Faculty

Tom Abbott

Partner
McKenna, Long, & Aldridge LLP

Tom Abbott currently serves as the Chairman of the Government Contracts practice at McKenna, Long & Aldridge LLP, the largest such practice in the United States. Since joining the firm in 1983, he has worked on a wide variety of complex administrative, international, civil and criminal government contract issues from TINA to IP/data rights, to DPAS/DOHA/DSS national security to cost accounting issues. He has argued cases before California and Federal trial courts, the United States Court of Federal Claims, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Several of his cases have involved claims in excess of $100 million. Mr. Abbott has also successfully pursued claims under Public Law 85-804, and successfully defended numerous False Claims Act/Qui Tam cases. Mr. Abbott also has extensive involvement with construction, supply and service contract disputes including terminations, delay and defect claims. He is currently representing contractors with disputes related to the Katrina and Iraq/Afghanistan efforts. Mr. Abbott is active in the day-to-day counseling of contractors who supported the government’s move to privatization, outsourcing, and commercial contracting, and who are now facing the effects of “insourcing.” His practice also includes the implementation of compliance and ethics training programs and internal investigations. Mr. Abbott assisted contractors with the DoD voluntary disclosure program and has been instrumental in the response to the development of the FAR mandatory disclosure program. Mr. Abbott has played integral roles in the resolution by international arbitration or mediation of contract disputes involving NATO, and the governments of Canada, Spain, Greece and Egypt, as well as commercial disputes with French, Korean, Canadian and Japanese companies. He has also been extensively involved in counseling and litigation involving Foreign Military Financing (FMF), Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and USAID contracts. Additionally, Mr. Abbott has assisted more than 100 companies and individuals with classified facilities clearance and personnel clearance issues.

Ken Allen

General Counsel
Business Growth Associates

Kenneth J. Allen is general counsel for Business Growth Associates. He practiced law for the federal government for over 32 years, mostly in contracting and fiscal law. His assignments while in government included Defense and Army information systems commands, medical research and materiel commands, and the Defense Business Management University, where he served as the legal advisor on fiscal law, as well as on fiscal law training and syllabi requirements. For the past fifteen years, Ken has also taught in the government and private sector, and has authored over thirty course manuals on several subjects including government contracting, federal appropriations and fiscal law, contract interpretation, federal grant practice, trial advocacy, and leadership and management. He has taught fiscal law for the American Society of Military Comptrollers (both at the National and Chapter levels), the Army War College, and numerous federal agencies. He is also now (2006-present) an adjunct faculty member of the Naval Postgraduate School, for whom he taught at their campus at Monterey, CA and at sites overseas.

Ken is a graduate of the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville, the Army JAG School resident basic and advanced courses, the Army Management Staff College, the Defense Business Management University, and the Army War College.

Larry Allen

President
Allen Federal Business Partners

Larry Allen is president of Allen Federal Business Partners. He has over 20 years’ experience in GSA and VA schedule contracting. He has represented hundreds of companies on schedule issues, including over 95% of the top 25 schedule contract holders. Larry served as President of the Coalition for Government Procurement, the leading association of GSA and VA contractors, working with leaders in and out of government to shape today’s schedule rules and regulations. He served on the MAS Advisory Panel that made several key recommendations to keeping schedule contracts updated and reasonable to manage. Larry is the primary author of “Secrets of Schedule Sales Success” and a contributing author to “Multiple Award Schedule Contracting.” He currently works with several major federal contractors on their GSA and other government business.

Jonathan Aronie

Partner
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, LLP

Jonathan S. Aronie is a partner in the Government Contracts Practice Group in Sheppard Mullin’s Washington, D.C. office. Mr. Aronie counsels and represents large and small clients in some of the country’s largest and most prominent Government contracts matter, including bid protests and DOJ investigations.

Mr. Aronie’s experience includes: litigating under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, developing and implementing corporate compliance programs, conducting internal investigations (proactive and defensive), and providing advice on the FAR Mandatory Disclosure Rules as well as a variety of federal regulatory and statutory matters, including those relating to the Multiple Award Schedule Program. He frequently represents clients before the Department of Justice, the Government Accountability Office, the General Services Administration, and other defense and civilian agencies. Additionally, Mr. Aronie is cleared at the highest levels and counsels and defends clients in classified national security matters.

Mr. Aronie has authored more than 60 articles and co-authored what is regarded by many as the leading treatise on the GSA Multiple Award Schedule Program, published by ThompsonWest. He also is a regular speaker at national forums and CLE programs. He is an active member of the Public Contracts section of the ABA, and currently serves on the ABA Task Force charged with drafting formal guidance regarding the FAR Mandatory Disclosure Rule.

As part of Mr. Aronie’s internal investigation practice, he served as the Deputy Independent Monitor over the Metropolitan Police Department, a position created as a result of an agreement between the United States Department of Justice and the District of Columbia.

Paul Bailey

Managing Director
KMPG LLP

Paul Bailey is a Managing Director at KPMG LLP. He has over 23 years of experience in federal contracting having worked in both industry and public accounting. He provides professional assistance and expert advice for the accounting and administration of federal government contracts.

Paul has led major projects involving the assessment of companies’ compliance with federal procurement regulations and the impact of non-compliance for such organizations. He regularly consults with C-Suite management on the results of complex projects, risk management matters, regulatory matters, and special investigations. He has worked with companies on strategic business advisory projects, including facilitating and developing strategic plans, enterprise-wide risk assessments, mergers and acquisitions, due diligence matters, training programs and other general business advisory assignments.

Paul assesses company compliance with FAR, CAS, OMB Circulars and contract terms and conditions. He develops responses and corrective actions to DCAA and other agency audits, and assists legal counsel in government contract litigation involving labor charging, defective pricing, CAS and FAR non-compliances, contract terminations and claims.

Paul provides practical advice and industry insight having lead accounting departments for government contractors within both the environmental services and defense manufacturing industries. Prior to joining Argy, Paul served government contracting clients as a Washington based Director at a “big 4” accounting firm.

He has published several articles on GSA Federal Supply Schedules, IFRS and aerospace and defense issues. He also teaches seminars through Public Contracting Institute on Contract Cost Principles and Cost Accounting Standards.

Rodney Benson

Counsel
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, PC

Rodney L. Benson is counsel at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, PC. He has more than 35 years as a government senior executive and highly-experienced government contracts attorney with a distinguished career of federal government service. He has been acknowledged for his exceptional ability to counsel staff and clients on complex legal matters, as well as possesses extensive experience in defending federal agencies in protests and disputes, with a remarkable record of success.
Immediately prior to joining Buchanan, Rodney served for 13 years as director of the Office of Acquisition and Grants Management at the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Through Rodney’s 30+ years of combined experience as the director of Acquisitions and Grants Management for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and as a senior attorney in the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the General Counsel representing CMS, he has developed considerable expertise in the field of federal acquisition. He has also acquired extensive knowledge of CMS’s programs and organization. He is familiar with the issues and challenges confronting the agency. He has experience with all contracts that are subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR).

