Aptive HTG to Evaluate VA Suicide Prevention Programs Under New Veterans Health Administration Contract

Yessenia “Yessie” Castillo is an accomplished health professional, consulting executive and program leader. She leads the growth and operations for Aptive’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) account.

Yessie leads Aptive’s efforts with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and other federal health care projects. She supports business development activities, including strategic planning and solutioning related to program evaluation, implementation, measurement, public health, mental health, suicide prevention and substance use disorder.

A results-driven self-starter with a proven background in the academic and federal health care sectors, Yessie has over 18 years of experience, particularly in public health, evaluation and data analytics. In previous roles, she supported several Veterans Health Administration (VHA) contracts, primarily focused on mental health and suicide prevention, including evaluating the national rollout of the Women’s Health Transition Training, President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS), VHA’s Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Clinical Decision Framework, Creating Options for Veterans’ Expedited Recovery (COVER) Commission for VHA and supported the VHA Primary Care Services Office for Post Deployment Health Services.

• Candidate, DrPH, Diverse Populations and Health Equity, Mercer University
• MPH, Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health
• BS, Cognitive Psychology, Duke University
• Prosci Certified Change Management Practitioner (CCMP)
• Certified PMI Project Management Professional (PMP)
• HRSA Building Education and Student Training in Maternal and Child Health Fellowship

Dr. Tara Fannon is a human-centered design researcher and educator with 13 years of experience developing and leading high-impact projects in the U.S. and abroad. Her work in education, non-profit, government and corporate sectors has led to actionable changes in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion; disability accessibility; mental health care access; workplace equity; and environmental sustainability. Throughout her career, Dr. Fannon has published widely and earned grants, fellowships and awards for her research and writing capabilities, including Excellence in Leadership as a market research team leader. Her love of teaching and learning is complemented by a love for mentorship and seeing team members flourish. At Aptive, Dr. Fannon leverages these passions along with intellectual curiosity and creativity, and an ability to build relationships to lead and support the research team and serve clients. Her skills, passions and exposure to different markets enable her to work collaboratively across diverse needs and interests to deliver teams and clients compelling data-driven insights and recommendations.

• PhD, Sociology, National University Ireland, Galway
• MA, Sociology of Health and Medicine, University College Dublin, Ireland
• BA Honors, Sociology, University College Dublin, Ireland

Anatalia is an award-winning and results-oriented professional supporting Aptive’s growth initiatives across the enterprise. She is responsible for leading and mentoring a team of proposal managers and technical writers as they develop quality business proposals, bringing rigor and structure to the process.

Anatalia has a 20-year track record in writing/editing, complemented by 14 years of business development expertise, and a decade of managerial experience. She is an expert in creating efficient and tailored processes, cross-department collaboration and communication and she brings comprehensive proficiency in document preparation across a diverse range of sectors including environmental engineering, international development, and various information technology disciplines. Anatalia established success in aiding commercial clients and U.S. Federal Civilian agencies by developing and overseeing business development pipelines and gate review processes for organizations of all sizes.

Anatalia previously led proposal departments at companies like Leidos and Pyramid Systems for commercial, international and federal customers.  She continually exhibits an unparalleled commitment to excellence, leveraging a transformative leadership style as well as profound industry insight which allows for effective adaptation to market trends.

• Certified Practitioner, APMP
• Technology Rising Star, STEM Women of Color, 2022
• 40 Under 40 Awardee, Association of Proposal Management Professionals, 2020

Caitlin Noffsinger is a government contracting professional who uses her expertise to drive business growth and foster long-lasting client relationships. She supports her team by performing research, working with various stakeholders to gather and analyze business requirements, outlining process definitions and providing key recommendations. Caitlin analyzes solicitation documents to help determine pursuit, and reviews pipeline and customer engagement data to drive process improvement.

