Humble Beginnings

In this episode of "Humble Beginnings," Cass Panciocco, president and CEO of IntelliBridge, joins us to share a bit about his upbringing in working-class Boston, what it was like sharing a modest home with seven other family members, the work ethic values he learned at a young age helping his father at carpenter job sites, and more. 

Panciocco has worked most of his life ⏤ including through college, where he attended the University of Massachusetts and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Resource Economics despite some educational and financial obstacles. While struggling to find a job in the early 1980s, Panciocco took an aptitude test for the NSA in his university's placement office and learned he had a brain for computers. He moved to the surrounding Washington, D.C., area for an impactful ⏤ yet unplanned ⏤ job with the NSA, and has been in the area ever since. 

Panciocco's 10 years at the NSA and position at the SIGNAL Corp. afterwards jumpstarted his career and opportunities to follow. He pursued further education, progressed through executive and C-suite roles, and ultimately, found the title of CEO on his trajectory. All the while, holding a strong passion for his family and giving back to the communities that have impacted him. 

In this episode of "Humble Beginnings," Jo Ann Bjornson, chief human resources officer at V2X, joins us to discuss her upbringing in a 900-square-foot house in a low-income suburb of the greater Washington, D.C., area. The daughter of an immigrant and U.S. military veteran, Bjornson connects her experiences to her sense of independence, work ethic and passion for supporting the military.

Bjornson's path wasn't always clear, either. She had to navigate many complex parts of her academic life by herself ⏤ as neither of her parents went to college ⏤ and strongly pivoted after experiencing an impactful academic failure. She'd soon find her passion for people, and ultimately, HR, allowing that passion to guide her career forward.

Today, Bjornson reflects on the meaningful influence her parents had on her, her love for her current workforce, the importance of supporting underprivileged students, and how all of these experiences shape the way she leads at work and at home as a mother. 

The Bosnian War, which began in 1992, lasted nearly four years and displaced over 2 million people. In this episode of Humble Beginnings, WashingtonExec's Amanda Ziadeh sits down with guest Mladen Brkic, who came to the U.S. as a refugee in 1996 from Bosnia at 18 years old. 

Today, Brkic is chief financial officer and senior vice president of ULTRA Intelligence & Communications, but prior, his career journey took him around the globe. Tune in as Brkic shares a bit about his childhood, resilience, willingness to take on tough jobs, and how the different positions he's held throughout his career prepared him for where he is today. Brkic is passionate about fostering and keeping authentic relationships and transforming life experiences into a positive leadership approach. 

WashingtonExec's Amanda Ziadeh sits down with guest JR Williamson as he shares his unique ⏤ and at times challenging ⏤ upbringing, as he moved nearly 21 times by the age of 15, largely due to his family dynamic. Still, the senior vice president and chief information security officer at Leidos considers himself a native Northern Virginian.

He candidly discusses the role his mother played in his and his siblings' lives, working multiple jobs to provide while struggling with mental illness. Williamson and his siblings supported each other, while he stayed on top of athletics, academics and work. It wasn't always easy, and Williamson's educational path wasn't as straightforward as others, but he put himself through college and graduated with a degree from George Mason University. 

Tune in to hear how Williamson's early interests and motivation drove him educationally, how he landed in security, and how his professional career progressed to serving 23 years at Northrop Grumman, ultimately landing him at Leidos. Plus, learn why his family feels strongly about giving back to the local sports community.

WashingtonExec's Amanda Ziadeh sits down with Brian Price, CEO and co-founder of Kion, as he shares his upbringing in the 2,000-person small shore town of Crisfield, Maryland, "still stuck in the 1970s." Price, an only child, gained early work experience and people skills at his uncle's coffee shop in high school. Gordon’s Confectionery, 100 years old and still running today, served about a third of the town daily and was Crisfield's gossip center. 

After graduating as Valedictorian of his class, Price knew he wanted to expand his horizons "across the bridge," as there were very few technology opportunities nearby, other than the ones he made for himself (like creating software to track his DVD inventory as he lent them out to neighbors and friends). He loved to build applications that could improve quality of life. So, armed with a computer science degree as the first person in his extended family to graduate college, he started his career at Northrop Grumman as a Java developer. In this episode, Price shares his career journey to CEO of a software startup ⏤ a position he never thought he'd be in ⏤ by forging his own path and relationships, while keeping his hometown humbleness. 