Chad Braley

CEO & Managing Director
Capital Edge Consulting, Inc.

Chad Braley is the CEO and Managing Director of Capital Edge Consulting, Inc., in the firm’s Reston, VA office. Mr. Braley’s area of expertise includes the Cost Accounting Standards (CAS), Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), agency supplement regulations, Truth in Negotiations Act, government accounting requirements, Earned Value Management (EVM), Material Management & Accounting Systems (MMAS), DCAA audit and regulatory non-compliance support, business systems, ICAPs, ERP systems, risk mitigation. Mr. Braley has successfully supported clients in developing and implementing compliance controls, policies, processes, and procedures to successfully mitigate the risk of regulatory noncompliance and has assisted over 75 companies in successfully completing government audits. Mr. Braley has extensive experience in the Cost Accounting Standards and has successfully supported companies in developing their CAS Disclosure Statements, changing cost accounting practices, developing cost impact statements, and defending allegations of noncompliance.

Ken Bricker

Partner
Dixon, Hughes, Goodman LLP

Ken is a Partner at Dixon, Hughes, Goodman. He has worked in the government-contracting and acquisitions arena since 1975. He has private sector experience as a Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of a government contractor, as well as government experience as a Senior Auditor for the Defense Contract Audit Agency.
Ken has served as a guest instructor at the Defense Contract Audit Institute and has been a contributing writer to the Defense Contract Audit Manual (DCAM). He is a lecturer on many conferences for the Government Contracting Institute and American Graduate University and is adjunct faculty for Old Dominion University and George Washington University through ESI International.

He has extensive knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and the Cost Accounting Standards (CAS). Ken frequently assists clients with regulatory issues such as systems reviews (accounting, estimating, purchasing, billing), bids and proposals, rate structure development, forward pricing, wage determinations, claims (equitable adjustment, delay, termination), defective pricing, and incurred cost submissions.

Mark Burroughs

Partner
Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP

Mark Burroughs joined the Dixon Hughes Goodman Government Contracting Consulting Group as a partner in the DC Metro region in 2013. Mark has over 20 years of experience in providing auditing and consulting services to government contractors. Mark’s recent activities include helping companies comply with the business system criteria established by the Department of Defense and working through complex cost accounting issues to maximize the benefits associated DCAA audits, The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the Cost Accounting Standards (CAS).
Prior to joining Dixon Hughes Goodman, Mark was a Director in the Deloitte Financial Advisory Services, LLP responsible for performing services for a wide range of government contractors and non-profit entities. Mark has broad experience in helping companies respond to audit findings, including improving cost submissions and other responses to meet the expectations of the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA), where Mark was a Senior Auditor previous to his time at Deloitte.
Mark holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Frostburg State University and a Master of Business Administration/Management Information Systems from Loyola College. He is a CPA in the states of Maryland and Virginia and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Mark is also active in the Professional Services Council (PSC) and the National Defense Industry Association (NDIA).

David Capitano

Independent Contractor

Dave Capitano is currently an independent contractor providing consultation, advice, assistance, and training on government contract financial and other regulatory compliance matters.

Dave has over 33 years of experience in Government contracting, at both the working level and as a Senior Executive for the Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including five years with the DHS Office of the Chief Procurement Officer, nine years with the Director, Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy (DPAP), and eighteen years with DCAA, During his tenures at DHS and DPAP, he served as the Department’s chief price analyst, providing expert pricing consultation to senior management and contracting personnel, and delivering training in contract pricing matters to Government contracting personnel. With DCAA, he worked in a variety of positions, including field auditor, comprehensive labor team auditor, supervisory auditor, and Headquarters program manager. Dave holds a B.A. in accounting from Virginia Tech and an MBA from George Mason, and was previously a licensed CPA in Virginia for 32 years, currently electing to not maintain or hold a CPA license or use the CPA title. He also spent ten years as an adjunct professor of accounting, including five years teaching at the University of Virginia, where he taught cost/price analysis, Principles of Accounting, and Intermediate Accounting.

Ki Capitano

President
Capitano Consulting

Ki Capitano is a consultant with Capitano Consulting providing consultation, advice, assistance, and training on government contract financial and other regulatory compliance matters. Ki began his career in government contracting in 1976, working as a contract auditor for the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA). While with the DCAA, he performed a full range of contract audits of government contractors and contract audit functions. He worked as an instructor at DCAA’s contract audit institute in Memphis, TN designing, developing, and delivering training courses to DCAA auditors and managers in both technical and managerial subjects, as well as supporting briefings to industry and other government agencies, and worked at DCAA headquarters as program manager, responsible for a variety of audit initiatives. Ki also worked for KPMG Peat Marwick as a manager responsible for designing, developing, and delivering training courses and providing expert advice to clients regarding government contract regulatory compliance issues in a wide variety of areas.

Jason Carey

Partner
McKenna Long & Aldridge

Jay Carey has counseled clients on all aspects of federal, state and local government procurement and grant law, including ethics requirements, GSA schedule contracting requirements, the Buy American and Trade Agreements Acts, cost and pricing data requirements, and other contract administration issues. As part of his counseling practice, Jay regularly advises clients regarding strategies for protecting and preserving intellectual property rights when entering into and performing contracts, grants, and Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) with the federal government. He has provided counseling on intellectual property issues to numerous biotechnology firms entering the government marketplace, as well as other high-technology clients. Mr. Carey also advises clients on compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and export control laws and regulations.

Jay regularly represents government contractors in bid protests before the Government Accountability Office and the Court of Federal Claims. He has prosecuted and defended dozens of bid protests involving defense, biotechnology, telecommunications, information technology, and healthcare procurements, among others.

Terry Carlson

Managing Director
Captial Edge Consulting

Terry A. Carlson is a Managing Director of Capital Edge Consulting in Reston, VA.   He advises clients on the application and interpretation of rules, regulations, guidelines, and cost accounting standards applicable to government contractors. Mr. Carlson also provides advice on the development and deployment of strategic and tactical systems to assist contractors to successfully perform the functions of program management, risk management, and contract administration at program and corporate levels.

After working for two of the “Big 4″ accounting firms, Terry established his own firm that provided consulting services to the contracting community for more than 20 years.  He has also served as a professor of Financial Management at the Defense Systems Management College and as an assistant professor of accounting at Villanova University where he taught courses in accounting and management information systems.