She is a high-performing and skilled team player with experience managing a portfolio of government clients, and serving as the point of contact for subcontract needs and escalations. Caitlin’s past roles also included managing project budgets, scope and forecasts; working with clients to negotiate deliverables for new engagements or revamp requirements for existing ones; and completing, tracking and overseeing that they are accurate and completed in a timely manner.

• BS, Health Sciences with public health concentration and minor in health communications, James Madison University

Anusha Sivendra, MHA, Aptive Intern | LinkedIn

Start Date: October 2022

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.”

Dylan Angeline, Aptive Intern | LinkedIn
Start Date: March 2023-Present

Dylan is pursuing a Master of Health Administration at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Before starting his internship with Aptive, he graduated with a Juris Doctor from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law.

As a U.S. Air Force Veteran, he is a member of the Board of Directors for Alabama Veteran. He advocates for approximately 400,000 Veterans, service members and their families in the fight against Veteran suicide in Alabama, including providing legal advice for transactional, contractual and compliance functions.

He chose to intern with Aptive to learn more about management consulting and to grow in the federal space.

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!

As Manager, Client Development, Kaci Bach is a results-oriented with expertise in forging strategic partnerships and identifying new business opportunities. With a successful background in developing comprehensive strategies for clients, particularly for the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Health and Human Services, she has a strong ability to use her critical thinking skills to make informed decisions and deliver tailored solutions that meet clients’ specific needs. In her role, Kaci uses her strong customer relationship management and team-building skills to secure partnerships with prominent industry players and excels at gaining the trust of her clients and colleagues alike.

Kaci has identified, captured and won multimillion government contracts through her industry expertise and strength in relationship management. She has a deep understanding of the full capture lifecycle and applies Shipley methodology to support proposal efforts through her formal capture training. Kaci is an active member of the Federal Health IT community and expert in fostering strategic collaborations and partnerships to advance business objectives and strategic growth. She is passionate about identifying growth opportunities that expand Aptive’s reach and drive profitability, consistently contributing to the sustainability and growth of the organization.

• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)

• BA, American University

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Jeremy James is a trusted advisor and collaborative executive with a successful track record spanning more than 24 years focused on the federal contracting industry. Jeremy’s well-rounded career includes a balance of managing strategy, operations, external customers, and internal service organizations. At Aptive, he leads a team of strategic engagement professionals whose focus is to drive innovation while effectively managing client goals and satisfaction. Jeremy’s experience leading multiple service centers, aggressively increasing revenue growth, overseeing client delivery, and creating robust multi-million-dollar pipelines will support Aptive’s growth and long-term goals.

Jeremy has overseen multiple major strategic capture efforts while streamlining and optimizing internal processes to maximize growth and profitability. He brings deep federal technology landscape and management consulting experience working with several agencies in the Intelligence Community, various Defense Departments and Federal Agencies among others. After spending his early career at GDIT and Raytheon, he successfully founded, scaled, and sold a government consulting firm. Prior to joining Aptive, Jeremy was a Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and a successful entrepreneur. Utilizing his wide range of experience, which also includes corporate development, P&L oversight, and transforming operations, Jeremy will lead Aptive’s Mission Support Team toward personal and professional growth and development.

• MS, Systems Engineering, The George Washington University
• BS, Information Systems, West Virginia University
• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
• D.C. Co-Chair, Operators Guild
• Limited Partner, FOG Ventures

Claire Brunette is a skilled business expert with a proven track record of building strong relationships and creating new partnerships with clients and industry. She leads business development activities for the Strategic Engagement line of business, helping Aptive expand its strategic communications and recruitment marketing footprint across the federal government. Claire immerses herself within the industry and utilizes her strong communications skills to build rapport with a diverse set of clients and potential partners.

Claire commits herself to driving business growth and delivering excellent customer service for long-lasting client relationships. Claire has overseen identification, qualification, capture, bid and delivery of hundreds of millions of dollars of strategic communications work across the federal government. She is an expert in researching and analyzing market trends and the unspoken needs of clients to help her team develop innovative solutions, expand their portfolio and drive growth across the organization.

