Gary Crum is Founder and President of LHT Ventures, LLC, where he provides strategic direction, business development, and operational guidance for the company which develops restaurant concepts and franchises. Before entering the food service industry, Gary was a results-driven leader in the telecom/IT industry, with 15 years experience in sales, marketing, business development, and operations management at a global level in both start-up environments and Fortune 50 multinational corporations including MCI and Nortel. Gary’s volunteer efforts include serving as founding co-chair for the Five Guys Franchisee Committee, and, at a community level, Gary has been involved with a number of local schools working with business students and FBLA(Future Business Leaders of America) groups. As a guest speaker, Gary enjoys sharing his entrepreneurial knowledge and experience with students. He also volunteers his time to the local Vienna athletic programs and has served in a number of coaching positions over the years.

‍

Sumeet Shrivastava is an accomplished executive and proven business leader with more than 30 years of experience in the government IT industry. Most recently, as Chairman and CEO of ARRAY, he provided overall corporate leadership for the company’s growth and operations strategy, included a successful graduation from Federal small business programs, leading a management buyout of ARRAY of the founder and independent investors, and ultimately having a successful exit through ARRAY’s sale to CGI Federal.

‍

Prior to ARRAY, Sumeet was SVP for Public Sector at Keane (now NTT Data) and also spent time as the SVP for North American Commercial Sales and Marketing. As EVP and COO of ANSTEC, a Government IT contractor, he architected the company’s sale to Keane. Sumeet’s experience has traversed the full range of early-stage small business to a competitive, mid-tier contractor.

‍

Sumeet has been committed to his alma mater, George Mason University (GMU MBA ’94), and the regional community throughout his career. He is currently on the GMU Foundation Board of Trustees and the President of Mason’s Alumni Association. Currently, he is a member of the George Mason’s President’s Innovation Advisory Council, Co-Chair of the Campaign for a Business School Building, and the Business School Dean’s Advisory Council. He has been instrumental in launching the Center for Government Contracting and the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Within the community, Sumeet is President-Elect of TiE DC and sits on the GO Virginia Region 7 Advisory Council.

‍

Sumeet has been a resident of Fairfax County since 1974 and is a product of the public school system in the Commonwealth of Virginia from 2nd grade through his MBA. He currently resides in Chantilly, VA with his wife, Joya (GMU BS EE ’96), and is incredibly proud of their four children – Neelesh, Rohan, Pranav and Janya.

‍

Corbin Neiberline is a Partner in KPMG’s Washington DC audit practice. He has more than 16 years of experience providing financial statement audit and performance improvement advisory services. Corbin has provided audit services to several large federal departments in accordance with the authoritative guidance promulgated by the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board and Governmental Accounting Standards Board. In addition to his audit and advisory work, Corbin serves a team responsible for developing data analytics capabilities within the firm and has spent three years on a global rotational assignment focused on the development of KPMG LLP’s global digital auditing techniques and supporting audit methodology. Using his strong Federal background and technical public sector industry accounting expertise, Corbin has been able to provide meaningful insight in meeting accountability and reporting challenges within the public sector. He is a frequent presenter at professional conferences on data analytics and is an instructor for the Association of Government Accountants, professional certification exam. He graduated with a B.S. from the University of Maryland, College Park.

‍

Adalene “Nene” Spivy has led the Children’s Science Center and Northern Virginia Science Center Foundation since 2010 and is among its earliest founders. Under Nene’s leadership, annual visitation has grown from 3,500 to 75,000 visitors, serving children, families, and educators through community outreach programs and the Center’s first operating site at Fair Oaks Mall which opened in 2015. Nene oversees all aspects of the Center operations and leads the effort to build Northern Virginia Science Center, a full-scale regional science center on donated land in Dulles, Va. As an engineer, MBA, and non-profit leader, Nene brings a diverse range of experience including systems and process engineering, new product development, and general management for technology businesses; fundraising, advocacy, strategic planning, volunteer management, and board development for non-profits. Nene serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Science and Technology Centers. She is also a board member of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, a graduate of Leadership Fairfax, a sustaining member and past President of the Junior League of Northern Virginia, a past Chair of Fairfax County’s Community Action Advisory Board, and served in multiple board leadership roles with Discovery Creek Children’s Museum. Nene holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Virginia Tech and MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

‍

‍

Kathleen “Kathy” Coulter has more than 20 years of experience in the commercial banking industry both in the Greater Washington area and in Philadelphia, PA. Currently, she is Manager Commercial Real Estate Administration for United Bank. Kathy is a member of the United Bank’s Community Reinvestment Act Committee and volunteers at various financial literacy and community outreach events for organizations such as Children’s Science Center, Junior Achievement, Second Story, Northern Virginia Family Services and Britepaths. Kathy attended Pennsylvania State University and graduated with a B.A. in Law and Society. She lives in Aldie with her husband, Doug, daughter, Paige, and her chocolate lab, Hunter.

