Aptive earned a spot on the 2020 Washington Business Journal’s Best Places to Work list in the large business category.
The Washington Business Journal’s annual Best Places to Work program honors 100 Greater Washington companies that scored highest among hundreds of employers who participated in Quantum Workplace’s annual employee engagement survey. The top-rated companies in four size categories – small, medium, large and extra-large – are honored by the Journal as Best Places to Work.
“We are thrilled to be selected by the Washington Business Journal for this award. We take great pride in our diverse, Veteran-focused workforce that encourages multiple perspectives, drives collaborative decision-making and is the foundation of innovative approaches,” said Aptive CEO Rachele Cooper. “It is because of this talented team that we are able to provide superior services to our government clients and their stakeholders.”
Companies are selected based on a range of criteria, including team effectiveness, retention, employee alignment with company goals, manager effectiveness, trust in senior leaders and feeling valued. In addition, the Journal seeks companies that go beyond the norm to foster an enjoyable and meaningful work environment for their employees.
The Journal will announce the rankings of this year’s finalists during their awards ceremony on August 20 at the MGM National Harbor. The complete list of finalists can be found on the Washington Business Journal’s website.
Brian Kaiser is a healthcare operations executive and former Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program director with more than 13 years of federal health care leadership and enterprise health IT modernization experience. At Aptive, Brian serves as Director, Domain SME for Veteran Health, aligned to the Client Portfolio Management Office.
Brian started at VA in 2012 as Director of the Prosthetics Treatment Center and Home Medical Equipment in Sioux Falls, SD where he ran a $26M annual purchasing and operating budget and directed clinical, administrative and contracting operations for a department serving more than half of the healthcare system’s patients. He spent his final VA years at the National Prosthetics Program Office as Program Manager for National Modernization Programs, directing four national initiatives spanning supply chain, financial systems, innovation and EHR modernization across a $6.5B annual program footprint. He carried multiple Federal EHR projects through planning, development and sustainment, and served as the PSAS EHRM Co-Chair, now Tier 1 SME Co-Lead, after six years on the PSAS work group. Brian has eight years of experience with the Federal EHR, building informatics solutions with Oracle Health, industry partners and VA.
As Principal Program Manager for South Dakota’s Medicaid Enterprise System modernization, Brian oversaw a multi-year portfolio of more than 30 initiatives at every stage of the lifecycle, from planning through DDI into maintenance, operations and sustainment. He led the state’s move to modular, cloud-based MMIS architecture and interoperability standards, rebuilding its data governance strategy and secured approval of South Dakota’s federal fiscal year 2026 Advanced Planning Documents for $31M in CMS federal match funding; the most ever approved for the State of South Dakota. Brian collaborated with a team of state leaders to secure $187M in vital rural health funding for FY26.
Earlier in his VA career, Brian served multiple terms as acting Chief Operating Officer/Associate Director for the Sioux Falls VA Health Care System, supervising Service Chiefs across every administrative department, and as Regional Director for Prosthetics and Orthotics Clinical Services and Prosthetics and Sensory Aids Service in VISN 23 and VISN 5, managing budgets in excess of $200M across eight states and the District of Columbia. He also served as Business Office Director, directing eligibility, travel, coding and release of information operations. He has served in acting Service Chief capacities at level 1, 2 and 3 facilities.