• BA, Catholic University of America

Brian LoVecchio is a business strategist and operations leader with over 20 years of experience leading large-scale transformation programs with federal government clients and global Fortune 500 companies. At Aptive, he oversees a portfolio of projects related to health technology, particularly electronic health record modernization. Brian’s focus is on ensuring successful project delivery, maintaining contractual compliance and promoting growth within his team. Drawing on his extensive consulting background, Brian leads business development activities that expand Aptive’s portfolio with new clients.

Brian’s experience spans a range of areas, including digital product development and management, merger integration, strategy development and implementation and business process redesign. His expertise in management, business strategy, financial advisory and data governance models has contributed to national digital product launches for large commercial companies, provided operations and restructuring guidance for multiple large federal agencies and program offices, and managed the implementation of large-scale technology platforms for both large federal agencies and financial services companies.

• MBA, Finance and Strategy, University of Rochester
• BS, Business Management, SUNY Geneseo

Marisa Cole is a strategic powerhouse leading a team of creative thinkers and communicators in strategic engagement initiatives. She oversees project delivery, drives service offering maturation and conducts business development activities for a growing portfolio of contracts across the federal government, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DOD). She is a skilled writer and facilitator with 20 years of experience mobilizing change in federal and health care environments. Marisa’s areas of expertise include managing strategic communications efforts and directing change management for large scale enterprise-wide transformation initiatives.

Throughout her career, Marisa has supported a wide variety of government clients, including DOD, VA, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), United States Postal Service (USPS) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). She is highly skilled in cultivating trusting relationships with clients and colleagues and has a passion for clear communication and transformative change. Marisa’s prior roles focused on advising and coaching executive and mid-level leaders on communications and change management skills and techniques; creating innovative approaches to reach diverse, geographically-dispersed populations; and providing trusted guidance on communication, branding and marketing of organizational initiatives, policies and services. She has spent a significant portion of her career implementing and guiding change management strategy to transform large, integrated health care systems into high reliability organizations.

• Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS), Institute for Healthcare Improvement
• Prosci Certified Change Management Practitioner (CCMP)
• MA, Communications, The Johns Hopkins University
• BA, International Studies, The Johns Hopkins University

Stephanie Flynn, Former Aptive Resident
May 2022 – August 2022 | LinkedIn

Stephanie graduated in August with a MHA degree from The George Washington University. She is a board certified psychiatric mental health nurse and Navy Veteran. Throughout her eight-year Naval career, she served as the charge nurse of a detention facility, clinic manager of an overseas primary care clinic, nurse supervisor of a 258-bed hospital and the unit manager of a 20-bed inpatient psychiatric unit. She is most passionate about serving the mental health population and spent most of her career working in this specialty. Stephanie decided to return to school to earn her MHA to broaden her impact on improving current health care delivery services. When it came time to pursue a Residency opportunity, Aptive was her first choice based on company values and current contracts in the federal health sector.

During her time in the program, Stephanie supported one of Aptive’s new contracts tasked with developing a pilot for a bundled payment model. Some of her other major responsibilities in this role included environmental scanning, assisting with project management plans and various meeting management tasks.

Stephanie began her full-time role with Aptive as a Senior Associate on August 29, supporting projects for the Center for Care and Payment Innovation, HRO and US Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.

“Aptive authentically promotes employee well-being with a strong commitment to building a culture of psychological safety,” said Stephanie. “Aptive leaders are clearly unified when it comes to business development and company culture, and to see the alignment of these two concepts has made this residency an extremely valuable experience.”

Cora Markert, Aptive Intern | LinkedIn
Start Date: April 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 (DOD), Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). 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)
• Prosci Change Management Practitioner (CMP)

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 (GAAP), the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) 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)
• BS, Accounting, University of Maryland

Tim Huntzberry serves as Director of Talent Acquisition and leads Aptive’s recruitment and staffing efforts. He works with top executives to develop and execute strategies designed to attract top level performers in key markets throughout the federal sector.