Louis Chiarella

Senior Procurement Law Attorney

Louis A. Chiarella is an attorney in the Washington, D.C. area with 20 years experience specializing in all aspects of government contracting. In addition to his current position, Mr. Chiarella’s previous experiences include: Professor of Contract and Fiscal Law, U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s School, Charlottesville, Virginia; Chief of Administrative and Civil Law, Fort Carson, Colorado; and Trial Attorney, U.S. Army Contract Appeals Division, Arlington, Virginia; He continues to serve as an Adjunct Professor of Contract and Fiscal Law at the Army JAG School, and lectures frequently on a wide variety of government contract law subjects. Mr. Chiarella received his Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame, a law degree from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, a Master of Arts degree from the Catholic University of America, and a Masters of Laws degree from the Army Judge Advocate General’s School.

Stephen Daoust

Vice President Legal, Contracts, and Comliance
Iridium Satellite LLC

Stephen Daoust currently is the Vice President Legal, Contracts and Compliance, Iridium Satellite LLC. Throughout his 25 year career, Steve has worked as a Chief Government Contracts Counsel, Director of Contracts, and Chief Compliance Officer for both publicly traded companies like Iridium and Affiliated Computer Services and large accounting firms like PricewaterhouseCoopers where he was asked on a daily basis to provide expert advice and counsel on the negotiation and administration of contracts with federal, state, and local governments as well as international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank.

Steve has written and has provided extensive training materials to corporate audiences on topics involving, marketing and selling services to the Federal Government, federal outsourcing, ethics and compliance, business management, commercial contracting practices, mergers and acquisitions of federal contractors, GSA multiple award schedule contracts, TINA, contract claims, insider trading, anti-trust, organizational conflicts of interest, teaming agreements, effective review of government solicitations, drafting effective solicitation questions, and sexual harassment/discrimination and has authored an article for the National Contract Management Association entitled “Partnering with the Federal Government – A Contractor’s Perspective.” Steve is an active member of the American Bar Association’s Public Contract Law Section and the Washington Metropolitan Association for Corporate Counsel of America. Steve received his B.S. degree cum laude in the field of political science at American University and earned his Juris Doctorate at The George Washington University National Law Center.

David Drabkin

Senior Procurement Law Attorney

Mr. Drabkin is currently the Director of Acqusition Policy at Northrop Grumman Corporation. There he works with Congress, Executive Agencies and Industry Associations to evaluate and promulgate acquisition policy for Federal programs ensuring the interests of the Northrop Grumman are represented in the process. He translates acquisition laws and regulations into operational requirements within Northrop Grumman. He serves as a resource to all corporate sectors in acquisition matters relating to existing programs and future business capture opportunities. Previously, As Deputy Associate Administrator for Acquisition Policy and Deputy Chief Acquisition Officer and Senior Procurement Executive for the Office of the Chief Acquisition Officer, Mr. Drabkin lead a number of different, but inter-related, activities pertaining to Acquisition. Those activities are the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI), the Federal Procurement Data Center, the Catalog for Domestic Federal Assistance, and the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council. He served as the Head of Contracting Activity for GSA, GSA spends over $10 billion per year for goods, services, construction and real estate, the GSA representative to the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council, the GSA Debarment and Suspension Authority, the GSA Agency Protest Official and the Ombudsman for Multiple Award Task and Delivery Order contracts. He lead the internal Acquisition Compliance Program Review Process. He held the first multi-lateral cooperative program on procurement between the governments of Canada, Italy, Korea and Taiwan. During this period of time he also served as the Senior Advisor to the Administrator of GSA on all Acquisition matters.

David Freeman

General Dynamics

David B. Freeman started his professional career as a Regular Army officer, serving as an electrical engineer and systems engineer in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. After being selected for an Army scholarship to law school, he transferred to the Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps, serving several more years on active duty as a regulatory law counsel, a criminal prosecutor, a Government contracts attorney and a Deputy Staff Judge Advocate (where he supervised from eight to ten attorneys). In his last active duty assignment, he was a Professor of Law and Vice Chair of the Contract and Fiscal Law Department at the Army JAG School. He is now a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserve, and in his last drill position as a Reservist he was a Deputy General Counsel for the Defense Secutiy Cooperation Agency. Dave left active duty in 1999 to join Litton Industries as a Division Counsel. Following Litton’s takeover by Northrop Grumman, Dave worked a short time as a programs counsel for Boeing Satellite Systems before being recruited to be a Vice President of Contracts and an Assistant Genearl Counsel for Orbital Sciences Corporation. His most recent industry experience was with DynCorp International LLC, where he served several years as an Assistant General Counsel and a Vice President of Contracts for one of its two operating divisions.

Jacob Frenkel

Partner
Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker, PA

Jacob S. Frenkel is a partner at Shulman Rogers Gandal Pordey & Ecker, PA. He brings his unique perspective as a former state and federal criminal prosecutor and former SEC Enforcement lawyer to his leadership of the Firm’s Securities Enforcement, White-Collar Criminal, Corporate Investigations and Corporate Governance practices. Jacob is an internationally recognized expert media commentator about high profile corporate fraud, securities and corporate governance matters for such major domestic and international television and radio networks, print wire services and international publications as CNBC, NBC, CBS, BBC, Bloomberg, Reuters, Associated Press, Agence France Presse, and the Wall Street Journal.

Jacob’s practice emphasizes the representation of corporations and their officers, directors and other senior officials in federal and state securities investigations, proceedings before stock exchanges and capital markets self-regulatory organizations, and federal and state criminal investigations, including financial crimes and public corruption, and investigations by committees of the United States Congress. Jacob conducts internal investigations for public, non-public and nonprofit corporations, and represents individuals in internal investigations. Jacob also is an expert witness in cases involving corporate investigations, securities enforcement, securities fraud, stock manipulation and white collar criminal defense matters.

In the area of corporate governance and counseling, Jacob serves as an independent counsel to advise Audit Committees and officers and directors of companies in connection with their fiduciary and compliance obligations, including under the Sarbanes-Oxley, Foreign Corrupt Practices and USA PATRIOT Acts. Jacob’s international work includes defense of investigations and compliance counseling in connection with anti-money laundering and international bribery conventions. Jacob previously advised the Indonesian Securities Commission, BAPEPAM, in connection with its anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism regulations and training.

Jacob also provides strategic advice to early stage, privately-held companies planning to go public and smaller publicly-held companies, and established companies considering growth and exit avenues. His clients include individuals, Boards of Directors and their committees, and corporations, including, privately-held and publicly-held companies on United States and foreign securities markets, broker-dealers, stock transfer agents, and hedge funds. Additionally, Jacob’s clients include mid-sized and small broker-dealers in their investment banking and regulatory compliance functions, and represents those firms and their brokers in capital raising transactions for issuers and in FINRA arbitrations.

Jacob’s 24 years practicing law includes 14 years as a government prosecutor, serving as an Assistant District Attorney in New Orleans, senior counsel in the Division of Enforcement at SEC headquarters in Washington where he specialized in stock manipulation and financial fraud cases and a federal criminal prosecutor in federal securities law-related and public corruption cases for the Office of Independent Counsel, in re Secretary of Agriculture Espy.