M.P.A., Healthcare Management, University of South Dakota
B.S., Healthcare Services Administration, University of South Dakota
Lean Six Sigma, Healthcare Emphasis, Villanova University
FAC P/PM Mid and FAC COR Mid certified
Fellow, American College of Healthcare Executives (2017 to 2022)
Former Board of Directors (2018 to 2020) and Education Chair, South Dakota Health Care Executive Group
2022 VHA National Diffusion Award recipient, 4-Sight
2019 Gears of Government Award recipient
2019 ACHE South Dakota Regents Award, Early Career Healthcare Executive of the Year
2019 Paralyzed Veterans of America Service Award recipient
2019 VISN 23 Network Star Award, Department of Veteran Affairs, Community Care Eyeglasses System Redesign
2018 VISN 23 Network Star Award, Department of Veteran Affairs, 4-Sight
2018 VISN 23 Network Star Award, Department of Veteran Affairs, Physical Therapist Embedded in Primary Care
2018 National Shark Tank Competition Winner, Department of Veteran Affairs, 4-Sight
2018 National Prosthetics Service of the Year, Department of Veteran Affairs
2016 Healthcare Leadership Development Program (HCLDP) Graduate, Department of Veteran Affairs
Kyarington George supports Veterans through the Office of Community Care in Glendale, Colo., helping ensure they get scheduled and connected to the care they need. The work is steady and demanding, but for George, it is anchored in something larger than the day-to-day tasks.
“I like working at VA because it feels meaningful,” she says. “I’m helping Veterans, and it’s more than just a job to me. Knowing I’m part of making their experience a little easier means a lot.”
That sense of purpose, rooted in both the mission and the close-knit team around her, reflects what Aptive looks for across its MSA workforce: people who show up not just to fill a role, but to make a difference for the Veterans who depend on them.
Georgia Holko is a seasoned executive leader and project management professional with nearly two decades of experience supporting defense, national security, and threat reduction missions. Georgia has a proven track record in leading large-scale, high-impact programs, advising senior executives, and driving enterprise-wide transformation initiatives. Her expertise spans enterprise project management, strategic planning, chemical/biological threat reduction, and interagency coordination. She is recognized for building high-performing teams, optimizing operations, and managing multimillion-dollar contracts in complex government environments.
Georgia is also a dedicated and employee-focused professional who is passionate about empowering individuals to grow and succeed in their careers. She is committed to fostering an environment where people feel supported, challenged, and inspired to reach their full potential. Mentoring and guiding others in identifying meaningful career paths and creating opportunities for continuous development and advancement is one of her passions.
Adi V. Gundlapalli, MD, PhD, MS, is a nationally recognized physician-scientist and public health leader with more than 20 years of experience advancing health security, infectious disease response and data-driven decision-making across federal health systems. As Aptive’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Gundlapalli provides clinical and scientific leadership across the firm’s health portfolio, advising on strategy, solution development and delivery in support of complex, mission-critical federal health initiatives.
Dr. Gundlapalli brings deep expertise in informatics, public health surveillance, infectious diseases, and clinical and health IT modernization. He is widely known for leading large-scale, multidisciplinary efforts to strengthen real-time analytics, pathogen detection and surveillance systems in high-stakes environments, including national biodefense and emergency response operations.
Before joining Aptive, Dr. Gundlapalli served in senior leadership roles at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most recently as Senior Advisor for Data Readiness and Response in the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology. In that role, he led enterprise-wide modernization strategies and supported emergency response efforts requiring complex data coordination across federal, state and national security partners. He previously served as Chief Public Health Informatics Officer at CDC, leading initiatives that supported responses to COVID-19, mpox, Marburg and other public health emergencies while managing a $150 million public health surveillance portfolio. He was widely recognized for his service with several awards including the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary’s Commendation for exceptional service and leadership during the Public Health Emergency phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic (2023).
Earlier in his career, Dr. Gundlapalli held multiple leadership, academic and clinical roles with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the University of Utah, including Chief Health Informatics Officer at the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System and Tenured Professor of Medicine. He continues to see patients at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta, Georgia and serves part-time as Adjunct Professor of Medicine and Laboratory Medical Director at Emory University School of Medicine.
Dr. Gundlapalli is board-certified in internal medicine, infectious diseases and clinical informatics and has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications. In 2025, he was named a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher, placing him among the top 0.1% of researchers worldwide for citation impact.
Education and Credentials
As Director of Health Informatics and Clinical Quality, Dr. Lynda Hoeksema serves as program manager and clinical subject-matter expert for Aptive’s Human System Services (HSS) initiative with the Department of Veterans Affairs. She designs human-centered technology and clinical processes that solve organizational challenges and drive measurable, enterprise-scale impact. A dual board-certified family nurse practitioner and informaticist, she brings more than 30 years of clinical experience across diverse healthcare settings (ambulatory, hospital and post-acute care) and 15 years in regional and national health informatics.
