All Things of Interest to the Government Contracting Community
Last Chance Showcase Speaker Bios - Scroll Down
Speaker Schedule:
9:30 AM: Opening Remarks - Richard Lewis – Financial Engineering Counselors, Ltd
9:40 AM: Bill Blumberg - Federal Contract Solutions, DFAS Ombudsman (Ret.) - Introduction
10:00 AM: Tom Leney Executive Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization] Executive Director, Small and Veteran Business Programs
10:30 AM: George Sigalos
11:00 AM: Vice Admiral Lou Crenshaw (Ret.) - Crenshaw Consulting Associates - "Navigation 101. A short course in staying on course for small businesses."
11:30 AM: Kevin Swatt - E.COHEN AND COMPANY, CPA's
12:00 PM: Richard Lewis
12:30 PM: The Honorable Thomas M. Davis III
1:00: PM: MatchMaker / Speaker: Expo walk through. Vendor Attendees without Expo Tables: Luncheon is served
1:20: PM MatchMaker / Speaker, Expo: Luncheon is served
Have A Safe Trip Home!
Vice Admiral Lou Crenshaw, CDFM United States Navy (Retired)
VADM Crenshaw was also the driving force behind two significant industry surveys, the annual survey of Defense Department financial officials and the annual National Government Contractors survey. Both surveys are recognized within their respective industries as one of the most insightful and comprehensive studies available during the year. He also continues to serve the American Society of Military Comptrollers at the program chair of the highly successful Washington Regional Professional Development Institute, the premier training event for the Washington area defense financial management workforce.
Prior to Grant Thornton, VADM Crenshaw served 32 years in the U.S. Navy in a variety of leadership roles, commanding at the squadron, carrier air wing and carrier battle group level, as well as shore command of all Navy bases in Europe. His last assignment in the U.S. Navy was as the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Requirements, Resources and Assessments, where he was responsible for planning, developing and executing the Navy’s annual budget of over $130 Billion. He was also the senior requirements official for the Navy and oversaw its Operations Analysis activities. VADM Crenshaw is also a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and served as a test flight engineer before returning to the school as an instructor.
In recognition for his outstanding public service, he was elected a fellow in the National Academy of Public Administration in 2011, one of only a few members of the Armed Services to be inducted. VADM Crenshaw attended the U.S. Naval Academy and has a B.S. in Ocean Engineering. He is also a Certified Defense Financial Manager (CDFM). VADM Crenshaw continues his public service as the Chairman of the Board of the Navy Safe Harbor Foundation, an organization dedicated to serving wounded and injured Sailors and Coastguardsmen. He also serves on the Board of the Association of the U.S. Navy and is the Chairman of TECHAMERICA’s Defense Committee
The Honorable Thomas M. Davis III
Tom Davis was first elected to office in 1979, winning a hard-fought campaign to represent Mason District on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. This would be the first of 14 straight victories, a winning streak spanning three decades.
In 1993, after spending 12 years as the Mason District supervisor, Tom defeated the incumbent chairman of the county board, taking the top elected office in Fairfax County, Virginia. Despite a severe economic downturn and a county budget deep in the red, Tom was able to implement a number of reforms that resulted in Fairfax being named the best managed county in the country by Governing Magazine.
In 1994, Tom successfully won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives to represent the 11th Congressional District of Virginia. He was the first freshman in 50 years to be given a subcommittee chairmanship, taking the gavel of the Subcommittee on the District of Columbia.
Throughout his tenure in Congress, Tom was widely recognized as a skilled legislator, an honest broker and a political mastermind. Through legislation such as the D.C. Control Board Act, he helped rescue the District of Columbia from its troubled fiscal situation. The National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 resulted in the closure of Lorton Prison, a long-standing but previously unachievable goal for the citizens of Fairfax County.
Tom also drew on his past experience as the general counsel of Litton PRC to establish a well-deserved reputation for expertise on procurement and information technology issues. In this regard, he was truly representative of his Northern Virginia district, the economy of which is driven by IT and government services. Measures such as the Federal Acquisition Reform Act, the Services Acquisition Reform Act, and the Federal Information Security Management Act illustrate Tom’s knowledge of and interest in these matters. Tom spent considerable time in writing legislation to protect internet privacy; to manage information security within Government and the vulnerabilities of file sharing and computer security. He has lectured widely and testified before the U.S. Senate on Cyber Security matters.