David Gallacher

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, LLP

Mr. Gallacher is an associate at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, LLP. His professional experience involves a wide variety of litigation, administrative, and counseling issues related to federal procurement laws. His experience is extensive ranging from complex litigation in federal court under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, to claims disputes before the Boards of Contract Appeals, and also including bid protest actions challenging agency decisions on contract awards. He regularly counsels both domestic and foreign government contractors on issues relating to cost accounting under the Cost Accounting Standards, suspension and debarment, subcontract management, and compliance with other regulatory requirements – conducting compliance reviews and internal investigations when necessary to ensure compliance with the laws. Additionally, he specializes in counseling both U.S. and international clients on U.S. export regulations promulgated by the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, and Treasury. He has extensive experience in making country of origin determinations, including couseling clients on compliance with the Buy American and Trade Agreements Acts.

Jay Gallagher

McKenna Long & Aldridge, LLP

Jay Gallagher is a nationally renowned litigator who has been representing government contractors, including the largest aerospace companies, for more than three decades.  His experience includes the full range of government contract financial issues, including Cost Accounting Standards, civil and criminal fraud investigations and litigation, defective pricing, terminations, claims, breach of contract and cost allowability.

Fred Geldon

Adjunct Professor
George Mason University

Prior to his retirement in January 2009, Fred Geldon was an attorney at Electronic Data Systems for 21 years, where he served as counsel and as Director of the Contracts and Legal Division and was responsible for handling or supervising all contract and legal matters involving EDS’ federal government customers. Prior to his EDS tenure, Mr. Geldon was a partner at two law firms and Assistant Director of the Torts Branch of the Department of Justice. Mr. Geldon is currently an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at George Mason University and regularly lectures on government contracts subjects.

Scott Gentry

Independent Contractor

Scott Gentry has more than 30 years of experience in Contract Cost, Pricing and Finance and is recently retired from his position (post) at the Department of Homeland Security. Throughout his career Mr. Gentry developed and conducted trainings on a wide range of cost and accounting issues, which included Cost and Price Analysis workshops, Cost Realism, Evaluating Contractor Proposals, and Cost Accounting Standards (CAS). He provided Cost and Price subject matter expertise on a variety of complex and sensitive cost/pricing issues and business system/internal control adequacy. He has advised in areas such as types of audit support and Truth in Negotiations Act compliance, in addition to developing, interpreting and providing guidance on Defense Department finance and accounting policies and DoD finance issues. Mr. Gentry received his Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Alabama in Birmingham and a Masters in Administration at Central Michigan University.

Daniel Graham

Partner
Wiley Rein, LLP

Mr. Graham is a partner at Wiley Rein. He was recognized by Chambers USAas a “rising star” and an “exceptionally strong” (2010) litigator who clients note is “incredibly in tune with the laws and regulations” (2011), counsels and represents government contractors on a broad range of legal matters including commercial litigation, bid protests, claims preparation and litigation, mergers and acquisitions, compliance with ethics and procurement integrity laws, procurement fraud investigations and suspension/debarment proceedings. Approximately half of Mr. Graham’s practice involves litigation, primarily before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (COFC), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and the Boards of Contract Appeals. He also litigates cases involving government contractors in Federal District Courts and Courts of Appeals across the country, including prime/subcontractor disputes.

The remainder of Mr. Graham’s practice involves counseling clients on potential contract disputes and protest challenges, internal investigations, legal issues stemming from accounting changes, business restructures and reorganizations, and contract administration matters. In particular, Mr. Graham often advises clients on compliance with ethics laws and regulations, including post-employment restrictions applicable to government employees. Mr. Graham has also assisted clients in performing due diligence for large transactions involving government contractors.

Mr. Graham actively participates in Wiley Rein’s pro bono program, and has successfully argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in several Veterans’ benefits cases.

Gary Grossman

Partner
McCarthy, Sweeney & Harkaway, PC

Garry S. Grossman is a partner at McCarthy, Sweeney & Harkaway, PC. He represents a wide range of government and commercial contractors and subcontractors in all aspects of contracting with the Federal and state governments and with commercial entities.

His practice includes, among other capabilities:

• Protection of contractors’ intellectual property rights
• GSA schedule
• Negotiating joint ventures
• Negotiating prime and subcontracts
• Government contract compliance
• Bid protests
• Buy American Act
• Security clearances
• Homeland Security contracting
• Small and small disadvantaged business procurements
• Contract and subcontract disputes
• Teaming agreements and joint ventures

He also represents companies engaged in technology transfer and commercialization, including technology licenses with federal laboratories, universities and commercial entities.

Mr. Grossman advises clients about leveraging their research and development activities to generate and protect intellectual property under federal programs using:

• Patent and technology licenses
• Procurement contracts
• Grants
• Cooperative agreements
• Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs)
• Small Business Innovative Research programs (SBIRs)
• Small Business Technology Transfers (STTRs)
• Advanced Technology Program (ATP) funding

John Hindman

Manager
Baker Tilly

John Hindman is a Manager in Baker Tilly’s Government Contractor Advisory Services practice. John has extensive experience assisting government contractors with complex regulatory compliance matters, internal control assessments, business process analyses, incurred cost proposal preparation, and Cost Accounting Standards compliance. His business system experience spans government contractors of various sizes, including Fortune 500 companies, and includes documenting business processes, identifying compliance risks and inefficiencies, developing systems of internal controls to mitigate those risks, and writing policies and procedures that highlight compliant and efficient processes and controls. His specific system experience includes accounting, timekeeping, billing, indirect & other direct costs, budget & planning, purchasing, estimating, compensation, and overall control environment. John has an extensive working knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) Contract Audit Manual, DCAA Internal Control Audit Planning Summaries (ICAPS), and the Defense FAR Supplement (DFARS) Contractor Business Systems rule. John has also assisted contractors with developing incurred cost proposals and supporting incurred cost audits, preparing settlement proposals in connection with terminations for convenience, designing indirect cost rate structures, and providing litigation support for contractors accused of Truth in Negotiations Act (TINA) violations.

Ira Hoffman

Principal
Offit Kurman

Ira E. Hoffman counsels and represents large and small clients in a wide range of Government contracts matters, plus national security law, international trade law, international procurement, complex civil and administrative litigation, and alternative dispute resolution. He is the editor of The Annotated Export Administration Regulations Desk Reference (West, 2011); and the author or co-author of several articles on government contracts and international compliance.  Mr. Hoffman is also a director of the Public Contracting Institute, LLC (PCI), and has taught International Trade Law and European Union Law as an adjunct professor at the George Mason University School of Law.