Previously, Dr. Hoeksema spent 4.5 years at MITRE supporting the Veterans Health Administration’s Human Systems Integration division as a strategic adviser, with additional work for FDA, CMS, NIH and other government agencies. Her portfolio includes interoperability leadership across HL7/FHIR initiatives, real-world evidence work for FDA and change enablement for large electronic health record ecosystems. She has a passion to improve health by leading interprofessional collaborative efforts and values promotion of continual learning where strong teams can achieve results exceeding sole contributions.
Select Honors and Credentials
Megan Grobert is a strategic leader with extensive experience in business development and service delivery within the federal health sector. Megan manages Aptive’s portfolio of work related to performance and evaluation along with our Captivate creative marketing studio, driving new business growth, leading partnering strategy and engagement and ensuring projects meet client needs and expectations.
Megan has proven experience in improving client programs and strengthening client relationships. Before joining Aptive, she served as Vice President at Ipsos Public Affairs, where she managed a $70M public sector patient experience contract and led a $50M health portfolio, driving business development initiatives and managing a cross-functional team of over 100 professionals. Her previous experience also includes executing a quality assurance and patient experience program for a large dialysis and chronic kidney disease organization, designing patient-centric quality improvement plans and co-leading telehealth service implementation in response to COVID-19.
Megan is committed to supporting her colleagues, mentoring delivery staff and contributing to fostering a learning culture across the company. She is passionate about patient experience and has spoken at numerous conferences on improving health care outcomes. Megan has also contributed to various publications regarding patient care and patient experience.
Jeff Collins is a dynamic leader with more than a decade of experience leading proposal pricing and business development efforts in federal and commercial contracting. As the Director of Pricing, Jeff is leading efforts to increase Aptive’s strategic pricing capabilities to navigate the evolving competitive landscape that comes with ongoing growth. Jeff and the pricing team collaborate across Aptive to ensure the proposals we submit are responsive to client needs, cost-competitive and drive profitable growth.
Jeff most recently served as the Director of Pricing and Proposals at Ipsos Public Affairs, where he led the development of cost models, standardized business development processes and supported the implementation of a federally approved accounting system. Jeff also previously worked at Westat as a Senior Pricing Analyst where he headed the pricing efforts for many of the company’s flagship contracts. His focus on developing analytical pricing tools and continual process improvement supported an increase in both win rate and capture of available contracting dollars while at Westat.
An avid adventurer in his younger years, Jeff hiked the entire 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail in 2010, traversing 14 states from Georgia to Maine.
MBA, University of Maryland
B.S., Management and Finance, Tulane University
Karen is a distinguished leader with a strategic mindset who brings a wealth of expertise from her years in the events industry. She plays a pivotal role in establishing and enhancing Aptive’s events capability through training, knowledge management, adaptation of new technologies and refining best practices. Karen takes a collaborative approach to cultivating efficient and effective teamwork. Her commitment to fostering trusted partnerships extends beyond her dedication to client service, driving her curiosity for innovation and new ideas.
Prior to Aptive, Karen oversaw the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s flagship public-facing events, leading cross-functional teams and managing event budgets exceeding $1 million. She spearheaded the Chamber’s transition from in-person to virtual events during the pandemic, producing a range of revenue-driving digital experiences, from the first episodic series attracting 18,000 registrants a week after the shutdown to regular broadcast productions to the Chamber’s first immersive digital event experience. Karen managed a diverse portfolio of over 600 annual events for the Council on Foreign Relations, including high-profile gatherings hosting distinguished speakers, including Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and David Petraeus. Karen remains actively engaged as a Professional Convention Management Association and Society of Government Meeting Professionals member.