With more than 15 years of experience in the recruitment and career development arena supporting companies including CACI and Masterson Technology, Tim is well versed as a competitive problem-solver and maximizer of strategies and tools designed to attract top level producers and draw new talent to the company. His strong relationships and rich experience in talent acquisition help Aptive continue to build a culture of inclusivity and personal growth, while attracting the talent of tomorrow to meet the evolving needs of our clients.

Tim is a Veteran of the U.S. Navy.

Mary leads planning, operating, scaling and maturing Aptive’s corporate support services including human resources, recruiting, facilities, information technology, security and accounting. Mary works with Aptive’s executive leadership and vendors to ensure project delivery teams have the resources they need to support our clients.

Mary has worked in various areas of corporate operations for over 15 years. Most recently, she led corporate operations initiatives at Definitive Logic as the Chief People & Culture Officer. Prior to her role with Definitive Logic, Mary worked at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Office of Security Technology (OST) supporting the Assistant Administrator and Chief of Staff. During her time at TSA, Mary partnered with the Office of Human Capital to become an active Conflict Management Coach and facilitator. Mary’s early career experience includes work with nonprofit and education organizations.

• MA, Human Resource Management, Catholic University of America
• BA, Psychology, Marymount

An agile business strategist, Dr. Opsahl leads marketing and business development activities at Aptive. She has 18 years of experience helping federal, commercial and nonprofit organizations achieve objectives through program management, health care, strategic communications, research, digital and technical assistance/training services.

She is a mission-driven professional known for improving access to and quality of services, designing person-centered initiatives and developing evidence-based, creative solutions. Much of her work focuses on assisting federal health agencies with communicating important information to key stakeholders to effect change. She’s led initiatives addressing homelessness, rural health, public health, PTSD, patient safety, health systems and Veteran services.

• AcademyHealth Translation and Dissemination Institute Committee Member
• 2013 Presidential Awardee, American Association of Public Health Physicians
• PhD, Educational Leadership, University of North Dakota
• MA, Communication, University of North Dakota
• BA, Communication, University of North Dakota

Rachael Levine leads Aptive’s knowledge management initiatives, working across all lines of business and corporate operations to cultivate, centralize, share and leverage information. Known for her solution-oriented, highly organized style of leadership and the ability to apply human-centered design and change management strategies, Rachael empowers teams throughout Aptive to succeed by facilitating collaboration and idea sharing. Rachael institutes procedures, establishes processes and maintains and documents our knowledge base to continually improve quality and efficiency throughout the organization.

Prior to her role as Aptive’s Director of Knowledge Management, Rachael led strategic communications efforts for public health, technology, military and federal organizations for more than 10 years. She provided program management, strategic planning, communications and engagement, product development, qualitative research and evaluation, outreach and media relations/public relations support for multimillion dollar national initiatives and campaigns and helped guide senior level staff with creative consultative expertise.

• Prosci Change Management Certification
• Certified Human-Centered Design Practitioner
• MA, Strategic Communications, American University
• BA, Communications and Media Studies, Fordham University

Kathryn (Kat) Dame leads Aptive’s employee engagement and experience, learning and development, corporate events and knowledge management. Kat has 20 years of experience directing major transformative initiatives that require leadership, program management, workforce development and strategic planning.

• Diversity and Inclusion Certificate, Cornell University
• MarCom Platinum Award Winner, “Print Media | Print Creativity”
• The Holmes Report, Gold SABRE Award Winner, “Marketing to Youth”
• BA, Communications, Spanish, James Madison University

Ben Barker is an experienced industry leader with over 16 years of success across the federal government contracting landscape. As Chief Strategy Officer, Ben helps guide Aptive’s corporate strategy and leads Aptive’s Growth Team, providing oversight, guidance and technical direction for Client Development Leads, Capture and Proposal Managers, Solution Architects and Writers. Ben assists Aptive in expanding its footprint in the federal government while focusing on innovative customer solutions.