During his 25 years of practice, Mr. Hoffman has appeared in numerous bid protests at the GAO, plus protests at the Court of Federal Claims, the FAA’s Office of Dispute Resolution for Acquisition, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.  He has also represented U.S. and foreign clients in claims and other administrative proceedings with the Department of Defense, the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry & Security, and the Defense Contract Audit Agency on issues ranging from security clearances to suspensions and proposed debarments to alleged violations of the ITAR and/or EAR, to cost allowability.

Before joining Offit Kurman, Mr. Hoffman served as a Court Law Clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; as Counsel to the Vice Chairman of the U.S. International Trade Commission; and as Counsel to the Israeli Ministry of Defense Mission to the United States. He also practiced with the nationally prominent large law firms Fried Frank and Howrey & Simon.

Bill Keating

Managing Director
Government Advisory Services, BDO

Bill’s 35+ years of consulting and auditing experience have included serving clients in the United States, Europe and Asia. In addition to supporting major law firms in government contract investigations and litigation support, he has led several large-scale compliance and operational process improvement projects focused on the special requirements of government contracting, such as contract cost accounting and reporting; billing; procurement; pricing; and estimating.
Bill has also assisted numerous companies with resolving contract audit issues arising from audits by the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) and Federal Agency Inspectors General. Prior to joining BDO, Bill previously led government contractor advisory practices at Big Four firms and specialized consulting companies. He also served as the Managing Director of Contracts and Compliance for a major federal systems integrator where he established a Federal Contracts Administration function and served as the company’s senior representative to the DCAA and other government audit agencies.

Marko Kipa

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, LLP

Marko W. Kipa is an associate in the Government Contracts and Regulated Industries Practice Group in Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton’s Washington, D.C. office.

Mr. Kipa’s professional experience focuses on government contracts, administrative law and litigation. He is cleared at the highest levels and frequently handles classified matters related to national security.

Mr. Kipa regularly represents clients before government agencies, the Government Accountability Office, and the United States Court of Federal Claims. Mr. Kipa also counsels clients with respect to a wide range of government contract issues, including bid protests, claim preparation, cost issues, contract administration, performance disputes, and mandatory disclosure obligations. As a member of the Aerospace and Defense team, Mr. Kipa frequently assists government contractors undertaking M&A transactions.

Jonathan Kosarin

Assistant General Counsel
National Reconnaissance Office

Jonathan H. Kosarin is Assistant General Counsel at the National Reconnaissance Office. Mr. Kosarin previously served as Associate Counsel of the Naval Supply Systems Command; Associate General Counsel and Director of Procurement Law, Federal Home Loan Bank Board; European Trial Attorney and Attorney Advisor at the U.S. Army Headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany; Trial Attorney, U.S. Army Contract Appeals Division. He serves as an Adjunct Professor of Contract Law at the Army Judge Advocate General’s School in Charlottesville, VA; and as an Adjunct Instructor of Procurement and Contracting at the University of Virginia. Mr. Kosarin received a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from Syracuse University; a Juris Doctor degree, from Brooklyn Law School; and a Master of Laws degree in Government Procurement Law, from the George Washington National Law Center.

Stacia Davis Le Blanc

Stacia Davis Le Blanc specializes in the areas of government grants, cooperative agreements, federal audit defense, and administrative law.
Ms. Le Blanc had a long and distinguished career in the Office of General Counsel within the U.S. General Services Administration and the U.S. Department of Commerce. In that capacity, she represented these agencies in actions in federal district court, the Court of Federal Claims, Government Accountability Office, and the General Services Administration Board of Contract Appeals, as well as cost disallowances, audit resolutions and appeals, and nonprocurement debarments.

Of special note, is her work on the implementation of Public Law 106-107, the Federal Grants Streamlining Act, where she participated on the interagency committees drafting the new proposed grant regulations, terms, and conditions to be codified in Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Ms. Le Blanc is a recognized leader in federal grant law, providing training to grantees and contractors, several Congressional committees, grants officers, program officers, and contracting officers, as well as speaking engagements and moderating panel discussions for the National Grants Management Association, National Grants Partnership, Federal Publications Seminars, Public Contracting Institute, National Contract Management Association, Federal Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. She represents all types of grant recipients, including for-profits, non-profits, educational institutions, state, local, and tribal governments before a variety of funding agencies.

Ms. Le Blanc has expertise in grant compliance, drafting vendor contracts and subrecipient agreements, training, preparing grant policies and procedures, grant protests, disputes, terminations, audit resolutions and appeals, cost disallowances, conflicts of interest, suspensions and debarments, eligibility determinations, federal real, personal, and intellectual property rights under grants, subcontractor and subgrantee rights and responsibilities, statutory construction, regulatory interpretation, legislative earmarks, appropriations law, and legal challenges under the Administrative Procedures Act.

Tom Lemmer

Partner,
McKenna Long & Aldridge

Tom Lemmer routinely counsels clients on federal contract formation, contract administration and dispute resolution. In the area of federal government procurement, Mr. Lemmer has significant experience in numerous areas including contract cost allowability under the Cost Principles in the FAR, DFAR, and OMB Circulars, the Cost Accounting Standards (CAS)and Truth in Negotiations Act (TINA). In the areas of CAS, Mr. Lemmer has been involved in issues involving compensation, particularly pensions, post retirement benefits and employee stock ownership plans; restructuring issues; asset valuations in the context of mergers and acquisitions; independent research and development (IR&D) and bid proposal (B&P) issues; legal costs; and environmental cost recovery issues.

Ken Lowe

Managing Director
Capital Edge Consultin

Mr. Lowe is a Managing Director of Capital Edge Consulting, Inc., based out of the firm’s San Diego, CA office. Mr. Lowe joined Capital Edge Consulting after spending more than 20 years in industry as CFO / VP Finance for aerospace and government contracting companies ranging in size from $35M to $1.5B in revenue. His industry experience includes commercial electronics manufacturing, contract manufacturing, aerospace and defense, and government services (technical, engineering, program management) with major prime contractors as well as tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers. His experience has included various organizational structures, various business mix models (commercial and government), various contract mix models, and international operations.

Ken’s government contracting experience includes a broad range of financial matters including: strategic planning; mergers and acquisitions; organizational design and structure; and turnarounds. His government contracting expertise includes: Cost Accounting Standards, Federal Acquisition Regulations, Business Systems implementation (e.g. Accounting, Estimating); Truth-in-Negotiations Act; contract terminations (Request for Equitable Adjustments); Incurred Cost Submissions; developing internal control systems to mitigate government contracting non-compliance; DCAA audit and regulatory non-compliance support.