Kelly Smith is an action-oriented leader with over 16 years of experience managing, organizing and executing project and program requirements within various industries, focusing on organic growth, data quality and governance and risk management. At Aptive, oversees a portfolio of programs with the aim of enhancing customer relationships and expanding the responsibilities of her teams through innovative opportunities. She uses her insight and knowledge to assist in capture requirements to solicit and bid on new opportunities for Aptive. As a trusted advisor, she fosters trusting and transparent relationships with her team and potential clients, using keen interpersonal skills to understand priorities and pain points that inform and shape business development efforts.
Kelly has supported several large and small-scale information technology projects, providing oversight and guidance to interdependent teams to enhance performance and achieve desired outcomes. She has worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for many years and most recently served as a program director for Tria Federal, where she supported the VA Product Line Director in the Office of Information and Technology. In previous roles, Kelly was responsible for organic growth, cost management, knowledge sharing and adhering to the full systems development life cycle, often drawing on agile and lean practices to improve organizational effectiveness and quickly adapt to evolving client needs.
Meredith Singh serves as Vice President of Health Care Staffing at Aptive, where she leads the VA Integrated Health Care Staffing initiative to deliver high-quality clinical and non-clinical staffing solutions across the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Meredith oversees a multidisciplinary team that supports critical VA health programs, ensuring that facilities nationwide have the skilled personnel needed to deliver exceptional care to Veterans.
With more than 16 years of experience providing program oversight, educational product development and health care quality data reporting and analysis to federal and non-profit clients, Meredith has deep expertise in complex health care delivery environments. Her familiarity with VHA’s culture, policies and organizational structures enables her to accelerate stakeholder engagement and drive adoption of modernization initiatives.
Meredith has successfully managed projects with budgets ranging from $25K to $75M, leading teams through four major modernization efforts involving multiple partner companies. Her past work includes serving clients such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. She also worked with the VHA Office of Healthcare Transformation, developing and sustaining the enterprise-wide implementation plan for High Reliability Organization principles. Her leadership has strengthened VA’s culture of safety and continuous improvement. In addition, she directed Aptive’s efforts supporting the VA Caregiver Support Program, which offers clinical services, education and resources to caregivers of eligible Veterans enrolled in VA health care. Across all engagements, Meredith is recognized for her ability to deliver high-quality, timely work products that advance health care transformation and improve outcomes for Veterans and their families.
MBA, George Mason University
B.A., St. Mary’s College of Maryland
Certified Professional, Patient Safety
Certified Change Management Practitioner, Prosci (CCMP)
Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
Certified Project Management Professional
Ashley Graham brings over 16 years of comprehensive experience to her role, from business development and strategic planning to communications and public policy. In her current role at Aptive, Ashley manages and oversees a diverse portfolio of projects, ensuring seamless client delivery.
Ashley has a strong program and project management background and most recently served as a program/senior manager, administering the organization’s blanket purchase agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. She takes a client-focused approach, working with each to define requirements and successfully deliver products that exceed expectations. Ashley has spearheaded numerous pivotal initiatives across various industry sectors, demonstrating her commitment to excellence by producing tangible results.
Ashley has a history of research analysis, strategic planning, training and cross-cultural business relations with a hyper-focus on project management. She has supported several federal clients, including, U.S. Forest Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior.
Meghan Dunn brings a strategic mindset and a passion for driving results through innovative media campaigns. With over 14 years of experience, she possesses a deep understanding of the ever-evolving media landscape, from traditional channels to the latest digital platforms including digital programmatic, paid search, paid social, digital video/audio and connected TV. Part artist and part scientist, her expertise lies in leveraging research and data to build and execute campaigns, consistently exceeding client goals and maximizing ROI.
Meghan has supported paid media efforts across various federal agencies including, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Transportation, Library of Congress, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Education and Small Business Administration. Prior to working with federal agencies, Meghan worked in corporate marketing, leading digital marketing campaigns, social media and content marketing efforts. She also worked for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (now NBC Sports Bay Area), where she developed experiential social media campaigns to give out Oakland A’s tickets.