WashingtonExec's Amanda Ziadeh and co-host Mark HuYoung, managing partner of executive advisory firm Northwind Partners, sit down with guest Doug Wagoner, CEO of LMI, to discuss his upbringing in Alexandria, Virginia, and ultimate progression to the corner office. Wagoner, an only child, grew up in and around his parents' family business. He learned the meaning of hard work at an early age, spending every summer working at the family business till his freshmen year of college. 

In this episode, Wagoner shares why getting his business degree was important to him (and his family), how he snagged his first job after college and how personal relationships were critical to his professional growth. Plus, learn how he gained a reputation as a "fixer-upper," taking on roles that involved overcoming a big challenge, and where his mentality of taking on the hard jobs stems from. 

In this episode of "Humble Beginnings," we chat with Gil Smith, senior director of Government Health Program Development at Philips (and a rancher), about his upbringing as a latchkey kid in a broken home in Rhode Island. Always the "new kid," Smith attended nearly nine different schools growing up before settling in a welcoming high school while living with his grandparents in Pittsburgh.

His story is a unique one, navigating different family dynamics and ways of life, while harvesting bits and pieces of each experience, and fatherly and grandfatherly advice and guidance. Smith would enroll in university, drop out soon later and land in the Navy after an epiphany at a baseball field back in Rhode Island.

His journey to follow is filled with timely yet unexpected opportunities. He'd later find himself as a Medical Service Corps officer, a presidential appointee, deputy chief of operations at the White House, and more. His experience spans both the federal and private sector space -- but most interestingly, is the people and events that have truly changed the course of his life and career along the way. Nearly every turning point in his life involves influential moments, people or happenings -- good and bad.

"Who made a choice to change the direction that you're going in today, and how can you be that person?" Smith says. 

WashingtonExec's Amanda Ziadeh and co-host Mark HuYoung, managing partner of executive advisory firm Northwind Partners, sit down with guest Jon Rucker as he shares a bit about his upbringing in Northern Virginia as the son of a teacher and electrical engineer, and how these experiences impacted him. 

Rucker, CEO of Ultra Intelligence & Communications, also discusses the life lessons he carries with him, from his father’s work ethic to his mother’s approach to finding solutions to life’s problems rather than dwelling on them. He tells us why he decided to pursue the hardest degree in college, how he climbed the ranks in Lockheed Martin for 20 years, and how his professional experiences and mentors along the way ultimately led him to where he is today. 

Plus, hear Rucker's story of resilience and strength. A month into his new role at SAIC, he was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. He never stopped working during treatment, thanks SAIC's leadership team greatly for their immense support, and shares his new perspective and outlook on life. 

In this episode of "Humble Beginnings," we sit down with Sev1Tech CEO Robert (Bob) E. Lohfeld Jr., as he shares tidbits about his upbringing in Maryland, the influence his grandmother had on his life and his foundational interest in all things international. 

Lohfeld talks about the impact transferring from a big university to a private liberal arts college had on his education, his urge to move to Spain after college and his ultimate start in international logistics. Tune in to hear how he transitioned through different parts of the industry gaining an eclectic professional experience, his mission-driven decision to join the government at 38 years old and how he ultimately started (and grew) Sev1Tech. 

Plus,  learn how he quickly earned the reputation of being the one to “run towards the fires and put them out."

In this episode of Humble Beginnings, we chat with Richard Sawchak, CEO of Systems Planning and Analysis, about his upbringing in Scranton, Pennsylvania, his very first job as a paperboy, and mentors who influenced his life.

Rich also shares the "humble beginning" of his father, who was a banker without a college degree and ended up retiring as the CEO of a small regional bank. He also shares the story of his grandparents, who immigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine and settled in Northern Pennsylvania. 

Rich, of course, shares his own story, like the lessons he learned from mentors critical to his path, from his father to his youth pastor. He talks about transitioning out of a big company and being one of 160,000 employees, to helping build the policy and process infrastructure of a small company where he was less than 150 employees. 

Rich also talks about loss. His parents passed away in 2012, causing much reflection and a renewed perspective. Tune in to hear how Rich's journey has ultimately left him poised to retire by the age of 55, while he focuses on mentoring, giving back and his continued duty to family first.