Ben is an accomplished executive with expertise in technical program management, solutions engineering, leadership, and corporate strategy. Within these focus areas, he has led and managed initiatives for companies like GovCIO, Leidos and ManTech. Most recently, Ben was Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Senior Vice President (SVP) of Growth & Solutions for GovCIO, resulting in private equity sale to Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (WCAS).

• Certified Scrum Master
• Associate Certificate in Contract Management, The George Washington University
• Project Management Professional (PMP)

Seth Niman leads Aptive’s media team, delivering marketing solutions and strategies to our federal and commercial clients. Seth and his team have extensive expertise in planning, negotiating and optimizing advertising campaigns designed to achieve their customers’ goals with specific, measurable results.

Seth applies a holistic approach to planning and buying across the media landscape, including digital programmatic, paid search, paid social, digital video/audio, connected television, out of home, print, television and radio. He utilizes a research-oriented process to develop the ideal media and advertising strategy, selecting the channels that align with the client’s overarching strategy and advancing their marketing objectives.

With more than 20 years of experience as an advertising, media and marketing professional, Seth has supported the branding, recruitment and product marketing efforts for Fannie Mae, McDonald’s, Cava, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

• BA, English, University of Virginia

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.”

• Expertise in Adobe Creative Cloud Suite, 508 Compliance
• M.A., Film and Video, American University
• B.S., Finance, George Mason University
• Award Winner, Platinum and Gold Hermes Creative Awards
• Award Winner, Platinum and Gold MarCom Awards

Taylor Grant is a creative leader and experienced designer who applies human-centered design to produce innovative and impactful visual communication materials. Through strategic oversight, she ensures the creative team develops engaging brands and campaigns that achieve client goals while informing, inspiring and encouraging action. She creates thoughtful brand identities, paid media, social, events, out-of-home advertising, websites and outside-the-box creative executions that connect with target audiences and leave a lasting impression.

Taylor has more than 12 years of experience in visual communications and her eye for design and prior work with federal agencies provides Taylor with the ability to lead, support and serve Aptive’s creative team.

• Telly Award Winner for Art Direction in Social Impact
• MS, Communications Design, Pratt Institute
• BA, Psychology, Dartmouth College

Emily Howell is a research-driven communications strategist with a decade of experience leading multimillion dollar campaigns for federal and non-profit clients. A highly organized leader, she uses a combination of interpersonal, technical, creative and business expertise to provide clients with high-quality, innovative solutions.

Emily has used her communications, marketing and project management skills to support large scale initiatives for multiple clients, including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Transportation (USDOT), the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• George Washington University’s Milken Institute of Public Health 950 Award Winner
• MPH, George Washington University
• BA, University of Michigan

Max Entman is a proven communications and marketing leader with a track record of launching strategic, results-driven campaigns and public awareness programs. He guides project teams as they deliver strategic and innovative solutions to Aptive’s clients. He also leads business development activities, helping Aptive expand its strategic communications and recruitment marketing footprint across the federal government.

He has over 13 years of experience in the communications and marketing field with a focus on delivering digital and creative solutions to accelerate innovation and transform target audience behavior. In addition to experience with numerous federal agencies, Max brings the perspective of leading work with large corporations and leading non-profit organizations to the development of solutions for Aptive’s public sector clients. From enterprise website transformations to targeted digital campaigns with multimillion-dollar budgets, he leads teams to drive business value for Aptive’s clients.

• MA, Global Communication, The George Washington University
• BA, Public Policy and International Relations, Duke University

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.

Eric Gonzales leads a team of high-performing, impact-driven business development professionals—all working toward the mission of supporting the federal government and achieving corporate growth goals. A federal growth leader, he has more than 13 years of wide-ranging experience in health information technology (IT), including program management, business development and leading corporate strategic initiatives for Fortune 500 and 1000 companies, with a specialization on Veteran-focused initiatives. He has a proven track record of increasing revenue through identifying, qualifying and capturing opportunities that drive business expansion and increase brand recognition.