Brian is a dedicated manager with over 20 years of experience leading health care projects in commercial, Federal and international enterprise environments. He is a critical thinker skilled in developing and managing multi-sector/multi-disciplinary collaboration while driving successful outcomes. At Aptive, he heads the Council Management Team within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program. Brian’s primary focus is to lead and strengthen the incredible analyst team that drives Aptive’s successful project delivery and to foster a positive and productive relationship with clients.
Brian has a background in hospital pharmacy operations, medical device installation, IT security and revenue cycle management. He has led dozens of multi-million-dollar projects for civilian hospital systems across the U.S., including HCA Health Care, Trinity Health, Kaiser Permanente and Johns Hopkins. His federal experience includes implementing a Federal Project Management Office for Becton Dickinson, helming successful global projects for the U.S. Air Force and driving IT security upgrades for VA, Indian Health Service and Department of Prisons. He has been on the EHRM project since 2019 and is committed to helping his fellow Veterans discover a more uniform, integrated and effective VA.
Tammy Czarnecki is a registered nurse and former Veterans Health Administration (VHA) executive with over 30 years of experience working for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). At Aptive, Tammy leads and develops the organization’s health-related capability areas and fosters innovation across programs. She also spearheads initiatives that advance Aptive’s mission as a leader in health solutions for federal agencies.
Tammy started at VA as a bedside nurse in the Pittsburgh Medical Center and spent the last seven years of her career as Deputy Assistant Under Secretary for Field Operations before retiring in 2023. In this role, Tammy served as the principal advisor to the Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Operations, directing the day-to-day operations of all 18 Veterans Integrated Service Networks, Member Services, VHA Police, Office of Diversity and Civic Engagement and the Office of Emergency Management.
As the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Administrative Operations, Tammy managed 10 national program offices, including Occupational Safety and Health, Procurement and Logistics, Emergency Management, Healthcare Technology and Member Services.
Tammy also worked in Clinical Operations, leading the integration and execution of clinical services throughout VHA, and served as the Director of Performance Management for the Office of Quality and Performance, developing national performance measures for VA’s health care system.
M.S., Organizational Leadership, Geneva College
M.S., Nursing Administration, University of Pittsburgh
B.S., Nursing, University of Pittsburgh
Diploma, Nursing, West Penn School of Nursing
Registered Nurse
Member, American College of Healthcare Executives
2022 Presidential Distinguished Rank Award recipient
Rahman Dewani, Former Aptive Intern | LinkedIn
Start Date: September 2023-December 2023
Rahman is a dual-degree graduate student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, pursuing a Master of Science in Health Administration and Master of Business Administration. During his time at Aptive, Rahman worked on internal communications for the EHRM team supporting the Veterans Health Administration.
“This internship has provided an environment for me to gain crucial experience and has helped me grow tremendously. I have not only grown in developing myself professionally, but also as a person.”
In his role, Rahman worked on developing standard operating procedures along with leading key meetings focused on the advancement of the project goal. He also led efforts to support all staff that needed to travel by developing various communication materials.
“This opportunity allowed me to gain further experience on the life of a consultant by having a variety of different exposure points. The culture at Aptive promoted a continuous learning environment which has allowed me to build my network.”
Aja Curry, Former Aptive Intern | LinkedIn
Start Date: January 2023-January 2024
“Throughout my internship, I gained valuable experience in the professional working environment, where I not only learned accounting, but also gained appreciation for Aptive’s company culture and its emphasis on learning and performance. This experience was particularly exceptional because it allowed me to expand my knowledge beyond the gates of college major, transforming me into a versatile student. I am delighted that Aptive has expanded my knowledge beyond the classroom and further encourage my growth as a student.”
Anusha Sivendra, MHA, Current Aptive Employee and Former Resident | LinkedIn
Resident Start Date: October 2022-September 2023
Anusha is currently pursuing her master’s in health administration from George Washington University. She started interning for Aptive in October of 2022, gaining a vast knowledge of the industry and experience working with government clients.