Sajeev Malaveetil

Director
Berkeley Research Group, LLC

Based in Washington, DC and an expert in the field of government contract accounting, administration, and compliance, Sajeev Malaveetil has over 17 years of experience providing business consulting, financial advisory, and litigation support services to companies and organizations of all sizes. Mr. Malaveetil has in-depth experience with the FAR, CAS, OMB Circulars, and other federal government procurement regulations and guidance. Mr. Malaveetil has assisted clients in the implementation of compliant accounting practices and business systems. In addition, he has assisted clients during Government audits and investigations and in negotiations of audit findings. He has prepared expert reports for voluntary disclosures and performed complex analyses related to contract cost and pricing – including detailed CAS cost-impacts as well as price reductions analysis for GSA Schedule contracts.

Steve Masiello

Partner
McKenna Long & Aldridge

Steve Masiello represents both large and small companies across diverse industries including aerospace and defense, construction and engineering services, information technology, health care, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and renewable energy. Mr. Masiello possesses substantial experience assisting clients with government contract cost accounting, cost allowability and contract estimating and pricing matters, including resolution of audit findings. Specifically, he advises clients on issues arising out of the Cost Accounting Standards (CAS), Cost Principles in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and OMB Circulars and the Truth in Negotiation Act (TINA).

Norm McCord

Director
Capital Edge Consulting, Inc.

Norm McCord is a Senior Manager for Capital Edge Consulting, providing services to companies performing contracts with the Federal Government. Prior to engaging in Government contract consulting in the private sector, Mr. McCord was employed for 23 years with the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) in several capacities. Mr. McCord has significant knowledge, experience, and training in the Federal Government audit and acquisition process, including both defense and nondefense sectors. His work experience includes analyses of company costs accounting systems for compliance with Federal acquisition requirements, interpretation of Government regulations and cost principles, resolution of disputed contract issues, litigation support, and other disciplines relevant to Federal Government acquisitions. He has held positions in DCAA field offices, and a regional office, as well as with DCAA Headquarters. During his DCAA career, Mr. McCord has testified as an expert witness on contract matters in trials, grand jury procedings, and depositions. Mr. McCord developed and regularly presented, training on accounting and audit matters to Special Agents undergoing training at the U.S. Government’s Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.

Ralph C. Nash, Jr.

Professor Emeritus of Law
The George Washington University

Ralph C. Nash, Jr., is Professor Emeritus of Law of The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., from which he retired in 1993. He founded the Government Contracts Program of the university’s National Law Center in 1960, was Director of the Program from 1960 to 1966 and from 1979 to 1984, and continues to be actively involved in the Program. He was Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, Research and Projects, of the Law Center from 1966 to 1972. Professor Nash has specialized in the area of Government Procurement Law. He worked for the Navy Department as a contract negotiator from 1953 to 1959, and for the American Machine and Foundry Company as Assistant Manager of Contracts and Counsel during 1959 and 1960. Professor Nash is active as a consultant for government agencies, private corporations, and law firms on government contract matters. In recent years, he has served widely as neutral advisor or mediator/arbitrator in alternate dispute resolution proceedings. He is active in the Public Contracts Section of the American Bar Association, is a member of the Procurement Round Table, and is a Fellow and serves on the Board of Advisors of the National Contract Management Association. During the 1990s, Professor Nash was active in the field of acquisition reform. He served on the “Section 800 Panel” that recommended revisions to all laws affecting Department of Defense procurement, the Defense Science Board Task Force on Defense Acquisition Reform, and the Blue Ribbon Panel of the Federal Aviation Administration.He was the coauthor with John Cibinic, Jr. of a casebook, Federal Procurement Law (3d ed., Volume I, 1977, and Volume II, 1980). He and Professor Cibinic also coauthored five textbooks: Formation of Government Contracts (3d ed. 1998), Administration of Government Contracts (4th ed. 2006), Cost Reimbursement Contracting (3d ed. 2004), Government Contract Claims (1981) and Competitive Negotiation: The Source Selection Process (3d ed. 2011 (with Karen O’Brien-DeBakey)). He is coauthor with Leonard Rawicz of the textbook Intellectual Property in Government Contracts (6th ed. 2008), coauthor with seven other authors of the textbook Construction Contracting (1991), coauthor with Vernon Edwards, Steven L. Schooner and Karen O’Brien-DeBakey of The Government Contracts Reference Book (3d ed. 2007) and coauthor with Steven Feldman of Government Contract Changes (3d ed. 2007). He has written several monographs for The George Washington University Government Contracts Program monograph series, and has published articles in various law reviews and journals. Since 1987 he has been coauthor of a monthly analytical report on government contract issues, The Nash & Cibinic Report.

Jason Northcutt

Partner
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, LLP

Mr. Northcutt is a partner in Sheppard Mullin’s Corporate Practice Group and the Finance & Bankruptcy Practice Group in the firm’s Washington, DC office. He is also a member the Private Equity Team, the Life Sciences Team and the Healthcare Team at the Firm.
Mr. Northcutt practices in the areas of corporate law, corporate finance, securities law and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Northcutt is an advisor to companies and private equity firms in corporate and transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, securities offerings and financings. He has extensive experience in acquisition and financing transactions on behalf of private equity firms and companies in the government services, aerospace and defense, life sciences, information technology, financial services and media industries.

Rick O’Keeffe

Of Counsel
Wiley Rein, LLP

Mr. O’Keeffe is of counsel at Wiley Reing and has more than 15 years of experience handling all aspects of federal procurement matters. He is well-versed in all stages of federal contract law and litigation, including terminations, procurement disputes, protests, procurement integrity and suspensions and debarments.

Nicole Owren-Wiest

Partner
Wiley Rein, LLP

Ms. Owren-Wiest is a partner at Wiley Rein. She was recognized by Chambers USA (2011) for her expertise in government contract accounting and bid protests, counsels and represents government contractors on virtually all aspects of government contracting. With a practice that encompasses counseling and transactional work, as well as litigation, Ms. Owren-Wiest regularly provides training to and advises government contractors on cost allowability issues and compliance with the Cost Accounting Standards; Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) audits; data rights and intellectual property issues; ethics and compliance matters, including compliance with the rules regarding organizational conflicts of interest (OCI); subcontract, teaming, and licensing agreements; and contract administration matters. Ms. Owren-Wiest also represents contractors in bid protests before the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and in connection with claims preparation and negotiation; terminations for convenience and default; contract disputes before the Boards of Contract Appeals; and commercial litigation and arbitration.

Ms. Owren-Wiest is a frequent lecturer regarding data rights and DCAA audits and cost accounting issues and is Co-Chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Public Contract Law, Accounting, Cost & Pricing Committee. She is also Senior Editor and incoming Editor-in-Chief of The Procurement Lawyer, the Section’s quarterly newsletter, and an Advisory Board Member of the Government Contract Costs, Pricing & Accounting Report.