Eric has overseen capture, bid and delivery of hundreds of millions of dollars of health IT work across the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) enterprise and continuously leverages and expands his existing network to match company core competencies to customer needs ahead of public announcement. His expertise includes large-scale capture and proposal development on multi-billion dollar indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts and single award contracts or task orders. Eric is an active participant in the federal professional services community with a history of building talented, winning capture and proposal teams. He has a deep understanding of the government’s needs and objectives in the areas of enterprise IT and emerging technologies. He is also the co-owner/host of the successful Monthly VA T4NG Networking events.

• 2023 Engage FedGov Honoree
• 2023 and 2022 FedHealthIT100 Awardee
• Certified Scrum Master
• FAC-C Level 1
• BA, Business Management, Hood College

Ari Friedman has over 13 years of experience managing complex federal projects, with in-depth policy research and programmatic assessment knowledge and the ability to shape and direct implementation of project activities across a national organization. A proven expert in building and organizing project teams within high-pressure environments, he brings expertise in measuring outcomes, process improvement, research project management, conducting interviews, data management, qualitative and quantitative analysis, executive briefing and reporting development, legal analysis and technical writing.

Ari leads a team of more than 45 management consulting professionals within Aptive’s Health Services Group providing program management, integration, assessment and implementation support for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) initiatives such as policy transformation, Congressionally-mandated reports, electronic health record modernization (EHRM), MISSION Act implementation, COVID-19 response and VHA modernization, in addition to supporting emerging and urgent priorities.

• Member, The Bar of Maryland
• Member, The Bar of the District of Columbia
• JD, St. Thomas University School of Law
• BS, Finance, Syracuse University

Dr. Sanders has 15 years’ experience leading public health and health care initiatives in the public sector. She has led high-impact projects centered around several preeminent health concerns, including suicide prevention, mental health, emergency preparedness and response, women’s health, Veteran and Service member health, childhood obesity and rural health.

Dr. Sanders has demonstrated subject matter expertise in secondary research, program evaluation and measurement, strategic planning, program management, health information management and revenue cycle management, qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, health communication, change management, performance improvement, technical assistance and translational science. She has applied these skills in her support of several clients, including the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Defense Health Agency (DHA), Department of State (DOS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR).

• DrPH, Leadership, University of Illinois at Chicago
• MPH, Epidemiology, University of Toledo College of Medicine
• BS, Movement Science, University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
• Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Professional
• Prosci Certified Change Management Practitioner (CCMP)

Kay Bagchi provides leadership across Aptive’s health care services contracts for federal health clients. She leads diverse, multi-functional teams that deliver strategic planning, program and project controls, governance, integrated scheduling, data analysis and organizational change management support. Kay has 20+ years of experience with a background that spans federal government clients such as the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Department of Treasury (DOT), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), General Services Administration (GSA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as commercial enterprises in the finance and health sector.

• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Certified Lean Six Sigma
• MS, Clemson University
• BS, Clemson University

Abby Rosenberg helps clients address challenges, implement organizational improvements, communicate effectively and improve health care access and equity. With nearly 15 years of federal consulting experience, Abby leads technical assistance, health education, research and evaluation and program management projects, using data to drive decision-making and impact. She supports projects for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Defense Health Agency (DHA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

• Prosci Certified Change Management Practitioner (CCMP)
• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• MPS, Georgetown University
• BA, Communications, University of Maryland

Clive Ballard is responsible for the continued advancement of Aptive’s health services and provides strategic direction to government health programs to ensure Aptive’s cutting-edge client solutions remain firmly focused on patient-centered outcomes.