Throughout her undergraduate and graduate degree studies, Anusha has worked in roles centered around public health and health care administration, enhancing her skills in data analytics, project management and working with teams.
“During my time at Aptive, I worked on the HRO Contract as part of the communications, HABIT, and Maturity Matrix team. I am now transitioning into a role as a Resident for the summer where I hope to continue work on these projects and pursue projects with the Aptive DEI team.”
Anjali Mulloor, MHA, Former Aptive Intern | LinkedIn
Start Date: March 2022-May 2022
Anjali graduated with her master’s in health administration from George Washington University in 2023. During her time with Aptive, Anjali mainly supported the communications team within the broader, National Standards of Practice team in supporting the Veterans Health Administration’s Office of Regulations, Appeals and Policy.
In her role, Anjali worked on planning and leading retrospective meetings focused on team reflection and goal setting to drafting documents such as various communication materials and standard operating procedures.
“This internship exposed me to the federal consulting space and has helped me cultivate valuable teamwork and communication skills that I will carry with me to future roles.”
Zoe Corcoran, Aptive Intern | LinkedIn
Start Date: June 2023
Zoe is a graduate student at the University of Florida pursuing a Master of Science in information systems and operations management. Currently, her role’s largest responsibility is helping to manage SharePoint sites, including building document libraries, managing permissions and increasing usability.
“Interning at Aptive has been a wonderful and enriching experience. I am surrounded by intelligent, hardworking and supportive peers who have created a comfortable space for me to grow professionally. Coming into headquarters has added to my internship experience and is something I look forward to every day. One of the highlights of this internship has been my opportunity to collaborate and work with people I truly admire. I’ve learned so much about the VA, healthcare, and life as a consultant (especially the need to adapt, as projects frequently change direction). I look forward to the rest of my internship and my time here at the company!”
Her role has given her “the freedom and opportunity to take on a diverse array of responsibilities, working on projects from communications, IT and tooling, process improvement and more.” Zoe enjoyed the learning and development courses Aptive offered, such as Consulting Foundations, but also gained valuable experience working on real projects. “My supervisor has done an incredible job by allowing me to shadow others and has given me opportunities to expand my skills beyond the classroom and use them in a professional setting.”
Zoe chose to pursue a career in consulting because she enjoys its fast pace and the dynamic environment of constantly solving new challenges. “With every project, I get the opportunity to expand my network, work alongside incredible people, accumulate skills and expand my professional portfolio.” She was drawn to consulting because there is a lot of variety in the work available, which is extremely important to Zoe’s career. Post-graduation, she hopes to continue in a consulting role and become a full-time Aptivator!
Cora Markert, Former Aptive Intern | LinkedIn
Start Date: April 2022-October 2022
Cora is currently pursuing an MHA degree at The George Washington University. She hopes to one day serve as a health care leader, with a particular interest in supply chain operations. Cora holds a bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management from the University of Kansas School of Business. During her undergraduate studies, Cora completed two internships with Netsmart Technologies which provided her with great insight into the inner workings of electronic health record (EHR) technology. At that time, Cora also earned her Yellow Belt Lean Six Sigma certification.
During her time with Aptive, Cora also worked on the Veterans Health Administration Specialty Care Program Office project, developing and reviewing business plans for specialty telehealth care services for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Her primary responsibility was to act as a fresh set of eyes to capture the perspective of a non-expert, reading high-level documents to ensure language was clear, effective and understandable to the specified target audience.
“My internship experience here at Aptive has been fantastic,” said Cora. “The environment of the company culture is inclusive, enthusiastic and caring. Upon joining my team, I was welcomed with open arms and countless opportunities to learn.”
Anusha Thota, Former Aptive Intern | LinkedIn
Start Date: April 2022
Anusha Thota is a second-year Master of Health Administration (MHA) student at The George Washington University. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology with a minor in Biomedical Anthropology at the University of South Florida. After graduation, she worked as a medical scribe at an orthopedic clinic in Clearwater, FL. Working as a scribe amid COVID-19 pandemic exposed Anusha to the challenges health care facilities endure without efficient administration and management in place, as well as the disparities and gaps surrounding delivery, quality and access to care. Anusha wanted to positively affect and learn more about the administrative field of health care, so she began to pursue her MHA degree. Upon gaining exposure and knowledge, she was drawn to the opportunities within health care consulting as the field allows her to be a problem-solver while making a positive impact within the health care sector.