Thomas Papson

Partner
McKenna Long & Aldridge

Thomas Papson is an experienced litigator and bid protest lawyer, focusing on business litigation relating to government contracts. His practice includes conflict of interest and ethics matters, contract disputes, trade secrets misappropriation and unfair competition claims, Administrative Procedure Act and Freedom of Information matters, contract and tort claims against the United States, and protest of both state and federal government contract awards. Chambers USA 2012 recognized Mr. Papson as one of the nation’s leading government contracts and protest lawyers.

A past chair of the Bid Protest Committee of the ABA Public Contract Law Section, Mr. Papson has prosecuted and defended major bid protest cases involving telecommunications, information technology, healthcare, and areospace/defense procurements in the federal courts and before the Government Accountability Office. He also has litigated several major cases involving misappropriation of trade secrets in the employment context.

Michael Rizzo

Partner
McKenna Long & Aldridge

Mike Rizzo, the Acting Department Chair for Government Contracts, works to resolve contract disputes in both the public and private sectors. In these endeavors, he represents defense contractors, design/build firms, and companies in the transportation and information technology industries who perform federal, state and local government and private contracts. He has appeared before the Comptroller General of the Government Accountability Office, the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, federal and California trials courts, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Additionally, Mike counsels clients on a wide variety of federal and state and federal regulatory requirements. He is a frequent lecturer on the parallels between the Uniform Commercial Code and the Federal Acquisition Regulation and has also spoken on claims theories, risk management techniques and the federal contract criminal and civil investigation process.

Mark Roberts

Principal, Ernst & Young LLP

Mr. Roberts has over 25 years of experience in government contracts having worked in private industry, public accounting and at a law firm serving as a consultant and litigation specialist. As a consultant, Mark encompasses a wide range of consulting assignments for numerous government and commercial contractors. Consulting assignments primarily involve regulatory issues relating to contract pricing, cost accounting, profitability and administration. Mark also assists contractors in assessing the adequacy of their accounting, estimating, billing and purchasing systems and the ability of those systems to comply with applicable procurement regulations. As a litigation specialist, Mark assists legal counsel in matters involving: contract fraud, contract claims, contract terminations, bid protests, post acquisition disputes and defective pricing. In recent years, Mark has assisted several major contractors with the restructuring and integration of their organizations following mergers and acquisitions. These performance improvement type activities are aimed at eliminating organizational redundancies, improving operational efficiencies and reducing costs. Following the organizational realignment, Mark also assists contractors in redesigning and simplifying their cost accounting systems and structure while ensuring compliance with applicable cost accounting regulations. Prior to working as a consultant, Mark worked with a major aerospace and defense contractor. At that company, he held positions involving accounting, finance and contract management.

William Roberts

Partner
Wiley Rein, LLP

Mr. Roberts is a partner at Wiley Rein. He has 35 years of experience advising businesses on a broad range of legal issues. He represents clients on commercial, federal, state and local procurement matters, including internal ethics and compliance programs, bid protests and contractor and government claims, including defense of False Claims Act matters, disputes, responding to audits and investigations and proposed debarment and suspension. Mr. Roberts’ practice includes international trade issues such as ITAR, export control and investigations related to Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).

Steven Schooner

Nash & Cibinic Professor of Government Procurement Law
The George Washington University

Before joining the Law School faculty in 1998, Professor Schooner was the associate administrator for procurement law and legislation at the Office of Federal Procurement Policy in the Office of Management and Budget. He previously served as a trial and appellate attorney in the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Department of Justice. He also practiced with private law firms and, as an active duty Army judge advocate, served as a commissioner at the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals.
Until his retirement as an Army Reserve officer, he was an adjunct professor in the Contract and Fiscal Law Department of the Judge Advocate General’s School of the Army, in Charlottesville, Virginia. His scholarship focuses primarily upon federal government contract law and public procurement policy.

His dispute resolution experience includes service as an arbitrator, mediator, neutral, and ombudsman. Dean Schooner is a fellow of the National Contract Management Association and a certified professional contracts manager (CPCM). He is the faculty adviser to the ABA’s Public Contract Law Journal and also serves on the Procurement Round Table and the advisory board of the Government Contractor. He served as senior associate dean for academic affairs of the Law School from 2006 to 2008.

Robin Schulze

Director
Baker Tilly

Robin is a Director in Baker Tilly’s Government Contractor Advisory Services practice. She has 25 years of experience in Government contract accounting, administration, pricing, compliance, and auditing. Prior to joining Baker Tilly, Robin was the Director of Contract Policy at the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) responsible for the Agency’s CAS administration, allowability of costs, contractor business systems, forward pricing and final overhead rates, pricing and negotiations, contract debts, payments, Government property, contract closeout, and terminations functions. She chaired the Agency’s Board that approved precedent-setting and high-dollar contracting actions and resolved disagreements between the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) and DCMA. She also developed and implemented the overall strategy for the joint DCAA/DCMA Cost Recovery Initiative to ensure all unresolved CAS and cost allowability issues were resolved appropriately and timely.

Earlier in her career, Robin was a senior procurement analyst with the Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy (DPAP) directorate of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics). Her responsibilities included developing Federal and DoD unique acquisition regulations, as well as the development of DoD policy, procedures, and training for cost, pricing, and finance issues. She began her career as an auditor with DCAA where she managed and performed all types of contract audits at major defense contractors.

John Shane

Partner
Wiley Rein, LLP

John Shane is a Partner in the International Trade Practice Group at Wiley Rein LLP, a Washington, D.C. law firm. While at the firm he has worked extensively on export control issues, representing various clients before the Departments of State, Defense, Commerce and Treasury, on export control, national security, foreign policy and compliance matters. He also has particular expertise in drafting complex technical assistance and manufacturing license agreements, developing export compliance programs, conducting export control due diligence for mergers and acquisitions, and handling voluntary disclosures. Mr. Shane also frequently counsels businesses on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) matters, including internal audits and investigations, compliance programs, training and acquisition due diligence. Mr. Shane has written and lectured extensively on export control and FCPA issues as they relate to particular industries and technologies. Mr. Shane received his B.A. degree at Bucknell University, magna cum laude, and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center.

Bruce Shirk

Special Counsel
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, LLP

W. Bruce Shirk is special counsel in the Government Contracts and Regulated Industries Practice Group in Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton’s Washington, D.C. office. Mr. Shirk focuses his practice in the areas of Medicare and Medicaid contracting and related areas of law including Medicare coordination of benefits and data sharing requirements, government and construction contract law and litigation, including cost accounting issues, and defense and aerospace contracting. His experience as a counselor includes review of contracts and provision of advice to clients in both the public and private sectors in negotiation and administration of contracts and grants; administrative prosecution of claims against the government and defense of civil claims and criminal proceedings brought or instituted by the government, including claims arising under the Medicare statutes and regulations; defense of claims against public sector entities; conduct of internal inquiries related to contract and regulatory compliance, the latter including government claims for reimbursement of Medicare payments.