Tom earned national recognition as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee in 2000 and 2002, when was instrumental in maintaining his party’s majority in the House of Representatives. He is known for his encyclopedic knowledge of political minutia, often lecturing members of Congress on the electoral history of their own districts.
After the 2002 election, he was named chairman of the House Committee on Government Reform, gaining national prominence once again by chairing hearings on the use of performance enhancing substances in professional sports. Other notable accomplishments include his hard-hitting but objective report on the federal response to Hurricane Katrina; his sponsorship of legislation giving the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco; and passage of the National Capital Transportation Amendments Act, which authorizes much needed capital reinvestment in the Washington Metro system, and legislation related to cyber crimes.
Tom currently serves as the Director of Federal Government Affairs for Deloitte LLP, in which he continues his effort to being effective, common sense solutions to government.
Thomas J. Leney
Tom Leney, Executive Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization] Executive Director, Small and Veteran Business Programs
Thomas (Tom) J. Leney serves as the Executive Director for Small and Veteran Business Programs at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where he is responsible for programs that promote small business participation in VA procurements, with special emphasis on Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses and Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs and VOSBs). Mr. Leney is a member of the United States Senior Executive Service.
Prior to his current government service, Mr. Leney gained practical insight into the opportunities and challenges facing small businesses as a senior executive in two successful small businesses. His personal experiences as a government contractor have enabled Mr. Leney to mentor small businesses on the complexities of the federal acquisition process. His earlier work at Winrock International and the United Nations Foundation overseeing the development of projects to support the U.S. Government and the United Nations around the world has given him an understanding of the importance and the complexities of program and partnership development on many levels.
Mr. Leney is a Veteran of the United States Army, serving from 1973 to 1995. Among his military assignments, he led an armored cavalry squadron in the Persian Gulf War of 1991 and was the Chief, Strategic Plans and Policy for the Department of the Army. He holds a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Georgetown University. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy.
George P. Sigalos holds significant experience in both the private and public sector. He is a trained attorney and communications professional who now serves as a government affairs, strategic communications and international business consultant and advisor in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Sigalos has served in all three branches of the US federal Government and subsequently has held top positions in American private industry.
Mr. Sigalos served in government affairs for the former Halliburton - KBR in Washington, DC, and functioned as the firm's political & external affairs liaison and sometimes spokesman, acting in a strategic role to help guide the company's national and international posture in the legislative and political arenas. Mr. Sigalos maintained an active rapport with the U.S. Congress and executive agencies, with ambassadors, diplomatic corps, and other leaders of governments. He also served as the primary liaison to think-tanks, associations, universities and other non-governmental institutions for purposes of government and external affairs related matters.
Mr. Sigalos is the former Counselor to the President and Director of Public Affairs for the former federal contractor organization, Contract Services Association of America of Washington, DC, which represented over 500 companies doing business in the US federal and international marketplaces.
Prior to that, Mr. Sigalos served as Counselor and Director of Communications for the Vice-Chairman of the Ways & Means Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. His previous federal experience includes serving as an extern law clerk for the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and in press affairs in the offices of three members of the presidential cabinet.
Kevin Swatt is a Senior Audit Manager who has over twelve years of experience working with corporate clients in the middle market, primarily serving the government contracting, manufacturing, and technology industries.
Kevin specializes in providing assurance services to his clients, conducting detailed reviews of audit and review engagements to assure appropriate accounting and auditing standards are addressed. He manages multiple engagements for the firm, and performs audit fieldwork in complex accounting areas. Kevin has also assisted clients with internal audit functions, including the testing of internal controls over key audit areas and the preparation of reports for management and the audit committee.
Kevin also specializes in performing audits of employee benefit plans under requirements set forth by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Department of Labor (DOL), and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), including both full scope and limited scope audits of defined contribution, defined benefit, and employee stock ownership plans with assets ranging from $1 million to more than $900 million.
Kevin is a Certified Public Accountant in Maryland, Massachusetts, and Virginia, and he holds both a Master of Science in Accounting and Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Boston College. He is a member of the American Institute of Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (VSCPA).