During her time with Aptive, Anusha has supported the Veterans Health Administration Specialty Care Program Office project that focuses on the expansion of telehealth services for specialty care programs, the identification of sustainable funding models and the development of business plans to help expand telehealth services.
“As an intern at Aptive, I found myself surrounded by mentors who were dedicated to helping me gain a variety of skill sets to succeed in the workforce,” said Anusha. “This internship has given me the opportunity to learn more about consulting within health care than I would have gained in a classroom-only setting.”
Amelia Poling serves as the Director of People Operations at Aptive. She is responsible for leading Aptive’s overall Human Resources (HR) strategy, leadership development, cultural development, compensation and benefits, HR operations, employee relations and security. She works with corporate leaders to build and manage a people-first HR organization that reflects and supports their dynamic needs.
Amelia contributes to efforts that have resulted in: more effective and streamlined companywide talent acquisition and onboarding practices that better utilize technology; expanded hiring of Veterans; an initiative to harmonize compensation and benefit programs across the Company to promote efficient internal movement of talent; and more thoughtful, comprehensive talent development programs. One of her major contributions has been opening an important dialogue between Aptive and its employees through a comprehensive survey that engages employees at all levels and serves as the foundation for future change and progress related to people operations.
Amelia has worked with organizations such as the Department of Defense, Small Business Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs. She has 12 years of experience building close, collaborative teams through transparent communication and individual empowerment. In prior roles, Amelia oversaw the delivery of risk communications instruction to identify and address concerns, communicate sensitive issues in a public forum and help identify the best formats to share information.
Amelia works to ensure that each department embodies a culture of respect, psychological safety, accountability and engagement across Aptive teams.
U.S. Army Veteran
Certified Human Resources Professional (SHRM-CP)
Change Management Practitioner, Prosci
Josh Askarinam is a financial expert with 13 years of experience in investor relations, corporate financial strategy, accounting management, financial reporting, modeling and analysis, budgeting, business planning and process improvement.
Josh oversees Aptive’s financial strategy and serves as a financial advisor to the executive leadership team. He enhances the availability of financial data to help executives make better-informed decisions and works to ensure the company remains compliant with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, the Defense Contract Audit Agency and other accounting, auditing and financial regulations. Josh helps establish and implement financial policies, including performing risk assessments and preparing annual budgets and forecasts.
Josh helps preserve Aptive’s financial health by overseeing accounting operations, budgeting, improving financial processes and maintaining investor relations.
Licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
B.S., Accounting, University of Maryland
Wendy Opsahl, PhD believes good marketing starts with good research. As Vice President of Marketing, she leads the strategies, stories and systems that define how the firm engages clients, partners and the broader federal health market. She brings 18 years of experience and a grounded approach to brand development, thought leadership and communications, translating Aptive’s complex, mission-critical work into clear, compelling narratives. Her portfolio spans Veteran services, rural health, homelessness, PTSD, patient safety and health systems transformation.
2024 SurveyMonkey Curiosity Award Finalist
2024 GAIN Awards Finalist, GovExec
2024 IGNITE Awardee, GOVTECH CONNECTS
AcademyHealth Translation and Dissemination Institute Committee Member
2013 Presidential Awardee, American Association of Public Health Physicians
Ph.D., Educational Leadership, University of North Dakota
M.A., Communication, University of North Dakota
B.A., Communication, University of North Dakota
Kaveh is a creative visual storyteller with extensive video production experience, both in studios and on location. His role is to direct, manage and oversee video production and visual storytelling strategy at Aptive and to help enhance and elevate visual direction for creative campaigns nationwide. Over the past 15 years, Kaveh has been a part of teams and organizations that tell effective stories, conceptualizing creative ideas while thinking outside the box to showcase the most innovative stories, brands and campaigns. At Voice of America, he co-created the ‘People in America’ series, which became one of the most popular and widely watched visual series for TV and online platforms. At USA TODAY, Kaveh helped build and create the foundation for digital video franchise storytelling. At Moko Social Media, he helped build the video department from the ground up and created visual franchise series for all of its verticals.