Jill Corso McNabb is a brand and marketing strategist who helps companies discern, distill, and communicate their value to the marketplace. After more than 20 years working across the full marketing mix, Jill knows how to launch products that get adopted, create messaging that speaks to the target audience, and develop plans that drive revenue. Recognized for building innovative marketing concepts and delivering results, Jill brings a unique blend of creativity, analytical outlook and “get it done” attitude to all she does. As founder of Genki Strategy, Jill helps companies solve their marketing, communications, and business challenges. Previously, she held executive leadership positions at RxEngage Partners and RxAlly, both focused on advancing the role of pharmacists. Jill also held several roles at VeriSign culminating as the VP for global marketing for their largest business unit that managed the global infrastructure and registry services for domain names (.com, .net, .tv),value-added services, and Internet threat mitigation services. Jill worked in product management and product marketing for Bank One within thewingspanbank.com group, the first online-only bank. She also managed fundraising and membership programs for the University of Virginia Alumni Association and was a high school teacher in Western Japan. Jill is chair of the board of directors for the Children’s Science Center, past president of Junior League of Northern Virginia and a graduate of Leadership Loudoun. She holds an MBA and BA from the University of Virginia.

‍

Jeff Bentley is the Chief Executive Officer at Northwest Federal Credit Union. Mr. Bentley received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance from Georgia Southern University. His post-graduate studies include graduating from the Graduate School of Banking at LSU, and the CUES CEO School at the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, and the University of Virginia.  Mr. Bentley has over 30 years of experience in managing credit, sales, operations, and P&L for Regional banks and Credit Unions. His experience includes creating new consumer and commercial lending divisions as well as working as a consultant for the NCUA where he restored institutions placed into conservatorship back to profitability. He has three children and currently resides in Great Falls, Virginia with his wife Susan and their dog Sadie.

Prior to Northwest, Mr. Bentley was the Chief Lending Officer for Achieva Credit Union in Clearwater, FL.  He received his BBA in Finance from Georgia Southern University and attended Louisiana State University Graduate School of Banking. He has attended the CEO Institute at the University of Virginia, Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Bentley currently is on the Board of the Virginia Credit Union League, Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and is a Committee Member of the Herndon Economic Development Advisory Committee.

‍

Rob Bertin has nearly 20 years of experience litigating patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright cases throughout the United States,counseling clients on intellectual property (IP) and negotiating transactions involving IP.  Rob represents large and small clients in IP litigation through trial and appeal in the federal courts and the US International Trade Commission. He also advises clients on patent infringement and validity; conducts IP due diligence; drafts and negotiates license agreements and the IP provisions of M & A transactions; advises on licensing strategies and cultivating patent portfolios and on various other patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret issues.  Rob also advises early stage companies on sources of capital, business plans and management teams. Prior to practicing law, Rob was an electrical engineer with IBM Corporation’s Federal Systems Division, where he designed circuits and packaging for logic,memory, and microprocessor chips. He also wrote proposals and technical studies regarding satellite systems and radiation-induced failure mechanisms in semiconductor devices. Rob has published papers and has been awarded two US patents for his work in these areas.  Rob is a past Chair of the Bar Association of DC’s patent, trademark and copyright section and a past and current board member of BADC. Rob was elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation by his peers and recognized by Super Lawyers is Washington, DC for IP Litigation each year since 2013.  Rob graduated from George Mason University School of Law, 1997, Juris Doctor, and Virginia Tech, 1991, Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering.  Rob lives in Great Falls with his wife and three children.