Kevin Slattum

Partner
McKenna Long & Aldridge

Kevin Slattum’s practice touches on nearly all aspects of federal government procurements with extensive experience in contract disputes, government cost accounting issues, cost recovery and Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) challenges, subcontract disputes, bid protests, contract terminations and fraud/false claims defenses. In recent years, he has successfully challenged DCAA cost disallowances and unfavorable accounting and internal controls systems determinations and during his career has obtained cost recovery and defended claims in the context of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) cost allowability, Truth in Negotiation Act (TINA) and CAS issues.

Timothy Sullivan

Partner
Thompson Coburn LLP

Tim Sullivan is a partner in the law firm of Thompson Coburn LLP, where he serves as the Chairman of the firm’s Government Contracts department. A graduate of the University of Michigan and the Georgetown University Law Center, where he served as a member of the Georgetown Law Journal, Mr. Sullivan’s career began as a contract negotiator with the Central Intelligence Agency. Since 1975, he has focused his law practice on Government contract matters. Mr. Sullivan is member of the bars of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia, and he has been a member of the National Contract Management Association since 1975. He is a frequent lecturer on Government contract matters and has authored several articles.

David Taylor

Shareholder
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, PC

David J. Taylor is a shareholder at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, PC. He has been in private practice for four decades, primarily in the fields of government contracts, complex civil litigation, construction, international commercial and trade law, antitrust, communications and technology law. He is the chair of the Government Contracts Practice Group. David primarily counsels clients and litigates in the area of government contracts, with particular emphasis on bid protests, requests for equitable adjustment and claims, compliance programs, and contract terminations and close-outs. He has counseled a variety of both large and small businesses and not-for-profits on the full range of federal procurement issues. He has litigated many cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the United States Court of Federal Claims, the GAO, the Boards of Contract Appeals and various agencies. He is an advocate of and very experienced in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) techniques.

David has counseled clients and/or litigated in a variety of government contracts issue areas including contract formation, “best value” analyses, cost accounting regulations, contract changes and claims, teaming arrangements, co-operative agreements, subcontracting, non-disclosure agreements, FOIA requests, representations and certifications, commercial item contracting, foreign content regulations, suspension and debarment, NIST co-operative agreements, Buy American Act issues, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, intellectual property rights, novations, and a wide variety of small business and socioeconomic issues. He has experience in the development and implementation of internal compliance programs and internal investigations and in the preparation of Federal False Claims Act defenses. He has also effectively employed the government contractor defense to protect contractor clients from claims made by third parties.

William Walter

Partner
Dixon, Hughes, Goodman LLP

William R. Walter is a partner at Dixon, Hughes, Goodman LLP. He holds a BS degree in Accounting from Penn State University and has more than 25 years of experience in cost accounting and financial management systems. He has an extensive background in the application and interpretation of rules, regulations, and standards applicable to government contractors, including the Federal Acquisition Regulation, individual agency supplements to the FAR, the Truth in Negotiations Act and the Cost Accounting Standards.

He began his career as an auditor for the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA), where he was responsible for implementing micro-computers and training his fellow auditors and administrative staff to use major application software packages. As a faculty member of the GWU Government Contracts Program, he has developed and taught courses on Cost Reimbursement Contracting, Accounting for Cost on Government Contracts, Defective Pricing – Hazards and Defenses, Government Contract Audits, Contract Pricing, and Contract Performance Management Tools. A member of the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants, Walter also presents to groups on current issues in the Federal procurement arena.

Mary Karen Wills

Director
Berkeley Research Group, LLC

Based in BRG’s Washington, DC office, is an expert in the field of government contract accounting, administration, and compliance, Mary Karen Wills has over 25 years of experience providing consulting and financial advisory services to companies and organizations that range from middle market to the Fortune 100. Ms. Wills has in-depth experience with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Cost Accounting Standards (CAS), and other federal government procurement regulations. In addition to often serving as an expert on matters related to contract cost reasonableness and realism, Ms. Wills has assisted organizations in a wide variety of industries with assessing respective Government contract and grant requirements and implementing accounting structures, systems and controls to facilitate compliance.

Steven Young

Healthscape Advisors

Steven Young has over 25 years of experience assisting healthcare clients with complex financial, contractual and regulatory compliance, systems and government contracting issues. His work focuses upon the quantification of the impact of historical contractual or regulatory compliance issues; investigations and disputes associated with those contractual or regulatory issues; preparation of proposals and pricing submissions under competitive and commercial pricing contracts; and various operational consulting projects related to process improvement or compliance within the healthcare industry. Young has had significant involvement in the Medicare, CHAMPUS and TRICARE programs since the early 1990’s and has assisted his clients in preparing successful bids for over a dozen major health related contracts valued in excess of $30 billion.

Gail Zirkelbach

Partner
McKenna Long & Aldridge

Gail Zirkelbach focuses on investigations, defense of fraud actions and white-collar criminal defense for numerous aerospace and technology companies in all government contracts and compliance areas. Her work concentrates on the defense of qui tam actions under the False Claims Act, conducting internal investigation, in the United States and abroad, and assisting clients with the development and implementation of compliance programs. She litigates at both the federal and state levels at the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (ASBCA), U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Jennifer Zucker

Partner
Wiley Rein, LLP

Ms. Zucker is a partner at Wiley Rein. She represents clients on all aspects of federal procurement law, including bid protests, contract disputes and claims, contract formation and administration, government investigations, suspension and debarment matters, False Claims Act actions, mergers and acquisitions, teaming and subcontract agreements, small business matters and federal marketplace opportunities. Her experience covers a wide variety of industries, including defense, intelligence, technology and software, government services, management consulting and private equity investment in government contractors.

Gary Zura

President
Contracting Matters, LLC

Gary B. Zura is currently a free lance consultant, specializing in training and advisory services in all aspects of contracting with the Federal government. He leads his own consulting firm, ContractingMatters, LLC and has over forty years experience in federal acquisition and contracting, having served in critical leadership positions for both government and industry. He completed a 30-year career as a U. S. Air Force officer, retiring at the rank of Colonel, and served in a variety of positions in the United States and overseas, in several System Program Offices, in field Plant Representative Offices, and on several Headquarters’ acquisition policy staffs. Most recently, he retired from the Sandia Corporation, a Federally Funded Research and Development Center operating Sandia National Laboratories, where he provided the contracting leadership to manage the Management and Operating contract with the National Nuclear Security Agency. Mr. Zura graduated from Bradley University with a BA in social science, and The George Washington University with an MBA in Government Procurement and Contracting. He is also a graduate of the Program Manager’s Course, Defense Systems Management College. In 2003-2004, Mr. Zura served as the National President of the National Contract Management Association and is currently a member of its Executive Advisory Council and the Contract Management Leadership Development Program Committee. He is a Certified Professional Contracts Manager and an NCMA Fellow. He also serves on the Board of Advisors of the Public Contracting Institute.