Kaveh’s core passion is to create a safe, collaborative space for storytellers and creatives that helps foster vision, inspiration and creativity. “As creatives, we do our best work when we come together and that’s exactly what we’re building at Aptive and what sets us apart.”
Award Winner, Platinum and Gold Hermes Creative Awards
Award Winner, Platinum and Gold MarCom Awards
Expertise in Adobe Creative Cloud Suite, 508 Compliance
M.A., Film and Video, American University
B.S., Finance, George Mason University
Emily Howell is a research-driven growth strategist with a decade of experience leading multimillion-dollar capture and business development efforts for federal clients. Emily uses her background in service delivery for agencies such as the Departments of Transportation and Veterans Affairs, National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to identify market opportunities and develop high-quality, innovative solutions. She has overseen the capture, bid and execution of hundreds of millions of dollars of communications and marketing projects throughout the federal government. She excels at building client and partner relationships and developing teams that drive sustainable growth.
Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
George Washington University’s Milken Institute of Public Health 950 Award Winner
MPH, George Washington University
B.A., University of Michigan
Chris Hysick is a proven digital and information technology (IT) expert with over 30 years of experience in the industry. Chris leads a comprehensive IT team in delivering innovative, secure solutions to Aptive and its project teams, in addition to maintaining corporate certifications to remain compliant and certified to work. One of his specialties is collaborating with executive leadership and communicating their IT business concerns and objectives throughout all levels of the organization, delivering accurate and suitable information for every employee.
Chris leads the efforts for Aptive to become certified and maintain certifications in CMMC 2.0, ISO/IEC 2000-1:2018 and ISO/IEC 27001:2013. He is largely focused on assisting Aptive’s Digital Transformation services area, working closely with leaders to reduce overhead and help pinpoint valuable areas in a path forward.
Prior to working for Aptive, Chris worked in an IT support role at a company where 15 years later he became a part owner. He then moved to a role that involved overseeing a team of up to 13 people, managing technology infrastructure and operating co-located data center operations. Chris joined Aptive in 2020 and led an effort using gap analysis to understand the company’s IT deficiencies. As a result, he implemented one of the company’s first major project improvement software systems, which Aptive still uses today.
Rachele Cooper founded Aptive with a goal of leveraging technology and communications to improve organizational performance and support our nation’s Veterans.
With this mission in mind and using skills acquired over an eclectic career — serving in the military, working as an engineer at the Naval Research Lab and leading national marketing and communications campaigns — Rachele and her team offer Aptive’s clients fresh perspectives, unique insights and committed partnership.
She’s led complex, high-profile engagements spanning health promotion and disease prevention, strategic communications, technology transformations and organizational change management. Since forming Aptive her work has impacted health care modernization, the opioid epidemic, Veteran homelessness, suicide prevention, access to care, health technology and national defense. Rachele is a member of the Elev8 Advisory Council.
U.S. Navy Veteran
2024 CEO of the Year (Mid-size Business), Washington Exec
2023 Entrepreneur of the Year, Mid-Atlantic Region, Ernst & Young
2023 CEO of the Year (Small Business), Washington Exec
2022 FedHealthIT 100 Awardee
2020 Leading for Impact, Women in Leadership honoree
2020 Dream Big Veteran-Owned Business Achievement Award – U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Change Management Practitioner, Prosci
M.A., New York University
B.S., Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan
Aptive has received a three-year, $9.4 million contract to modernize the Veterans Health Administration's Veteran and Family Member Programs, bringing automation, data migration and data exchange support to a program serving more than 7 million Veterans and family members.
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