‍

Jenny has broad experience working with executive leaders, Boards and cross-functional teams to develop innovative strategies that drive engagement, growth and value. She is a Co-Founder and Principal with Lismore Advisors, focused on accelerating growth through high-impact advisors for ambitious firms ranging from $10M to $6B in revenue. She works within a diverse set of industries including health and wellness, education, non-profit and trade associations, biotechnology and professional services. Previously, Jenny served as director of strategy to diversify R.R. Donnelley’s corporate portfolio from print to digital, and as a leader in technology development for Goldman Sachs and Accenture.  Within her community of Great Falls, Jenny is an active volunteer in schools and organizations supporting youth. Jenny holds a BA from Brown University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

‍

Jilian Breeden is a licensed professional engineer (PE) and a U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP)with 18 years of experience in the architecture and engineering (A/E) industry. She specializes in facilities planning services – assisting her clients with shaping, justifying, and securing funding for their land use, asset management,and capital improvement initiatives. Jilian has supported a variety of new construction and renovation projects with construction values ranging from $50K to $300M. She is a collaborative person who enjoys working with and building consensus among diverse teams of stakeholders, including key decision makers, planners, architects, engineers, building users and managers, environmental and cultural resources specialists, and community representatives. Jilian recently founded Engage Federal LLC, where she supports government clients with their facilities planning initiatives and assists other professional services firms with growth in the federal market. She is an active member of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) and, in 2018, graduated from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Virginia Emerging Leaders Institute. She holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering with concentrations in Business and Green Engineering from Virginia Tech.

Vito John Germinario is the President and Co-Owner of GPR,Inc., a commercial glazing company and Managing Principal of LGV group LLC, acommercial real estate development company, with headquarters in Sterling, VA.Vito arrived in Washington, DC. from New York in 1994, to be part of the teamthat built the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Sincethen, Vito has been involved with such notable projects as the National Museumof the American Indian, The E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse, the GSAHeadquarters Building, World Bank and The International Monetary Fund. Vito gives back by supporting organizations which benefit the health anddevelopment of youth, including the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and theMake-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic where he received awards from both organizations forhis board leadership and philanthropy. He is the Board Chairman Emeritus forthe Excel Academy Public Charter School in Washington D.C. and the currentBoard Chairman for the Middleburg Community Charter School in Virginia. He is amember of the Board of Directors of the National Museum of American Religion,and serves as a Trustee at the Center for Excellence in Education. He was pastboard chair of the Lily Fund and the past board vice chair of the Friends ofJaclyn, supporting families battling pediatric brain tumors. Vito also servesas a trustee at his alma mater, St. Peter’s Prep, in Jersey City, NewJersey.  Vito’s awards include the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation HitchcockHumanitarian Award, the Board Excellence Award from Make-A-Wish National, andthe Man of the Year award from the Lido Civic Club of Washington. Vito lives inMiddleburg, Virginia with his wife Kristi.

‍

Bobbie Kilberg is the President & CEO Emeritus & Strategic Advisor of the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) and led the organization for over 22 years to become one of the largest technology councils in the nation. Prior to this position, Bobbie served as Associate Counsel to President Ford and as Deputy Assistant for President George H.W. Bush. In addition, she has been Vice President for Academic Affairs at Mount Vernon College, and Director of the Aspen Institute’s Project on the Future of Private Philanthropy. Bobbie has held prominent positions with multiple Virginia gubernatorial administrations as well as Senator Warner’s Cybersecurity Task Force.

Bobbie also currently serves on the Board of Directors of Appian, the American Action Forum, and the NVTC Foundation, is a trustee of the George and Barbara Bush Foundation, and is on the honorary board of Easter Seals DC/MD/VA. Her past board service includes United Bank, Global Food Fund, Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, the Potomac School, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, and more. She has won numerous awards for her public and private service, including the 2019 Washington Business Journal’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award from Women in Technology, induction as a Laureate into the Washington Business Hall of Fame in 2013, and many more.

‍

Bobbie is a graduate of Yale Law School, Columbia University, and Vassar College, and in 2013 was awarded an honorary associates degree from Northern Virginia Community College. She resides in McLean, VA with her husband Bill Kilberg. They have five children and twelve grandchildren.

‍

A results-driven technology executive with extensive experience in operations, governance and financial management, Ms. Kimball comes to the Children’s Science Center Board with a wealth of knowledge and expertise in running both for-profit and non-profit businesses. Having spent most of her career in Technology, Lisa assumed the position of Chief Executive Officer of The Arc of Loudoun in 2018. For 12 years prior to joining The Arc, she served as Vice President, Identity Management Solutions at Telos Corporation. Along with helming The Arc, Ms. Kimball currently serves as Chairperson for the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Identity Management Standards Advisory Council (IMSAC); as an At-Large Representative on Loudoun County’s Economic Development Advisory Commission; as an Advisory Board Member of the Loudoun County Medical Reserve Corps; and as Immediate Past-Chair for the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce. Lisa has comprehensive knowledge of strategic planning, a vast background in legislative advocacy, and great success in designing and achieving organizational development and growth programs. She was first introduced to the Children’s Science Center in 2010, and is honored bring her talent and experience to the Team as the Center continues to grow into the powerhouse that it’s destined to be.

