CEOs You Should Know - Washington DC

Beth Johnson is Founder and CEO of RP3 Agency, an award-winning creative communications agency whose client roster includes Fortune 500 brands like Hilton, Marriott International, and Kaplan Education, as well as leading regional brands such as EagleBank, Long & Foster, and the University of Maryland.

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Dara is the Market Leader of the Mid-Atlantic area offices (McLean, Washington D.C., Gaithersburg, Richmond, Baltimore), and is the national leader of RSM’s government contracting practice. As the market leader, she is responsible for the culture, growth and strategy of the five area offices, as well as developing our employees to have deep industry expertise and to be first choice advisors. Leading this practice includes working with closely held, private equity backed and publicly traded entities in the market to deliver the power of being understood®.

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Adalene “Nene” Spivy has been leading the Northern Virginia Science Center Foundation (DBA Children’s Science Center) since 2010 and is among its earliest founders. Under Nene’s leadership, the Center experienced exponential growth and served hundreds of thousands of children, families and educators and at the Children’s Science Center Lab, which opened in 2015, and through mobile community STEM programming serving the greater region. Nene oversees current operations and leads the effort to build the new Northern Virginia Science Center. This world-class interactive science center is being developed via a public private partnership with Loudoun County, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the Science Museum of Virginia.

As an engineer, MBA, and non-profit leader, Nene has an extensive and diverse range of management experience in both technology businesses and non-profits including new product development, systems and process engineering, fundraising, finance, marketing, advocacy, strategic planning, volunteer management, and board development.

Nene serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Science and Technology Centers, the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, and the Northwest Federal Credit Union Foundation. Nene is a sustaining member and past President of the Junior League of Northern Virginia, a graduate of Leadership Fairfax, 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 University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

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Susan Fisher Sterling
Susan Fisher Sterling is Alice West Director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) located in Washington, D.C. She built her career and the stature of the museum around the message of equity for women through excellence in the arts. 

Sterling started at NMWA in 1988—a year after the museum opened—as associate curator, then was appointed curator of modern and contemporary art, followed by chief curator/deputy director. Sterling assumed the directorship of the museum in 2008. Under Sterling’s collaborative feminist leadership, NMWA developed with a dual focus on arts and advocacy, and she grew the profile of the institution through high-caliber exhibitions, in-depth publications, expansive public programs, and increased global visibility.

During her tenure, the museum has presented landmark exhibitions of work by some of today’s most influential modern and contemporary women artists. These include solo exhibitions of Romaine Brooks, Judy Chicago, Sonya Clark, Graciela Iturbide, Mary Ellen Mark, Loïs Mailou Jones, Alice Neel, Faith Ringgold, Ursula von Rydingsvard, Remedios Varo, and Carrie Mae Weems. Key contemporary surveys have showcased Brazilian artists (1993 and 2001), artists from the Arab world (1994 and 2014), Australian Aboriginal artists (2006), and Korean artists (1991), among others. Sterling also was responsible for bringing important international exhibitions to the museum, including Inside the Visible (1996), WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution (2007), and Womenhouse (2018).

In fulfillment of the museum’s mission, Sterling also led projects that brought due recognition to great women in the history of art. Among these were early exhibitions featuring Sofonisba Anguissola, Josepha D’Obidos, Lavinia Fontana, and Judith Leyster, and surveys such as An Imperial Collection: Women Artists from the State Hermitage Museum (2003), Italian Women Artists from Renaissance to Baroque (2007), and Royalists to Romantics: Women Artists from the Louvre, Versailles, and Other French National Collections (2012).

Since Sterling joined NMWA, in partnership with a dynamic board, the museum’s collection has grown to more than 6,000 works, with a commitment to diverse representation across all mediums. She has grown NMWA’s impact through signature programs like the groundbreaking Women, Arts, and Social Change public programs initiative. Begun in 2015, this series includes diverse presenters on topics related to arts, gender equity, and significant social issues of our time.

Sterling has expanded NMWA’s influence outside of the museum’s walls. The New York Avenue Sculpture Project, which Sterling created in 2010, has brought significant large-scale public artworks by Magdalena Abakanowicz, Chakaia Booker, Niki de Saint Phalle, and Betsabeé Romero to the streets of Washington, D.C. She also has led the museum’s development of a unique global network of 29 committees providing grassroots support for women artists. These groups work with NMWA on the ongoing Women to Watch exhibition series, which brings new talents to international attention.

Sterling has fostered NMWA’s capacity to act as both a museum and an amplifier, advancing discussions on gender parity in the art world. Challenging fellow cultural institutions to make significant commitments to gender representation, the museum’s globally recognized #5WomenArtists social media campaign, which asks the question “Can you name five women artists?” has been cited as an inspiration for equity initiatives across numerous industries.

Under her aegis, NMWA’s collection, exhibitions, and programs have garnered grants and recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts; the Institute of Museum and Library Services (Museums for America Grant), in support of an extensive digital accessibility initiative; the inaugural Anthem Awards, a new Webby Awards initiative...

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Susan Beall Bio
Susan Beall is the Co-Founder and CEO of Nue Information Solutions (Nue), a SAAS-based financial planning & analysis (FP&A) company. Nue is designed for product-based companies, with an emphasis on government contracting. Nue provides the information that leaders depend on to make informed decisions, evaluate alternatives, and achieve desired outcomes. Susan has started and grown other businesses and incorporates an owner’s perspective in Nue’s design. She incorporated her technology experience with her management background that includes financial modeling, raising debt and equity rounds, business case analysis, and strategic planning.

Susan is also the Co-Founder and CEO of WSL Consulting, d/b/a CAVU Advisors (CAVU), a financial management company providing outsourced accounting and financial consulting with a focus on early- to mid-stage companies in the technology and government markets.

Susan has vast experience in the government contracting industry, helping to grow, add value and sell companies. Susan brings over 30 years of financial leadership, skills, and capabilities to help clients build their unique value. In 2004, Susan and her partners sold Trios Associates, a systems engineering firm, to SAIC. After this integration, the management team formed WSL Consulting.

This management team also co-founded Base2, a hardware & software engineering design firm focusing on intelligence, space, defense, aviation, and other government markets, which was acquired by BlueHalo in 2020. One of her first roles as CFO was with an intel-based company, CSSi, that eventually grew and sold to Nichols Research and later to CSC. She later joined CSSi’s CEO at iJET International.

Susan has significant practical experience in business valuations and financial modeling. Throughout her career, she has completed numerous M&A transactions for government contractors and has spent several years working with a high-tech company (Mentor Technologies) raising debt and equity rounds. Susan was CFO during a period of 100% CAGR in revenue, with over 600% increase in valuation over a two-year period. Susan has a strong technology focus such as innovating a company’s virtual information system that provides web-based forecasting and graphical performance reporting.

This information system provides clear visibility into key financial and operating metrics throughout the organization. In addition, Susan has also directly supported government agencies such as NOAA/NWS, the Intelligence Community, the DOD, the FAA, among others to assist with acquisition decisions and business case analysis. Susan holds a master’s degree in finance from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Maryland and received a Certified Public Accountant certification.

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Pawla Ghaleb
Pawla Ghaleb is a force that defies convention and redefines success. Leading PBG Consulting as CEO, she personifies the company’s tagline of "Passion. Boldness. Grit," and has sculpted an audacious vision, merging a global perspective with over 20 years of industry expertise in IT solutions, strategic consulting, and program management, that has propelled the organization to enviable heights within the U.S. Federal Government Consulting Community. Pawla hails from Lebanon, adding a multilingual, multinational dynamism to her leadership, effortlessly juggling languages such as English, Arabic, and French.

Her leadership has earned PBG Consulting notable recognitions, such as being named one of The Washington Post’s 2023 Top Workplaces in the Washington, D.C. area, winning the DOS’s 2021 Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year Award, as well as securing positions on the Financial Times America's Fastest Growing Companies 2023, Inc.5000 Fastest Growing Companies 2019-2023, and Washington Business Journal's (WBJ) 2022-2023 Fastest Growing Company lists. The company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is also evident, with PBG placing at Rank 22 on WBJ's Annual Corporate Diversity Index List.

Pawla’s guiding mantra, "Doing more with less," has driven PBG to become a powerhouse in technological revolution, delivering cost-effective and pioneering solutions to clients including the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and Office of Personnel Management.

Beyond the growth and recognition, Pawla fosters a culture of empowerment within PBG, encouraging a fearless approach to innovation and nurturing professional growth. Her commitment to mentorship, both within and outside PBG, has seen her influence ripple through the industry, inspiring upcoming talents and empowering women across various walks of life.

Pawla herself is a decorated leader, holding prestigious accolades such as the G2X FedCiv - Leading for Impact - Women in Leadership award, the DOS - CA-CST Leadership Award from the Department of State, the LeadersNest FedFem Award, Diversity Journal Women Worth Watching Award, and the Bronze Stevie® Award for Female Executive of the Year.

Armed with an MBA from the George Washington University, a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from George Mason University and currently completing the Owner/President Management Program from Harvard Business School, Pawla sees every challenge as an opportunity for growth and innovation. Her grit, combined with her strategic acumen, has maintained financial growth for PBG and helped to drive strategic acquisitions.

More than just the CEO of PBG Consulting, Pawla Ghaleb is the heart, the soul, and the embodiment of its spirit - a beacon of resilience and innovation, a trailblazer for diversity and inclusion, and a role model of relentless passion, boldness, and grit.

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Steve Jones
Steve Jones is a cybersecurity executive with over 20 years’ of experience in the industry. Steve founded Signal Hill to help solve the largest cyber threat challenges facing government agencies, military organizations, and enterprises in highly regulated industries.

Prior to Signal Hill, Steve Jones was an integral part of the team at Blackbird Technologies that provided cybersecurity solutions and operational support to U.S. defense and intelligence agencies. During his time at Blackbird, Steve was contracted to serve as Chief Cyber Architect for the United States Postal Service (USPS). He helped grow the organization’s cybersecurity practice prior to the company’s acquisition by Raytheon.

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Vicki R. Deal-Williams
Vicki R. Deal-Williams, MA, CCC-SLP, CAE, assumed the role of ASHA Chief Executive Officer on January 1, 2022, with more than 35 years’ experience, and a proven track record of success in guiding staff and members through change, exemplifying integrity and accountability, and fostering an inclusive culture. Vicki is an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist and an ASHA Fellow; she received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern University. She is also a Certified Association Executive (CAE) and a Fellow of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).

She began her career as a speech-language pathologist at the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center, where she also supervised graduate student clinicians from Case Western Reserve University. She came to work at the ASHA National Office in 1984 to direct a federal grant held jointly by ASHA and the U.S. Department of Education; she then served as Assistant Director of ASHA’s Office of Minority Concerns. After a 5-year hiatus as a corporate trainer for Fannie Mae (the Federal National Mortgage Association)—where she developed and implemented corporate diversity training and professional development programming related to leadership and management—Vicki returned to the ASHA National Office as ASHA’s first Chief Staff Officer for Multicultural Affairs. In that capacity, she also served as a management liaison to ASHA’s Continuing Education, Professional Development, and Convention and Meetings units and was instrumental in establishing ASHA’s customized strategic planning system, facilitating the process to establish an integrated working relationship between National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) and ASHA, and establishing the Minority Student Leadership Program as a primary source of communication sciences and disorders (CSD) leaders from diverse backgrounds.

Vicki has received numerous awards for her contributions, including the Honors of NSSLHA, the Diversity Incentive Award from the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD), ASHA’s Outstanding Service Award, the M. Eugene Wiggins Leadership and Scholar Mentor Awards from the National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing (NBASLH), and the Professional Performance Award from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).

Her expertise and thought leadership include strategically advancing and leveraging diversity; developing leaders; targeting and retaining underrepresented populations; institutionalizing organizational responsibility for diversity, equity, and inclusion; facilitating group process; managing conflict; and evaluating and enhancing organizational performance. She has contributed to strategic conversations within the association industry about the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in associations and nonprofit management; she has served as Chair of ASAE’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and as a member of the ASAE Board of Directors. She has also served as facilitator and content leader for ASAE’s kickoff course for professionals seeking the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential and for their Association Management Week program. In addition, she was appointed to the National Institute of Health’s National Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Advisory Council.

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Jeff Wilson II
Jeff is the CEO of The W2 Group, LLC., a solution-driven Accounting and Advisory firm specializing in bringing cloud-based solutions and efficiencies to its clients: Not For Profit Associations and Government Contractors. He is also the Founder of Govierates.com, a cloud-based Software solutions firm. Jeff Wilson is a Certified Public Accountant and maintains over 7+ financial certifications and licenses. He is experienced in several financial areas that allow him to provide his clients with multiple domains of expertise. His firm is an SBA-certified 8(a) Small Business and MBE-certified accounting firm headquartered in Upper Marlboro, MD. As a multi-domain accounting expert, he has experience supporting and streamlining business operations to improve financial management and operational effectiveness, with expertise in corporate accounting within the personal services industry. As a former KPMG Auditor, he has experience performing financial statement audits following both FASB and FASAB. He has been a board member of the Maryland Association of CPAs and a member of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) PFP Executive Committee and the AICPA Trial Board. CPA Practice Advisor Magazine named Jeff as a 40 under 40 CPA. He was also a 40 Under 40 Black CPA centennial recipient. In 2023, he was awarded the honor of Outstanding Young CPA.

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Jermon Bafaty
Jermon Bafaty is the Founder and CEO of Platinum Technologies (PT78), a Digital and IT Professional Services firm which implements integrated mission solutions for National Security, Defense and Public Sector organizations. The company was founded to unleash the value of siloed, purpose-built data, modernize legacy systems and improve information delivery for citizens, end users and our nation’s warfighters.

Prior to founding PT78, Jermon served in one of America’s premier programs for leadership and public service as a White House Fellow and senior adviser at the Department of Energy (DOE). His portfolio included Global Energy Security and Artificial Intelligence. As one of the principals responsible for creating the department’s Artificial Intelligence and Technology Office, he oversaw the program operations for the AI portfolio, coordinating the implementation of applied and basic scientific research initiatives within DOE’s national labs and offices including the Western Area Power Administration and the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Prior to his Fellowship, Jermon served in various senior leadership roles for multi-billion-dollar growth and profit and loss centers within the Federal technology industry at General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), Leidos Corporation and Lockheed Martin Corporation.

In addition to leading PT78, Jermon serves as an Independent Director for Definitive Logic Corporation and Edgewater IT Corporation.

Jermon resides in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area with his wife and son.

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