With almost 20 years of commercial and federal management consulting experience, Clive brings a wealth of experience in the design, planning and implementation of strategic plans, management system frameworks and other mechanisms focused on continual improvement, mission enhancement and operational efficiency—particularly in the health care and hospital settings. Through his work with numerous federal clients, Clive has led delivery of, and served as a technical advisor for, national strategy, policy and guidance; program evaluation and performance measurement; multi-stakeholder working groups and technical advisory committee facilitation; and enterprise-wide program implementation efforts.

Prior to joining Aptive, he was a Senior Manager in Deloitte’s Operations Transformation practice, leading efforts across federal health accounts and within the Quality, Safety and Improvement Offering.

• MS, Project Management, The George Washington University
• BSc, Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh.

Dr. Ormsby leads Aptive’s efforts to ensure patients and providers experience high quality and safe care, including national efforts around high reliability and enhanced care delivery. He also leads the alignment of digital-enabled business and health system transformation resources across the enterprise in support of the organization’s overall strategic goals.

Dr. Ormsby honed expertise across hundreds of public and private settings in health quality strategy and governance, quality measurement, performance improvement, patient safety, accreditation, health system planning, care coordination, delivery innovations, high reliability and accountable care organizations, Medicare value-based payment, federal program evaluation, health professional and patient education, change management and knowledge translation. Within these focus areas, he’s led national initiatives involving quality-based payment models for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); quality, safety, improvement and high reliability solutions for the Defense Health Agency’s Patient Safety Program and Office of Strategy Management; COVID recovery for Indian Health Services; and healthcare evaluations for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the U.S. Congress.

In the 15 years supporting the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Dr. Ormsby has visited and/or surveyed nearly 75 VHA facilities and led national quality, safety, accreditation and program evaluation efforts for VHA Offices of Quality, Safety and Value; Policy and Planning; Rural Health; and Women’s Health, as well as Health Services Research and Development Service, Office of Research and Development and the Interagency Care Coordination Committee.

Prior to joining Aptive, he led Deloitte’s Quality, Safety and Improvement Offering across federal health accounts and developed his expertise at the Joint Commission, Mayo Clinic and U.S. House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee as the David A. Winston Health Policy Fellow. Previously a full-time faculty member in the Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies, he continues to lead its health quality and Lean Six Sigma curriculum as an LSS Black Belt.

• PhD, Public Administration and Health Policy, The George Washington University
• MBA, Arizona State University
• MHSA, Arizona State University

Jordan Atkinson is a seasoned business development professional who brings 14 years of experience in federal contracting to Aptive’s management consulting work. Jordan manages and executes the full business development lifecycle across multiple simultaneous pursuits and proposals as well as facilitating growth, fostering relationships and establishing value-added teaming strategies. He helps build a qualified pipeline of opportunities in addition to helping shape customer requirements, translate customer needs into actionable features, drive differentiation and create compelling value propositions. Jordan focuses on developing a pipeline for Aptive with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), formulating and implementing an integrated business development strategy that provides a clear path forward for Aptive with DHS.

Jordan has experience working with DHS since 2010, focusing on multiple capabilities, including command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C5ISR), cybersecurity, information technology, weapon systems sustainment, acquisition program management and resource management. Jordan brings additional expertise in planning and implementing continuous process improvements for enterprise-wide business development tactics, techniques and procedures.

Jordan has overseen identification, qualification, capture, bid and execution of hundreds of millions of dollars of work across the DHS enterprise. Jordan brings an extensive network, cultivated through years of participation in industry associations and events, which he uses to build winning teams who provide industry-leading services to the government. Through his time as a government contractor, Jordan has formed a detailed understanding of the government’s needs, objectives and priorities and works tirelessly to improve his team’s position for each opportunity.

• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
• MBA, Boise State University

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.

• U.S. Navy Veteran
• 2023 Entrepreneur of the Year, Mid-Atlantic Region, Ernst & Young
• 2023 CEO of the Year, 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
• Prosci Change Management Practitioner
• M.A., New York University
• B.S., Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan