CEOs You Should Know - Washington DC

Wade Chilcoat
Wade Chilcoat is the owner and administrator of Tilden Memory Care, a luxury eight-bed residential assisted living home in Alexandria, Virginia specializing in dementia care. Tilden is at the forefront of a paradigm shift in senior living with a new generation of fully licensed care homes providing all the safety and security of larger facilities in the comfort and intimacy of a family home. A limited number of residents and much smaller resident-to-caregiver ratios lead to less anxiety and confusion for those living with dementia as well as much higher levels of care and personalized attention.

Prior to creating Tilden Memory Care, Wade spent most of his life as a vagabond traveling the world. His taste for wanderlust started in 1989 when he was awarded a full congressional scholarship at fifteen to spend his junior year of high school abroad at what was then West Germany. This experience inspired him to double-major in German and Sociology at Emory University in Atlanta, where upon graduation he served as an associate envoy for the Danish Olympic delegation for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Europe shortly beckoned once again, and Wade was fortunate enough to win a Fullbright English teaching scholarship to teach in Vienna, Austria. Wade loved teaching and sharing his knowledge and skills to help others, and this first foray into being an educator would later form the backbone of his professional career.

After returning to the USA Wade quickly found work in the Mergers and Acquisitions Department at Goldman Sachs performing document creation and editing. Although he loved being surrounded by some of the most intelligent and driven people in the world at Goldman, the work itself was not igniting his passion. September 11th, 2001 changed all of that.

With all of Wall Street shut down due to the World Trade Center bombing, Wade moved to South Korea with a one-year contract to teach English to children. What was meant to be a one-year sojourn to do explore Asia and do some soul-searching ended up being a sixteen-year love affair with teaching and Korea. Wade enrolled in UMBC’s online graduate TESOL program (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) where he earned a perfect 4.0 GPA while still working full-time teaching business English to adults at a private language school in Seoul. It was at this school during a 7am business English class where Wade met a shy Korean nurse named Dongjin who would later become his lovely wife and partner at Tilden Memory Care.

Upon completion of the master’s degree, Wade then finished out his teaching career in Korea working as an English professor at several Korean universities before getting a full scholarship to study in the US-accredited MBA program at Solbridge International School of Business in Daejeon, South Korea. Wade graduated from Solbridge as valedictorian and then shortly thereafter moved back to the DC-metro area with his family to be closer to his aging mother in Maryland and raise their two young sons in the USA.

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John Woods
John Woods, Provost and Chief Academic Officer John Woods, Ph.D., is the chief academic officer and provost for University of Phoenix and responsible for further developing and fulfilling the University’s academic mission. He is charged with amplifying the University's high-quality, rigorous and career-relevant academic programs, while spurring innovation to help working adults move efficiently from education to careers. He leads a team of academic leaders and more than 3,000 practitioner faculty with applied experience in the disciplines they teach. His office defines student learning outcomes that align with employer expectations, and with the specific skills students should have to improve their performance in today's competitive economy. Dr. Woods provides leadership for assessment of student learning, instructional innovation, faculty engagement, the student experience, accreditation, and institutional reporting. Dr. Woods is the founding director of the University of Phoenix Career Institute® which annually publishes the Career Optimism Index®. In 2022, Dr. Woods’ insights on the Index were featured in numerous publications including Forbes and Inc. He is active as a speaker on career, workforce and higher education issues at events including the 2022 SHRM conference, 2022 Economic Development Summit of WESTMARC, Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation’s 2022 Workforce Summit, and the 2022 Reagan Institute Summit on Education (RISE). Prior to joining University of Phoenix, Dr. Woods served as a dean at a traditional liberal arts college, an adjunct faculty member at numerous institutions over the last twenty-five years, and as chief academic officer for over fifteen years at other institutions serving working adult learners. He began his career in higher education focusing on helping colleges and universities leverage technology for instruction with the Eduprise, Collegis and Deltak family of companies. Dr. Woods has been a Trustee of the Worthington Educational Foundation and previously served as a Peer Evaluator for the Higher Learning Commission. He currently holds a board seat with Kivuto, a Canadian educational technology company that works with schools to simplify how they manage and distribute the many digital resources used in education for student access. He is a contributing author of a chapter in the book, Doing More With Less: Making Colleges Work Better, and has also had a presentation on self-study and institutional improvement published with the Higher Learning Commission. Dr. Woods earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Bowling Green State University, where the focus of his research was adult learning, training and development, as well as academic honesty policies and procedures. He received a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts from Carleton University.

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Jim Malloy
A native of Silver Spring, Md., Jim Malloy’s connection to the greater Washington, D.C., community runs deep. The youngest of four children, Jim was one of the first babies born at the (then) newly opened Holy Cross Hospital. He completed elementary school at St. John the Baptist and is a proud 1981 graduate of St. John’s College High School. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1986, Jim proudly served our country as an officer in the U.S. Navy at home, at sea, and abroad, commanding two ships, a squadron, and culminating in command of the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Manama, Bahrain. His distinguished career in the U.S. Navy helped instill in him a deep commitment to servant leadership — a deeply held belief that, for any organization to thrive, leaders must empower those they lead. Energetic investment in people is the key to unlocking their potential while promoting enthusiastic ownership of the mission at all levels. Through great mentors, Jim learned that leaders must fiercely advocate for their people — their success is not simply a means to an end, it is an end unto itself. Jim, a vice admiral, retired from active-duty service in October 2022. He was appointed president and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington by Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, effective July 1, 2023. A past member of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadets Corps board of directors, he has been a mentor to students in the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps. He also has been a volunteer with Helping Hands for Veterans in the Tampa, Fla., area. Throughout his naval career, Jim was a Catholic lay leader aboard the Navy ships on which he served. Jim and his wife, Kimberly Ann, have three adult children. Active parishioners at St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, reside in Ellicott City, Md.

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Debbie Ellinghaus
Debbie Ellinghaus, Managing Director, Olney Theatre Center for the Arts Debbie Ellinghaus has worked in the arts and education industry for more than twenty-five years. Managing Director at Olney Theatre Center since August 2014, she has also held positions at the University of Maryland, College of Arts and Humanities; Yale Repertory Theatre/Yale School of Drama; Jean Cocteau Repertory Theatre; The Epiphany School; The Guggenheim Museum (New York); and the global sports and entertainment agency, International Management Group (IMG) where she began her career as a Marketing Assistant. Ms. Ellinghaus spent a brief time working as a theatrical performer, after studying with the incomparable trio and master teachers George Morrison, Mike Nichols and Paul Sills at the New Actors Workshop in New York, NY. At Olney Theatre, she partners with Artistic Director Jason Loewith to lead the staff and execute the mission and vision of the Theatre. She also serves as a liaison to Olney Theatre's Board of Directors, of which she is an ex-officio member. She and Mr. Loewith lead a full-time staff of 50 theater-workers and employ more than 400 artists each year. Under Mr. Loewith’s artistic leadership and Ms. Ellinghaus’s executive leadership, Olney Theatre has exponentially expanded its profile in the regional theatre industry. Ms. Ellinghaus currently serves on three not for profit boards: Merriweather Arts and Culture Center (Board Secretary, past Chair and founding member); Medstar Montgomery Medical Center; and Kol Nefesh (Board Treasurer). She is a former board member of the Olney Chamber of Commerce and the Philadelphia Regional Arts Consortium. She is a 2019 graduate of Leadership Montgomery and a 2022 graduate of Leadership Howard. In 2018, Ms. Ellinghaus was recognized with the “Emerging Arts Leader Award” from then Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett. Ms. Ellinghaus received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a professional certificate from the New Actors Workshop (New York, NY). She has testified before the State Senate, House of Delegates and Montgomery and Howard County Councils, and has served as a grant panelist for the Maryland State Arts Council. Born in Washington, DC, and raised in Columbia, MD, she resides in Laurel, MD, with her family: husband, Andrew, their two awesome teenagers, Madeline and Griffin; and exceptionally adorable dogs, Charlie and Billie Jean.

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Deon Norris
Deon Norris brings over a decade plus of experience assisting the U.S. Government, Individuals, Small Businesses, Fortune 500 companies, and Non-Profit Organizations in a variety of areas including accounting, audit, internal controls, process improvement, and tax-related matters. In addition, he has also brought a wealth of project management experience to the table. He has oversaw budgets upwards of $30 billion, formulated and implemented critical financial strategies, and built relationships with key stakeholders and leaders. With his rare blend of accounting, finance, and tax Deon has established himself as one of the future leaders in the finance industry. He has experience with the Big 4 audit and accounting firms including time at Deloitte and KPMG. He is a U.S ARMY Paratrooper Veteran and proud supporter of veterans, first responders, and teacher services. During his time in the military Deon was the comptroller of a Special Forces Battalion as an enlisted person. Deon holds degrees in Accounting (Bachelors and Masters), Marketing (Masters), and an MBA. In addition to these degrees, he also holds active CPA licenses in the states of Maryland and Virginia as well as being a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

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E. Sean Lanier was born in McDonald Army Hospital, Fort Eustis, Virginia and raised in Petersburg, Virginia. After attaining the grade of E-5 in the Virginia National Guard and upon graduation from the Virginia Military Institute with a Bachelor of Arts in History, Sean was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Aviation Branch. In 2010, Sean earned a Masters of Science in Business: Supply Chain Management & Logistics via the University of Kansas. PhD , Corporate Learning Officer, University of Pennsylvania, expected completion December 2021.

Sean initially served as a UH-60 A/L Flight Platoon Leader, HHC Executive Officer/ III-V Platoon Leader, and Flight Company Executive Officer in the 1-52nd Aviation Regiment, Seoul, Korea. His subsequent assignment to Fort Bragg, North Carolina included a variety of leadership and staff positions: Flight Company Executive Officer L/1-159th (Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina), Assistant S-3 (Brigade Training and Current Operations Officer) XVIIIth Aviation Brigade, Assistant S-3 (Battalion Flight Operations Officer) 2-82d Aviation Regiment, Assistant Division Transportation Officer 82d Airborne Division, and the Combined Joint (CJ-4)Theater Rail & Sea Operations Officer (SFOR) in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Sean Lanier served as the Assistant S-2/3 (Highway Operations Officer) for the 28th Transportation Battalion, Mannheim, Germany prior to assuming command of the 70th Transportation Company, 28th Transportation Battalion, 37th TRANSCOM, 21st Theater Support Command. Sean Lanier subsequently served as the Battle Captain/Current Operations Officer, 14th Transportation Battalion (MC), 1st Theater Movement Control Agency, 21st Theater Support Command, Vicenza, Italy which then was forward deployed as part of Southern European Task Force’s CJTF-76, Joint Logistics Command Movement Control Battalion in Afghanistan in support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM. Sean served as the SETAF Fielding Support Team’s Operations Officer and was responsible for overseeing the transformation and restructuring on the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Caserma Ederle, Vicenza Italy. Sean served as the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division S-4, FOB Hammer (Butler Range Complex), Zatiah, Iraq OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM V and then as the 203rd BSB, Support Operations Officer (SPO), 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, GA. Sean previously was the 1st Theater Support Command, Support Operations Distribution Integration Branch Chief and subsequently the 1st TSC Secretary General Staff while deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait in support of OPERATION NEW DAWN & OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM and recently redeployed from OEF as the ARCENT Support Element (ASE-A) Logistics Sustainment Planner. Sean served as Operational Energy (OE) and Contingency Basing (CB) Executive Officer of the Headquarters Department of the Army G-45/7 Strategy & Integration Directorate and then the G-43 Director of Operations and Logistics Readiness XO, Executive Officer / Military Assistant to the Director for Logistics Strategy and Integration, G-45/, Headquarters Department of the Army G-4. Sean served as the Senior Analyst/Chief of Staff with the Test Resource Management Center, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (OUSD(AT&L)).

Sean is currently an independent agent with Long & Foster, Old Town Alexandria and Founder and CEO of Resolve Solutions, Incorporated an educational non-profit. Sean social activates include serving as President of the Rotary International (Springfield, VA), the VMI Alumni Association Board of Directors, The University of Kansas Alumni Association, the Petersburg City Public Schools Career & Technical Education Advisory Board and a number of other activities that help to create STEM & Diversity outreach, advocacy for higher education and service to country through military and civil service.

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Leads all aspects of the ITC’s operations with an emphasis on long-term strategy, goals, growth, profit, and customer satisfaction. Promotes communication and cooperation, creating a spirit of unity of effort across ITC.

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Piper Phillips Caswell has dedicated her career over the past 40 years to improving the lives of people with behavioral health and developmental disabilities through her diverse experiences as an educator, school administrator, program director and non-profit CEO. Her passion is motivated by her commitment to social justice and equal access to services. She has served on numerous non-profit boards including PHILLIPS Programs for Children and Families (before her appointment as CEO) for 14 years.

As CEO, Piper establishes program goals, provides leadership to the Board of Trustees, represents PHILLIPS in local and regional advocacy activities, oversees the organization's development efforts, mentors, and sets the vision for and executes the strategic plan. Currently, she is advancing the development of social enterprise businesses that will employ adults who encounter barriers to employment with the goal of their operation becoming employee-owned.

PHILLIPS’ innovative career and technical education offerings around the emerging industries of hydroponic vertical farming and additive manufacturing have developed under Piper’s leadership. Looking towards the next 50 years of program emphasis, she is committed to advancing career and technical education and workforce development for youth and young adults with behavioral health issues in order to end the cycle of poverty and unemployment for this population. Piper is a native of the Washington, DC region and earned her BA from George Washington University and her MS from Johns Hopkins University.

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Stephanie Alexander is the Co-Founder/Partner of govmates, a premier, FREE, teaming platform for innovative federal contractors. She and her team provide teaming introductions, help commercial companies navigate the federal space, offer technology scouting, and collaborate with some of the most innovative companies in the Federal market. Essentially, govmates connects people, and Stephanie strongly believes in the power of collaboration to help the government solve its challenges. She also enjoys the process.

In addition to her role at govmates, Stephanie serves as the Founder/CEO of BOOST LLC, a company that provides GovCons support in the areas of Accounting, Contracts, HR, Recruiting, and Strategic Pricing. With expertise in the field, Stephanie and her team help companies navigate the intricacies of running a business while keeping the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) in mind. They exclusively support federal contractors and provide effective solutions.

Prior to her current ventures, Stephanie held the position of CFO and VP of Corporate Administration at a professional services SDVOSB DoD contractor that achieved significant growth within 5 years. In this role, she was responsible for maintaining the integrity of financial information and overseeing all internal company operations. Before that, Stephanie was a PMP certified Program Manager for a small business DoD contractor. She successfully led multiple key software development programs concurrently, including the company's lead account with the US Army, which was worth more than $10 million annually.

Today, Stephanie is a certified leadership coach, a frequent writer, and a speaker on various GovCon subjects, including successful teaming, growth and sustainability, navigating the seasons of business, and gaining insights into the world of subcontracting. Her clients encompass a wide range of GovCons seeking advice on matters such as traditional business challenges and strategies for sustainable growth. Stephanie has dedicated over a decade to supporting government contractors in making connections to enhance their bottom line.

Specialties: Business Strategy, Influence, Diversity & Inclusion, Team Development, Mentorship, Board Leadership, Innovative Partnerships, Business Development, Teaming, Technology Scouting

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Josh Fox has grown Bottom Line Concepts over the past 14 years to achieve billions of dollars in savings and refunds for many different organizations. In the day-to-day operations, his strength is building relationships as well as managing employees, vendors and an international sales team. He is hands on in overseeing all aspects of the business from meetings, contracts, negotiations, implementation and follow-up. Passionate about various charities, Fox gives back to his community and is also an avid animal rights activist and enthusiast. Fox earned a bachelor’s degree in business and managerial economics from the University of Michigan.

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