‍

‍

Keith Krut works to advance and apply social science and data science in the federal government, cultivating data-driven enterprise perspective across strategic planning, organizational effectiveness, and digital transformation.  Keithis currently leading new analytics and enterprise architecture capabilities forthe National Gallery of Art. Previously, he served as Deputy Director for Talent Strategy & Engagement and Head of Analytics in the Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer at NASA. Keith has also led new capabilities in data science, business and customer analytics, and human capital strategy at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, as well as HR research, metrics consulting, and marketing strategy at CEB (now Gartner). Keith holds an M.B.A. from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and a B.A. in English Literature from Wake Forest University, which have both contributed to his focus on alignment and decision-making, as well as a growth mindset and resourcefulness to lead through change.

‍

‍

Paul Leslie serves as Chairman of Federal Advisory Partners, a premier strategy, advisory consulting, and technology services firm.  Leslie is a highly sought-after advisor and mentor to small, mid-market companies, and private equity investors within the public sector information technology market. Most recently, Leslie retired as Chairman and CEO of Dovel Technologies, a federal health technology and life science company, where he executed an aggressive growth plan and grew the company from a $10M small business to a company with revenues of over $400M. Dovel was acquired by Guidehouse in late 2021.

‍

From 2007 through 2009, Leslie was the president of Apptis, aprivate equity owned technology and services company. Leslie was hired to improve organizational performance in preparation for a sales transaction. The company ultimately was acquired by URS Corporation in 2011. Before joining Apptis, he co-founded and served as president and CEO of Apogen Technologies, an Arlington Capital private equity-backed federal sector IT services and technology company with a focus on homeland security and defense. In September of 2005, Apogen was acquired by QinetiQ Ltd., a large defense and research firm headquartered in Great Britain. His expansive career includes corporate executive positions at EDS, Universal Systems, BDM International, TRW, BTG, and McGuire Woods.

‍

Leslie serves as a Senior Advisory Board Member of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, and he also sits on the Innovation AdvisoryCouncil of George Mason University. Leslie is a former Chairman and Board member of the Community Foundation of Northern Virginia.

‍

 Leslie graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from the University of Massachusetts/Boston State College.

‍

CarleyFisher-Maltese is an Associate Professor of Education at George Mason University. She teaches the early childhood education math and science methods courses in the College of Education and Human Development. She also works for Fairfax County Public Schools in the STEAM program designing and implementing STEAM learning opportunities for diverse K-6 students and mentoring teachers how to teach STEAM. She is passionate about protecting pollinators and engaging students through innovative technologies, such as virtual reality, microcomputers, and sensors. She completed her Ph.D. at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Her research focuses on preservice teacher math and science education and science learning in elementary school, particularly the link between learning in informal and formal settings. Carley has her Masters in Elementary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and Elementary I & II credential from the American Montessori Society. Prior to teaching in higher education, she taught elementary school in both private and public school settings. She is a strong advocate of experiential learning opportunities, environmental sustainability, and promoting awareness about the importance of pollinators and the role they play in food and economic security. 

Hon. Ron A. Meyer is founder and principal of RMA, LCC, a government relations and land use consulting firm. Ron was elected to theLoudoun County Board of Supervisors in 2015 and served until 2019. While in office, he represented Loudoun on the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) and the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB). As Supervisor, Ron built a strong bipartisan record focusing on major infrastructure and land use negotiations — helping attract more than $110 million in NTVA funding to his priority transportation initiatives, negotiating development proffers to cover an additional $90+ million for road and park projects, and leading efforts to secure public-private partnerships which will construct the Children's Science Center, bring 3,700 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) jobs to Ashburn, and build a parallel bypass to the Greenway (Shellhorn Road extended to Route 28). Ron graduated from Principia College. He resides in Ashburn with his wife Celia, and two daughters.