Kevin P. Young
KEVIN P. YOUNG, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR GROWTH STRATEGY, MARKETING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT EXPERT
KEVIN P. YOUNG is a long-time, Washington, DC-based FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR GROWTH STRATEGY, MARKETING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT EXPERT as a Professional (IBM Federal, Unisys, SAIC); Management Consultant (Capgemini, CSC / CSRA, Deloitte, Deltek, ITT / Harris, Leidos); Adjunct Professor (GMU's School of Business); and Thought Leader (Government Market Master™ Executive Education Program). Honors include IBM Outstanding Achievement in Marketing Award, IBM Award of Excellence, and (as IBM site team) Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
Introduction: William L. Blumberg
William L. Blumberg, Federal Contract Solutions, DFAS Ombudsman (Ret.) – Contract Management and Payment
Mr. Blumberg is principal of the consulting firm Federal Contract Solutions, which specializes in helping Federal government contractors resolve payment problems and related contract administration issues. After an extensive Federal career he was a vice president of LESCO, a logistics contractor, leading their Washington D.C. office. Prior to joining LESCO he had almost 31 years of Federal service. His last government position was at the Defense Finance & Accounting Service (DFAS) Headquarters Contract Pay Directorate staff. Areas of activity included Prompt Pay compliance, re-engineering of the Defense Commissary Agency payment procedures, mandatory Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) implementation and related items such as Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and 1099 MISC reporting compliance. He served as the DOD ombudsman for contractors with payment problems. Mr. Blumberg was also a member of the interagency Federal Contractor Tax Compliance Taskforce and the Contract Finance Committee, which writes the contract payment sections of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). He came to DFAS in April 1991 after serving on the Corporate Information Management (CIM) study. His CIM participation involved developing a complete inventory and assessment of DOD accounting systems and their related functionality and interfaces. Prior to the CIM he was on the Office of Secretary of Defense Comptroller staff for 13 years. There he also worked on Prompt Pay issues, as well as cash management and program oversight of the overseas contract banking program. He started government service with the Navy Accounting & Finance Center. He is a graduate of the George Washington University.
Opening Remarks: Richard Lewis
Richard Lewis, President, Financial Engineering Counselors, Ltd.
Richard Lewis formed Financial Engineering Counselors, Ltd. ("FEC") to enhance the counseling of small and medium size government contractors and commercial companies with their working capital requirements. FEC assists management by arranging for financing, as well as working with the company’s management in compiling the required financial, accounting, and overview reports that lenders require. This has become crucial in today’s economic turmoil where more lenders are more likely to say "Thank you, but NO thank you!"
For the previous six years Richard was with Wells Fargo Bank, Government Services Group, where he assisted fast track companies and government contractors; 8a, woman, service disabled veteran, Native American, and other minority owned or disadvantaged companies that required financial support. In addition to working closely with a company's management, Richard has been a featured speaker on "Financing Alternatives" at GovWorks (Department of Interior), National Black Chamber of Commerce’s and National Contract Management Association’s annual conferences, Pan Asian Chamber of Commerce, FAA’s Las Vegas Contractors Convention, Native American Reservation Economic Summit (RES), as well as other organizations and events around the Country.
From the 1990 to 2003 Richard was a CFO/CEO counselor to start up, fast growth technology and service businesses needing assistance in financing alternatives; bank relations, strategic planning, IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, accounting, and marketing. As CEO/CFO, l985-l990, he initiated a "business plan only" Initial Public Offering for Virtusonics Corporation, a software development company, some 10 years ahead of the "dot.com" trend of the l990’s. He began his career in banking with A.J. Armstrong & Co. (ne: Bank of America Business Credit) in 1974. He moved to The Chase Manhattan Bank as Vice President, Leveraged Acquisition Team, to start its leverage buyout group in 1980, then to General Electric Capital Corporation, as a marketing manager, to help start an ABL financing vertical in the Retailer Finance Division.
Richard earned his B.S. Degree in General Business and a MBA in Finance and International Business from New York University, Stern School of Business, where he was a scholarship student. He lives and works in suburban Washington, D.C. where he is active in golf, bicycling, minority business support, community activities, and governmental issues.