

In November, the chapter's Emerging Leaders held their fourth event in the now-regular series of Virtual Leadership Forums. The latest session highlighted leaders from the Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC), headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Maryland.

Moderated by Mike Bowen, a former chapter president, this engaging session offered an open, honest conversation on qualities of leadership, diversity in the workplace and ways to develop purpose in a team setting. Panelists for this event included Col. James R. West, USA, deputy commanding officer at ATEC-APG; Col. Brian Hoffman, USA, commander, U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground, Utah; Tina Allen, division chief for Programming and Force Management at the ATEC Directorate of Resource Management; and Todd Hudson, director of Technology and Investments at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. The virtual nature of this series offers a great opportunity to collaborate with senior leaders from geographically dispersed Army locations.

Attendees were treated to a variety of personal anecdotes and sage advice that they can apply to their own careers as emerging leaders. The Emerging Leaders would like to thank the panelists and moderator for providing a fantastic dialogue on what it means to be a leader in today's unique climate.

In August, the chapter organized its first in-person event since February of 2020. Over 130 guests met to hear candid soldier feedback from the operational community on Capability Set 21 technologies. Brig. Gen. (P) Rob Collins, USA, program executive officer, Command, Control, Communications Tactical, and Brig. Gen. Jeth Rey, USA, director, Network Cross Functional Team, and panelists, discussed how the Army is conducting soldier touch points across all formations to include Infantry brigade combat team, Stryker brigade combat team, armored brigade combat team, Division, Corps and expeditionary signal battalion-enhanced, and how the Army is using this direct feedback to innovate and improve future network capability sets.

In July, the chapter organized its annual golf benefit event raising over $20,000 for local scholarships, grants and teacher science toolkits. Over 90 golfers and 18 local sponsors supported this annual fundraiser supporting the highly successful AFCEA Educational Foundation. The chapter's Educational Program funds teachers and students from elementary school through college with STEM grants and scholarships. Since 2011, the chapter has provided over $400,000 in education funds focused on developing both STEM educators and the future Aberdeen Proving Ground community workforce.

The event was held on the Aberdeen Proving Ground Ruggles Golf Course. By hosting this venue, the chapter was able to support the Installation Army Morale, Welfare and Recreation fund, providing financial support to local installation programs benefiting soldiers and their families.

In June, the chapter hosted a webinar featuring Thomas McGrath from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). McGrath is the deputy director for program and resource management in the SBA's Office of Government Contracting and Business Development.

Along with colleagues Kelly Jackson and Garrison Anderson, McGrath provided a general overview of the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contracting Program, emphasizing recent procedural changes to the certification process. To help provide a level playing field for women business owners, the government limits competition for certain contracts to businesses that are certified in the WOSB Federal Contracting Program.

In accordance with the new process, as of October 15, 2020, all WOSB firms must submit documentation to become certified in the new portal to compete for WOSB Federal Contracting Program set-aside contracts. Be sure to check the SBA's preparation checklist of essential documents to prepare for applying for certification at https://beta.certify.sba.gov.

During the session, attendees engaged in meaningful discussion with the speakers to better understand how recent changes will lead to improvements in the program, as well as the types of resources that are available to help guide companies through the process.

WOSB prime contracting is at an all-time high. In fiscal year 2019, there were over 15,000 WOSB prime contractors, with over $26 billion in awards. To learn more about the WOSB Federal Contracting Program, please visit http://www.sba.gov/wosbready.

In April, the chapter's Emerging Leaders hosted their third quarterly leadership forum featuring John Willison, deputy to the commanding general, Combat Capabilities Development Command, and Nancy Kreidler, director, Cybersecurity and Information Assurance, Army CIO/G-6.

This incredibly engaging session provided another unique opportunity to openly discuss leadership qualities in the time of COVID, career progression, the power of networking and mentorships, the importance of higher education and training, and much more. The virtual leadership forums are geared toward both young professionals and those who recently transitioned into a career in the government contracting space.

This third event gave attendees a unique chance to ask questions, seek advice, enrich professional networks, and potentially develop mentor-mentee relationships. Willison and Kreidler (both of whom are certified leadership coaches) openly presented their thoughts and experiences on personal development and how this led to their leadership styles. This interactive session, full of both laughs and poignant moments, provided attendees with real-world lessons to apply to their personal journeys.