‍

Chris Powell is passionate about the application of technology and science to create solutions that allow people to better understand the spatial, temporal, and structural relationships of data. As Chief Technology Officer for NT Concepts, he focuses on developing strategies to support the horizontal integration of geospatial technology, software engineering, and data analytics into solutions that help customers analyze and visualize their information. He has developed custom solutions for a number of enterprise architectures across the Federal Government and commercial industry. He is an active member of the geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) community and serves as co-chair of the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) Emerging Technologies Subcommittee organizing events to identify and introduce new innovations to government and industry.  He proudly volunteers for the“Homes of Hope” Program with YWAM which stands for “Youth With a Mission" in San Pedro, which builds homes for families in need living in Dominican Republic, and also at a local FCPS elementary school where he has demonstrated how children can use maps and cartography. Chris holds a BA in Geography, a Cartographic Certificate, and an MS in Geographic and Cartographic Science from George Mason University.

‍

Russ is a 24+ year tech and branding executive and is currently the CEO of Netrix LLC. His hi-tech background ranges from start-up ventures to Fortune 500 giants like Oracle and his first programming job at Mobil Oil. Russ has managed high-growth global organizations that have transformed industries and consistently drives customer centric performance and innovation at scale.

‍

Prior to Infrascale, Russ helped startup a civic engagement social network and polling platform, icitizen. By enabling everyone’s voice to be counted, icitizen is helping bring accountability to elected officials and increase civic engagement. Prior to that, Russ led the premium cloud hosting company, Media Temple (mt), where he was responsible for the company’s brand, strategic direction, culture, and operational execution. Russ also led the sale of Media Temple (mt) to GoDaddy where he stayed on the GoDaddy executive team to help transform GoDaddy and prepare for their IPO.

‍

Before Media Temple (mt), Russ led the growth of LibreDigital,the leader in digital publishing, and helped run the process to sell RRDonnelley. Russ also led NxTV to the forefront of the direct to consumer Internet TV and Internet video-on-demand. Russ started his management career at Oracle where he helped lead and grow Oracle Applications Group for companies over $1 billion in revenue.

‍

Throughout his career and his life beyond business, Russ has been an attentive student of change and innovation. He sees the best opportunities as disruptive — the very best ones as those that promise to increase efficiency in large markets and improve lives. He continues to hone and apply a leadership philosophy first inspired by his grandfather and then his professional mentors. He owes much to his experiences as a dad, a triathlete and, simply enough, a human being just trying to do a better job whatever the challenge happens to be. More than anything, Russ is committed to helping others live happier, more productive lives. Read about his leadership philosophy on his blog, http://russreeder.com/h-e-a-r-leadership

Russ lives in Great Falls with his wife and three children.

‍

Craig Ridley is an experienced entrepreneur and business strategist. He is co-founder and CEO of his most recent startup, Data Science and advanced analytics firm, ROUTE Inc. Craig is also co-founder and enabling partner of Eleccion LLC, a next-generation advisory firm to government, commercial and non-profit clients. He has over 28 years in venture startup, sales, operations, management, and M&A experience – having founded three previous startups and served in a variety of strategic growth and senior leadership roles for companies such as TASC (an Engility company),Unisys, Verizon (formally MCIWorldcom), BluChipz.com, and The Carpe Diem Group. Prior to co-founding ROUTE and Eleccion, Craig was vice president, business development for Allegheny Science & Technology (AST) and oversaw 5x revenue growth to $50m annually. Featured in nationally published articles and recognized in trade journals among industry leaders, Craig is also an expert in brand development and marketing. He has served as a presenter and panelist for the Department of Defense at conferences and industry events; and continues to support and serve on committees for business organizations, public schools, and charities with an emphasis on youth academics and athletics. Craig holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a marketing concentration from the School of Business and Economics at North Carolina A&T State University.

Robert (Bob) Van Hoecke is aseasoned business executive with more than thirty-five years of experience in the oil pipeline industry. Mr. Van Hoecke is co-founder and Principal of Regulatory Economics Group, LLC, an economic consulting firm providing services to the oil and gas industry for twenty-five years. Mr. Van Hoecke has provided expert testimony on behalf of oil pipeline companies more than 100 times on matters involving cost-of-service issues, rate design issues, competitive issues, as well as more general analyses of pipelines and the regulatory issues they face at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Surface Transportation Board, the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, Federal and state courts, both domestic and international arbitration tribunals and tax courts. In addition to his board service with the Science Center, Bob dedicates his time to the Board of Directors for the Wolf Trap Foundation for Performing Arts and Cornerstones.

‍